December 2010

Lost in the Maize

by Andrew Maynard December 31, 2010

A weekly reflection on life in academia I wasn’t intending to post a Lost in the Maize blog today, having been struggling to get back from a fog-bound UK to the US for the past 48 hours.  But reading Iain M. Banks’ Surface Detail on the flight back, I came across this rather delicious critique [...]

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Lost in the Maize

by Andrew Maynard December 24, 2010

Hegswarm – what a great word!  Far more elegant and versatile than the “Gray Goo” that has nibbled at the heels of nanotechnology for the past decade. Over the holiday break, I’ve escaped academia for the relative sanity of family reunions and mince pies, and have been catching up on some reading.  Currently I’m in [...]

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The geopolitics of nanotechnology – an ideaological counterweight from ETC?

by Andrew Maynard December 22, 2010

Getting an unbiased perspective on nanotechnology is probably as close to impossible as you can get.  Governments invest in nanotech because they believe in its ability to inspire new research and stimulate economies and social change.  Corporations invest in nanotech because they think it will give them an edge in a hyper-competitive world.  Neither is [...]

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Lost in the Maize

by Andrew Maynard December 17, 2010

My son Alex’s school puts on a highly prestigious musical each year. Competition for the lead roles is tough. Closed-door auditions are held to ensure the most talented kids get the leading roles – reward-through-merit in action you might say. Apart from the fact that some parents involved in the production appeared to be giving [...]

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The art of risk science

by Andrew Maynard December 15, 2010

I’m feeling a little lazy today, so this is a cross-posting from the University of Michigan Risk Science Center newsletter.  It draws in part on the talk I gave at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center this past weekend as part of their “where do we go from here?” series.  The whole setup at CAC by [...]

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Lost in the Maize

by Andrew Maynard December 10, 2010

My son Alex (13) and I have had a long-standing head-to-head on video games – should he be allowed to play first-person shooter games?  For those of you not plugged into the the gaming community, these are the games where you play out scenes and scenarios from the first person perspective of someone wielding a [...]

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The NNI at 10 – did I really say that?

by Andrew Maynard December 8, 2010

I must have been just a little worked up when I spoke with Gwyneth Shaw at the New Haven Independent a couple of weeks ago on nanotechnology.  I’m usually fairly circumspect with my comments to reporters (OK, so I know some readers have just spattered their coffee across the computer screen, but do try to [...]

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US Nanotechnology Environmental, Health & Safety Research Strategy open for comment

by Andrew Maynard December 6, 2010

The US National Nanotechnology Initiative’s latest iteration of its Environmental, Health and Safety Research Strategy has just been posted on-line for public comment.  Between now and January 6, anyone who is interested is encouraged to read the draft and comment on the on-line portal – hopefully sparking a dialogue which will strengthen the final document. [...]

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Small gods and the art of technology innovation

by Andrew Maynard December 6, 2010

There’s something rather liberating about being asked to give a no-holds talk on your perspective on life, the universe and everything.  So when the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center asked if I would speak as part of their “Where do we go from here?” series, I jumped at it. No holds barred is probably an exaggeration [...]

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Lost in the Maize

by Andrew Maynard December 3, 2010

As you’ll have gathered from last week’s Lost in the Maize, I’ve been on the road this week.  In fact, I am writing this on the plane back to Detroit, looking forward to a quick wash, shave, sleep, and catch-up with family, before heading off to the Society for Risk Analysis annual meeting in Salt [...]

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