From: Brett Paatsch (bpaatsch@bigpond.net.au)
Date: Fri Aug 22 2003 - 00:01:36 MDT
It might be deep contemplation Damien, but in my case it's
just plain fatigue after 6 days of interstate conferences and
sorting through the accumulated email aftermath.
Russell Evermore was right, 6 days away from a net
connection can leave one feeling sort of disabled. Time for
even this small t technophile to invest in net enabled laptop.
I reckon I should be able to pick up a serviceable unit for
around Aus$1500.
Interesting things biotech conferences. The AusBiotech 2003
one I just attended in Adelaide is Australia's equivalent to
Bio (in the US) but scaled. Emphasis is on networking,
and the business side of biotech, but nano is sneaking in.
In these "mainstream" industry conferences the assumptions
about 8 - 12 years to run drugs through clinical trials and
that IP regimes will not be changing radically or quickly seem
to be almost universally assumed.
I wonder why there is such a wide difference between the
rates of change expected by scientists and commercialisers
in forums like the one I just attended and the folks on this
list many of whom I also know are well informed about
multiple areas of technology?
I think there are perhaps two reasons. First, the "mainstream"
although deeper in their areas of knowledge are conservative
in their public statements to others outside their areas of
expertise (but these expectations of relatively slow change
can and quite probably will if not challenged become self
fulfilling prophecies) and the second, is that, imo, the average
extrope/transhumanist list frequenter is perhaps more
appreciative of the possible synergies between technologies
such as biotech, infotech (including AI) and nanotech, perhaps
because some are not working in particular knowledge silos as
specialists, yet on the other hand by not being in the specialist
silos many may also underestimate how hard it is to accelerate
the changes in the areas of law (IP, legislation, contractual deal
making) and politics.
Expectations of the rate of change built into planning schemes
by scientists, government planners, venture capitalists etc
all go towards imposing something of an upper speed limit
as well as a lower speed limit. I think there is truth in the notion
that it is difficult to hold off an idea whose time has come but
it also seems true that that idea or memeset can be substantially
held back as well at least for a time.
Poor old Ben Franklin if I recall correctly mused about the
possibility of preserving people (himself included presumably)
in pickle barrels. Now there was a bright guy. How easy it is
for time (centuries and generations to flit past) and for even the
brightest and sometimes most lively flames amongst us to be
snuffed out. Poor Yorrick.
The conference did feature some real sexy stuff by a materials
physicist from the Max Planck institute in Stuttgart Germany
showing (his computer modelling) on how nanotubes should
be able to be used to load dna molecules and then transform
them electrostatically. The nanotubes themselves are altered
by a charge in various places and the dna apparently just
screws itself in.
Regards,
Brett
----- Original Message -----
From: "Damien Broderick" <damienb@unimelb.edu.au>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 1:28 PM
Subject: the silence
> Once again, almost total silence falls upon the list. So far today I've
> received instead, 24 virus-laden spam mails. I wonder if that might have
> something to do with it. Or has everyone stalked off in sympathy with the
> Expelled?
>
> Hello? Hello?
>
> < waves piteously >
>
>
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