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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Questions for Nanodot Users

Controversy over Foresight's PriorArt.org

from the time-to-think-hard dept.
Foresight's new open source disclosure website, PriorArt.org, is generating controversy. Some complain that it's too "anti-patent", while others are concerned that it may have pro-patent effects. About the latter: there are two specific concerns raised by Richard Stallman that merit attention. Read more to see the pros and cons described, and then give your views. At the end of the Read More section are some quotes from people who currently see the project as a good idea (Jeff "Hemos" Bates, Brian Behlendorf, Lawrence Lessig, Eric Raymond, Lawrence Rosen). You may want to read this general description of the project first. This is a serious issue, folks, and merits serious thought and participation.

Seeking assistance in motivating students

from the help-wanted dept.
DanKindsvater writes "I really ought to jettison a few of my projects since I'm trying to finish my master's in AI this summer, but they're all too important to me. I'd appreciate help from anyone attempting something similar, especially if you have time to chat at the Gathering this month:
1. Collect job descriptions of nanotech jobs to show to smart local (mainly UNC-G and NCA&T) graduate students, to increase local interest in nano-relevant courses;
2. Raise, or identify, scholarship money for any local students who want to put some effort into qualifying for one of the spiffy new IMM prizes;
3. Provide syllabi or other course materials for local professors who are interested in offering nano-relevant courses."

Nanization: a useful term for what's happening?

from the quicker-than-"miniaturization" dept.
Christer Eriksson writes "'Nanization' seems quite an appropriate, simple word to discuss the miniaturization of technology we are, and will, be experiencing. Yet, the word never seems to be used in discussions about nanotechnology. I found the word in an eighteen year old British dictionary (Chambers Dictionary 1983) which describes it as 'artificial dwarfing.' I haven't seen it in any recent dictionaries as of yet."

East coast Foresight?

from the spreading-geographically dept.
Anonymous Thinker writes "I would like to ask if foresight is planning on having events on the east coast? If not I would like propose starting a local chapter here in Atlanta. The Georgia Institute of Technology has an excellent research center for Nanotechnology and I think that it would be an ideal place to begin spreading and discussing the benifits of nanotechnology on the east coast. thanks, G-Man" CP: The current plan is to alternate U.S. coasts for the Foresight Conferences on Molecular Nanotechnology (East in 2000, West in 2001, etc.). Regarding local chapters, we suggest setting up Nanotechnology Study Groups at universities. Georgia Tech would indeed be a good place to have one of these.

Nanotech mutual fund?

from the let's-put-our-money-where-our-mouths-are dept.
eeex writes "I am wondering as to what the Nanodot community thinks of establishing a mutual fund for investing in stocks of nanotech companies and companies in related areas. Would people invest in such a thing or is it still too early?…Are there enough companies out there doing real nanotech research to justify setting up some sort of mutual fund or at least an investment club/partnership? And more to the point, is there anyone out there actively trying to set up such a fund?" CP: Yes, one or two of the Foresight Senior Associates are looking into doing this. Read more for the full post.

Nanotech for 6th graders: please comment

from the kids-get-the-concept-faster dept.
Miguel Aznar of the nonprofit KnowledgeContext requests the nanodot community to comment on this essay on nanotechnology written for 6th graders. The students will read this essay and then write a "presidential address" to help the U.S. public understand and evaluate it. KnowledgeContext provides curriculum to teachers of grades 5 to 12 that prepares young people for rapid technological change.

What about Design Bureaus?

from the hacking-reality dept.
brian_dunbar writes "A Question for Nanodot Users: What will happen to Design Bureaus or Who Will Design Nano-Structures?

I work for a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design bureau – we take the sometimes confusing architecture specified by the TI's and Motorola's of the world, design the circuit boards to spec, and send the output to the manufacturers. Everything I've read goes into rapturous lengths about how great it will be to enable true desktop manufacturing, but I'm curious to see if there are any thoughts for the middle of the process – the hard part about telling the machinery *where* the atoms and molecules will go."

Navy query on Brownian motion, Maxwell's Demon

from the don't-need-a-PhD-to-answer-this-one dept.
Waldemar Perez writes "A small Navy project is at stake because a 74 Years old PhD is arguing to management that research in nano machines is ridiculous and a waste of money. He has seen only recently some of Drexler's designs on the web and also read the recent article that Mr. Daniel Goldin from NASA published in Mechanical Engineering magazine on Molecular Nanotechnology. He claims that Mr. Goldin does not know what he is talking about and that he feels sorry for him because he has embarrass himself by publishing this article. Some of his questions are familiar to anyone in the field: 1. The construction of molecular machines of the kind proposed by nanotechnology does not take into account Brownian Motion and the famous Maxwell's Demon. 2. How we can assemble a robotic arm for example, manipulating atoms and how we can "clamp" such a structure to another object. Is there any particular section of Nanosystems or scientific papers out there that address the Brownian Motion and Maxwell's Demon issues. I really appreciate any help to answer some of his questions. Thanks"

The concept of evil in the nano age

from the bad-guys-shall-always-be-with-ye dept.
From India, Sharad Bailur writes "Frankly I am quite overwhelmed by what I have been reading these last few days beginning with Ed Regis's book, Nano just a few days ago. I had read the Feynman speech of 1969 [CP: make that 1959] some years ago and it seemed an interesting if far out idea and now this. I have ordered for the original Drexler bible Engines of Creation and expect to get it in another three weeks or so. I am interested in how absolute human evil can be dealt with in the nano age. I have a feeling that this is a problem that could turn out much more difficult than the optimistic assessment of most nano scientists."Read More for the rest of Sharad's post.

Encouraging open IP

from the sorry,-that-idea-is-taken dept.
ChrisPhoenix writes "In many technologies of nanotech, including software, patents are frequently used anticompetitively. One solution is to make ideas and technologies publicly available. Open Source is doing this for software. However, more is needed to prevent bad patents from being issued in the first place.

Foresight is thinking of working with IP.com and Santa Clara University Law School to provide a way to inexpensively publish open-sourced technologies where the patent office will see them, in order to clearly establish prior art.

We are also planning one or two IP conferences to be held early next year."
[Read More… for the details.]

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