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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Nanodot

Open information movement in France

from the a-modern-french-revolution dept.
David Forrest writes "Here's a tidbit from FAST (http://www.france-science.org/english): Many French scientists are joining the international scientific palace revolt of researchers against their publishers (in an effort to make research results more accessible than by paying thousands of dollars of subscription fees), and the CNRS has established a "Center for Direct Scientific Communication" for Internet-based publication. The Center's director denies any attempt to replace journal literature, claiming simply that there is a need for a new level of scientific communication and that the two types of venue can coexist peacefully. Other French scientists in the movement also deny a declaration of war while insisting that publicly funded labs can not afford and should not have to pay millions of francs in annual subscriptions for access to research that for the most part is produced by public funds. (Le Monde, April 21, p23, Pierre Le Hir)"

This item echoes recent debate in the U.S. over the movement to establish a Public Library of Science, and the growing influence of open information sources such as the Los Alamos Electronic Archive.

McKendree MNT & Space Dissertation Accepted

from the congratulations! dept.
Tom McKendree writes "I am extremely happy to announce that last week I passed the defense of my Ph.D. dissertation at USC, on the subject of "Technical and Operational Assessment of Molecular Nanotechnology for Space Operations". This is a rewrite of my earlier dissertation draft, making molecular nanotechnology for space the explicit central focus of the document. The basic conclusion, that systems designed and built to atomic precision can outperform current technology for space operations, should not be a surprise to this audience. The heartening aspects are that I was able to substantiate this conclusion in much more detail, and that I was able to convince a dissertation committee of six, including five lecturing professors at USC, that this was sufficiently credible and important to deserve a Ph.D."

NWU celebrates new nanotech center with symposium

from the Northwestern-goes-nano dept.
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (near Chicago) is celebrating the establishment of its new Institute for Nanotechnology with a day-long Symposium on Emerging Molecule-Based Nanoscale Science and Technology. The symposium will also honor Morrison Professors Joseph T. Hupp and Mark A. Ratner. In addition to Hupp and Ratner, speakers will include Chad A. Mirkin, Director of the new Institute, Richard Smalley of Rice University, George Whitesides of Harvard University, Angela M. Belcher of the University of Texas at Austin, and Richard J. Colton of the Naval Research Laboratory. The symposium will be held on Monday, 21 May 2001 in the Technological Institute Lecture Room 3, at 2145 Sheridan Road in Evanston, Illinois. If you would like to attend, you can register online.

Microsoft launches formal campaign against open source movement

from the feeling-the-heat dept.
An article in the New York Times ("Microsoft Is Set to Be Top Foe of Free Code", by John Markoff, 3 May 2001) describes Microsoftís attempts to counter the growing global open-source software movement.

According to the article, "Microsoft is preparing a broad campaign countering the movement to give away and share software code, arguing that it potentially undermines the intellectual property of countries and companies. At the same time, the company is acknowledging that it is feeling pressure from the freely shared alternatives to its commercial software . . . [The campaign is] an effort by Microsoft to raise questions about the limits of innovation inherent in the open-source approach and to suggest that companies adopting the approach are putting their intellectual property at risk." A particular target of the company, according to quotes from Microsoft executives, will be the General Public License (GPL) distribution model that is favored by many open source advocates.

Cyborgs, AI addressed calmly by Christian Science

from the getting-used-to-the-future dept.
In a surprisingly early adjustment, the Christian Science publication Sentinel (not online, see Jan 8, 2001 issue) includes two articles that reconcile the coming era of smart robots and human/machine blends with Christian Science beliefs. Both are responding to Ray Kurzweil's book The Age of Spiritual Machines. Instead of fighting the future, these articles thoughtfully integrate technology and religion. Read more for excerpts.

Ray Kurzweil receives Lemelson-MIT Prize

from the invention-and-innovation dept.
The Lemelson-MIT Program announced on 24 April 2001 that its annual $500,000 prize — world's largest single award for invention and innovation — is being presented to futurist Raymond Kurzweil According to the award citation, Kurzweil is being honored as "a pioneer of pattern recognition technologies who has made a career of helping others, while showing a flair for integrating technology and the arts. Over the past 35 years, Kurzweil has produced a lengthy list of achievements and innovations that have enriched society, including: advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies; founding, developing and selling four successful companies; and writing two best-selling books that support his predictions for the 21st century." His controversial views on the future notwithstanding, Kurzweil is being recognized by the Lemelson-MIT Program for the breadth and scope of his inventive work, and for his commitment to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities through technology.

It is also notable that this year's Lemelson-MIT Student Prize goes Brian Hubert, a Ph.D. candidate who has already done significant work in the field of nanotechnology. Hubert plans to finish his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in nano-assembly techniques. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

IBM initiative aims at greater computer system autonomy

from the am-I-blue? dept.
Sharad Bailur calls attention to a number of news reports of plans announced by IBM to design computers that would adjust to changing workloads, recognize faults and repair themselves without human intervention. A longer-term goal includes a sort of digital immune system to fight off computer viruses and other attacks. Although these goals are not radically new, some reports do mention Ray Kurzweil and ask whether such systems would have a sort of limited self-awareness.
A report appeared in the New York Times ("I.B.M. Project Seeks to Reduce Need for Human Action", by B.J. Feder, 27 April 2001). According to the article, I.B.M.'s research arm had already singled out such autonomous computing technology as a major focus for its work.

Ralph Merkle to present public program on nanotechnology

from the 21st-century-teach-in dept.
Ralph Merkle, a principal fellow at Zyvex Corp. and winner of the 1998 Feynman Prize, will lead a half-day public program on nanotechnology at the University of California Berkeley campus on Saturday, 5 May 2001 (That's this coming Saturday). Designed for the lay public, "Nanotechnology: Basic Concepts and Potential Applications" will take place on Saturday, May 5, from 1 to 5 p.m., in Dwinelle Hall on the UC Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California. The fee is $20. To register, call 510/642-4111 or register online. For more information see www.learningsphere.org/nanotech.htm.

At the four-hour public UC Berkeley Extension program, Dr. Merkle will explain the basic concepts of nanotechnology and the potential it offers in medicine, computer science, aerospace and the military, as well as other fields. He will examine how the development of this powerful technology could be best guided to maximize the benefits while minimizing any potential risks. The program is co-sponsored by the Foresight Institute.

IBM will invest $100 million in NY Nanoelectronics Center

from the coast-to-coast dept.
According to an Associated Press report in the New York Times, IBM will invest more than $100 million to help create a state Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics at the State University of New York's Albany campus, (Note: Access to the NY Times site is free, but requires registration.)

New York Gov. George Pataki and company officials announced the contribution on 23 April 2001. Pataki said the state would contribute $50 million for the center, which is expected to initially employ 100 technicians and 400 scientists. The center will create the only university-based, 300-millimeter computer wafer prototype facility in the world, and provide laboratory and clean room space for researchers, incubator space for high-tech company spinoff ventures and a work force development program, officials said. IBM has announced plans to build a $2.5 billion computer chip fabrication plant in East Fishkill, located south of Albany.

Read more for additional information on the New York program, and similar efforts in California.

NSET releases report on societal implications of nanotechnology

from the NSETting-the-agenda dept.
The U.S. National Science and Technology Councilís Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) has released a 280-page report detailing the presentations from a workshop on the Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, which was held at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., 28-29 September 2000. NSET is the coordinating body for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).

The workshop report includes a comparative survey of the current studies on societal implications (knowledge and education, technological, economic, medical, environmental, cultural, ethical, legal, cultural, risks, etc.) of advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, as well as an examination of vision and alternative pathways for the future over short (3-5 years), medium (5-15 years) and long-term (over 20 years) horizons. The report also makes recommendations for research and education programs. The workshop and any follow-on activities are part of the NNI.

The full report is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file (2.5 MB).

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