Nanocosm: Nanotechnology and the Big Changes Coming from ...

Book Description:
"Imagine: you're looking down at the Earth from space. Oceans and continents blur as the planet transforms into one bright blue ball. And it doesn't stop with our own solar system. There are just as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in our own! Now reverse the direction of this imaginative voyage, and turn inward rather than outward. That same number of stars in our galaxy is less than half the number of cells in an adult human body. Scale. It's all about scale. The fact is, we occupy a middle kingdom, poised delicately between the unimaginably immense and the unimaginably minute. And now science is on the brink of breaking through to the world beneath what we can see with our eyes. Nanoscience takes as its subject the realm of the infinitesimally small. Tinier than the tiniest atom, if the measurement known as a nanometer were scaled up to the width of your fingernail, then your fingernail would be the size of Delaware and your thumb would be the size of Florida. As author William Atkinson puts it, the domain of the nanometer -- he nanocosm -- is a serious kind of small. But one with big possibilities, and even larger consequences for the way we live. In Nanocosm, Atkinson takes readers into the incredibly complex, yet equally beautiful world of nanotechnology. Atkinson distinguishes hype and speculation from the amazing reality of what truly is possible through nanotechnology in our very immediate future: cell-sized computers triggered by single electrons rather than millions -- microchips that contain the diagnostic capability of full-sized medical labs -- exceptionally strong and resilient carbon nanotubes that will revolutionize the process of structural engineering -- and much more. The nanocosm promises to transform our environment by revealing new basic facts that we can turn into useful technology. Even discounting optimistic exaggerations, the scientific breakthroughs that are now upon us will dramatically affect everything about our lives: how we communicate, do our work, spend our leisure time, stay healthy, and even raise our children. Asking critical questions about the latest and most intriguing areas of nanotech, Atkinson interviews the most important scientists, ethicists, and business executives at the forefront of this exciting new field to give a riveting account of what is arguably the most important technical frontier since human beings launched themselves into outer space. At a time of astonishing and rapid advances in what we know of our own world, future ages will no doubt record the twenty-first century as the Renaissance of the Nanocosm. Combining the in-depth information of an up-to-the-second scientific report with the thought-provoking readability of a fast-paced novel, Nanocosm charts these first great voyages of discovery into a bizarre new realm, one that is small in size -- but epic in meaning. William Illsey Atkinson is the author of Prototype, a finalist for Canada's National Business Book Award. He is president of Draaken Communications, which interprets technological issues for universities, institutes, and private firms. He is a frequent contributor on science and technology to Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, and has received the Prix d'Excellence in Issues Writing from Dalhousie University. He lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The most amazing thing about nature is her inexhaustible variety. Scientists, technologists, and theologians speak about 'nature' or 'the world' as if it were a unit. But there are limitless worlds and infinite natures. (We) are poised delicately between the unimaginably immense and the unimaginably minute. -- William Illsey Atkinson, author of Nanocosm There's a lot of ""big thinking"" going on these days about some very small subjects. And just what are these subjects? Nanometers -- units of measurement so small that they equal one millionth of a millimeter. Yet what can be accomplished by understanding and harnessing this complex and invisible subworld has the potential to utterly transform virtually every aspect of our lives. At this very moment, nanotechnology is on the brink of exploding into a full-scale scientific renaissance with mind-boggling implications. Nanocosm probes both the science and the business behind this technological revolution, exploring how nanotech will ultimately be applied in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and countless other arenas. Based on in-depth research and interviews with the most important minds in nanotech and rendered in a narrative style reminiscent of Lewis Thomas and James Gleick, the book examines in layman's terms the complex science that underpins this new terrain. Lucid and dynamic, Nanocosm offers an enthralling glimpse at a soon-to-be very different world -- our own. """Nanocosm is the nanotechnology book we have all been waiting for -- accurate, realistic, and oh so readable. It's a rare book that researchers and business people can both enjoy."" -- F. Mark Modzelewski, Executive Director, NanoBusiness Alliance"

Loaded with fresh views of nanotechnology's future:
William Illsey Atkinson's Nanocosm is an expert survey of nanotechnology and the big changes coming from small science advancements providing a series of eye-opening insights on the nature of scale and space. Nanoscience is the study of the infinitesimally small: the discoveries of nanotechnology and speculation of the nature of reality in a small, changed world make for a moving, involving title loaded with fresh views of nanotechnology's future.

Onan of nano?:
Several earlier reviewers have detailed the major shortcomings of this book, so I defer any add-ons. Mr Atkinson is a name-dropper, heaping effusive praise on some researchers & companies, while flogging other individuals or groups. He covers many aspects and potentials of nanotechnology, a good point, but the (startup) companies he mentions have not set the world on fire. He is not a linguist, or he & his editor would not muff simple stuff like "und so weiter" into "und so unter"(p.168). There are a few technical glitches as well. Overall, I give it a "3" and worth the price of a magazine... that's what I paid off the remainder table.

Nano = this book's value:
"Nanocosm" is extremely negative and critical, wasting most of its pages (and hence a majority of every chapter) with a seemingly personal attack on K. Eric Drexler and other nanotech populizers. Atkinson provides little to no facts to back up his assertions, and narrates the book with an unimaginable level of arrogance. Skip this book, and read "Nano-hype" or "The Next Big Thing is Really Small" instead.

Nanatechnology: Real and Now!:
Did you know that President Bush recently announced that $500 million would go to the National Nanotechnology Initiative? And that nano-technology is now considered one of the top 10 technologies that will change our lives? In this new book, William Illsey Atkinson delivers us to the world of the future, the world of incredible innovations in the fields of medicine, computing and engineering - the world of nanotechnology. Now, when we talk about nanotechnology, we are talking small (really small, smaller-than-an-atom small). The book talks about what will happen once we get more prolific in working with this tiny technology, and how we will actually produce nanotechnology machines that will produce even smaller machines. Actually, these machines are so small, molecules will produce them automatically. Are you overwhelmed yet? Read on - this gets better. The following are some of Atkinson's amazing projections (remember, this isn't science fiction, this is real stuff that's being developed as you read this). In two to five years, we can expect to see: Car tires that will need air only once a year Self assembly of small electronic parts (based on artificial DNA or guest host systems) Artificial semiconductors based on protein Complete medical diagnostic laboratories based on a single computer chip less than one inch square In five to 10 years, we can expect to see: Erasable/Rewritable paper for programmable books, magazines and newspapers Light, efficient ceramic car engines "Smart" buildings that self-stabilize after earthquakes and bombings Inexpensive solar power that heats and lights cities by using roads and building windows as sun collectors And in 10 to 15 years, we can expect to see: Paint-on computer and video displays Cosmetic nanotechnology, including permanent hair and teeth restoration Handheld super computers This book is just loaded with this kind of earth-shaking information. And the good news is that, for a science book, it reads like a best seller. If you want to get a clear glimpse into the future for all of us, make sure you give this one a read.

I found the book interesting and entertaining.:
Lower, Slower, and Smaller. Eric Dexler books helped envision the future of nanotechnology: 1. Nanosystem: Molecular Machinery, Manfacturing, and Computation. 2. Engines of Creation 3. Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance. All technology is in a sense nanotechnology. Carbon Nanotubes may soon create supercomputers the size of a fleck of dust. Macro carbon nanotube applications would be able to support the Golden Gate bridge with a cable no thicker than a pencil. The nanobased world of tomorrow will not be totally unrecognizable. Nanotechnology is still bound by physical and marketing limits. NanoWorld 2015. In 2015, Medication is delivered by synthetic molecules called dendrites. Medical dosages are delivered inside the target cell. 2015, dustbot 70 nm robots powered by ATP flagellate motor break down dust into carbon dioxide and trace elements. The nanobots will be capable of self-replication and are reprogrammable increasing their usefulness. 2015, new nano composite diesel engines will reduce energy production costs through unique engine design. The new diesel engine could burn oil sludge without processing through a refinery. The cylinder wall will be two millimeters thick with 1,400 Celsius and fifty atmosphere on the inside. Nanoscience trends in world research. Dr. Simon Haykin thinks about reducing energy requirements and size dimensions for CPU chips. "It's obvious to me that miniaturization, as a route to hardware innovation, is a dead-end street. It's given us some noteworthy achievements, but now its run smack up against its ultimate limitations." A brain has logic gates called neurons that operate a million times slower than a computer logic gate and burns ten billion times less power than a microtransistor logic gate. The computation model of the brain is massively parrellel and great quantities of neurons chew through problems from many different directions at the same time. In 1994-95 the Teramac massively parallel computer was built. Its designers built in over 200,000 hardware defects, any which would have failed in a serial computing Von Neumann designed machine. "Yet the Termac consistently operates two orders of magnitude faster than the fastest single processor commercial workstation". Teramac uses paths and components alternative to the damaged ones. "You can view neurons as unreliable components if you like. And individually, they are. They're rather messy things. But that doesn't matter, because there are so many of them." Nanotechnology trends in World development. "In 1997, aggregate U.S. spending for both government and private-sector nanoscience was approximately $400 million. In 2001, it was three times the level; in 2002, the aggregate gain approached 450 percent." In 2001, the US government budgeted $422 million for nanoscience R & D. Cool Chips Inc brings one of the first nanotechnology applications to the market. Solid state wafers can be inserted on top of solid-state devices to provide cooling. The thermal efficiency is 70-80 percent. A Cool Chip one-inch square could provide the cooling power of a standard refrigerator. A Cool chip will get hot on one side and cool on the other with a 10 nm gap; the cool side has hot electrons removed which pass over the gap to the hotside which represents a concentration of electrons. A gap of 5 nm calculates out to carry a theoretical heat-extraction limit of 5,000 watts per square centimeter. Once heat is trapped on one side, it can not easily return.