From: kamchar@ibm.cl.msu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.nanotech
Subject: To Spread the Meme (was: Re: Nanotech science fair projects)
Keywords: Meme lego LOGO
Date: 21 Nov 92 02:19:04 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University

In article <Nov.11.16.55.34.1992.19587@planchet.rutgers.edu>  
ghsvax!hal@uunet.uu.net (Hal Finney) writes:

[...]

> One example would be Drexler's mechanical computer.  Mechanical
> computation devices have a long history, going back to Babbage, but
> Drexler's designs would have added interest because of their potential
> to actually be used someday.  The basic "and" and "or" gates would be
> simple to do even in something like Lego blocks or some plastic rods
                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^    
> which could be cut and glued.  Likewise, Drexler's latching register
> would be simple. 
The Lego company makes a product called Lego Technics (?) which consist of  
gears and other parts important to mechanical engineering.  Not only that,  
they have a Lego/LOGO product line which lets you build robots which can  
be programmed in the LOGO language.  I recall seeing plans for a pen  
plotter in some catalog now buried under a ton of other papers.  A strange  
way to acquire an output device.  ("No problem, here's how you build it")

[...]

> Another thing I'd think there would be a lot of interest in would be
> computer-graphic pictures of nanotech devices.  When I've showed
> people the pictures of the bearings in the book, explaining that each
> little sphere is an atom, they are blown away.  Color pictures would
> be even more impressive.  These devices are quite attractive and I'd
> think they would generate interest like the fractal pictures you see
> so much of.  (One thing that made me think of this was a poster in the
> recent issue of the cyberpunk magazine "Mondo 2000", showing a bunch
> of beautiful full-color representations of what I thought at first
> were simple nanomachines but which turned out to be the active
> molecules in various mind-altering drugs!)
> 
> Hal Finney
> hal@ghs.com

Great minds think alike :^)
Here is a letter that I sent to Foresight.  Chris Peterson said that  
Foresight was a small organization and could use help with this kind of  
thing.  BTW, that same issue of _Mondo 2000_ has an ad for Fractal Wear,  
including fractal neck ties.  How 'bout "NanoWare"?
--CUT HERE-----
Dear Foresight,
I originally intended to send you a well written letter concerning how to  
spread the nanotechnology meme, but I have more to say; and given my  
procrastinating spirit I should send it now rather than after the  
conference in November. 
A few thoughts.

Postscript PD
If possible, make some graphics available via public domain postscript.  
Pranksters like the National Lampoon may use it to make a mockery of the  
concept but then, they can do that anyway through the miracle of  
photocopy. The difference seems one of legality. 

T-Shirts
A few years ago I tried to show a friend the _Scientific American_  
articles on Mandelbrot sets so that he could get ideas for his tie-dyes.  
My predictions came true. Now (Grateful) Dead Heads are into Fractals  
thoroughly and Mandlebrots can be found on T-shirts, buttons, postcards,  
videos etc. Time to do the same with nanographic images. MM renderings are  
cool enough to inspire interest. 

USENET binary posts
Work out the permissions to make nanographic images of molecular machines  
available on USENET binary groups. These could be GIF stills, as well as  
QuickTime and Grasp animations. These would be way cool enough to inspire  
interest. In fact a new group could be started called  
alt.binaries.pictures.nanotech . 

Rock Video
Get some musician or other to use some molecular machine footage in a rock  
video. 
Friends of mine are still talking about _Lawnmower Man_ and it wasn't even  
a good movie. I suggest Peter Gabriel for three reasons. One, he's smarter  
than the average musician. Two, he has a new album out and may not have  
finished all the videos. Three, he is a member of Global Business Network.  
Perhaps the record company could be persuaded to underwrite the costs of  
producing entirely new footage!

Grateful Dead
John Perry Barlow is a lyricist for the Grateful Dead. He is also a  
founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation--a group with which  
Foresight has had some contact. Likewise Bob Weir is working on rainforest  
conservation. The Bioarchive Project could be especially relevant to this  
cause, as well as a good way of spreading the Molecular Nanotechnology  
meme.  The Bioarchive Project could be sold to Dead Heads by likening it  
to a tape tree (whereby Dead Heads make copies of there favorite concerts  
and mail them to friends who then make duplicates and then mail then off  
to friends according to a tree-shaped list).  "Tape Tree" is a good  
promotional pun and will doubtless appear on a poster eventually.  (There  
are different kinds of Dead Heads.  TapeHeads are part of tape trees.  And  
NetHeads communicate through rec.music.gdead)

Holography/Stereo Printing
The MIT Media Lab is always looking for something flashy to use as a  
subject for synthetic (computer generated) holograms.  I think a Molecular  
machine beats the hell out of Yet Another Picture Of A Sports Car , and of  
course, someone will always ask "what's that supposed to be anyway?"  It  
will spread the meme.  The same goes for Stereo Lithography.  Expensive,  
but if you help them promote their technology by providing an interesting  
image, they may do likewise for you.  Likewise for public art (sculptures)

MacMolecule
A great many people log into the Macintosh FTP site at Stanford every day.   
I find that  people can better grasp what is actually presented to them  
visually.  MacMolecule is a program not for simulation (their are no  
dynamics) or modeling (molecules cannot be assembled), but it is a good  
visualizer.  Given 3-d coordinates, bonds, and atomic information, it will  
render a rotatable image of the molecule.  I doubt it could handle a  
system of millions of atoms, Ted Kaelers's "Molecular Carpentry" data  
could be used.  MacMolecule is found at  sumex-aim.stanford.edu .

Summary
Unfortunately we live in postmodern times.  2+2=5 if journalistic slu--I  
mean sheep say so.  The perception race is not to the rational but to the  
first.  And we will have to do our best if we are to prevail.

Regards
--CUT HERE-----

=========SunCat++++     | kamchar@ibm.cl.msu.edu
"All tools and engines on Earth are only extensions of man's limbs and  
senses."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson