Full Text @ Source.

This is the 4th chapter of Drexler's book "Engines of Creation", also freely & fully available online (see the included links)

I was just thinking about this last night - things are moving so quickly now with Nanotechnology, and so much fantasy is becoming reality.

I remember having talks with my friends back in the nineties about this stuff, having read Drexler's condensed version published in Analog: Science Fack and Fiction. Back then, I know I drove them a little crazy with talk of molecular machines and buckyballs, but that was the root of all these hypothetical machines and technologies.

Now, it seems like every story I read has to do with carbon nanotubes!

There is now a part 2

I first read this about 7 years ago and I have clipped it multiple times. I especially like the bit about the ultra-thin space suit!

For something really interesting go to
humanknowledge.net