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2005-08-19 Home Front: Tech

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Posted by Damn_Proud_American 2005-08-19 11:43|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Cool

Progress marches on.
Perhaps a Space Elevator is feasible in our lifetimes.

Posted by DanNY 2005-08-19 12:16|| 2005-08-19 12:16|| Front Page Top

#2 Might be. Certainly the cable needed will be available in a few years max. This is what I do for a living now. The sheet thing is a little dodgy, but other methods that can produce the same things aren't. Also note that CNT's are used in water filters, where nearly perfect (eight nines) kills of virus and bacteria are attained using CNT's (bateria 100x easier than viruses). The first such units are in the field, have been for nearly 2 years; commercial units are 6-8 months away. Looks like it works in blood for viruses per test data (more work needed there), fuel cleanup of bacteria (think jet fuel), etc. Water can be disassociated into hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of CNT's and sunlight (think hydrogen economy). Desal can be accomplished using CNT's and a little current (this one is a couple of years out for commercialization though). Think body armor, chamelion suits, etc. Staggering scope.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2005-08-19 12:41|| 2005-08-19 12:41|| Front Page Top

#3 Space elevator tech will be huge even if the elevator itself is impractical. Think of all the other applications a *shorter* length of cable are used for. Imagine swapping out several tons of steel cable for one weighing a few pounds?

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-08-19 13:22|| 2005-08-19 13:22|| Front Page Top

#4 Actually think HEAVY armor, as in the stuff used in tanks. Nanotubes are some of the toughest materials in the world (short of ring carbon although we're getting close to producing that in mass quantities too). Put enough layers on a tank and we start to begin approaching needing tac nukes to take one out.

Posted by Valentine 2005-08-19 14:43|| 2005-08-19 14:43|| Front Page Top

#5 Maybe you'd need superbombs to breach such armor, but the people rattling around inside are a bit more delicate than the armor.

Posted by James">James 2005-08-19 15:32|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2005-08-19 15:32|| Front Page Top

#6 Maybe you'd need superbombs to breach such armor, but the people rattling around inside are a bit more delicate than the armor.

Posted by Penguin 2005-08-19 16:20|| 2005-08-19 16:20|| Front Page Top

#7 Never read Keith Laumer's BOLO books, did you?

Posted by Redneck Jim 2005-08-19 17:12|| 2005-08-19 17:12|| Front Page Top

#8 I'd attack nano-armour with thousands of little tiny carbon processing robots.

Posted by Turin M Chine 2005-08-19 18:37|| 2005-08-19 18:37|| Front Page Top

#9 So long as they aren't the tiny robots that have been annoying Shipman's golden retriever lately. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2005-08-19 19:55|| 2005-08-19 19:55|| Front Page Top

#10 I won't be satisfied until I hear the cooing: "Frank - you're as a hard as carbon!" :-)

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-08-19 20:13|| 2005-08-19 20:13|| Front Page Top

#11 I think Shipman has had a thing about robots ever since I suggested the Taiwanese use small, but not tiny, robot mines in the strait, against a Chinese flotilla. For some reason, he fixated on it.

Dropped like cluster munitions, and networked to swim in such a way as to close gaps, generally following the ocean current, seems like a reasonable thing to do as a short interval denial weapon against a large number of ships. I suggested that larger versions could be carried by drones which would just crash into the sea, setting the mine loose.

No idea what got him all excited about it, though.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-08-19 22:39|| 2005-08-19 22:39|| Front Page Top

#12 Read Michael Chrichton - swarm theory - Prey

enjoy

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-08-19 22:49|| 2005-08-19 22:49|| Front Page Top

#13 Ima gonna take those sheets n build Nano-Moabs, fit 'em onto a squadron of Nano-B29s and fly 'em into the MMs mosque in Teheran on a Friday and set 'em off.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2005-08-19 23:19|| 2005-08-19 23:19|| Front Page Top

00:12 Phlashman
00:02 AJackson
23:56 Sobiesky
23:45 SR-71
23:25 Jackal
23:24 Stephen
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23:14 trailing wife
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22:57 BA
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22:49 Frank G
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