Re: Off-Topic: Brain Visuals

The only issue I would have with Merkle (after a quick Google check) is his cryonics link. That is still a very questionable (marketing?) process, as freezing cells destroys them. Except for some amphibians, last time I checked. But what do I know, I'm not a microcryobiologist and cannot predict the future.

For Nanotechnology from a (supposedly) non-biased perspective, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology . Merkle is mentioned, and one intersting part of the page is the "Hypothetical social impacts" section. As I see things (and I'm sorry for making such a grand, largely unsupported statement), the next big change will be sociological and not technological.

http://mbinfo.mbdesign.net/CAD1960.htm is a page worth visiting if you are interested in the history of CAD. That's not to refute Ben's personal observation. CAD definitely DOES work, my only complaint with it has always been that design has always been complicated enough without handicapping designers by forcing tools upon them. CAD is not intuitive unless one is a master of the software, and if one *is* a master of the software is there room left for true understanding of the specific discipline in which one is working? Experienced designers resist new technology? Solution: Hire younger guys.

How many 55 year-old drawing checkers do you see these days? Have you seen the quality of isos that the high-end CAD programs spit out? Who tends to operate the $10,000/month machines that dominate big projects? Is it typically experienced designers with solid backgrounds or some guy that was hired because he knows what buttons to press to make things look nice for senior management?

There is no question that some companies are doing it right with the supposed rush to all 3D piping design. The problem is that this notion tends to bubble down to the lower levels where everyone wants to play like the big guys, but they can't afford it. The high-buck 3D phenomenon also distills qualified engineering people into "levels of competence" that are determinined by their experience with specific software, not knowledge. That is just plain wrong.

I could go on and on, but I fear that I've already burned too many high-level bridges with this post. Back to street begging for me, I fear. At least I feel better now, having ranted.

Paul

From: "Ben Nottingham"

> Nanotechnologist Ralph Merkle gave a presentation on TechTV's big
thinkers
> segment,
>

http://www.techtv.com/bigthinkers/features/story/0,23008,3361355,00.html .
> He predicts many changes in chemical process within the next two
decades. I
> am
> wondering if any list members are involved in biochemical engineering,
of
> which this
> is a part.
>
> Here is another interesting site: http://www.zyvex.com/nano/
>
> Our company once had an engineer manager who researched future
direction of
> technology. He demonstrated crude CAD as far back as mid sixties, and
many
> of the
> older draftsmen said it would never work. Special new ways for making
> chemicals (now
> nanotechnology or molecular manufacturing)(words for the day) was
talked
> about in
> the seventies. It was interesting having a person around who had his
eye on
> the future.
Received on Sat Apr 17 04:36:00 2004