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October 20, 2005
Scary Technology: Nanobiotechnology Edition
Over at Salon (subscription or day pass or whatever ad thing they have going these days required), Dr. Alan H Goldstein writes about current efforts to create "a soldier of the future who will be protected by an impregnable exoskeleton." I'd be more worried if I hadn't read The Men Who Stare at Goats and gotten a glimpse of how completely weird and unsuccessful some U.S. military projects can be.
"The overt goal of nanobiotechnology is to completely break down the borders between living and nonliving materials. This goal has the most profound implications for every aspect of human endeavor, but in warfare the consequences of integrating our most powerful technologies are almost beyond comprehension. The fusion of nanotechnology and biotechnology will erase any distinction between chemical, biological, and conventional weapons, altering the face of war (and life) forever.
"The key thing to remember is that every military application also has a non-military one: tomorrow's sword will be next week's plowshare (and vice versa). In the nano age, if you aren't very afraid and very excited at the same time, you aren't paying attention." Hmm, sounds like standard-issue tech porn to me.
Posted by Deborah Branscum at October 20, 2005 04:12 PM
Comments
See? I told you the word "porn" could be used in all sorts of contexts. :-)
All "nano" means is "very small" or perhaps more specifically "of a size best measured in nanometers." Phrases like "in the nano age" are so broad as to be meaningless, thus infinitely hype-able.
If you want some real tech porn, check out stories about carbon nanotubes used to make a long ribbon on which a space elevator may be ... ahem ... hung.
http://www.google.com/search?q=carbon+nanotubes+space+elevator
Posted by: Pete at October 21, 2005 05:01 AM
Pete, I much appreciate your ready example of nanotech porn. Merely to clarify, I've long understood that porn can be used in many ways (business porn springs to mind and I'm thinking of the early Fast Company as an example) but when I read your note way back when, I thought you meant porn in the traditional sense. I stand, as ever, corrected.
I'm not worthy, etc.
db
Posted by: Deborah Branscum at October 24, 2005 10:26 AM