Comments on: Big bigger biggest http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/big-bigger-biggest/ 'Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing'. Abraham Lincoln Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:41:03 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: John McLaren http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/big-bigger-biggest/#comment-143 John McLaren Fri, 29 May 2009 15:08:52 +0000 http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/?p=215#comment-143 I'm glad that non-stick frying pans changed your life ! Here's a nice example of miniaturization that I have in mind for a certain birthday coming up ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VgJPPYaV00 I’m glad that non-stick frying pans changed your life !
Here’s a nice example of miniaturization that I have in mind for a certain birthday coming up !

]]> By: Graham Willcock http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/big-bigger-biggest/#comment-142 Graham Willcock Fri, 29 May 2009 10:09:51 +0000 http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/?p=215#comment-142 Thanks John - always good to get a different perspective. I wonder to what extent the word nanotechnology has been adopted to mean something else to its original or 'correct' meaning though? I'm thinking of words like 'strategy' - adopted by business from the military, or 'turnkey' from the IT industry. Nano is creeping into all sorts of conversations including the examples you list. My point as you correctly identify was using the word in a descriptive rather than a normative sense. Thinking about some of your examples I suppose in theory, a house could be built at some point in the future from the foundations up using worker bacteria designed by nanotechnology. Imagine a cell phone that was a device inserted into a human body, or a radio transmitter that was placed permanently into the cranium? I think nanotechnology will change the world in which we live as it did with the first non stick frying pan. Thanks John – always good to get a different perspective. I wonder to what extent the word nanotechnology has been adopted to mean something else to its original or ‘correct’ meaning though? I’m thinking of words like ’strategy’ – adopted by business from the military, or ‘turnkey’ from the IT industry. Nano is creeping into all sorts of conversations including the examples you list. My point as you correctly identify was using the word in a descriptive rather than a normative sense.

Thinking about some of your examples I suppose in theory, a house could be built at some point in the future from the foundations up using worker bacteria designed by nanotechnology. Imagine a cell phone that was a device inserted into a human body, or a radio transmitter that was placed permanently into the cranium? I think nanotechnology will change the world in which we live as it did with the first non stick frying pan.

]]> By: John McLaren http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/big-bigger-biggest/#comment-141 John McLaren Thu, 28 May 2009 10:20:37 +0000 http://grahamwillcock.wordpress.com/?p=215#comment-141 I'm sure this was not meant as a debate on nanotechnology. Nevertheless. Nonotechnology is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale and has wider implications than just size. Nanotechnology has little to do with miniaturization but there are areas of overlap. Nano=1 billionth. Common uses for nanotechnology have been around for a while. UV-block sunscreen is an example. The material on your non-stick frying pan is another. Waterproof materials use nanotechnology. In medicine the advances have been in areas such as anti-bacterial surfaces (SilvaGard was one of the earliest nanotech applications in medicine), more efficient drug administration, materials for vascular surgery (TiMesh) and burn treatments such as ActiCoat. Use of magnetic nanoparticles is being used for more efficient kidney dialysis (but the machines are not geting smaller). The miniaturization of consumer devices has little to do with nanotechnology. Computers and cellphones have relied on advanced in TFT screen technology and solid-state memory and drives to decrease size at the same time as more efficient heatsink cooling which allowed them to do away with bulky fans. The resultant heat decrease meant less wattage consumed and so power supplies became smaller. Only the Core 2 processors can be termed nanotech but it has more to do with power than size as the actual socket is far bigger. Nanotechnology influenced the material used for notebooks (volume to size ratio is what makes nanotech what it is) resulting in lighter and stronger material (but not necessarily smaller). Most of the latest research is centered around cosmetics eg. enabling anti-acne materials in make-up, and deep nano-moisturisers (the smaller the particles the deeper they penetrate). Kids products are another huge area where nanotechnology has little to do with size. Supplio crayons have a nano-coating allowing them to stay germ-free. SPF50 sunblock for kids relies on nanotechnology. Fabric softeners use nanotechnology. Silver nano baby bottles use nanotechnology to stay germ-free. Cellphones and radios, interestingly, do not rely on nanotechnology for miniaturization. I’m sure this was not meant as a debate on nanotechnology. Nevertheless. Nonotechnology is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale and has wider implications than just size. Nanotechnology has little to do with miniaturization but there are areas of overlap. Nano=1 billionth. Common uses for nanotechnology have been around for a while. UV-block sunscreen is an example. The material on your non-stick frying pan is another. Waterproof materials use nanotechnology. In medicine the advances have been in areas such as anti-bacterial surfaces (SilvaGard was one of the earliest nanotech applications in medicine), more efficient drug administration, materials for vascular surgery (TiMesh) and burn treatments such as ActiCoat. Use of magnetic nanoparticles is being used for more efficient kidney dialysis (but the machines are not geting smaller). The miniaturization of consumer devices has little to do with nanotechnology. Computers and cellphones have relied on advanced in TFT screen technology and solid-state memory and drives to decrease size at the same time as more efficient heatsink cooling which allowed them to do away with bulky fans. The resultant heat decrease meant less wattage consumed and so power supplies became smaller. Only the Core 2 processors can be termed nanotech but it has more to do with power than size as the actual socket is far bigger. Nanotechnology influenced the material used for notebooks (volume to size ratio is what makes nanotech what it is) resulting in lighter and stronger material (but not necessarily smaller). Most of the latest research is centered around cosmetics eg. enabling anti-acne materials in make-up, and deep nano-moisturisers (the smaller the particles the deeper they penetrate). Kids products are another huge area where nanotechnology has little to do with size. Supplio crayons have a nano-coating allowing them to stay germ-free. SPF50 sunblock for kids relies on nanotechnology. Fabric softeners use nanotechnology. Silver nano baby bottles use nanotechnology to stay germ-free.
Cellphones and radios, interestingly, do not rely on nanotechnology for miniaturization.

]]>