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"We are all repositories for genetically-encoded information that we're all spreading back and forth amongst each other, all the time. We're just lousy with information."
- Neal Stephenson
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| Superacid | ||
| Smart acids that could be created to ignore particular compounds and dissolve others. |
It is not entirely clear how Kosko uses this term; there are actual compounds that are referred to as "superacids." A superacid is defined as a "medium having a high acidity, generally greater than that of 100 wt.% sulfuric acid." A compound is sold under the name "magic acid."
| "Leaks!" Garcia said. "There are holes in the ship!" Alvarez followed him to the door and stopped short. Dozens of small gray holes covered the aluminum deck of the green tanker. The holes grew as he watched. The holes dripped gray goo at their edges and left only empty space in their centers. The larger holes grew faster than the smaller ones… Alvarez knew then that he was up against a superacid and that he would lose. |
| Technovelgy from Nanotime,
by Bart Kosko. Published by Avon Books in 1987 Additional resources -
|
In the book, it appears to be possible to design superacids to work on some materials and ignore others. The book demonstrates that such compounds are dangerous weapons outside the lab.
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Tech news articles related to works by Bart Kosko
| Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly |
| Nano-Chainmail 2D Mechanically Interlocked Polymer |
| Goldene - A Two-Dimensional Sheet Of Gold One Atom Thick |
| FlexRAM Liquid Metal RAM And One Particular SF Movie Robot |
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'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
'Drake was the young spatial engineer he employed to terraform the little rock...'
'It diverts integers of the data, the fundamental message-units, so that they no longer agree.'
'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture that can approximate only crudely to the vagrant human figure...'
'Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.'
