[extropy-chat] Re: garage nanotech

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Robert Bradbury <bradbury at blarg.net> wrote:
> Kevin and Eliezer discussed:
> 
> > > When will this type of technology become available?
> 
> >     Six months before the end of the world.
> 
> In another of my rare disagreements with Eliezer I say ca-ca poo-poo.
> I've got the knowledge and resources to be doing self-replicating
> biotech in my garage (or basement) today and have had such
> abilities for perhaps 5+ years. The world has not ended yet! I will
> admit that it is difficult for individuals to do home based biotech
> (molecular biology) research but it is clearly not impossible (I've
> built multiple biotech labs -- this is something where I have a
> reasonable knowledge base).  For Eliezer's
> statement to hold you have to make a definitive argument for a strong
> (i.e. fast) singularity takeoff.  I do not believe that argument has
> been successfully made to date.

I'd have to say that Eli's statement would only hold water if one could
develop a general purpose assembler in their garage relatively easily,
enough so that your average monster truck fan mullet-head could do so
enough to either purposely, or accidentally, create grey goo while in a
Pabst-induced fit of insanity.

This would require an economic base supporting amateur nanotech to such
a degree that there would be a chain of Radio Shack-like stores,
perhaps called Nano Shack, or Nano Zone, or Nano Depot, supporting the
home Nano-dilletante's hobby.

As for wet-nano, I was doing anti-biotics research in my home lab while
in 12th grade (1986). Whoopdeedoo. I know plenty of guys doing home
machine tool prototyping, a woman with a rather extensive home geology
lab, and a few fellows prototyping some rather interesting firearms
designs (ever shot .50 BMG in a revolver???).

=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                                       - Gen. John Stark
"Fascists are objectively pro-pacifist..."
                                       - Mike Lorrey
Do not label me, I am an ism of one...
Sado-Mikeyism: http://mikeysoft.zblogger.com

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