Re: NANO: IBM develops worlds smallest light bulb

From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Tue May 20 2003 - 19:51:30 MDT

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    On Tue, 20 May 2003, Mike Lorrey wrote:

    > http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nanotech-03zb.html
    >
    > IBM has constructed a the worlds smallest light emitting diode within a
    > carbon nanotube. Inevitably, this will lead to whole new classes and
    > generas of extropian lightbulb jokes.

    Mike, while I'm picking very small nits here the article does not
    describe it as a LED but an optical emitting field effect transistor.

    The Science abstract is here:
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12730598&dopt=Abstract@

    While I am not absolutely positive, I think the principles behind
    the operation of LEDs and and the CNT FET device may be reasonably
    different (if someone knows otherwise pls. correct me).

    I agree with possible lightbulb joke applications.
    Screw uploading -- I just want to glow in the dark.
    It remains an open question whether biotech or nanotech
    will get me there first. And once one can do that (glow
    in the dark) there would seem to be a not-so-insignificant
    volume of jokes that don't involve lightbulbs that one
    could cite. (I strongly suspect one would definitely
    not want to be promoting the world's *smallest* lightbulb
    even if it can manage to glow in the dark).

    Only on the extro list can one get the polisci news *and*
    sci.hardcore.physicists and some really sick humor. You
    couldn't create a community like this if you had the wealth
    of Bill, Warren and Paul combined. Something worth remembering
    on the list's "down days".

    Robert



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