from the hype-or-foresight? dept.
Mr_Farlops points out a Red Herring article that debunks predictions by Foresight Advisor Ray Kurzweil and others that within a couple decades computers will exceed human intelligence: Artificial Intelligence? Out of their minds "Here we go again . . . pundits can't stop hyping the business opportunities of artificial intelligence."
from the unexpected-outcomes dept.
Mr_Farlops writes "Many nanodot readers are familiar with silicon compilers, programs that design circuitry for computers. In this article from New Scientist, a circuit design program using genetic algorithms unexpectedly generated a radio circuit rather than designing an oscillator as it was told to do."
U6
from the cramming-more-bits-into-less-area dept.
A NanoMagnetics Ltd Press Release of August 1, 2002 announced the doubling of nanoparticulate storage density for commercial computer disk drives to just over 12 Gb/sq.in. They believe their patented protein-based technology for developing advanced magnetic materials will eventually enable terabyte computer disk drives. A Nanodot post of July 13, 2002 reported the work of other researchers aiming for terabit per inch storage densities using nanostructured magnetic materials.
from the another-reason-to-see-your-dentist dept.
A Hybrid Plastics, Inc. Press Release (32 KB PDF) dated August 7 2002 announced that Pentron Clinical Technologies has introduced of a new class of dental bonding agents based on Hybrid Plastics' Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS®) nanocomposites. The new dental adhesives are based on 1.5-nm silicon-derived building blocks, and are said to provide a stronger restorative resin and better bonding between the tooth and the restorative material.
from the things-to-do-with-your-AFM dept.
Small Times featured an August 19, 2002 article by correspondent Elizabeth Gardner entitled Nanoink writes its own ticket using quills on the nanoscale that describes the offering by NanoInk Inc. of a package of supplies and software to enable use of an atomic force microscope for Dip-Pen Nanolithography (DPN) to build nanostructures by writing 10 nm-wide lines (see Nanodot June 13, 2002). The next step for Nanoink is to develop an array of independently controlled tips, similar to IBM's Millipede Project (see Nanodot June 19, 2002), which uses an array of 1024 AFM tips.
from the better-security-through-smaller-sensors dept.
Small Times featured an August 22, 2002 story by correspondent Doug Brown entitled Bush Administration OKs Report Making Nano a Terror War Priority:
The White House has signed off on a report detailing the full scope and breadth of the budget request and research vision established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which includes a heightened commitment to using nanotechnology to fight weapons of mass destruction.
The 153-page report, National Nanotechnology Initiative: The Initiative and its Implementation Plan (an 879 KB PDF file) is labelled a "Detailed Technical Report Associated with the Supplemental Report to the President's FY 2003 Budget" and dated June 2002. The report adds a new "grand challenge" to the NNI program: "Nanotechnology for bio-chem-radiological-explosive: detection and protection (expanded and refocused Bio-Nanosensors)"
from the Scientific-Visualization dept.
waynerad writes "Here's a fun website I found: The NASA Nanotechnology Gallery. It has: pretty pictures, powerpoint presentations, and MPEG movies of carbon nanotubes (mostly)."
from the Looking-for-roadmaps dept.
larens imanyuel writes "In each phase of the Industrial Revolution a new industrial system has arisen on top of the previous one. Each has involved enabling technology, new organizational principles, and new major product lines. For instance, a century ago electrification with small motors allowed Henry Ford to design the modern assembly line to mass produce automobiles. Several decades ago silicon technology allowed the mass production of personal computers through an exponential refinement of technique, commonly known as Moore's law, that became the Semiconductor Roadmap. The question naturally arises as what the equivalent industrial system will be for the next half century."
from the exploring-very-small-frontiers dept.
The International Journal of Engineering Education has published a Special issue on Nanotechnologies (Volume 18 number 5, September 2002). The Table of Contents is available on the Web. Michael Wald, Editor, writes that single copies are available at US$35+US$15 postage. Inquire at [email protected].
from the shrinking-the-gap dept.
Gina Miller writes "An article summarizing progress with carbon nanotube field effect transistors is available on the nanotechweb.org web site. Nanotubes speed up, by Adrian Bachtold, which originally appeared in the August issue of Physics World, reports that 'Transistors fabricated from carbon nanotubes now have electrical characteristics that can rival silicon devices.'"
