Technology Soldiers On

Scientists can now make 'designer' isotopes in a lab. Not only is this fantastic for research purposes, but it is a huge step on the way towards the ultimate in sci fi technology, a full size nano-assembler. that can build macro level objects.

If we can build on isotope on demand, what is to stop the same process from being used to put two isotopes together to form a molecule. Then to combine more molecules to for, say a diamond, or a lump of coal, or a nail. Then from there with the advances being made with small scale nano-assembler, the two technologies seem poised to merge at some point down the road where they could bring about the biggest change EVER.


Okay, I'm obviously exaggerating a little bit. And the technologies are a long way from being commercialized, but the fact that they are no longer science fiction is amazing to me.

One of my thought processes that I have never gotten around to coming to a conclusion on is what the impact of science fiction on technology is. Is the human mind such that we can follow logically to the natural conclusion of a line of technology? I remember reading about nano-assemblers when I was a teenager, heck the greatest RTS EVER, Total Annihilation, was based on nano-assemblers and that was a decade ago.

So does Sci-Fi represent the mind following the technology through to it's conclusion? Or does Sci-Fi some how prime the human mind for creativity. We see what we would like the future to be, and then set about making it such? Does the human mind a priori know the universe? Or do we in a way create it by following through on what our visions of the future are. Maybe all of this theory was around in the 90's and I just did not notice. But then explain to me Jules Verene, the Nautilus was a NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE (well it could have been). That was 1870.