Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Nanofuture - the small things in life
This book is available on Amazon and Feed-a-Read.com
(for Amazon books in Australia)
"Nano-science will play a big part in our future. It has the potential to solve many of the problems facing humankind. But it also has the potential to destroy us all. Stan Grant, a retired Billionaire, and the NEW group (New Ethical World) set out to promote ethical science 'for the good of all'. But there are powerful forces at work who want to make and use nano-weapons that make nuclear bombs pale by comparison."
This is an excerpt from my book:
Isaac
Rance secured himself a position with ‘Quanano', an American
company, in Silicon valley, California, where he researched into
nanometer tolerances, to find out why, at nano level, gravity becomes
less of an issue, whereas material strength became a greater one.
Peering
through an electronic microscope with 50 nanometre resolution, Isaac
checked the layers of thin metal films. Much thinner than a human
hair the layers worked together to store vast amounts of magnetic
memory, which could be written to and read by recording heads. Isaac
was constantly amazed at the technological advances that had doubled
the amount of data that was stored, per square centimetre in just the
previous 12 months. His team was currently working on the 'red heads'
of current hard disk drives, implanting metallic strips less than 2
nanometres thick, which were extremely sensitive to changes in
magnetic fields.
He
looked up from his microscope. Turning to Angela, his lab assistant,
he said, “Make sure you concentrate on the spacing. It is
critically
important.”
“Sure,
Dr Rance. I have it covered.”
He
was about to adjust his microscope, when his intercom beeped. “Yes,”
he said, into the mouth-piece.
“Dr
Rance, there is a Stan Grant to see you.”
Isaac’s
diligence and dedication got him noticed by management and he soon
found himself being promoted, first to head of nano gravitics
research, then overall head of research and finally to assume the
role of Quanano’s managing director.
It
was in this function that Isaac Rance welcomed Stan Grant into his
office. GCE had extended credit to Quanano in the early days and
still did so when the need arose. Over the years the two had become
firm friends but this was the first time Stan had visited the
research facility. In fact it was Stan’s first visit to Santa Clara
Valley, better known as Silicon Valley, named after the material used
in computer microchips.
Following
a warm up chat and coffee, Stan said, “Whenever I hear the word
nano I can't help but think of that old television comedy, Mork and
Mindy.”
“It's
a cross we have to bear, I'm afraid.”
Stan
looked at the plastic molecular model on his friend’s glass-topped
desk. “I guess we both sell things that people can't see.”
“Thankfully
we don’t need a crystal ball. Now, we have powerful enough electron
microscopes, we can see molecules.”
“Any
chance of me having a look through one?”
“Sure,
but I'm curious as to why are you really here?”
“We’ve
been extending credit to Quanano for many years now and I've never
been to see what we are actually investing in.”
The
scientist was not convinced. “Come on Stan, I know there's more to
it than that.”
Stan
studied his friend. “You have kids, don’t you?”
“Yes.
Why?”
“You
and me have seen better days - right. I mean I’m giving up the
reins of GCE and you must be thinking about retirement yourself.”
“It
comes to everybody in time,” Isaac answered, philosophically.
“You
love your kids like I love mine. And, of course, we want the best for
them.”
“Sure.
And I believe that the research work we are doing here, at
Quanano,
will help give them a better future.”
Stan
looked his friend in the eye. “Do you know why GCE invested in your
company?”
Isaac
grinned, “It certainly wasn’t so you could turn a quick profit.”
“I
wanted to do something I could feel good about. Every business GCE
has invested in is in the business of using up resources. Now I'm not
saying we don't have to use up resources but I figure the planet can
only let us take so much. Either the resource is going to run out or
its depletion is going to cause some other negative reaction. You
guys are different. You are virtually manufacturing something from
nothing and that's a positive step in my book.”
“Thanks
Stan. I appreciate that. So how can we help you?”
“Actually,
I was thinking more in terms of us helping each other. But first I
need you to convince me that all this nano stuff is real and useful.”
Isaac
nodded thoughtfully. “My father often told me about how hard it was
for Jewish immigrants in the early days when they had to slave all
the hours God gave them, for a mere pittance. People shouldn’t have
to exist like that. I believe that nano-technology, if used in the
right way, will help alleviate such global problems. So I’m happy
to explain how useful our work can be. So how do you want to approach
this?”
“I
was thinking of basing it on a number of simple questions like: what
is nano-technology? How does it work? When do you figure it will
start making a difference? Who decides on what research
goes
ahead or not and according to what criteria?”
Isaac
rubbed his bearded chin. “Email me those questions and I will get
back to you.”
“Thanks,
I appreciate it.”
Isaac
said, “So you are really giving it up. It must feel very strange
after all these years.”
“More
scary than strange. But I am working on an idea that will keep me
busy.”
“Oh!
What idea is that?”
Stan
Grinned, “If I told you that I would have to kill you.” seeing
the blank look on the scientist's face, he said, “Actually, it is
about creating a new ethical mindset, to help ensure that
nano-technology takes a safe and sustainable path.”
“Amen
to that.” Isaac agreed.
2
Captain
Samuel Berry
reckoned if humanity was good at anything it was it's ability to come
up with bigger and better weapons with which to destroy itself. But
now science was going for smaller and better – very small. Nano
scale to be precise. Nano-weapons were soon to supersede the 'smart'
weapons of the Gulf War era, and Sam's company was well-placed to
take advantage of the new trend . As the CEO of Ephemess Industries,
he turned to the General he was showing round the facility. “We are
engaged in some ground-breaking projects, quite literally when it
comes to smart explosives.”
General
Munter was old school. He didn't know much about how smart weapons
worked. He left that stuff to the boffins and geeks. “So what's
this latest weapon you hinted at, Sam?”
Sam
needed Government funding and General Munter was influential when it
came to the military budget. He announced, proudly, “We are working
on an anti personnel weapon, capable of seeking and injecting toxin
into unprotected humans. The human lethal dose of botulism toxin is
about 100 nanograms. As many as 50 billion of this toxin carrying
device could be packed into a suitcase.”
“Hmm,
war in a briefcase. How close are you to making this baby?”
Sam
scratched his chin. “Well this is a very expensive project and
funds are running dry. To keep afloat we may have to divert our
attention to other commercial products.” It was actually nearly
ready for production, but he wasn't about to say that.
“Sam,
leave it with me. I'll get some funding application forms to
you
and we'll take it from there. But I am very impressed with your
ideas.”
Sam
smiled. He was now much closer to receiving orders for his super
weapon, from the US military, with which he was closely aligned. And
he was almost ready to service a growing and demanding world arms
market. Then Ephemess would really make its mark.
Captain
Sam Berry fought for his country under both Bushes. He figured the
next war would be totally different, being fought with totally
different weapons - nano-weapons. His company, Ephemess Industries'
needed lucrative contracts with the US government, as well as with
other nations who wanted state of the art weapons systems. Originally
called Future Military Systems, it became shortened to FMS, which
phonetically became Ephemess. Sam had a number of other projects on
the table, including: nano scouts, nano force-fields, nano mind
erasers, nano needles, water bullets, desynchronised energy fields,
nano heart stoppers and stroke inducers. To Sam Berry all was fair in
love and war.
Over
dinner, at the 'Local Smoke', in Cookstown, New Jersey, with General
Munter as his guest, Sam said, “In a way, General, I see myself as
a pioneer, just like my great, great granddaddy, who went West by
wagon train, to set up in sunny California.”
Munter
stopped digging into his steak, “Hell, they were certainly brave,
intrepid souls.”
“They
sure were. My ancestors did it really hard. Their journeys were beset
by all kinds of danger and hardship. But just because I'm not being
attacked by wild natives, doesn't mean I don't have to guard my
'wagon train' against enemies.”
“What
enemies are they Sam?” Munter spluttered, moving a big chunk of
mushroom steak around in his mouth.“
My
firm, and other pioneering companies like it, are being hassled by
the newly founded FDA regulatory body for nano-technology industries.
So far they had only produced a draft copy of proposed regulations
for the industry, but that's the thin end of the wedge.” He handed
his copy to the General.
Munter
put down his cutlery, fitted his reading glasses and looked at the
report. At length to turned to Sam, “It's got no bite.”
Sam
took it back. “Yeah, I know that. But it's important to keep
abreast of such things, if I am to be one step ahead of the enemy.”
Munter
snarled, “Those God-dam liberal, pinko do-gooders, who do no good
at all, are the scourge of this earth.”
Sam
smiled, waving the report, “To be forearmed is to be in control.”
“I'll
drink to that,” Munter said raising the dregs left in his wine
glass.
All-in-all
it had been a successful networking day, Sam mused, as he snuggled up
to his wife that night. Just because he manufactured weapons of mass
destruction, did not, by Sam’s reckoning, make him an evil man.
There were rogue nations and bad guys in the world who wished to do
America harm. His job was to see that it did not happen. Most people,
he reasoned, may well find his line of work unsavoury but someone had
to do it.
No,
Sam was not evil. But, by his reckoning, the world he lived in, was.
People did evil things to each other and his job was to provide
clients with the means by which they could defend themselves with the
best and most efficient weapons available. In medieval times, he
reasoned, swords and shields were state of the art weaponry. When
guns were first used, military architecture was completely
re-designed. High-walled castles gave way to lower more sturdy forts
that were better defended against cannon fire. Now it was
nano-weapons, or would be once they became a practical alternative to
the conventional type weapons currently used. Nano-science, being
brand new research territory, made it hard enough coming up with the
goods without bleeding heart liberals crying foul because they didn't
understand the technology. Having mentally justified his actions, Sam
smiled and drifted into sleep.
3
Marty
Diamond
was a gawk. As the limousine transported him towards the entrance of
the huge house, the comedian thought he was approaching a palace.
Maison de Liberte, the Palm Beach mansion and home of Stan Grant,
often had that effect on first time visitors. Marty’s Hollywood
home was by no means a hovel but Stan’s home looked like a royal
residence, by comparison. With servants attending to his luggage and
being greeted by a maid, holding a silver tray, upon which was
perched a glass of bubbly, Marty felt a bit like royalty himself.
Then he saw his host, tanned and attired in Bermuda shorts and
Hawaiian shirt, approaching him.
“Hey,
Stan the Man, you have got yourself a beautiful pad,” Marty stated,
delivering a high five.
“Marty,
it’s great to see you. Welcome to Maison De Liberte, which I can
enjoy much more, now I am retired.”
“Retired!
Get way,”
“No,
seriously. Joshua gets to run the show now.”
Marty
raised his glass. “The king has retired. Long live the king.”
“So
how’s your career going?”
Marty
took an instant trip down memory lane, serving burgers in frantic,
fast-food joints while waiting for the agent’s call. That was after
any agents showed interest in him. His wild red hair and sallow
complexion didn’t immediately have movie directors reaching for
their cheque books. “Oh I’m playing in Las Vegas at present.”
“I’m
pleased for you.”
“Man,
I’ll never forget how you believed in me when I was trying to get a
leg up.”
“I
saw something in you that I don't see in many people.”
“What?
My rugged handsomeness; my genius; my outstanding talent; my
humility? Marty grinned.
Stan
laughed, “No, your bullshit.”
They
both laughed at that.
“Marty
let’s go down on the beach.”
“It’s
okay for you. You’re dressed for it. I’m still in my airline
creased clothes.”
The
word beach alerted Chaser from his nap. His ears pricked and his tail
began wagging furiously.”
“He
understands English!” Marty said, surprised.
“He
understands beach.”
Chasers
tail went up a gear.
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
"Water is precious" is the title of this, my anti-fracking painting, which has a simple but direct message "Don't frack with us Gas Companies". This is the title of a song, written and performed by the Wollumbin Wacky Warblers. It is sung to the tune of "Don't cry for me Argentina" (Watch out for it on you tube).
http://www.mydailynews.com.au/news/no-fracking-way-wollumbin-duo-pen-anti-csg-ditty/1577470/
This is a link to a video of the Wollumbin Wacky Warblers singing their anti-fracking song.
ENJOY!
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