The Straits Story

Malaysia's New Straights Times, one of the oldest papers in the world (founded July 15, 1845, the site says, has witnessed "the age of the bullock cart to the cyber age of the new century. It has seen two world wars, the fall of colonialism, the rise of nationalism and the upheavals of societies and the birth of nations." Sounds like the paper's institutional memory is alive and well as this story places nanotech in its historic context and recognizes it for what it is: technology's "next level" that has the potential to create the next series of societal upheavals. The article concludes: "So as we celebrate the move into the next level of technology, we must also take full cognizance of the fact that there are downsides that must be appropriate handled. This too needs broad public airing right from the start." Wise words from witnesses to history. Discuss