|
 |
Stephen <mca### [at] aol com> wrote:
>
> Worry not. Help is on hand.
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09jvfc4
>
Fascinating, as James Burke always is. Thanks for the link.
So a human hair is 80,000 nanometers wide, and a nanometer is about the width of
three atoms. So Hair_Width = 240,000 atoms. I thought atoms were MUCH smaller!
Like, billions and billions of atoms in the width of a hair. Who knew??! :-P
His discussion of the 'personal nano-scale fabricator' is exciting, but rather
utopian; the 'unknown factor' is how the companies that will make such things
are going to make MONEY off of them-- and what ramifications that will lead to.
(In this context, I'm thinking about current pharmaceutical companies and their
patents and high consumer prices, as an example of what might happen in our
capitalistic world.) If the machines can make *anything* out of atoms...where's
the profit?! :-P Will the machines be priced at $1 millon or more (to make up
for lost future profits?) Or will we be paying 'royalties' the the machine
manufacturers for eveything we make? Will ATOMS be for sale?! As we make more
and more 'stuff', will atoms themselves become a dwindling resource???
There's going to be a shortage of atoms, OMG!!
Post a reply to this message
|
|
