Opinion Archives

Gaming the Future: The Book!

Get a job in nanotechnology

The montrously big employment website Monster.com has a story on getting a job on nanotechnology, featuring, well, moi: ” ‘The good news is that you can come at nanotechnology from almost any technical direction,’ says Peterson. ‘The bad news is sometimes you need to go back to school.’ “Peterson, who counsels Foresight members on career… Continue reading Get a job in nanotechnology

Small Times CEO on molecular manufacturing

Patti Glaza, CEO of Small Times Media, comments on molecular manufacturing and the Drexler/Smalley debate in her Sept. 2005 column. Titled “Even at loggerheads, great minds inspire us to dream grandly”, the column was inspired by an SPIE conference where Drexler gave a plenary talk in place of Smalley, who was unable to attend for… Continue reading Small Times CEO on molecular manufacturing

NanoJury UK verdict overall positive

We bring you three accounts of the “verdict” from the citizen’s participation process NanoJury UK: one from Science and Development Network, one from Richard Jones, and one from Greenpeace UK. From the first: “A British ‘citizen’s jury’ has recommended that public funding in nanotechnology should prioritise long-term solutions to health and environmental problems. Commenting on… Continue reading NanoJury UK verdict overall positive

Debate update — Nanotechnology: Radical new science or plus ca change

You may recall this nanotech debate held at University of Nottingham. Organizer Philip Moriarty reports that “The debate video footage is currently being put together by the team from Sheffield who filmed the event. As soon as the video stream is available, I’ll let you know. Moreover, the debate will be transcribed for a journal… Continue reading Debate update — Nanotechnology: Radical new science or plus ca change

Bell Labs president projects long-term nanotech

From JoongAng Daily in Korea: “In the next five to 10 years, mobile phone users will be able to detect changes in the facial expressions and even in the smell of the person they are talking to, according to Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs, the research arm of the U.S. firm Lucent Technololgies. “As… Continue reading Bell Labs president projects long-term nanotech

Nanotech: US ambition, UK pessimism

Richard Jones asks: “Why does the molecular manufacturing community seem to have many fewer members in the UK than it does in the USA? I don’t think it’s fair to say that the dramatic vision of molecular manufacturing is pursued in a contextual vacuum – I think there is quite a well-developed world view that… Continue reading Nanotech: US ambition, UK pessimism

European view of nanotech in 20 years

See the report by Ottilia Saxl, founder and CEO of the Institute of Nanotechnology, UK, for the European Commission Expert Group on Key Technologies for Europe. Titled Nanotechnology – a Key Technology for the Future of Europe (PDF), it includes on pages 26-28 a scenario of the role of nanotech in 2025. The technology will… Continue reading European view of nanotech in 20 years

Reynolds interviews Kurzweil: Nanotech's role in AI

In the popular blog Instapundit, Foresight director Glenn Reynolds interviews Foresight advisor Ray Kurzweil on the topic of his new book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Some excerpts: “Achieving the hardware requirement was controversial when my last book on this topic, The Age of Spiritual Machines, came out in 1999, but is… Continue reading Reynolds interviews Kurzweil: Nanotech's role in AI

How nanotechnology can help Hurricane Katrina victims

Scenarios have been written about how advanced nanotechnology could help victims of natural disasters, and those otherwise in need, in the future. And at the upcoming Foresight Conference we’ll be looking at how nanotech can provide clean water cheaply. But what can nanotech do, right now, for those affected by Hurricane Katrina? Nothing, to my… Continue reading How nanotechnology can help Hurricane Katrina victims

Quickie intro to nanoinvesting mostly useful, but only mostly

A very quick intro to nanotech investing in Wired News by Joanna Glasner includes some very good advice that one hopes anyone contemplating such an investment will pay close attention to, such as: “Beware of marketing labels: If a company has ‘nano’ in its name, [Matthew Nordan of Lux Research] cautions, that doesn’t necessarily mean… Continue reading Quickie intro to nanoinvesting mostly useful, but only mostly

Gaming the Future: The Book!

Category: Opinion

Get a job in nanotechnology

Small Times CEO on molecular manufacturing

NanoJury UK verdict overall positive

Debate update — Nanotechnology: Radical new science or plus ca change

Bell Labs president projects long-term nanotech

Nanotech: US ambition, UK pessimism

European view of nanotech in 20 years

Reynolds interviews Kurzweil: Nanotech's role in AI

How nanotechnology can help Hurricane Katrina victims

Quickie intro to nanoinvesting mostly useful, but only mostly

Search Foresight Institute