LETTER.Welcome to the spring edition of Technology News. Anyone following the tech scene in recent months might reasonably conclude that this quarter's issue would be a dark and painful accounting of layoffs, bankruptcies and other such events. True, much of that has been going on, but what's actually more interesting is what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. beneath those dark clouds. It's a landscape still filled with amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. technological breakthroughs, and some of the most amazing of them are in the works right here in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . So what will be the next big thing? Well, it just might be tiny -- microscopic, actually. It's a field called nanotechnology, and Staff Reporter Hans Ibold provides a fascinating look into this micro world of science on page 34 of this quarter's issue of Technology News. Much of the pioneering "nano" work is being done at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and at USC's Laboratory for Molecular Robotics. While those names may not exactly conjure up conjure up Verb 1. to create an image in the mind: the name Versailles conjures up a past of sumptuous grandeur 2. images of Disneyland, the projects under development there are more amazing than anything an Imagineer Imagineer may refer to:
How about paint that instantly reconfigures to blend in Verb 1. blend in - blend or harmonize; "This flavor will blend with those in your dish"; "This sofa won't go with the chairs" blend, go fit, go - be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired; "This piece won't fit into the puzzle" with a jet's surroundings? Or homebuilding materials capable of detecting weather conditions and altering their inner structures to keep occupants at a constant, comfortable temperature? How about a synthetic nanoscale device that could be sent on a mission to seek out and destroy malignant cells inside your body? Or computers woven into the fabric of your clothing? The scope of changes that nanoscience could bring is probably best summed up by Christine Peterson, president of the Palo Alto-based Foresight Institute The Foresight Nanotech Institute (formerly Foresight Institute) is a Palo Alto, California-based nonprofit organization for increasing awareness the uses and consequences of molecular nanotechnology. , a nonprofit group formed in 1986 to monitor nanotechnology. "The Internet has changed the world, economically and politically, but compared to what's coming in the field of nanoscience, we ain't seen nothing yet' she said. "The future will be so different from human history that we can barely imagine it." Obviously, nanotechnology projects are under development in various other parts of the country, as well as overseas. But, as is often the case, Los Angeles is way out front. UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX is the only research institution to have successfully developed miniaturized instruments capable of manipulating and measuring the properties of these molecular structures. So if you're ever tempted to conclude that tech action is dead, or fading, just remember one word -- "nanotechnology." Matthew A. Toledo President and Publisher |
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