Future's So Bright

"Getting the government to change the way they kill people is difficult."

That's Douglas Carpenter, chief scientific officer at nanometals company Quantumsphere, explaining why the government has been slow to adopt the technology the military has been developing: nanoaluminium bullets. Apparently, these bullets would kills more quickly and would cost less. In other words, Kevin Walter, VP of technical business development at Nanoscale Technologies, can't resist saying, "You get a little better bang for your buck."

And Andy Oppenheimer of Jane's tells us that nanotechnology will help folks create smaller nukes with smaller detonators. They're small they "blur the line with conventional weapons." "(The bombs) could blow open everything that is in place for arms control," he says. "Everything gets more dangerous."

What's the bet they invent the mininuke well before they perfect the nanobots which will course through your body cleaning the plaque from your arteries. You know, technology which saves lives instead of destroying them.

Oh yeah, and Korea may have weapons-grade plutonium for five or six nukes.

Ah, the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

(Via Charlotte's Creative Loafing May 11-17, 2005, p. 21 and News of the Weird)