Customer Reviews

Tiny Machines: The Feynman Lecture on Nanotechnology

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Richard Feynman is the originator of the idea of constructing molecular machines - what we now call "nanotechnology". He first lectured about this idea in the early 1960s, but those lectures were never recorded. But here, in this DVD, we are fortunate enough to see Feynman giving an updated version of that classic lecture, this time in 1984, to an audience of scientists and nonscientists alike. It is a pleasure to watch the master speak, explain, interact, joke, and answer questions. He dicusses the fundamental ideas behind nanotechnology, and the uses of nanotechnology in computers, biology, science, and even in art.

In the mid 1990s, I was one of the founders of the computational molecular nanotechnology group at NASA Ames Research Center - the first nanotechnology R&D group at a federal government lab. When they told us we were crazy, that nanotechnology was "science fiction", I showed them the previous VHS version of "Tiny Machines" from Sound Photosynthesis.

There he was, Richard Feynman, the man who not only won the Nobel physics prize, but also the man who had just recently found and plainly showed the world what had caused the loss of the space shuttle Challenger. There he was, explaining nanotechnology in plain english. If we were crazy, then we were in good company.

Today, of course, the idea of nanotechnology has become a part of the popular culture and we are even seeing some nanotechnology-based products entering the marketplace. From science fiction to reality in 10 years. And Feynman saw it, and understood it, first, 20 years before anyone.

You even get to see a few teasers of him playing the conga drums. But don't worry if that leaves you wanting more: The good folks at Sound Photosynthesis had the forsight to record, archive, edit, and produce several excellent Feynman lectures - first on videotape and now on DVD.

This is an excellent introduction to the topic for those familiar with the field of nanotechnology or not. It also gives a very meaningful introduction to Richard Feynman, showing his wit, personality, brilliance, and ease of explaining a complex topic. It is a real pleasure to see such a key thinker in a prime discourse, and to gain an understanding of the potential of nanotechnology in innumerable areas. As the 21st century unfolds, it is interesting to see how soon the predictions that Feynman made have and will come true.

For those with an interest to know more about Feynman, nanotech or related areas, I have found a lot of great follow-on material from the same source, Sound Photosynthesis.

It is clear from this DVD that everything that came out of Feynman's mouth was not such a pearl of wisdom. While he didn't exactly say anything wrong, he did not offer a lot of new insight into the concept of nanotechnology. It was clear that, while he knew, in general, about MEMS technology and silicon device fabrication, he did not offer anything but an introduction to an audience that knew little or nothing about physics.

The discussion degenerated into a Q and A that had little to do with science and a lot to do with science fiction. Feynman, to his credit, was good natured as he waded through the questions one by one.

It was fun to watch and nice to see Feynman playing the bongos one more time.

I have always wanted an interesting teacher that electrifies the science area. I despised the traditional old books that said nothing about the subject and added only dryness, just dryness. So, I looked at Feynman as a good excuse and tried it, why not? It's a very, very primitive basic review on the subject. Feynman segways more than he teaches, he drums more than he teaches. Saying very little of substance. More like a casual hang-out that has coffee and friends and drumming, sadly, I'm not a fan of any of that. I am now convinced that math and science should remain dry and to the point which is enough to give this terrible DVD 1 star out of 5.