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The San Francisco Tesla Society
presents a free presentation featuring
"Mapping a Strategy for the Future
at the Intersection of Renewable Energy, Sustainable Practices, and Applied
Nanotechnology"
Sunday, March 12, 2006 1 - 5 p.m. at
Tommy's Joynt
Nanotechnology is not so much about making "little things", but rather about being able to manufacture things at the molecular scale of precision, often (but not always) utilizing some form of assisted self assembly to reach the end goal of creating the desired item in question. The motivation for doing so is to lessen the impact that we make upon our planet, i.e., making various forms of renewable and alternative forms of energy much less expensive, and easier to provide to many populations. Another critical benefit is to be able to manufacture various items, such as integrated circuits, for instance, with much less toxic and complex chemistries.
Although the economy is expected to face a very hard challenge / correction by mid 2006 (many factors for this), renewable energy related development, particularly in the private sector (including many small to mid-size startups) is expected to be one of the few growth areas.
Nanotechnology is one of the major reasons for this, as per new materials, production techniques, and a very broad range of parallel, synergistically related developments in many different regions of technology are catalyzing this phenomena.
Furthermore, many countries around the world are pushing hard at this emergent market sector, for very specific, practical, if not mission critical needs. This is not "dot com" lunacy, but rather a response to a circumstance for which an integrated solution set is absolutely, and quickly needed.
An additional caveat - Much of this development actually stems from "Swords to Plowshares" technology transfer, including technologies from US and Russian military development programs now being "productized" for commercial applications.
If there was ever a time to reach for and develop new options, for clean energy, and sustainable industrial practices, in order to reverse the toxic activities that we humans have rendered upon this planet and all of her inhabitants, this would be that time.
Charles Ostman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Global Futures, a strategic technologies consulting group which provides research, analysis, and business development services to Fortune 500 companies and institutions worldwide, with a particular focus toward examining the synergistic relationships between emergent advanced technologies, and the business environments in which they may be fostered.
Charles has 30+ years experience in the fields of electronics, physics, materials sciences, computing and artificial intelligence, including eight years at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has authored many technical papers, lectures frequently around the country, has contributed content to books and publications including: CyberLife, Secrets, and the SIRS Applied Sciences journal. He has also appeared on KQED’s Springboard and nationwide on Coast To Coast A.M.