Over at IEEE Tech Talk, Dexter Johnson points out a flurry of interest in “nanobots” over the past week, casting quite a wide net that ranges from Nadrian Seeman’s experimental lab work to Ray Kurzweil’s hopeful dreams for the far future. He also tosses a bit of credit in my direction — thanks! — and… Continue reading The audacity of nano-hope
Plant viruses are a new addition to the long list of types of nanoparticles being investigated as next generation nanotech cancer therapies.
Two independently controlled nanomechanical devices can be positioned on a two-dimensional DNA grid so that they can cooperate to capture between them one of four DNA building blocks, determined by which of two possible states each device is set to.
This the fourth essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part IV: When So when is all this going to happen? To quote Mark Twain, I’m gratified to be able to answer that… Continue reading Singularity, part 4
Advances in using amorphous metal alloys may make possible an inexpensive nanotech version of the molding technique used to make DVDs.
This the third essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part III: Singularity from the bottom up In the previous essay in this series, I argued top-down, from historical and economic precedents, that… Continue reading Singularity, part 3
A response to my “Parricide” essay has been seen on IEEE’s Tech Talk blog. Dexter Johnson gives a fair summary of the positions taken to date, and says As the argument seems to go, Drexler popularized the term nanotechnology in his book Engines of Creation, and so when the general public heard that thousands of… Continue reading The nanotechnology we were promised
This the second essay in a series exploring if, when, and how the Singularity will happen, why (or why not) we should care, and what, if anything, we should do about it. Part II: What is this thing called Singularity? Since I was trained, originally, as a mathemetician, I never really liked the term Singularity.… Continue reading Singularity, part 2
The Foresight Institute has appointed Dr. J. Storrs Hall to the position of President.
Once upon a time, or so the story goes, there was a young man who was hauled up before the court on charges that he had killed his father and mother. He readily confessed to the crime, but nevertheless pled for clemency: after all, he pointed out, he was an orphan. Recently on his blog… Continue reading Parricide
