Caveat Emptor Nano

Today's Reuters story, Overused, Misused Nano Becoming Pervasive Prefix, reminds me again of what NanoBusiness Alliance Executive Director Mark Modzelewski wisely told Small Times reporter David Forman a few months back following an apparent nanoscam that hit the industry: "The nanotech community might be a particularly attractive target to these 'bad people' because it has been so effective at generating buzz and attracting cash. 'With those dynamics they need to be more careful and frankly more cynical,' Modzelewski said." The same advice, of course, should be given to consumers, in general. But most American consumers intuitively know that products do not necessarily match their labels, and it's another sign that nanotech has arrived that the Mr. Haneys of the world will try to resell their snake oil with "nano" packaging. Anyway, it's nothing new. The magic "nano" prefix has been the marketing term of choice from the U.S. to China for a few years now. How to tell nano from no-no? Well, read Small Times and the NanoBot, of course, and we'll help you sort it out. Discuss