This is forwarded to the Extropians mailing list
with Mark Pesce's express written permission.
Note that Mark is not responding to me, he's
responding
to Mike Butler's comments forwarded by me.
Mike Butler's comments are preceded with 4 chevrons
(> > > >), Mark's comments in reply with 2 chevrons
(> >).
Please CC comments to mark@playfulworld.com.
Russell
>
> >From: "Mark Pesce" <mark@playfulworld.com>
> >To: <whitaker@best.com>
> >Subject: RE: Re: Mark Pesce: nanotech on Art Bell -
> broadcast is encoded
> >and
> >Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 14:16:52 -0700
> >
> >Russell -
> >
> > > > 1. Gray Goo gets mentioned again, flatly, as
> > > > something that could devastate the world. "In
> 72
> > > > hours."
> >
> >It can be dressed up or down (and goodness knows
> nano researchers like to)
> >but this is one dwell point of the nano attractor.
> It's interesting to
> >note
> >that Drexler recanted on this point in the 2nd
> edition of EOC, but his
> >argument ("cars that eat trees") is almost
> embarassingly facile, confusing
> >the macro and nano levels in order to make
> something seem safer than it
> >really is.
> >
> > > > No mention of Freitas' _Biovorous
> Nanoreplicators
> > > > and Global Ecophagy_ work, no mention of the
> > > > Foresight Institute's guidelines.
> >
> >*Very* incorrect on the second point; on the first
> point, if I'd used the
> >words "biovorous" or "ecophagy" i would have lost
> the audience. I
> >translated these concepts into ideas a lay public
> can understand.
> >
> > > > 2. Responding to Art Bell briefly roleplaying
> a
> > > > member of Congress, Pesce suggests that
> government
> > > > involvement and
> > > > "something like a CDC" is necessary. Again, no
> > > > mention of the Foresight guidelines, though
> > > > Foresight Institute was
> > > > mentioned briefly earlier on in the program.
> > > > Perhaps Mr. Pesce is unaware of them.
> >
> >Once again, incorrect. I repeatedly indicated that
> ethical and scientific
> >debate about how to approach nanotechnology is of
> fundamental concern to
> >that community. Thankfully. That I did not fly
> the Foresight banner on
> >the
> >air should make little or no difference on this
> point. It flies high
> >enough
> >on the Playful World website, and over the last 36
> hours about 10,000
> >people
> >have come in to take a look at that site. I would
> imagine the hits on the
> >Foresight website are up a bit as a result.
> >
> > > > Art Bell has guests from all over the map. Art
> is
> > > > very careful to give them all enough rope.
> Michio
> > > > Kaku goes on the air
> > > > with him, and he's no slouch, scientifically
> > > > speaking. From what I've heard so far, Mr.
> Pesce has
> > > > done far from a bad
> > > > thing, even if he _has_ just inoculated x
> million
> > > > minds with the "gray goo" scenario.
> >
> >Which I felt was the most *important* thing I could
> do in this situation.
> >You've been living with these ideas for many years
> (in my case, twenty).
> >You understand the dangers and the promise well
> enough. The public does
> >not. It makes sense to deliver both the upside and
> the downside messages
> >of
> >nano in a single "innoculation" because that way we
> stand the best chance
> >of
> >breeding some intelligent discussion on the
> subject.
> >
> >It should be noted that I've received many emails
> from Art's listeners. A
> >few are a bit weird, but most are *very*
> thoughtful.
> >
> >Feel free to pass these comments back on to
> whomever they came from.
> >
> >best,
> >
> >Mark
> >
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:59:56 MDT