RE: NEWS: Eliezer can now sleep at night

From: Reason (reason@exratio.com)
Date: Sun Nov 25 2001 - 19:01:50 MST


I'm voting this one for the first post o' the month.

Reason
http://www.exratio.com/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Robert J. Bradbury
> Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2001 5:03 PM
> To: Extropy List
> Subject: NEWS: Eliezer can now sleep at night
>
>
>
> Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
> have announced what is effectively a hand-held neutron
> source. Article here:
>
> http://physicsweb.org/article/news/5/11/14
>
> Mr. Jones is shouting from the back of the room "I feel like
> you are an imbecile because a new neutron source has *NOTHING*
> to do with Eliezer's sleeping habits." Master Bradbury
> turns to Mr. Jones, with just a hint of a twinkle in his eye,
> attempting to adopt a serious look, though one can see a suggestion
> of a raised Spock-like eyebrow, and says, "But new neutron
> sources have *everything* to do with how Eliezer sleeps."
> Mr. Jones, being a model extropian says, "Please explain
> to me why that is the case."
>
> Master Bradbury says, "Well we *know* that mature nanotechnology
> is very sensitive to radiation right?" Mr. Jones says "yes".
> Master Bradbury says, "And we know that Eliezer is not particularly
> fond of the hazards presented by mature nanotechnology, right?"
> Mr. Jones again says "yes". "Well then", Master Bradbury points
> out, "with handheld neutron sources, Eliezer can perform nanotech
> sterilizations of anything he comes into contact with. Previous
> sterilization methods were problematic. Proton or electron beams
> can be dealt with via clever electromagnetic shields. Gamma rays
> do much less damage to an atomically precise structure (depending
> on the interaction profiles of the element types in the nanomachinery
> with gamma rays of various energies). But 'neutrons' -- they are
> the gold standard -- they can't be blocked (except by massive amounts
> of shielding) and when absorbed by the elements in the nanomachinery
> they ultimately cause transmutation which changes the element
> bonding properties which of course breaks the nanomachinery. Since
> Eliezer now has a robust defense against nanomachinery, he can now
> sleep more comfortably at night."
>
> Now, it is left as an exercise for the reader whether Eliezer
> will choose to live in a neutron beam studded enclave where
> he is his natural self and no nanomachinery can ever reach him
> *or* whether he will continuously irradiate himself with
> neutron beams relying on his own certified nanobots to sort
> out the radioactive atoms that will result (returning them
> to the nearest radioisotope-to-stable isotope transmutation
> facility as properly extropic people should).
>
> Robert
>
> Though I've mentioned it only briefly in previous posts, scientists
> at Los Alamos have proposed methods for transmuting radioactive
> isotopes back into stable isotopes. What has been lacking is
> an effecient inexpensive separation technology (for the radioactive
> vs. non-radioactive atoms). Mature nanotechnology provides such
> separation capabilities.
>



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