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NASA + NCI = Nano-Explorers For Humans
SEWilco writes: "NASA and the National Cancer Institute will collaborate in developing microscopic explorers -- devices in a pill-sized capsule to detect, diagnose, and treat disease inside the human body. Following the links you find interesting NASA devices, such as pill-shaped biotelemetry transmitters and a biotelemeter 'Trisponder' to read the data."
...but talk about a waste of my tax dollars. I only skimmed the article, but what good could possibly come of this? I know what everybody's about to say (cure for AIDS! cancer! etc. ad nauseum), but honestly how often do we hear of any practical applied use of nano-technology? I'll tell you: never. It's just space-pills and miniature university logos. Nanotechnology will remain in the realm of sci-fi forever, excepting of course it is used to bring on The Apocalypse. To all you nano-nuts, don't expect to see anything useful come out of this.
The only thing that will push nanotechnology is the US Department of Defense and I don't think they'll be pushing for any medicinal uses. No, you know exactly where nanotechnology is going, if it goes anywhere at all. It's just like nuclear power - all it's used for is war.
I think the inportant question is do you have any control over what is done with the information these bots gather about you. Can you prevent it from being given to the government or an insurance company? What prevents a bot from giving you a drug test or some other unauthorized search of your interior?
- rachel
rachel's daily diary:
http://diary.reinyday.com/
Nanonaut: "It appears that we are stuck"
MissionControl: "Could you repeat that please"
Nanonaut: "IT APPEARS THAT WE ARE STUCK"
MissionControl: "Hey no need to be pissy, exectly what is the status now?"
Nanonaut: "I said we are stuck"
MissionControl: "Acknowledged, where exectly are you stuck?"
Nanonaut: "I dont know"
MissonControl: "Let me look that up"
Nanonaut: "#!@$!@$?"
MissonControl: "Please repeat that"
Nanonaut: "I said I dont know where we are stuck and !@#!@#!@#!@"
MissonControl: "Got it. What does it look like out of the window?"
Nanonaut: "Dark"
MissonControl: "Press the little blue button next to the instant coffee level"
Nanonaut: "What does that do?"
MissonControl: "It would turn on the headlights"
Nanonaut: "I think we are in deep shit"
MissonControl: "Could you repeat that?"
Nanonaut: "I said we are in deep shit, did you say 1 millimeter 4,5,11.4 vector to the base?"
MissonControl: "No! I said 0.25 Inches to to 4,5,11.4"
Nanonaut: "My god, I see stars......"
MissonControl: "Hello.. Hello.. anybody there....."
Nanonaut:
My father in law died of cancer last year. I've had friends die of cancer. I don't know anyone who has HIV. Yeah, great budgetting. The previous poster in this thread is right. It's disgusting that AIDS gets more funding than cancer. About the only way you can get HIV without having yourself to blame is through a blood transfusion. The rest, well you play the lottery and take your chances. Yet cancer can strike anyone.
This kinda crap makes me VERY angry.:(
I wouldn't want to see this technology in use if someone wrote a "virus"...
Who owns the NASA technology, anyhow? I know, we always hear about the benefits of "space-age" technology, but... do they license their patents, or does the gov't reap the benefits? And couldn't that money go towards NASA funding? Please?
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
Infected blood from an outside source. Same shit different pile.
Actually, that isn't too likely to be the problem; the mother's and baby's blood only mix as the child is being born, and even then it isn't enough to pose too much of a threat (indeed, many AIDS babies are actually born without the virus and later get it from their mother's breastmilk).
I don't know if amnion carries the virus or not; not all fluids do. Saliva, for example, doesn't carry the virus, at least not in large enough quantities to pose any risk whatsoever unless you were to drink a gallon of the stuff (I think I'll pass). Last I checked only four bodily fluids actually carried the virus in significant quantities: blood, mucus, semen, and vaginal secretions. Other fluids don't seem to carry the virus, or carry it in such minute amounts that there's little to no real risk.
There are also reported cases of babies born with HIV whose bodies actually fight and kill the virus, but Doctors aren't quite sure why yet. Read about that years ago.
There was one case, and that one was later found to be just a mistake; the test was a false-negative.
Also, you talk about the only way to get AIDS without having yourself to blame being through a blood transfusion. That's not strictly true. Some AIDS-infected people actually use their disease as a weapon, infecting many people without them even knowing it. One famous example was a Florida dentist who secretly infected 25 people. There are also HIV-infected rapists; surely such a case is one where it's not the victim's fault that they were infected. And while I know of no cases of this next one, there's also the possibility of infecting someone unwillingly with a needle (we're not talking needle-sharing here; we're talking forced injection).
As for blood transfusions, the screening is so good now that it basically takes a freak accident for HIV-infected blood to get into the supply. So under normal circumstances, AIDS is quite preventable. But it isn't always; don't forget that.
This said, I do think it's a shame that AIDS research gets 20 times the money that cancer research gets. Not so much because of the preventability of AIDS as the fact that cancer still kills many more people every year than AIDS does, and it's been killing for a far longer time There's evidence of known cancer cases in ancient Egypt, whereas the first confirmed AIDS cases were in the late 70's/early 80's, and even the oldest hypothetical case is from the 50's. Don't get me wrong; both diseases are terrible things and need research. But someone in Washington needs to get their priorities straight, or at least recognize that cancer is still a massive threat.
But I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. One last tidbit to leave you with. For a long time, the CIA had a certain bit of spy technology with an interesting side-effect: it could be used to detect breast cancer far earlier than any technology of the time could. But before they released it to the public (which was only recent; sometime in the last five years), they had to be convinced that women's health was "an issue of national security." Guess it goes to show you where Washington's priorities lie.
Well, in general it sounds neat-o, but on second though - how can you take a 'pill' of nanites and, 1st, have them survive the digestive system - it can get really acidic in there, and they'd have to pass thru the stomach or intestinal wall and - geez, I find it a little difficult to beleive that anyhing is able to do both THAT and do anything useful from a micromechanical perspective - like a sensor/transmitter nanite. I question the feasibility of this idea in terms of the bodily particulate-mobility and functionality, ie., a complex monitor/sensor is feasible as an fixed implant, but I find it hard to beleive one could just 'drift around' in the body - I guess there's a fine line between new highly complex molecular 'drugs' and 'micromechanical nanites'.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
when is the last time either of these two made an impact on anything.
Umm, have you ever heard of Tang? That came straight out of NASA research. So, see, NASA has an impact on the world.
Just be sure to wear the gold uniform when you beam down -- you know what happens when you wear the red one.
Our ancestors did indeed have problems. In parts of the world today where orange juice and milk are readily available, the expected lifespan of a human is around 70 years. Compare that to the dark ages where the expected lifespan was what? 30 years? The Greeks managed fairly well, but not what we have today. Of course, much of this is due to improvements in medical technology, but I would wager that a person today goes longer without need for medical assistance than a person 2000 years ago because of the changes to our diet.
Ok, so it's definitely smaller. Could also be faster with sufficient amounts of dietary fiber.
Don't know if it's cheaper -- but it better be, considering each mission ends with the probe going down the swirly black hole...
There was also Fantastic Voyage with Raquel Welsh & Donald Pleasance, but I guess I'm showimh my age by even *mentioning* this movie...
Yes, but would you want to use BlueTooth?
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
If the increasing cancer rate was a limiting factor, then human life expectancy in countries with relatively high cancer rates would be DROPPING. Guess what? It isn't.
A stat class should be a prerequisite before opening your mouth.
-jon
Remember Amalek.
You keep talking about how "our ancestors" lived. Well, bucky, life expectancy was around 35 (due the huge number of people who died in childbirth) for most of human existance. In just the time since Social Security was enacted in the US, average life expectancy has gone from around 62 to around 80. Maybe, just maybe, some it has to do with better diet, like that milk and OJ that you are holding up as "unnatural?" Given the choice between living when my ancestors lived (pick a time period, any time period) and today, I'd pick today, even with evil vitamin-packed orange juice.
Cancer, by the way, does not come from accumulating "impurities" in your body. That's the bullshit New Age explaination which lets con artists get losers to give them hundreds of dollars for high colonics and homeopathic medicines.
-jon
Remember Amalek.
AIDS is spreading rapidly in places where the people (1) do not understand/believe how the disease is spread and (2) have serious problems testing for and treating the disease. Do you know how AIDS is spread? Can you avoid doing things (sharing needles, having sex with people who might have AIDS) which would get you AIDS? Poof! You're virtually AIDS-proof. If you don't get it, then you don't need to be treated for it.
Being cancer-proof, OTOH, is virtually impossible. Not smoking will prevent one of the most common cancers, as will staying out of the sun. Good diet and exercise will keep your body in shape. But beyond that, there isn't too much that you can do to prevent cancer. It'd be nice if research money went to problems that were hard to prevent in the first place. It's not that I don't have sympathy for HIV-infected people, but cancer is a far worse problem.
-jon
Remember Amalek.
Since people are living longer in first world nations which have things like "artificial" nuclear radiation and cars, it's safe to say that the new dangers are far less dangerous than the old dangers.
By the way, where and when was life expectancy around 35 for most of human existence? And if huge number of people died in childbirth, wouldn't say that of those who survived, quite a few of them lived well past 35? Statistically speaking, it would make sense in order for things to balance out, no?
Life expectancy was 35 (the source says 37) around 1800 (Source: http://www.positive.net/perspective/archive/96-08- 04.html).
My fingers typed "childbirth" when I meant to say "childhood." However, Women frequently died while giving birth. There are two people involved in that birth process, after all.
-jon
Remember Amalek.
Let me try another take: have you ever taken a chemistry class? Are you familiar with the term "Limiting Reagent?" Cancer is not the limiting reagent in the life expectancy equation for first world nations because even though the amount of cancer has gone up, life expectancy in general has not gone down.
The cancer rate is not going to be high if you don't live long enough to get cancer. When 2/3 of Europe's population was wiped out from bubonic plague, cancer rates must have been very low. Why? PEOPLE WERE DYING OF PLAGUE! In the 20th century, plague outbreaks are rare. Other things are going to kill people. Cancer is one of the things that we still can't do too much about, so it's a big killer.
Why do some people get cancer in their 30's and 40's and some people don't? Current medical thinking is that most cancers in younger people are due to genetic defects. Cancer is, more or less, a set of cells that keep on reproducing and consuming food far beyond what they need to do. This happens because the cell has been damaged somehow. It can happen from exposure to certain chemicals or radiation or it can happen just because. Figure out the "just because" part (remarkable amounts of work have actually been done on this) and how to prevent it (this is the much harder bit), and you'll win the Nobel Prize.
I'm certainly not arguing that we shouldn't waste time curing cancer. It is, after all, the #2 killer of Americans. But understanding WHY cancer rates are increasing is important. You avoid yammerheads who blame power lines, cereal additivies and other pseudoscientific sources and focus on the real sources of the problem.
Passing stat classes and logic classes should be a requirement for a high school diploma. And maybe for the right to vote. But I digress...
-jon
Remember Amalek.
As long as none of the widespread and numerous strains of AIDS becomes airborn. If you don't believe this is a real possibility, you don't know enough AIDS researchers.
Cancer strikes smokers, radiation victims, and otherwise randomly. No one with knowledge of the field feels that cancer is likely to become airborn.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
. when is the last time either of these two made an impact on anything.
Well most of NASA's spacecraft have made pretty big impacts on Mars lately...
Rim shot
Thank you! I'm at the Funny Bone in Cleveland next week... please tip your waitresses and drive safely.
DrLunch.com The site that tells you what's for lunch!
THat would be a good idea too. Someone mentioned that in another message. It'd be pretty cool.
Imagine if these things were networked. I wonder how much a sysadmin of this kind of network would get paid. Maybe they could even have a connection to the Internet. Your doctor could monitor your vital signs and then send back a message saying release this hormone or send this electrical pulse.
Problems might arise though. What if some scrpit kiddie pinged you to death. If you think about it these little things would whae to have wireless connections to the net which would be very slow. It'd be interesting to see what kind of attacks would be made on these devices to cause problems. Maybe a DHR(Distributed Hormone Release) that causes you to suddenly start getting really horny. But you could also use a DHR to make someone grow more.
I'd set up my old 486 as a firewall to prevent "malicious hackers" from breaking into me and causing some kind of meltdown. Maybe have the 486 notify a special Nano device that "pages" my brain with the person's IP and what they are doing.
Of course, you have to be able to read Greg Bear - He's an acquired taste.
Here's a non-associate Amazon.com link
Enjoy Y2K? Roll-on Year 2037!
It would be nice if the old NASA COSMIC software archive were still available...
In the book, (originally a short story) a scientist manages to create an intelligent Lymphocite, which is the white blood cells, the 'Cops' of the Cardiovascular system. They end up in his own blood stream, and convert his body to a super healthy state, including restructuring his bones for more optimal movement and to prevent damage. Anyway, some more stuff happens, I won't ruin it. It's really good.
I had read the short story years ago, but the book picks up where the short story just got interesting. Highly recommend it.
--
Gonzo Granzeau
Gonzo Granzeau
"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
First it was people thinking Jesus was talking to them.
Then along came science fiction, and the same people now were worried about little green men and their ray guns, so they built themselves tinfoil hats and even tinfoil bodysuits.
Now here comes nanotech. Who knows how much more sophisticated these wackos are going to get? Let's all repeat after me: "Get them away from me!"
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
IIRC, the Commodore 64 version shrieked "Welcome to PLASMAAAANIA!" when you loaded it up.
We're going down, in a spiral to the ground
"Are the cows NOT being
:). I can tell you that OJ is "good for you" in that
:)
injected with hormones to increase their milk yield? And what effect does the milk that come from
these cows have on the human body? "
Ben and Jerry's says that they would like to promise that they don't use milk from cows that have been treated with rBGH. But they can't, because no test can tell the difference in the milk.
No study has ever shown any harm from rBGH. so I don't see hwat your gripe is.
"Where did
people who lived in colder climates get their vitamin C from before the advent of global shipping? "
I haven't a clue
1. You have to get vitamin C somewhere - why not there?
2. It courrelates with reduced risk of heart disease.
3. It tastes good.
4. It isn't carbonated, and so it doesn't leech your calcium.
Disclaimer: I am not a health food nut. I just listen to my mom, who is
Become a FSF associate member before the low #s are used
Hmmm...no study says that the growth hormones are "harmful, so no one knows it is harmful, just like
no one knows what really causes cancer, right? "
The deal is that we've done studies. Other than *possibly* causing cancer (not a long enough timeline to tell for certain, but it's pretty clear that it doesn't), rBGH won't hurt you.
So, unless you want to say "Damn the studies, I'm paranoid," then you're being stupid.
"I'm not saying it causes cancer. But I certainly think it is a big health risk. I mean, if we were to take it directly, would it be a problem? "
rBHG does not enter a cows milk. Period. There's no trace of it there, not even a tiny bit. Ben and fucking Jerry's, who are, like, hardcore about this can't detect it... No one can. It's not there!
"However, I don't think any food should need "fortification" with additional nutrients. That sends an alarm in my mind that says: there's something wrong here! Remember Olestra? The fat substitute that is supposed to pass right through your body instead of being absorbed by the body? They had to fortify it with nutrients because it leached nutrients from the body!"
OK, so it was Olestra that made you into a paranoid nutjob. I'll remember to avoid it. Adding nutrients isn't going to hurt you (except maybe megadoses of vitamin E). I know that I, for one, don't eat well. I don't eat enough fruit. So if my (say) beef has extra vitamin C, then good! I need it, and it'll pass through your body, harmlessly.
"I still say, processed foods are bad for you."
But you provide no evidence for this...
I have some evidence against, tho.
When my dad cooks chicken, he cuts off the fat. That's processing. And It's better for me that way. By far.
"Look, the best and richest country in the world, and we still have plenty of health problems, if not more than some of the other countries, even with all the available medical advancements. Maybe it's time to look at things from a different perspective? "
Like "good eating won't solve all problems" ? that sounds like a good start. How about "nanotech can solve many problems, so let's get hacking on it." That might do it...
Become a FSF associate member before the low #s are used
If people exhibited some control and kept it in their pants and didn't share needles, HIV wouldn't be as contagious. HIV can't spread if you've got a little willpower.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
A few years ago, a sports physiologist was doing a study using a temperature pill that NASA developed that measured core body temperature. He was comparing the pills results to the standard
methods which required me to put a thermistor on a wire in two places, one of which was up my nose and down my throat. The other we won't mention. TMI!! I had to wear an antenna array harness that picked up the signals from this pill. Pretty cool being a part of the developement of this stuff. Anyway, it was I guess a precursor to these devices plus I got paid, had my body fat measured, got to watch a couple of Arnold movies and get some exercise!
I find HIV scarier than cancer because cancer is not contagious. There is NO WAY cancer could concievably wipe out the human race. There are regions of the Earth where upwards of 50% of the population is infected with HIV. I suspect that it its infection rate is increasing much faster than cancer rates are.
Trees can't go dancing
So do them a big favor
Pretend dancing stinks!
I'm not questioning that this is science, but perhaps it's time to create a "Nanotechnology" topic.
--
"A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman who has lost an eye." -- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
At risk of setting myself up as bait for a good flame, I'll say your claims about milk and oranges is complete bunk.
For instance, humans have an estimated existence time of only a hundred thousand years, IIRC. So your claim on time frames is slightly exaggerated. Milk and milk products have been popular for a very long time. Long before the advent of big corporations. Cheese and butter have been around for a long time as well.
I believe the Israelites described Canaan as the "land of milk & honey" to Moses.
Some African cattle herders drink milk as well as the blood of the cattle they herd, I can't imagine that even they have succumbed to the "marketing tools" of big business.
Oranges. Ummm, ever hear the word "scurvy?" Yes, they didn't have pasteurized, vitamin D fortified oranges but they still used them as a source of vitamin C.
Of course, I can't say I disagree with the claims to smoking or MS...I personally think those two comments are dead on. >;)
I also mostly agree with your claims to big business as well. The alternative isn't necessarily non-milk/non-orange products but perhaps purchasing those commodities from small farmers/non-corporate entities. I know that I do.
-Vel
Who will get the Raquel Welch part? :-)
"Gee, and Cancer isn't?"
In some cases it is, but in a lot of others its not. We're not talking just about lung cancer caused by smoking here. There are many other types.
But its not like this is the only case, in Canada at least, breast cancer gets 10 or 20 times the funding that prostate cancer research gets, when they both kill about equally.
Maybe you'll have to have something like this. ;-)
--
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
...and a biotelemeter "Trisponder" to read the data...
I suppose you need a Tricorder to record the data from the Trisponder.
The difference between Theory and Practice is greater in Practice than in Theory.
Another good book to read about this type of thing is Blood Music by Greg Bear...
pretty cool stuff..
-- "This is my sig... there are many like it but this one is mine"
there used to be this game for the Apple IIe or IIgs where the story line was along the lines of a doctor being shrunk with some gadget and given this little nano-type-ship to pilot, and then being injected into various parts of the human body.
the missions where to clean up a certain health problem or fix certain problems, battle germs and bacteria and such, navigate the heart, etc... was really lame, but every time I hear about nanotech and healthcare, that game always pops into my head. Damn wasted braincells... atleast I can't remember the name of the game.
Good film. That involved actually shrinking the person and ship, though. Now THATS a technology I'd like to see.
The Good Reverend
I've always wanted nanites to be available to normal people. It'd be a whole hell of a lot easier to have somewhat intelligent nanites inside your bloodstream and to have dumbassed chemicals just doing their thing. It'd be pretty damn cool, too. Now, all they need to do is figure out how to get nanites to scrape tar off lungs. Now that would be a great invention.....cough....hack.
Eruantalon
Eruantalon
The Annals of Middle-earth
dumbassed chemicals just doing their thing.
What a great description of psychopharmacology! Can I use it when I teach undergrads?
For all the chemicals it pumps out, the body is surprisingly parsimonious sometimes. You can take Prozac(TM) or ecstasy to raise your mood, and end up with high blood pressure, confusion, tremor, possibly death (admittedly more likely if you take both at once). Serotonin syndrome occurs because lots of receptors throughout the brain and body have the same chemical as a signal to do different things. But if we had a substance that could stimulate receptors with the serotonin-seeking shape and tell the difference between a mood-affecting receptor and a blood-pressure raising receptor, we could get the benefits without the side effects.
This is only crudely possible with dumb chemicals. But nanomachines could communicate with a transmitter at a known location on the subject's body, using it to position themselves and either stimulate receptors or release chemicals at a single, tightly controlled locus. Such micromanagement is already used in neuroscience experiments, but at this time they require inserting a catheter directly into the desired part of the brain (yeah, we can treat your depression if you don't feel like getting out of bed anytime soon...). If the drug could place itself...
- laborit
do you know more now, or not?
The bad do bad because the bad is rewarded. The good do good because the good is rewarded.
-----
Go ahead, blame me... I voted for Nader!
I guarantee that you DO know someone with HIV/AIDS. It's just dormant and won't show for 5 or more years. That's a huge problem with it... granted. People still going out and having sex, not knowing what they're spreading.
Mike Roberto (roberto@soul.apk.net) - AOL IM: MicroBerto
Berto
That's quite a disgrace, seeing that AIDS is so much more preventable.
Mike Roberto (roberto@soul.apk.net) - AOL IM: MicroBerto
Berto
When we they be able to shrink me down in mini sub and inject me into the human body so I can do battle with evil villains who intend to cause damage?
(although an effective troll at that--exactly the right mixture of offensive moralistic crap and unsubstantiated "evidence". sheesh.)
Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I should have said sportspersonlike so I can cater to those individuals who cannot differentiate between a sexist remark and an attempt to use a commonly-accepted gender-neutral term for the sake of brevity.
Online gaming for motivated, sportsmanlike players: www.steelmaelstrom.org.
Online gaming for motivated, sportsmanlike players: www.steelmaelstrom.org.
Not quickly, of course...unless the hapless victim(s) ingested scores at once without noticing a grainy consistancy to their food.
Maybe these killer nanites could be designed to block arteries with cholesterol, or dissolve platelets to prevent the stop of bleeding on the battlefield, or change the chemical structure of certain food items to slowly poison a victim. How about severing optic nerves to cause blindness, or causing spinal cord injuries to cause paralysis?
Online gaming for motivated, sportsmanlike players: www.steelmaelstrom.org.
Online gaming for motivated, sportsmanlike players: www.steelmaelstrom.org.
When will cool stuff like this filter down to the average US citizen, and how much longer after that will it take to get it to (Fill in this spot with the current name of your favorite third world country.)
As a side note, those neato thermometers are just now making their way into Mexico and Central America. I suspect that it'll take another 20 years before that NASA Tricorder makes it to the nice hospitals in Belize, much less to the really poor folks down there.
CSG_SurferDude
LongTail SSH Brute Force analysis tool is here!
If they should need to remove them, how might they go about doing that? and what reasons might they want to anyway? Is it even possible?
-mg.
Are we forgetting that this is the agency who recently lost one probe because they confused metric and imperial measurements, and lost another due to rushing and cutting corners.
I'm not a NASA basher, but do we really want these folks putting things inside our bodies?
bun-fhuinneog agam!
T.J. Yang. 1995. Parasitic protist of metazoan origin. Evolutionary Theory 11:99-103.
Of course, I don't claim that cancer is likely to become a highly contagious disease. It is a hard enough problem as it is. I just bring this up because it shows how bizarre life can be.
Enjoy, Carlo
- living sig-free and proud
These numbers come from http://www4.od.nih.gov/ofm/budget/00conference.stm - Carlo
- living sig-free and proud
NASA + NCI is an invalid LValue, and cannot store the result of the expression "Nano-Explorers For Humans"
I could swear that you were going to hit on the beowolf clustering of these nanites...
enough of the damn flamewar about AIDS vs cancer
I wouldn't want to do that because of that episode
of The Outer Limits where they did exactly the
same thing as that article talks about. Not that
I believe anything on that TV show, but what if
this is the one time that they're actually right?
I don't wanna be the freak that took the pill and
turned into a monster...
Call me stupid...i'd just rather be safe than
sorry.
Tell you what: we come back and everyone's slaughtered...I owe you a coke.
Ok, who's going to tell them they are looking down the wrong end of the telescope?
- Andy R.
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
There was a book called the First Immortal which in my opinion kicked ass.......though the time span for this stuff has come sooner then the book predicted. This is fucking cool though..now if we could just take care of this government bullshit.....
-Never believe in the end of something great, send it to sub-committee for further study!!! - ME
...it's called Mentos! Secretly developed by German Scientists in dubya dubya 2, the innocent-looking "candy-mints" are actually packed with mind-controlling microscopic robots. Upon ingestion, the robots travel straight to the brain and force the unwitting victim to behave like a dippy European, smiling vacantly and showing everyone their pack of Mentos (subliminal advertising). The scientists called their diabolical invention "Mentos" as a contraction of the words Mental and Nano. The Freshmaker indeed!!!
Remind me not to get sick...
...from your Nano-Explorer
Houston, we have a problem.
Anomalous: inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected
Anomalous: deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected
Canard: a false or unfounded repor
I would keep typing, but my liver just crashed. Darn wince!
Anonymous Luddite: "What do you think of the dehumanizing effects of the Internet?"
Andy Grove: "Not Much."
And a good SciFi novel here and there as well. FM Busby's Demu Trilogy comes to mind. Good read.
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
the nanobots thought that not having eyes in the back of his head was a "problem" ... then that he needed gills... if i remember correctly it ended when they gave him a protective covering kinda like a jelly fish and he killed himself....
Although this seems kinda unrealistic to me, it brings up a good point: What do we classify as "things to change?" I mean, call me paraniod, but i could see this as a new way of genocide (or something similar) by eliminating what someone calls a "problem."
- "yes but can you hit someone over the head with a rolled up internet?" -Foxtrot
Wonder how long it will take for other well-funded government research bodies (DARPA et al) to realize the utility of such seemingly beneficial applications. v
Insects and Grafitti Photos
Ok, lets say you're sick. You swallow a pill to combat whatever is making you ill.
However that one pill isn't powerfull enough to fight off the illness by itself. You have to swallow its four friends, and then they all combine inside your body to form a super robot to fight together.
Sheesh this is starting to sound like Voltron. I hope they don't have some mega-sword which they start swinging wildly around inside of you.
Let's hope the virii don't start teaming up like this. Soon eveyone will have things popping out of them, al a Alien.
Ok, this post sounded like a good idea when I started
The following statement is true. The preceding statement is false.
They'll be nanoing someone and then, due to their inability to convert metric to standard measurement will cause them to put the legs down and the engine will cut off, thinking it had landed. Then the stupid thing will crash into something pretty fragile and kill the patient.
--That's why I recomend they test it on Bill Gates.
Valar
====
Crudely Drawn Games