Friday, March 05, 2004

Deletion in coverage of nanotech deletion


I've never met the editors of The New Atlantis, so I'm not sure why there's such a huge omission in an otherwise accurate and reasonable commentary on recent political decisions and bizarre bluster in the nanotech world. Here's an excerpt, with boldface type added by me:

    The deletion of the molecular manufacturing study came as a major blow to those who hoped the Drexler version of nanotech was on the verge of getting a fair hearing. Several of them took to the Internet to blame the study’s deletion on the NanoBusiness Alliance, the industry organization that represents the companies now engaged in mainstream nanotechnology. In response to the online criticism, F. Mark Modzelewski, the president of the Alliance, wrote an article mocking the “bloggers, Drexlerians, pseudo-pundits, panderers and other denizens of their mom’s basements” who had developed “an elaborate fantasy about how molecular manufacturing research work was pulled from the bill by some devious cabal.” In fact, another NanoBusiness Alliance official had already admitted to a reporter that the Alliance had approached the staff of Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, to have the study removed from the legislation.

It's like a Where's Nano Waldo game. The "online criticism" was centered around my commentaries and those who contributed to my discussion boards. The article Modzelewski wrote appeared in Small Times Magazine, where I'm news editor, and the "reporter" to whom the NanoBusiness Alliance official had given the background on the McCain staff meeting was, yes, me.

Not that my pride is hurt, or anything.

This Just In: My wife tells me that I'm sounding just a bit whiny and egomaniacal here. Point well taken, Honey. But, gghhheeeeeeezzz! What about me, me, me, me?

Discuss

No comments: