Nanoconvergence: The Unity of Nanoscience, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science

by William Sims Bainbridge

"William Bainbridge is an original thinker who navigates easily from social sciences to emerging technologies and societal aspirations. In this book, he brings to the reader all that is essential in the historic and rapid change toward science and technology convergence." —Mihail C. Roco, Ph.D., original chairman of the U.S. National Science and Technology Council's subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology, key architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, and currently senior advisor for Nanotechnology at the National Science Foundation "This book provides a sweeping, yet intimate, overview of an important, emerging area of science and technology—nanotechnology and its convergence with other areas of science and engineering. In Nanoconvergence we are provided with a view of these developments as seen through the lens of the world of William Sims Bainbridge, a visionary scientist and scholar, who has helped to frame and nurture nanoconvergence. His personal history and interests are endlessly fascinating, and include science fiction, space flight, religious cults, videogames, and a host of other areas and topics. His knowledge is extraordinary and includes expertise in the field of nanotechnology and related sciences, including biology, cognitive, behavioral and social science, and information technology. Further, he knows many of the players, including some who were mentors, others who are colleagues, and others whose funding he supervised. The strength of this book is the strength of Bainbridge's extensive, connected network, rooted in scientific, technological, and societal concerns. It is rare to find someone who brings to the table such breadth and depth of knowledge, spanning so many of the sciences, from physics through cognition. Bainbridge is a Renaissance man who is helping to both create and elucidate the potential future worlds that confront us. Ultimately, he is a visionary who is building a roadmap for a future that we can all help to shape. He is to be commended for sharing both this map and his journey with us." —Philip Rubin, Ph.D., CEO, Haskins Laboratories "In a world of increasing specialization, Bainbridge offers a refreshing alternative perspective of the way nanoconvergence will help unify disparate areas of knowledge and fuel a next generation of innovation. The integration of historical and forward-looking insights, firmly grounded in the people and projects of the present, made this an enjoyable read. With Nanoconvergence, Bainbridge joins the ranks of the few authors who have succeeded in integrating insights from far flung fields of science and technology into a compelling human story." —James C. Spohrer, Ph.D, Director, Services Research and Innovation Champion, IBM Almaden Research Center The Next Scientific and Technological Revolution, and What It Will Mean to You Nanoconvergence is the coming unification of all significant technologies based on control of structures at the nanoscale. As biotechnology, information technology, cognitive science, physics, chemistry, and material science come together, their power will increase exponentially. This book is the first authoritative but easy-to-understand guide to the coming nanoconvergence revolution—and how it may reshape your life. In Nanoconvergence , William Sims Bainbridge tours the future of science and technology in plain, nontechnical English. Bainbridge draws on an extraordinary breadth and depth of knowledge, based on his unique role at the epicenter of the nanoconvergence revolution. He successfully integrates insights from far-reaching scientific fields into a compelling human story—offering powerful insights you can use to plan your career, seek new investment opportunities, or simply understand what's coming next.

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazonia

B- High School Science Report
4/10

I was quite excited by the prospect of this book because my area of research is essentially a convergence of 3 of the four fields he mentions. However, the book is written as if by an average 11th grader who really knows how to use the internet. Within the first two pages this is obvious as he already talks about the number of times the word 'nano' is used in recent publications.

So then I read the biography on the author and find out he has a PhD in Sociology. Which is basically all you need to know about how the book reads.

He is all over the place, random ideas pop up at the end of paragraphs about completely different topics and then he goes to something entirely different. He spends half the book talking about himself and why basically everything important in science in this century has been a byproduct of his work or that of his friends.

I don't even want to qualify this as popular science as true popular science is interesting and actually provides real facts. Furthermore, books such as the two written by Brian Greene provide objective scientific fact and realistic statements at a level that is understandable by a non-expert.

This book was written by a sociologist about science and engineering, i.e. a book by someone who has no idea what he is talking about trying to "dumb" it down for the masses.

This book randomly makes detours into why the author is anti-religion and then he repeatedly quotes the bible. Not that quoting the bible makes one religious, but he does so in a way that is highly contradictory.

He talks about how freedom in science is important to creativity and that innovators in fields should be rewarded for the work they do and then about how all work must benefit "mankind" to create equality and that the government must decide what science should do.

A final complaint is that the author does not know how to use the word "the". I have my theory of why he does not use it properly, but this is mostly based on the fact that he went to one of my rivals in the Ivy League.

If you are interested in reading a poorly written, poorly organized, uninformative and pretentious piece of "popular" science, then this is the book for you.

Andrew Weiss