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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Found On Web

Open Source (Sandia's DAKOTA app available)

Stuart Scott writes "Here is a major engineering application available in source code for anyone. http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2002/DAKOTA. htm It appears to be available in different forms from a Linux application to a massively parallel computer version."

Archival site for L5 Society newsletters, history, images

from the blast-from-the-past dept.
We are grateful to Dale Amon for bringing to our attention an archival website devoted to back issues of the L5 News, the newsletter of the L5 Society, which was formed to advocate the implementation of the visionary ideas of Gerard K. OíNeill to construct large orbital communities at the L5 libration point roughly equidistant from Earth and Luna, using lunar materials and resources. The L5 Society later merged with the National Space Institute in 1987 to form the National Space Society (NSS), which continues to advocate for the development of space resources. Many current members of the Foresight community were active members of the L5 Society, and remain active in the NSS.

In addition to online versions of the L5 News (currently issues from 1975 through 1978), the site presents some basic background information on the L5 colonization concept, a brief history of the L5 Society and its activities, and an image library with views of the torus, Bernal sphere, and OíNeill cylinder designs for large space settlements.

U.S. presidential science advisor advocates nanotech

from the good-advice dept.
For some insight into the decision by the Bush administration to request a 17% increase in funding for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, read the transcript of an address ("Science Based Science Policy") by the head of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) and presidential Science Advisor John Marburger to the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston on 15 February 2002. Although Marburger was discussing R&D funding as a whole, it is significant that he repeatedly raised the need to support research and development in the field of nanotechnology during his address.

Jonathan Despr

from the end-of-an-era dept.
Nanodot notes without comment this item posted on the Atomasoft website on 11 March 2002. Atomasoft operates the NanotechNews website.

Atomasoft announced a major restructuring of itís [sic] operations and budget today as a result of a resignation by Jonathan Després. Mr. Després, one of the founders of Atomasoft and former CEO, will no longer work for Atomasoft and has agreed to hand over all assets and information regarding Atomasoftís operations to the executive team.
Part of the restructuring unfortunately includes the cancellation of Nano Investor Conference 2002. The event was spearheaded by Mr. Després but as a result of the current situation at Atomasoft, it must be cancelled. There have been a number of other nanobusiness conferences planned throughout this year and Atomasoft certainly does not have the resources to make its vision of a nanobusiness conference a reality at the current time. First and foremost, all its efforts will be devoted to continuing the success of the core operations; This includes the growing website portals on emerging technology.
Service to all of Atomasoftís sites will not be interrupted and business will continue as normal; We anticipate no problems with the transition period.

Flexible Ceramics at the Nanoscale

RobertBradbury writes "Spacedaily is reporting on the development of complex self-assembling materials that are being described as "block copolymer directed nanostructured organic/inorganic hybrids". The news report is here here. Where is my nano-chainmail?"

eru submitted additional information on this item: "An announcement at Cornell University's website offers a brief outline describing a class of nanostructured organic/synthetic hybrids dubbed 'flexible ceramics' by CU associate professor of engineering Ulrich Wiesner.

The material is described as flexible, transparent, strong and easy to manufacture, with Wiesner stating that "[it] has properties that are not just the simple sum of polymers plus ceramic, but maybe something quite new". "You could almost say we have perfected nature," he adds."

nanogloss.com – new website

cyril fievet writes "Just wanted to let you know that nanogloss.com – the online dictionary of nanotechnology – has just been launched… Cheers!"

Online discussion of "engaging the Greens" on nanotech, relinquishment

Anonymous Coward writes "Greenpeace, noted peace and ecology NGO, is hosting a debate on arms races and relenquishment – it's unofficial but is pretty detailed. It appears that the organization is debating Bill Joy's arguments and the general strategies of de-escalation and relenquishment."

More on this discussion was posted by jbash, who writes "People around Foresight are always talking about how we (whoever "we" are) need to go and engage the Green types (whoever they are) and talk about the implications of nanotechnology machine intelligence, and whatnot. Well, I was tracing some links from this very site, and, lo! I found one of "them" saying something about engaging "us".

Read more for the lengthy remainder of jbashís remarks.

NOTE: The Greenpeace site is extremely sssslllooooowwwww . . .

Global Greens discussing common AI and ALife policies

Anonymous Coward writes "The Global Green Parties are discussing common policies regarding artificial intelligence and artificial life. Please come contribute."

An interview with James Gimzewski on BioMedNet

An interesting interview with James Gimzewski, currently a researcher at the UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute, appeared on 18 January 2002 in the HMS Beagle online magazine hosted by BioMedNet. (Note: access is free, but registration is required.) Gimzewski won the 1997 Foresight Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for Experimental Work as a member of a team from the IBM Research Division Zurich Research Laboratory, for work using scanning probe microscopes to manipulate molecules. In the interview, he also talks about his nanotechnology research at IBM and his role as a co-founder of the Institute of Nanotechnology in the UK before coming to UCLA/CNSI. Based on his comments in the interview, Gimzewski seems to be yet another scientist in the field who appears to be both excited by the possibilities of advanced nanotechnology, and dismissive of them . . .

EU formulates research budget for Sixth Framework Programme

from the World-Watch dept.
According to information on the website of CORDIS, the (European) Community Research and Development Information Service, the European Union Council of Research Ministers has approved a budget of about 16.3 billion euros (about US$15.6 billion) for scientific research and development under the EU Sixth Framework Programme, which will span the period from 2002 to 2006 . Of this, about 1.3 billion euros (US$1.2 billion) will be devoted to "nanotechnologies, intelligent materials, and new production processes". Some marginally useful materials regarding the nanotech portion of the programme are available on the CORDIS website. The budget is subject to approval by the EU Parliament and finance ministers.

A useful resource (though not updated very often) on EU nanotechnology activities is the Cordis web service on nanotechnology.

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