The Sheriff wrote:
I think people here seriously underestimate how long nanotech will take. Suppose you have a machine which takes atoms and deposits them onto a surface, building it up layer by layer. This is possible with today's technology, but it's a slow process.
I don't think it's that far away. Decades (or at least years) ago, the US Navy developed a laser so focused and controlled it could write messages on one face of a cube of salt.
You can also push atoms around with an AFM. It's just slow. But even if it did take a week or two to make something, it would still be practical. You'd probably have to wait a week to get something delivered by mail-order, so you might as well make it yourself. I wonder what Tim 'copyright is dead' May will think when anyone can make a Pentium clone in their back bedroom. :)