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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Nanodot

EoC 2000: Most important changes since 1986?

from the trying-to-figure-out-what's-going-on dept.
BryanBruns writes "In connection with the Engines of Creation 2000 project, it would be interesting to discuss what seem to be the most important changes to consider for revising Engines of Creation, and more generally for formulating scenarios and strategies to "prepare society for advanced technologies." Below is a short list, which might stimulate discussion about the most important changes to consider, and their implications:
End of the cold war: democratization, capitalist globalization, China joining WTO…
Weak and poorly deliberated policies for science and technology: OTA abolished. No science courts. Media focus on risks frames discussion of environment, nuclear, biotech and other technologies.
Silicon Valley rules: network economy, web, internet time, open source, etc.
No big breakthroughs yet in AI: IT industry investing heavily in nanoscale technologies to follow Moore's law, biotech advancing rapidly, suggesting nanotech likely before artificial intelligence".
Read More for implications.

Nanotechnology Industries newsletter #2 now out

from the nanointerviews-galore dept.
Senior Associate GinaMiller announces that issue 2 of her Nanotechnology Industries Newsletter (paper format, $7 per issue) is now available: "This issue features an inside view on what is happening in Zyvex, the first company founded to develop molecular manufacturing technology (interview with George Skidmore). Also read the thoughts of Robert Freitas, author of Nanomedicine, on what we might be spending after nanotechnology is developed. Will Ware (author of NanoCAD) provides a perspective on a simple approach to modeling some nanoscale devices. Charles Ostman (senior fellow, Institute for Global Futures) explores the convergence of breakthroughs in biotechnology as a progenitor to transformation of the world by nanotechnology."

Finally, Anonymous E-Cash?

from the can-I-pay-my-Foresight-dues-this-way? dept.
Paul Hughes brings to our attention a new startup (founded by Senior Associate Jim McCoy): "A new file-sharing system could best rivals like Napster and Gnutella through more anonymous and efficient transfers. The new open-source software is called Mojo Nation. The service has an innovative feature that rewards users for uploading and distributing files: payment in a form of digital currency called "Mojo." See also the Wired article on Mojo Nation.

If knowledge is power, we'll be weak

from the better-buy-some-stock dept.
Senior Associate ChrisPhoenix looks at trends in data mining and analysis: "I got to thinking about Netscape's SmartDownload reporting on all the files we download (and their Search button does the same thing). http://www.computeruser.com/n ews/00/07/17/news10.html

I've been told that IBM's patent server keeps track of queries, and IBM uses that information (surely among the most valuable IP in the world). At least one company has told its employees not to use the server for this reason.

Now think of a transparent society… it's nice to be able to spy on the government spying on you, but that's really beside the point. The point is that the _data miners_ will be the ones with the real power. As more information is gathered, it will be harder to sort through, meaning that only those with access to huge bandwidth and crunch resources will be able to get anything useful from it. As sensors become cheaper, and fiber advances faster than CPUs, the gap will only widen. Read More for further thoughts.

Make what you need, when & where you need it

from the not-here-…-make-it-over-there!-geez dept.
bbrelin writes of a Time magazine article on the new low-volume, "better, kinder, cleaner", digital manufacturing at the point of consumption: "While this isn't strictly nanotechnology, the ramifications are similar. It reminds me of the the scenario in Unbounding the Future regarding the Mom and Pop manufacturing facility…"

Nanomanufacturing: commercialized nanopositioning

from the where-am-I?-oh-yeah dept.
Senior Associate GinaMiller brings to our attention the firm Nanowave, which aims to help make nanomanufacturing become practical by commercializing nanopositioning. It's true: if you want to build at the nanometer level, you need to know where the heck you are, exactly. See the startup's classic history in Mass High Tech.

Nanotube Bearings at UC Berkeley: Update

from the free-info-for-the-rest-of-us dept.
For those of us who don't have easy access to the journal Science online, RobVirkus writes "The Zettl group at UC Berkeley published work on nanotube based bearings and springs which may have application to Stewart platforms. The work is published in Science but a press release is available here"

Low-Friction Nanoscale Linear Bearings

from the keep-them-bearings-rollin' dept.
Senior Associate and IMM researcher Josh Hall writes "An article in the current Science, Low-Friction Nanoscale Linear Bearing Realized from Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes, by John Cumings and A. Zettl, describes recent work that will be very important in terms of building nanomachines with sliding parts. If you have an online subscription, read it here. (for those with access to a paper copy, the ref is Science 289, 602 (2000) )

There is a "perspective" entitled "NANOTECHNOLOGY: Beyond Gedanken Experiments" by Laszlo Forró, which mentions that the technique was foreseen by Drexler and references Nanosystems. It's here.

It's good to see this on the heels of stories such as this cover story in Science News about "stiction", the bane of MEMS microdevices."

Freitas wins Drexler Prize … in year 2050

from the that's-great-but-is-there-any-cash-involved? dept.
The official journal of the Transplantation Society (Graft) has published a "future issue" set in the year 2050, in which Senior Associate Rob Freitas gives a keynote address accepting the 31st Annual Drexler Prize in Nanomedicine on the topic "Respirocytes in Nanomedicine: The Remarkable Story of One of the First Medical Nanorobots Ever Conceived". (Artwork contributed by Senior Associates Forrest Bishop and Philip Van Nedervelde.) Congratulations in advance, Rob!

NSF Program Announcement for Nanotechnology

from the let's-get-some-of-our-tax-money-back dept.
Senior Associate WesDuCharme writes "The National Nanotechnology Initiative seems to be coming onstream. The NSF just put out program announcement regarding nanotechnology They are interested in proposals on six "research themes". The first five are highly technical, but as a research psychologist I find the sixth one most interesting: Societal and Education Implications of Scientific and Technological Advances on the Nanoscale. Read More for details and an offer to collaborate.

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