[93360] in Cypherpunks
Re: Nanotechnology
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Anonymous)
Sat Jan 17 16:30:51 1998
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 22:05:25 +0100 (MET)
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
From: nobody@replay.com (Anonymous)
Reply-To: nobody@replay.com (Anonymous)
The Sheriff wrote:
> >I think people here seriously underestimate how long nanotech will take.
> >Suppose you have a machine which takes atoms and deposits them onto a
> >surface, building it up layer by layer. This is possible with today's
> >technology, but it's a slow process.
>
> I don't think it's that far away. Decades (or at least
> years) ago, the US Navy developed a laser so focused and
> controlled it could write messages on one face of a cube
> of salt.
You can also push atoms around with an AFM. It's just slow. But even if
it did take a week or two to make something, it would still be practical.
You'd probably have to wait a week to get something delivered by
mail-order, so you might as well make it yourself.
I wonder what Tim 'copyright is dead' May will think when anyone can make
a Pentium clone in their back bedroom. :)
