Nanotechnology: Lessig, Sherman and Drexler Speak

An anonymous reader writes "Reporting from The Foresight Institute's "Vision Weekend", Glenn Reynolds (aka Instapundit) discusses the future of nanotechnology and the politics behind it. Also featuring a video interview of Lessig, Sherman and nanotech pioneer Eric Drexler."

Comments

Prior art!

[MrBoombasticfantasti]

You can't patent nanotechnology, as Robin Williams has prior art in the cult series "Mork and Mindy"! ;-) "Nano, nano!"

I was also there

[worst_name_ever]

I attended the nanotechnology conference also, and I'll report on what I saw just as soon as I can wash off this gray goo...

Ah I can see it now

[Timesprout]

Nano bots will be part of Palladium, your PC will not respond unless you have the correct embedded bots. Any attempt to circumvent DRM or any EULA conditions will be punished by the bots relaxing you sphlincter muscles at the most inapropiate of times and most probably in a public place. God help any geek who has a girlfriend as violations may be additionally be punished by relaxation of other muscle groups.

Re:Ah I can see it now

[Anonymous Coward]

Geeks? Muscle groups? Girlfriends? ;)

Excellent Smithers...

[Joe the Lesser]

mastery of nanotechnology could lead to the kind of military supremacy that mastery of steam power and repeating firearms gave the West in the 19th Century.

Good, soon we can conquer all those pesky third world countries in a few days instead of a few weeks.

my predicition

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's where I see this technology heading:

Somewhere in the next 5-10 years the Military will fund a project to use Nanotechnology to protect us from Terrorism. In fact, some of the work raytheon is already doing is just that.

15-20 years out commercial entities will be given access to this technology so that they can make a buck off of it. At this point, the media will begin to rabidly suckle at anything with the prefix "nano" attached to it.

20-25 years from now the economy will surge because everyone and their brother thinks that "the world is really about to change"

25-30 years from now people will notice that their human condition has not, in fact, changed.

30-35 years from now all nanotechnology will be produced overseas, and those involved stateside will have a hard time finding work. At this time, the military will fund a project to utilize quantum strings to defend us against time travelers.

wash, rinse, repeat

Re:Nanotech and DRM

[thinkninja]

So the MPA (Materials Producers of America) will be suing college kids for $98 googolplex US because they downloaded Porsches in 20xx? That's progress, baby!