from the strategies-for-survival dept.
ChrisPhoenix writes "Human societies have felt the need to regulate, or try to regulate, many different kinds of technologies. All of these technologies have been far less powerful than a mature nanotechnology. Is regulation of nanotech a good idea? If so, what form could it take? If not, is it preventable? Is limited, effective regulation a possibility?"
Read more for the rest of Chris's essay and invitation to discussion.
from the but-will-they-relinquish-when-you-tell-them-to dept.
ChrisPhoenix writes "Bill Joy will be speaking about "Genomics, Robotics, and Nanotechnology: Science and Religion Converse on the Shape of the Future" on Wednesday February 14, 2001, 7:30 p.m. at Grace Cathedral, 1051 Taylor St., Gresham Hall, Rooms 150-250, San Francisco. Details are at ctns.org. They'll have panel responses from several scientists, a theologian, and an ethicist. The event is put on by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, publishers of Science) and by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences.
After you go to the talk, come back here and comment on it! Personally, I'm very interested in whether Mr. Joy has developed any viable plans yet for enforcing the limitations he wants to place on technology. Chris"
from the P2P-4-3D dept.
Matthew Gream writes "Slashdot records and comments upon a presentation, "Napster Fabbing: Internet Delivery of Physical Products" about what is 'in principle' an early stage of nano-tech based replication." The page links to two more papers on Atoms from Bits: The Digital Revolution in Manufacturing and The Origins and Direction of the Fabricator Revolution. The Slashdot discussion includes perceptive comments from some people with experience in the field, as well as "it won't work" doubters and true believers. Read More for Matthew's comments.
from the debugging-P2P-networks dept.
Biomednet's HMS Beagle web magazine has an opinion piece, Something Rotten at the Core of Science? reprinted from the February edition of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, calling for more openess and objective evaluation of peer review procedures. "Evidence suggests serious flaws exist in the peer review process; one study indicates that it's no better than chance in evaluating papers." The abstract says "A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and an analysis of the peer review system substantiate complaints about this fundamental aspect of scientific research. Far from filtering out junk science, peer review may be blocking the flow of innovation and corrupting public support of science."
from the ensuring-friendly-super-intelligence dept.
The February Extropy Institute Newsletter announced that Extro-5: Shaping Things to Come "will take place from June 15th to 17th at the San Jose Hilton and Towers in San Jose, California." It is intended to be a "solution-oriented conference" with extensive participation aiming "to come to useful, actionable conclusions." Themes are:
"TransVision 2001 will take place one week after Extro-5, from June 22nd to 24th, 2001 in Berlin, Germany."
from the mastering-the-technology dept.
warlock writes " Cranfield University is starting what it claims is the first nanotechnology degree course in Europe this year, for those of you who want to check it out. I'd be interested in hearing what you guys think of this course."
from the portal-to-portal dept.
Jonathan Despres writes "Mr. Calin Plesa, President of Atomasoft Network, announced the public opening of NanotechNews.com, Atomasoft Network's second site. NanotechNews.com is a new portal devoted to the miniaturization revolution. NanotechNews.com offers a broad range of nanotechnological related information. The site delivers breaking news and provides the perfect opportunity for information exchange for the growing nanotechnological industry." There is also a related site NanoInvestorNews.
from the recursive-revisions dept.
A Wired article Landmark Linux Tome Updatedreports that a revised and expanded edition of Eric Raymond's book, The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary has been released. "The new edition includes chapters detailing open source developments in 1999 and 2000, and new essays that address the economics of open source and the potentials of open source as a competitive weapon." The revisions were based on an open source model of incorporating "good patches, constructive criticism." It's available in paperback and hardback from O'Reilly Publishing.
It looks like the updated content isn't yet available in the web version of The Cathedral and the Bazaar."
from the putting-the-multiverse-to-work dept.
David Coutts writes "David Deutsch, founder of the quantum computer field, believes that quantum computers will work by drawing upon the processing power of the multiverse. His book "The Fabric Of Reality" is a great read. Deutsch is working on a theoretical framework to prove whether or not quantum computers can be built. He calls this the 'quantum constructor theory'." Deutsch also hopes that his theory would answer questions about nanotechnology. In this interview, "It's a much bigger thing than it looks," posted last November on the Third Culture section of The Edge, he explains some of his ideas.
from the dramatic-futures dept.
I bought Pine and Gilmore'sbook,The Experience Economy a few years ago, but only recently got around to reading it. I discovered something both more profound and more practical than I had expected. I keep seeing new relevance for their ideas about increasing demand for experiences and transformations, including thinking about the implications of nanotechnology. Comments invited. –Bryan
Read More for the review.
