2020 - A cyberspace commodity???

[IcSilk]

Please no flames if someone feels I have put this into the wrong forum - I felt that it would be just as appropriate here as it would be in the 'Cosmos' forum.

I'm sure that all of us (well ......... most of us) are, at least, vaguely aware of what nanotechnology is.

For those that don't, go and find out here

I have been thinking about this for a couple of days and have to get it out of my head.
Do we realize that the possible future ramifications that nanotech could have on the internet are explosive?!

Today we can download software, games, ebooks, movies, songs etc etc off of the internet - haha, no **** - that is something we all surely knew already but .........

In years to come is it even feasible to imagine that someday, when nanotech has been more thouroughly developed that it will be possible to actually download physical items from the internet?

Imagine this: its the year 2015 (or some other year in the not so far off future) and you order a car stereo off of Ebay, you already have a nanotechnological module sitting on your desktop.
You win your auction off of Ebay (or its 15 years in the future equivilent) and instead of waiting for it to be shipped you sit at your desk and watch it molecularly reproduce right there in front of you on your brand new, state of the art nano-module.

This may sound very whimsical and far-fetched now - but decades ago so did many things that are commonplace everyday items today (like the internet, haha).

A few years ago I was very much against nanotech and, honestly - scared of it because of the idea of the governments suppression of it to the public and all the possible evil that could be efficiently accomplished with it. This is still a very real possibility - but so were nuclear weapons NOT that very long ago. I guess I don't have alot of faith in the altruistic agenda of mankind; but this new concept of how it could be used is very intriguing.

I would love to hear (read) what others have to say on the potentials of nanotechnology, as I don't know much about it. I have been researching it more - to stay ahead of the game.
After all - who wants to still be learning DHTML or JavaScript when the rest of the internet world is busy programming 'nano-scripts' in their webpages?

[Und3ertak3r]

OK.. imagination ... just watch any episode of Star Trek..

Warp drive, Sub-Space communications, Teleport, Replicators.. all listed as possable to develop .. it is only time and more imagination to see the reality..

Arthur C Clark wrote of a Water drive space craft in his third space odessy book.. Russian scientists had developed a lab protoype before the book was released..

Connected thought.. I look forward to improvements in telpathic communications.. but then we will have the true thought police.. .. oh well nice thought.. sorry officer didnt know it was illegal..

[valhallen]

i'm still waiting for a bio-neural interface to my PC

now keyboard, no mouse - contorled completly with your thoughts

as for the whole nano-tech - if we can construct objects out of nothing at a molecular level using nano technology - why would u be buying anything? why not just instruct the nano-bots to make one

v_Ln

[:Singh:]

when will 56k internet progress?

[Striek]

Never. The 56k limit is not a physical or technological barrier. It is a regulation of the FCA, which states that no data may be transmitted at rates beyond 53.3 kbps over voice frquencies on public telephone networks. Since most modems are developed and/or manufactured in the US and modems must obviously be compatible with US telphone networks, faster modems have never been developed. It is quite possible to do so, however.

But with the advent of cable Internet and DSL, now even citywide WiFi in some places, even satellite Internet, what's the point?

[nihil]

Since most modems are developed and/or manufactured in the US and modems must obviously be compatible with US telphone networks, faster modems have never been developed. It is quite possible to do so, however.

Most of them come out of China these days, and please don't tell me that the Chinese cannot design and develop them.

I think that the bottom line is that they are made to comply with internationally accepted protocols (v.90, v.92 etc)

It is true that the FCA regulate the speed, but there must be a technical reason for that? and it seems to hold good for all other countries as well? so a lot of other authorities agree with it. I am not sure of what the technical reason is, but there must be one.

As for things having to be compatible with the US...............errrr no Russia has had 1024 line TV for years. Also many manufacturers who export to a variety of countries make stuff to those countries specifications, which are quite different from the US.

Over here, there was talk of providing a high speed internet connection over what I assume to be voice frequency, as it would use the redundant wiring in our telephone system, however, the rapid development of much faster technology that you mention killed off the idea. I think it was supposed to be between 90 and 120k. Apparently the wiring is used to make an initial connection, then sits there doing nothing? I am afraid I never did see any real technical stuff about it.

Hey, I even remember talk of providing internet connection down your electricity cable

So I agree with Striek that there will be no development of 56.6 dial-up because there are much better ways of connecting. I do not blame regulations or the FCA I think that there is some underlying technical reason for it, that has brought about the regulation.

EDIT: Oh! nanotechnology.............has anyone seen the movie "The Fly"?

[Striek]

Most of them come out of China these days, and please don't tell me that the Chinese cannot design and develop them.

I stand corrected. Very true. I am unaware of the technical reasons for the 53.3k limit though. Search engines are my friend though. I'll look it up.

As far as I know, that limit is purely an American one (I could be wrong on that). So there must be some reason why the rest of the world follows an American standard.

The fly... that takes me back a ways. They actually played it on cable here last week. Talk about going off on a tangent though. How does nanotechnology factor in to a discussion on a 56k bandwidth limit

[memyshukis]

Good question Striek ....

My first guess would be that the 53.3k limit is something to do with national security - I have a fairly decent conceptual visualization of it though I can't really see how right yet.

I am also on good terms with search engines, and Im curious enough to look into it - I'll meet you somewhere on google

[Striek]

Apparently the 53.3k limithas nothing to do with data transmission rates. It is actually designed to limit the amount of power travelling through phone lines.

Older wiring may overheat if too much power were sent through it.

This also explains why DSL can operate at speeds hundreds of times faster than dailup but not violate this restriction. Since it uses the entire frequency spectrum (except for the small part needed for voice), the power requirements are far lower. A voice modem transmitting at those rates would need to ramp the power to the point where lines and junction boxes would melt. It also explains why other countries are following the same guidelines.

Hey, I learned something today

(not-so-reliable source)

[memyshukis]

So does that mean that it is exclusive to the US?

And if so is that because, the US being pioneers of phone tech, there are older lines there that overheat easier - as opposed to countries where phone and telecommunications technology is a newer phenomenon, so they have more modern technology?