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Drexler Clarifies Grey Goo Scenario
b00le writes "The BBC says that the scientist many regard as the father of nanotechnology has backed away from his famous claim that runaway nanomachines could turn the planet into 'grey goo'. Eric Drexler now says nanomachines that self-replicate exponentially are unlikely ever to enter widespread use. So that's all right, then, but he also said 'tiny machines would need close control' - which not everyone would agree with. I always imagined some kind of emergent behaviour would, er, emerge." Bill Joy is still suitably pessimistic.
Homer: "He said 'emerge'! I'm going to plug Gentoo."
Marge: "I never agreed to that rule!"
I'm about to enter graduate school at Rice, specializing in nanoscience (like you can specialize in that broad an area!)...it's good to know I won't be grey goo-ed one day while in the lab.
You know what this tells me? It tells me that Drexler now works for some military organization to develop a special kind of weapon where nanotechnology "cells" can combine to form any object - essentially a shapeshifting type of thing like the android from Terminator 2. I am sure that this technology will be used to send people back in time to change the future. For example, I think Microsoft will send one back in time to make sure that Linus's great grandparents don't meet, so that Microsoft can triple the price of Windows, nobody will have another choice, and yet, in court, they'll point to the Amiga and say that it's their competition, and therefore they don't have a monopoly.
So what I'm saying is that Drexler changed his opinion so that when he installs technologies like this, people won't think that he's doing it to turn the world into grey goo. It's a conspiracy, and everybody's in on it.~
oh.. I think self replicating technology could have a very good use. You could buy that shiny G5 you secretly want hit the replicate button and put the ones it makes on ebay.
If you have nothing useful to say post as AC.
Animals have the ability to continously procreate until all resources are consumed, however, most don't. There is a type of population control that exists for most species, and even though humans have continously gained in population, we have only done so because of our knowledge to fending off population control diseases/disasters/etc.
Would machines follow this same type or universal standard of population control or would they just envelope every item they could?
Who knows, not me.
Anyway, stupid plug for a new website im working on, GroupShares.com. If you are into the stock market and want to see a live journal, etc, then check it out. Of course everything is free.
Thanks,
Aj
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artlu.net
questions?
it's ALL grey & gooIE?
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Can you people speak english?
Yes, they can speak English. At least some of the time, anyway. And in this case, they have it right--since "BBC" is a single (corporate) entity, the singular form of the verb (says) is appropriate.
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
Shoots hot gray goo!!!!
Skynet.
I am dah guvernator of khaliforniuh! Kom wit me if yuu vant to liwve.
it had to be said.