josh@klaatu.rutgers.edu (J Storrs Hall) (04/08/88)
I wish to start a new group to discuss nanotechnology. I have searched high
and low for such a group amongst the existing ones with no success.
Nanotechnology is the as-yet-nascent engineering of molecular-scale machines.
The word "nanotechnology" was introduced by Eric Drexler in "The Engines
of Creation".
A nanotech group would take into its purview somewhat disparate areas,
such as
-- molecular modelling
-- physics of computation (as relates to atomic-sized gates...)
-- hyper-parallel fine-grain architectures (ditto)
-- theory of self-reproducing machines
-- molecular machine design (gears, pulleys, levers...)
-- Higher-level organizational issues, ie, how do you build
a house using submicroscopic machines
-- "profiles of the future" (although limited to what things
nanotechnology will or will not make possible, and
leave the "social implications" to other groups.)
There is an ARPANET nanotech list, which I would try to gateway.
I propose this to be a moderated list, and I volunteer to be the
moderator. As a technical group, I don't expect there to be any
significant arguments on the list, so the moderator's function would
be primarily to eliminate redundancy and to insert directly information
from various outside sources, which I already collect.
Because this is to be a technical group, the proper Usenet
classification appears to be sci.nanotech.
Usenet backbone rules require a vote on new groups, so I hereby
solicit your vote: Please mail to me, and don't post to this newsgroup:
josh@klaatu.rutgers.edu
or ...!rutgers!klaatu.rutgers.edu!josh
a message saying that you vote YES for the sci.nanotech newsgroup.
(If you use the "r" command, save off a copy before sending as the
"r" command often misroutes mail; if the "r" message bounces you can
mail to the appropriate address above.)
After the standard 30-day period, the votes will be counted. That works
out to be May 8 as I write this. That leaves you long enough to go out
and buy "Engines of Creation" and read it (if you haven't already).
Then send me a yes before seven days in May have elapsed...
--JoSH
Inventor, n.: One who assembles an ingenious collection of gears,
pulleys, and levers, and believes it Civilization.
-- Ambrose Bierce