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Diamond Age Approaching?

CosmicDreams writes "The CRN (Center for Responsible Nanotechnology) reports that nanofactories (like the ones that were installed in every home in Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age) will arrive "almost certainly within 20 years". In short they claim that molecular nanotechnology manufacturing will solve many of the world's problems, catalyze a technologic revolution, and start the greatest arms race we've ever seen. They conclude the risks are so great that we should discuss how to deal with this technology so that we don't kill each other when it arrives."

25 of 750 comments (clear)

  1. Can't Wait! by WwWonka · · Score: 4, Funny

    and start the greatest arms race we've ever seen.

    Awesome! There is nothing better than a watching limbs battle it for supremecy on a mile oval!

    Although I may be more excited about the detached ankle crawl obsticle course.

  2. WMDs by AtariAmarok · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Well, we were pretty sure that Saddam Hussein III had at least 18 microscopic nuclear warheads hidden in the Arabian desert. We've not found them yet, but we will! We will!"

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  3. Re:We need to pass laws and treaties NOW. by strictnein · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, that's likely far in the future but 50 years ago a desktop computer was impossible.

    No... you just needed a really big (and strong) desk.

  4. Re:We need to pass laws and treaties NOW. by superpulpsicle · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh that's no problem. In today's society we'll just download a patch after releasing a market-rushed, extremely flawed, half ass version 1.0.

  5. The next age by drsmack1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I welcome the diamond age - it is nice to finally put the bronze age behind us. I look forward to my diamond ax head.

  6. Re:nice sensationalism by eggoeater · · Score: 5, Funny
    Im sure we will be JUST FINE.
    Famous last words if there ever were any....
  7. Cool! by csnydermvpsoft · · Score: 2, Funny

    Could I get one of those nanofactories installed in my flying car?

  8. Problem solved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    will solve many of the world's problems

    kill each other when it arrives

    Now there's a drastic way to solve this world's problems.

  9. This sucks by drsmack1 · · Score: 1, Funny

    I dropped my entire life savings into Jupiter mining rights - now I am totally screwed! http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q2270.html

  10. Various groups are responding... by stienman · · Score: 5, Funny

    In short they claim that molecular nanotechnology manufacturing will solve many of the world's problems, catalyze a technologic revolution, and start the greatest arms race we've ever seen. They conclude the risks are so great that we should discuss how to deal with this technology so that we don't kill each other when it arrives.

    Politicians: Yay. More legislative work means we'll forever be yammering about stuff.

    Missionaries: Yay. End world hunger. I can go home and stop building bridges.

    Eco-groupies: Boo. This will destroy the environment.

    Engineers: Screw the consequences, I want ot play with one! Less talk, more tech!

    Your Rights Online Whiners: We have to pass laws NOW about this technology. Because there's nothing like an archiac law for a technology we can't understand the ramifications of until it's been used for many years.

    Console Junkies: Wha...? Can this wait? I'm almost through to the boss...

    Babies: YES! With this power I alone will rul - WAAAAAAAAIMHUNGRYAAAAAAAA!

    -Adam

  11. Re:We need to pass laws and treaties NOW. by GoofyBoy · · Score: 5, Funny

    If we outlaw nanotech, only mad scientists will have nanotech.

    --
    The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
  12. Diamond life? Thanks a lot Cmdr by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Funny
    Thanks a lot, Cmdr. Now I can't get that Sade song out of my head:

    Diamond life, lover boy.
    We move in space with minimum waste and maximum joy.
    He's a smooth opewata,
    smooth opewata,
    smooth opewata,
    smooth opewata.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  13. Re:nice sensationalism by Matrix272 · · Score: 2, Funny

    By that logic because a weatherman incorectly predicts rain for 3 days, if on the 4th day he predicts it again it's a 100% guarantee it won't happen?

    No, by the 4th day, everyone will have realized he had no credibility and stopped watching his channel.

    --
    "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
  14. Re:Sometimes I doubt... by pubjames · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dinosaur one: It's great ruling the world isn't it?
    Dinosaur two: Yes, it's great!
    Dinosaur one: It's like, we're the best! You can't beat us!
    Dinosaur two: Yes! Like, we're the tops! Go dinos!
    Dinosaur one: Go dinos!!
    Dinosaur two: Yes! Go dinos!! Go go go!!!
    Dinosaur one: Look at that pretty light in the sky!
    Dinosaur two: Oh yes. Pretty! And growing.

  15. Re:nice sensationalism by Tackhead · · Score: 4, Funny
    > And at every step we've managed to kill more and more people. How many people could you kill in a day with a catapult vs a cannon vs a machine gun, etc.

    And at every step it gets a little more boring.

    Oooooh! Nanotech bio-killer grey goo replicator buuuuugs! Yeah, yeah, whatever, you just release 'em into the wild and you don't have to do anything other than sit on your fat ass and watch CNN for the rest of the day. Nukes? Sure, they look real pretty, but they don't scale well - you run out of people pretty quick, and then what do you do? A machine gun's pretty neat, but would get boring after the first couple of hours, plus it'd give your some horrible repetitive strain injuries to deal with. A cannon sounds like fun, but I'd be deaf and hating it within a week.

    But a catapult... Oh, man, have you seen those things? Flingin' a cow or a VW beetle 500 feet away? Man, I don't think I'd ever get tired of that!

    As a society, we've lost our soul. All the emphasis on shiny graphics and not enough emphasis on gameplay.

  16. Re:I wonder if it'll eventually come to this - by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 4, Funny

    In other words, in the future, the movie "Saving Ryan's Privates" won't be a porn movie.

    --
    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
  17. Re:"almost certainly within 20 years" by betelgeuse-4 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't forget nuclear fussion powering our homes, Apple going bust and *BSD dying out, all within 15 years.

  18. A Deeper Look at the Article's Site Reveals... by captainClassLoader · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...My favorite sentence, found halfway down this page:

    A large spacecraft design must account for fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, vibration and resonance on many time scales, avionics and other control, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, combustion dynamics, hydraulics, cryogenics, and biomedical issues. (Thanks to an anonymous poster on Slashdot for pointing this out.) (Emphasis mine.)

    If they're using Slashdot as a source for information, how can we possibly take them seriously? :-D

    --
    "The plural of anecdote is not data" -- Bruce Schneier
  19. Re:"almost certainly within 20 years" by FooAtWFU · · Score: 2, Funny

    And the space elevator! Don't forget the space elevator! It'll be here any decade now as well!

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  20. Re:We need to pass laws and treaties NOW. by JackRuby43 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...and you can have my nanobots when you pry them from my cold, dead, grey goo covered hands.

  21. Re:I've always wondered... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It seems like these days someone manages to predict all the new tech before it comes out. Has it always been this way?

    No, people used to invent stuff before they thought of it in the olden days.

  22. Re:Not gonna happen. by mangu · · Score: 5, Funny
    Anything man CAN do, man WILL do. Regardless of if rules are in the way.


    How true. Just look at goatse.

  23. Re:Don't buy diamonds now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Married and happy here, I spent half a paycheck (which is 1/4 of a month) on my wife's ring and we're at least 3.4 times as happy as any other couple in the office except the guy who spent 3 months worth of paychecks on his wife's ring who's getting close to a divorce because they sleep around on each other.

    Who's the wiser? Do I care?

    No.

  24. Re:Not gonna happen. by KnarfO · · Score: 2, Funny

    No. Do not look at goatse. Ever.

    Trust me.

    --


    "Creativity is allowing ones self to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep" - Scott Adams
  25. When? by Guppy06 · · Score: 2, Funny

    "will arrive "almost certainly within 20 years."

    So will this be before or after viable fusion reactors?