Nano: Kleiner geht´s kaum. Ob in der Chemie, der Physik, der Biologie, der Medizin, der Pharmazie oder bei den Materialwissenschaften: Die Nanotechnologie ist das Forschungsfeld der Zukunft. Die beiden Autoren erläutern, wie nanogroße Materialien in den einzelnen Disziplinen erforscht und genutzt werden, wie nanogroße Produkte unseren Alltag verändern und wie auch die Umwelt von der Nanotechnologie profitieren kann.
I have a love-hate relationship with the “For Dummies” series of books. I hate them because I don’t appreciate being called a dummy. I am coming to the book looking for information and explanations of subjects that I don’t know a whole lot about, but I don’t think that makes me a dummy—to me, a dummy is somebody that doesn’t know a lot about something but refuses to try to learn more. I’m a failure, but not a dummy.
What I do like about this series is the fact that, generally speaking, these books are a decent introduction to an area of knowledge. And usually, if you like the material and want to learn more, there is a list of sources in the back of the book that you can pursue for further information.
I had purchased this book a couple of years ago because I had an idea for a novella (or novel, if I got long-winded) and was going to use this as research. Then I got busy with other stuff and the writing didn’t happen (yet). But I was still interested in nanotechnology, so I put it in the To Be Read heap.
Overall, I did like the book. Most of the time, it broke down the concepts into language that a person with only high-school chemistry could understand. A lot of the concepts that the authors talk about sound science-fictiony, like there’s no way in hell that they could happen. But there are people who are studying these things and trying to make them happen—and if they can succeed, wow will things change!
One problem I have with the book is when it doesn’t succeed in explaining concepts in language I can understand. At those times, getting through the chapter is like trying to swim through honey. But, if you’re reading a book on such a cutting-edge technology, you have to think that there are going to be times when you’re completely at sea. If you can accept that, you’ll do okay. Plus, there is supposed to be a Website with the book. I went to look it up to see what had changed in the five years since the book was written, but the site has been taken down.
My other problem with the book is the style. I appreciate the attempts at humor, to help lighten the mood and make things more accessible. But there are times when the authors try too hard to be funny and they just fall flat and become almost annoying. I have this problem with most of the books in the series. I guess you just have to accept that not all the jokes will work and move on.
If you’re looking for a decent, low-tech introduction to the promises of nanotechnology, you could do worse than this book. I just wish there was another edition that was more up-to-date.
A very very basic and toned-down overview of nanotechnology, but certainly a book that I would want to look through many more times later in my scientific career. The scientific content is mostly skimmed off, however, so I am a bit dissatisfied but very impressed with how the authors conveyed the ideas without the hassle of dense scientific jargon. I would still strongly recommend anyone interested in nanotechnology take a look at this book.
Gutes Buch zum Einstieg in die Materie. Etwas störend ist die ständige Wiederholung von bestimmten Sachverhalt, aber das ermöglicht natürlich das Themen spezifische Springen.
Ok, so I read a lot of these Dummy books, I will admit to it. Nanotechnology captured my fascinations years ago when I read a book about it that blew me away. Of course progress has been slow in getting to the point where this technology will truly revolutionize our lives in so many ways. The applications are limitless and promise some amazing things particularly in medicine.
Like viewing sausage being made I suppose it is not always so glamorous to see what is behind the scenes it what it consists of. Meaning you need to be a bit of a technical wonk, especially in chemistry to understand and apply. Yet this book offers a good rendition of what it is all about and the many areas it affects. Well worth the time spent.
I felt like I had to read this one. It IS the coming technology and I do understand it a bit more now. Not light beach reading okay. But, beware, nanotechnology is coming to your home (if not already there) very soon so you might want to read up on it.
For me the for dummies book is basically a specified "Google" on a topic ; any question I need answered is in there somewhere . Irrelevant to that I figured out that I'm not really interested in pursuing Nanotechnology as a career (so my review is on the for dummies not Nanotechnology