The third type of life—inorganic systems which can self-replicate.
Picture it this way. If you want a new flat screen television, you will only have to ask your desktop
manufacturing machine to make one for you. If your desktop manufacturing system is two years old
and not sophisticated to manufacture the latest type of television screen, you can ask your desktop
manufacturing system to make another more up to date manufacturing system that will be more
capable. The old manufacturing system can be used to manufacture something relatively simple such
as unblemished fruit for your consumption.
Another way of looking at desktop manufacturing systems is that they are like an apple tree in that
they produce fruit for human consumption and they are able to reproduce themselves by making the
parts that can be easily assembled by them into another desktop manufacturing system.
Picture what would happen if every one of the 140,000 computers shipped by Dell each day was
capable of making another computer like itself every week. Now picture that every such computer
made could also reproduce itself.
Still, the use of desktop manufacturing systems is calculated to have very little impact until after
the year 2035. Between 2035 and 2100, however, this technology may have a disastrous effect on
the ecology unless something can be done. The billions of tons of carbon dioxide extracted from the
atmosphere during that period of time could deprive plants of their source of carbon and that could
have calamitous effects on the ecology. In addition, carbon dioxide has the property of helping to
keep the earth warm through the “greenhouse effect.” As the content of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere diminishes, global cooling could become a realistic concern and the Earth might enter
another ice age.
Another factor contributing to this concern will be the use of nanotechnology to disassemble garbage
and other waste products. By getting away from burning of waste products and fossil fuels, a
valuable source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being eliminated. In 2050, if the situation
becomes desperate, we might have to open up old oil wells and set them ablaze. We could also strip
the earth over coal deposits and light them afire to add desperately needed carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere. By these techniques, the ecological disaster might be avoided.
On the other hand, we might avoid all of these problems by manufacturing internal combustion
automobiles for all the people of the earth and by scrapping plans to use hydrogen powered cars. We
also might increase the burning of scrubbed coal to generate our electricity. The rate of burning
fossil fuels might not grow at the rate of consumption by desktop manufacturing units, but it might
be enough to postpone catastrophe into the 22nd century.
Next Global Ecological Concerns Example
Picture it this way. If you want a new flat screen television, you will only have to ask your desktop
manufacturing machine to make one for you. If your desktop manufacturing system is two years old
and not sophisticated to manufacture the latest type of television screen, you can ask your desktop
manufacturing system to make another more up to date manufacturing system that will be more
capable. The old manufacturing system can be used to manufacture something relatively simple such
as unblemished fruit for your consumption.
Another way of looking at desktop manufacturing systems is that they are like an apple tree in that
they produce fruit for human consumption and they are able to reproduce themselves by making the
parts that can be easily assembled by them into another desktop manufacturing system.
Picture what would happen if every one of the 140,000 computers shipped by Dell each day was
capable of making another computer like itself every week. Now picture that every such computer
made could also reproduce itself.
Still, the use of desktop manufacturing systems is calculated to have very little impact until after
the year 2035. Between 2035 and 2100, however, this technology may have a disastrous effect on
the ecology unless something can be done. The billions of tons of carbon dioxide extracted from the
atmosphere during that period of time could deprive plants of their source of carbon and that could
have calamitous effects on the ecology. In addition, carbon dioxide has the property of helping to
keep the earth warm through the “greenhouse effect.” As the content of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere diminishes, global cooling could become a realistic concern and the Earth might enter
another ice age.
Another factor contributing to this concern will be the use of nanotechnology to disassemble garbage
and other waste products. By getting away from burning of waste products and fossil fuels, a
valuable source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being eliminated. In 2050, if the situation
becomes desperate, we might have to open up old oil wells and set them ablaze. We could also strip
the earth over coal deposits and light them afire to add desperately needed carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere. By these techniques, the ecological disaster might be avoided.
On the other hand, we might avoid all of these problems by manufacturing internal combustion
automobiles for all the people of the earth and by scrapping plans to use hydrogen powered cars. We
also might increase the burning of scrubbed coal to generate our electricity. The rate of burning
fossil fuels might not grow at the rate of consumption by desktop manufacturing units, but it might
be enough to postpone catastrophe into the 22nd century.
Next Global Ecological Concerns Example
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