A round-up of commentary about the state of nanotech research, given the 50th anniversary of Feynman’s talk: Adam Keiper in the WSJ If this dispute over nano-nomenclature only involved some sniping scientists and a few historians watching over a tiny corner of Feynman’s legacy, it would be of little consequence. But hundreds of companies and… Continue reading Recent commentary
Foresight 2010 will be webcast live (free) at http://www.techzulu.com/live.html. You can also follow it at Twitter: #Foresight2010 I’ll be travelling (mostly standing in airpote security lines) between now and then. See you there!
Actually, the ominous part is all over, so relax. A week before the very first Foresight Conference, there was an earthquake — the famous 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The conference was moved from the Stanford campus to the Garden Court in downtown Palo Alto as a result. Now, just a week before our 2010 Conference,… Continue reading Ominous Parallels
Just for fun, imagine you could build a tower up to geosynchronous orbital height. If you stepped off the top floor, you’d just hang there, in orbit. If the tower you build is shorter, you’d fall, since (a) you aren’t going quite as fast, and (b) orbital speed is faster as you get lower. However,… Continue reading Towers and orbits
Back in April, I wrote: Nanotechnology, the revolutionary technology, was always about the power of self-replication and never only about the very small. The ability of a machine system to make more of itself, or more generally, make its own parts and be able to assemble or replace them as needed, is called autogeny. There’s… Continue reading Autogenous or autopoietic?
The other day I got a worried call from my mother-in-law. My wife usually calls her during her commute but that day she neither called or answered her phone. Turns out my wife’s iPhone had crashed — the software had wedged and there was no way to reboot. The amusing, if you can call it… Continue reading Civilization, B.S.O.D.
Roboplane tech can deal with air-traffic control directly • The Register. Flying cars – or personal aircraft anyway – have moved a step nearer, as ongoing trials using robot aeroplanes and next-gen air traffic equipment in America are said to offer the option of “reduced crews” on commercial cargo flights. US aerospace firm GE Aviation… Continue reading Auto-ATC for flying cars edges closer
Aunt Polly: Tom, it’s time for your bath. And make sure to wash behind your ears. Tom: But gosh, Aunt Polly, I couldn’t do that. It might cause the end of the world. Aunt Polly: Land sakes alive, child, what on earth are you talking about? Tom: Well, pouring water in to a tub releases… Continue reading End of the World
Foresight ally Jeff Ubois has a new book out, published by Fondazione Giannino Bassetti, Conversations on Innovation, Power, and Responsibility. Yours truly is quoted. An excerpt: Peterson suggests that a closer look at the software developers might provide some clues about responsible cultures of innovation. “If you really want to know how to create a sense of responsibility,… Continue reading Software responsibility as model for nanotech?
The Burj Dubai opens today. It’s the worlds tallest building at about half a mile high. Except for being only half as high, it resembles Frank Lloyd Wright’s mile-high tower in overall shape — but of course the Burj is real. From what I can tell, it could not only house but form the complete… Continue reading Towers
