Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Picture of the day


Nebula of Man


Darcy Lewis, Nebula of Man, NanoArt 2006


From NanoArt 2006. © Copyright Darcy Lewis (click to see larger version)

NANOART is a new art discipline related to micro/nanosculptures created by artists/scientists through chemical/physical processes and/or natural micro/nanostructures that are visualized with powerful research tools like Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope.

NanoArt could be for the 21st Century what Photography was for the 20th Century. We live in a technological society, in a new Renaissance period, and there is no reason for Arts to stay away from Technology. NanoArt is the expression of the New Technological Revolution and reflects the transition from Science to Art using Technology.


See all of Darcy Lewis's NanoArt 2006 entries here.

Please contact me if you would like to submit an image. (rocky at bir-consulting.com)

Quote of the day

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be….This, in turn, means that our statesmen, our businessmen, our everyman must take on a science fictional way of thinking."

~Isaac Asimov





"If you aren't very excited about this (nanotechnology) you're not paying attention."

~William BC Crandall, Author, founder and director of Molecular Realities, founder and president of Memetic Engineering, and cofounder of Prime Arithmetics, Inc.





"Critical investment in nanotechnology today will lead to discoveries tomorrow that are now beyond our own imagination. Nanotechnology's potential to change the way we invent and create is almost limitless."

~Gordon Smith (R-OR)

The Space Elevator – An Interview with LiftPort's Michael J. Laine

Yes, I’m a believer. I believe in the promise of the Space Elevator (SE). I also believe that we are well on our way to perfecting the technologies that will enable the SE. Further, I believe that the SE itself will enable humankind to “go where no one has gone before” in ways that our 1960’s era space technology cannot.

Another believer is Michael J. Laine, President and Chief Strategic Officer of the LiftPort Group "The Space Elevator Companies." My favorite quote: “We are building a tool for future generations of the earth.”

The following is an excerpt of the interview I did with Michael on the SE.

RR: What advantages does having a SE bring to the country or business that builds the first one?

It means limitless, safe, simple, affordable access to space, with a predictable cargo schedule. It means the cargo can become an enormous increase in energy resources (huge solar energy satellites supplying clean - endlessly renewable - power back to earth); expanded, permanent settlements on the moon and mars and asteroids, and a stepping stone beyond, into the 'wild black yonder.' It means expanded communications to everyone on the planet - phone, video, internet, because of a greatly increased commsat infrastructure. It means bio-science advances that may allow us to live longer and in greater comfort in our old age, and better, higher purity medicines that we will use in our goal of a full and healthy life. So these advantages would go to the whole planet, really.

RR: Who's for it, and why?

The day we open for business, we will have 10x the current global launch capacity... that means that basic supply and demand forces will apply, and the cost per pound will drop dramatically. We are anticipating $400/lb ranges, and some people are predicting it could go lower than that, once the 2nd and 3rd elevators are built.

So, who will it benefit? Anyone that wants low-cost, high-volume access to space. This would mean, for instance, that smaller schools could do space-based research. Instead of a huge budget allocation, smaller schools could open up new branches of research, because the costs of access have dropped so much. What this means is that we could see significant advances in biosciences, pharmaceuticals, electronics and material sciences.

RR: In your opinion, if a full-scale effort was launched today, how long before the first SE could be built?

Look at our countdown clock. we are serious about it. Lots of big projects, space, factories, tunnels, bridges say something like "in 20 years we'll..." and that gives them a lot of room to fudge the numbers and let deadlines slip. We don't want to be that kind of project.

We've set a date (October 27, 2031), and that is what we are working toward.

Many people have laughed at us about this. That's fine, my team knows how many days are left and our internal motto is 'Every Day Is Precious.' We know people are counting on us to make this happen, and we don't intend to let them down.


Read the entire interview: http://www.nanotech-now.com/Michael-Laine-Oct2004.htm