From: Joe E. Dees (jdees0@students.uwf.edu)
Date: Thu Oct 22 1998 - 22:11:25 MDT
Date sent: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 00:51:09 -0230
From: Bernard Hughes <bjhughes@istar.ca>
To: extropians@extropy.com
Subject: Re: Cryonet Message #10564 - nanoassembly
Send reply to: extropians@extropy.com
>
>
> Hara Ra wrote:
>
> > I've been on tours of a number of manufacturing plants. There are a lot of
> > ways to guarantee that a part is identified by type and properly oriented
> > and positioned. For example, with LEGOs, put a steel BB into the center of
> > each block. An arm with an electromagnet can pick up blocks and drop them
> > into a sorting hopper. Once the Lego Block is lying on its side, the bar
> > code can be read by a supermarket scanner which is orientation independent.
> > Unidentified blocks go back to the hopper for another try. Identified
> > blocks are handled according to their type.
> >
>
> Hmm. Maybe Lego blocks have more potential than I thought. Don't have time to try
> this out right now though. Pity.
>
> > I did the calculations for nanotech, with micron sized components. At least
> > 100x energy savings. Something like a tube about the size of cable tv coax
> > can deliver liters per minute to a home. With accelerations of 10 KiloGee
> > available in the distribution system, 10 minute delivery from across the
> > country. As with many things, 99.999% of the block types will be available
> > within 100KM. Some of these can be data blocks, a single block can hold
> > several hours of HDTV. Video on demand with a vengance!
> >
>
> Could work. I'd prefer a system with more local content though, even if it means
> using less block types. The smaller the scope of the physical economy, the easier
> it is to break off and head out.
>
This caused me to flash on the solution to a vexing problem. When
water and sewer lines are buried in a subdivision-under-
construction, mischievous kids will often pull up the poles the crews
use to mark their terminal connection points. They are then a real
time-consuming bitch to relocate. If small radioactive isotopes are
planted in the pipes' endcaps, they can be located with geiger
counters.
> --
> Bernard J Hughes bernard@timedancer.com
> Timedancer Systems http://www.timedancer.com
> -- Creative Laziness at its best --
>
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