Category: news

from the we'll-settle-for-nanocomputers dept.
brian writes "Nice article in New Scientist that serves to establish both a physical upper limit to computing and a timeline. Kinda 'de rigueur' for Foresight but I find this kind of article useful for explaining singularity-like concepts to people. I.e. getting people to realize that one day (rsn) a 1 Ghz Pentium will seem as useless as my old 1 Mhz Apple ][+ seems today:

So here is where Moore's law must end, with a billion-degree laptop or an exploding submicroscopic black hole. "The truth is we have no notion of how to attain these ultimate limits," admits Lloyd. But don't despair–put your faith in human ingenuity. If the rate of progress doesn't slow, we'll reach these ultimate physical limits in just two hundred years' time.

Originally from Slashdot; see ensuing discussion if you like."

from the capabilities-or-culpability? dept.
Bruce Schneier, author of the standard reference Applied Cryptography, has a new book out called Secrets and Lies. In an interview in Salon he talks about the book's main thesis: that secure computing is impossible: "Given the inevitability of attacks, 'prevention' can no longer be the security buzzword. Just as even the finest hockey goalies must regularly suffer the humiliation of allowing a goal, companies must learn to live with penetrations. Prepare for the worst, Schneier urges." Has the man never heard of capability security?

from the not-what-I-was-thinking,-but-OK dept.

According to a press release for an upcoming conference on the medical applications of micro- and nanotechnologies, "the university, the city of Columbus, and the state of Ohio have invested heavily in the development of micro- and nanotechnology," says Mauro Ferrari, director of the Biomedical Engineering Center, and associate director of the Heart and Lung Institute at Ohio State.

In September, Ohio State University will host a comprehensive international conference devoted the medical uses of micro- and nanotechnology. About 70 research papers have been scheduled to be presented at "BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology World 2000." The conference will run September 23 through 26 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.

The release concludes: "When people hear 'microelectronics,' they think of Silicon Valley," Ferrari Said. "Ten years from now, when people hear 'nanotechnology,' we want them to think of Ohio."

from the so-where's-their-donation? dept.
This "news" predates nanodot, but it's worth noting this item from IDG that gives both NASA's views on nanotech (which we knew), but also the CIA's (which we didn't): The rapid pace of technological change is also forcing the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to adjust. In February 1999, the CIA formed IN-Q-Tel Inc., a nonprofit corporation set up to invest in technology companies. The CIA believes it is not currently able to keep up with developments in information technology infrastructures and is being challenged in its mission of presenting top-flight information to the federal government, Gilman Louie, president of IN-Q-Tel, said…Louie also advocated public education as an element in promoting support for nanotechnology. "The genie is already out of the bottle." he said.

from the Groves-of-academe dept.

Flinders University, located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (about 750 km northwest of Melbourne) is offering a Bachelor of Science program in Nanotechnology. The BSc degree is an honours specialization of a general science degree program, adding nanotechnology-related courses to a curriculum that includes math, physics, chemistry and biology. A description of the program can be found on the Flinders web site, along with an overview of the coursework required for the program. There are apparently not yet any similar post-graduate programs in place.

This is the second degree-oriented academic program directly targeting nanotechnology that has come to our notice; the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) has initiated a doctoral (PhD) program in nanotechnology.

from the society-for-imposition-of-cruelty-to-nanotubes dept.
Two groups of researchers have measured electronic effects of mechanical deflection in nanotubes. A group mostly at Clemson permanently bent multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) and saw "local metallic character" at the kink. They have an abstract online. A group mostly at Stanford reversibly bent single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) with an AFM tip and saw hundredfold drops in conductivity in their experiments. They have an abstract and a press release online.

from the Go-Huskies! dept.

In a press release issued on 24 July 2000, the University of Washington (Seattle) announced it is launching the nation's first doctoral degree program in nanotechnology. The UW already operates the Center for Nanotechnology.

The new program will put in place a Ph.D. nanotechnology track tied closely to other science disciplines. Nine departments will take part, and students will earn concurrent degrees in nanotechnology and in a discipline of science, engineering or medicine. The effort is being funded by a $2.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Integrative Graduate Education Research Training program.

More about the program can also be found in this article from the Bellevue, Washington Eastside Journal (7 August 2000).

from the sufficient-unto-the-day dept.
Richard Smalley, Nobel-laureate researcher into carbon nanotubes at Rice University, recently appeared as a panelist on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation – Science Friday" program (11 August 2000). In response to a question about the concerns that nanotechnology might get out of control, Smalley responded:

"Most of the discussion, at least in my experience, ends up coming back to the self replicating out of control robots, and I think that that, at the moment, is a silly concern."

from the big-crunch dept.
Stephen Farrington writes "Reading between the lines of a recent posting to the Commerce Business Daily — the publication through which federal agencies announce all competitive procurement plans — NASA is beginning work now to exploit the massively parallel computing architectures that nanotech will enable. According to the August 10th announcement, 'NASA Langley Research Center will solicit proposals for algorithms…capable of effectively exploiting concurrently operating processors whose number may be very large; hundreds of thousands, even millions are expected to become available within two decades.' For more information, go right to the source."