A wonderful little paper inside a great book about robotics outlines a periodic table of knowledge. The book is "Robots on Your Doorstep" by Nels Winkless and Iben Browning copyright 1978. The paper is a reprint from Bell Aircraft Research by Dr. Browning originally printed in December 1956 on pages 13-36. The table discusses the binary combinations of natural and non-living (the physical), natural living(biological), non-natural non-living(technios/engineered) and non-natural living(robotic). In rereading the book this year I was struck by the authors surprise when in organizing the table diagrammatically, he observed and noted the central importance of the molecule as an organizing/ordering entity. To quote, " To the writer, the prominence of the molecule as the differentiation center of the known universe came as a complete surprise." pp. 29 "Robots on Your Doorstep".
To me Nanotechnology seemed like a stretch when I first heard about it but not surprising. I guess I was already ready for it when I read EoC around '87. Read Robots back in '80. If you want to search systematically the edges of knowledge then Robots is the place to start. Cheers.
Technically this is old news. But with all of the mp3s that are available today. Now you've got a sufficient pile of bits to place a good encrypted stegn'd fs. From a social point of view NOW its news. Get howtos and samples at Cypherpunks
A wonderful little paper inside a great book about robotics outlines a periodic table of knowledge. The book is "Robots on Your Doorstep" by Nels Winkless and Iben Browning copyright 1978. The paper is a reprint from Bell Aircraft Research by Dr. Browning originally printed in December 1956 on pages 13-36. The table discusses the binary combinations of natural and non-living (the physical), natural living(biological), non-natural non-living(technios/engineered) and non-natural living(robotic). In rereading the book this year I was struck by the authors surprise when in organizing the table diagrammatically, he observed and noted the central importance of the molecule as an organizing/ordering entity. To quote, " To the writer, the prominence of the molecule as the differentiation center of the known universe came as a complete surprise." pp. 29 "Robots on Your Doorstep".
To me Nanotechnology seemed like a stretch when I first heard about it but not surprising. I guess I was already ready for it when I read EoC around '87. Read Robots back in '80. If you want to search systematically the edges of knowledge then Robots is the place to start. Cheers.
Technically this is old news. But with all of the mp3s that are available today. Now you've got a sufficient pile of bits to place a good encrypted stegn'd fs. From a social point of view NOW its news. Get howtos and samples at Cypherpunks