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Programmable Matter: The New Alchemy

Posted by michael on from the lead-from-gold dept.

Anonymous Kamath writes "IEEE Spectrum recently published an interview with aerospace-engineer-turned-science-fiction-author Wil McCarthy who's just written his first non-fiction book "Hacking Matter: Levitating Chairs, Quantum Mirages and the Infinite Weirdness of Programmable Atoms" proposing the application of quantum dot technology on a large scale thereby allowing one to control properties of materials at will. Another science fiction author laid down the principles of geostationary satellite communication half a century ago."

13 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Members Only?? by stungod · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm not an IEEE member...does that mean I can't read the interview?

    Crap!

    1. Re:Members Only?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      the editors are catching on to /.'ers. posting articles that require subscription/login should eliminate all the posts that say "RTFA".

  2. Yeah, and... by sinergy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, and science fiction authors also wrote about flying cars. For a while. I don't see them. Where are my flying cars!?!?!?!

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    1. Re:Yeah, and... by sjanich · · Score: 3, Funny

      I am for one, ok with the lack of flying cars. Drivers seem to have enough problems in 2D.

  3. Program... Aol? by zzxc · · Score: 3, Funny

    Finally! We can reuse all those AOL cds by programming the actual material of the "dots" to reflect light as a "1" or "0".

  4. hee hee by archeopterix · · Score: 2, Funny
    ...proposing the application of quantum dot technology...
    Hm... for some reason I've read "quantum dot com technology".
  5. Radioactive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Great! Now we can patent the process of making internet-enabled software radioactive by means of programming. This way, people will stay away from radioactive Microsoft programs and use Linux! Perfect!

  6. Arthur C. Clarke by prabhath · · Score: 2, Funny
    That man is amazing! He's predicted many many things.. In addition to the GPS satellites, he's predicted life on europa (currently a theory), diamonds at the cores of large gaseous planets (also a viable theory), etc..

    Sci Fi authors have been pretty successful in predicting emerging trends in science better than most researchers. Gene Roddenberry anyone?

  7. Oh yawn by grub · · Score: 3, Funny


    Programmable matter has been around for years, just look at the T-1000 Terminator

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    Trolling is a art,
  8. What the? by helix400 · · Score: 4, Funny

    from the lead-from-gold dept.

    Lead from gold? Don't you mean the other way around? Unless, of course, this is Slashdot's newest money making strategy....

    1) Buy lots of gold
    2) Turn it into lead
    3) ????
    4) Profit!

    1. Re:What the? by Angry+White+Guy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Step 3) Wait for the rest of the world to turn lead into gold, thereby creating amazing demand for your stockpile.

      You could do the same with chickens, but it's get messy.

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      You think that I'm crazy, you should see this guy!
  9. Pron spam is gonna be fun when this happens!!! by Dutchmaan · · Score: 4, Funny

    proposing the application of quantum dot technology on a large scale thereby allowing one to control properties of materials at will.

    Imagine the pornographic possibilities!

  10. Re:McCarthyism by Efreet · · Score: 2, Funny

    Probably because McCarthy is a last name, and it would be odd if old Joseph were the only one to have it.

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    This sig wasn't worth reading, was it.