 The debate has been widely criticized for its adversarial tone. David Berube in Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz characterized it as "two people talking over each other ... not conducive to reasonable rebuttal," and quoted nanotechnology blogger and journalist Howard Lovy as saying "the tenor of the debate is about personal pride, reputation, and a place in the pantheon." Zyvex founder James von Ehr remarked that "Eric [Drexler] didn 't do himself any favors by getting into a pissing match with a Nobel-prize winner." An article in The New York Times called the debate "reminiscent of that old Saturday Night Live sketch ... [with] Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin tossing insults at each other while ostensibly debating a serious political issue," referring to a version of the long-running Weekend Update segment.
