In this week's Nature, two researchers from the University of Chicago take one step closer toward scalable self assembly.

Self-assembly is emerging as an elegant, 'bottom-up' method for fabricating nanostructured materials. This approach becomes particularly powerful when the ease and control offered by the self-assembly of organic components is combined with the electronic, magnetic or photonic properties of inorganic components. Here we demonstrate a versatile hierarchical approach for the assembly of organic–inorganic, copolymer–metal nanostructures in which one level of self-assembly guides the next. ... We delineate two distinct assembly modes ... each characterized by different ordering kinetics and strikingly different current–voltage characteristics. These results therefore demonstrate the possibility of guided, large-scale assembly of laterally nanostructured systems.

Abstract available with free registration; full text via subscription only.

Hierarchical self-assembly of metal nanostructures on diblock copolymer scaffolds

On November 29, USC hosted a lively debate between author/professor Larry Lessig and MPAA president Jack Valenti. The debate begins approximately 55 minutes into the video.

In the new digital environment, what impact do intellectual property rights have on innovation and creativity? Do copyrights and patents hamper or enhance artistic life? How is our creative culture being shaped by changes in law and technology? A spirited exchange between Jack Valenti, President of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law Professor and author of The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World. The event is co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg School's Norman Lear Center and by the Center for the Public Domain, a Durham, North Carolina-based philanthropic foundation."

Lessig versus Valenti on Creativity, Commerce, & Culture [RealMedia]

Relevance: Identification, authentication, privacy, and security of personal information are key issues for the information society. The misuse, either by individuals or organizations, of sensitive personal data that touches on our sense of identity has potentially far-reaching social impacts."

Cyber-Security and the Future of Identity

AAAS is hosting a day-long seminar in DC on Tuesday, December 18. It's being held in the AAAS auditorium, which I recall from CFP99 as being rather small for an event of this kind. This seminar will probably fill up fast, so sign up now if you will attend. An overflow room will provide a video simulcast.

"In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the already complex balance between national security and scientific freedom and human rights has become even more complicated. At the same time, scientists and engineers have begun to reassess their professional and social responsibilities in light of the changed situation.

Research priorities are certain to be affected by the focus on fighting terrorism. The priority of military R&D will increase, as will R&D on bio-terrorism, blast protection, information security, and other relevant fields. The Bush Administration and Congress are also considering significant new national security measures aimed at protecting U.S. citizens and vital national interests. While many of these measures are surely necessary, it is essential that the scientific community be engaged in evaluating them and their impacts on the environment for research, as well as carefully considering their own professional and personal roles in this very dynamic and highly charged political environment. This ... symposium ... will examine issues of scientists' responsibilities, as well as scientific freedom and human rights in post-September 11 America."

The War on Terrorism: What Does it Mean for Science?

"A new watermarking technology could help track down people who make copies of copyrighted digital material. The technique works by concealing information about the identity of the offender inside the copy, according to the company developing the technique."

The upshot: UK company Amino Communications has commercialized a watermarking system with reasonably effective traitor tracing. But Microsoft's Fabien Petitolas (author of a good Artech House book on stego/watermarking) warns, "So far nobody has come up with schemes that are really robust to attacks."

Tracing technology could catch digital pirates

Jobless in SF/SV? Go job-shopping on Thursday, December 13 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Bring your security know-how and mingle with important people at "The Technology and Homeland Security Summit and Expo." A panel session will address R&D in "biosecurity, cybersecurity, financial services, and human resources. It will also highlight growth opportunities for employment in these industry sectors."

Also, bring your checkbook; this event is non-free (but not non-US.)

Silicon Valley to make security pitch

K. Eric Drexler, founder of the Foresight Institute, interprets the impacts of the events of September 11 in the context of research on and development of nanotechnology. It's concise; worth a look.

This "open letter" is part of a Foresight fundraising campaign to promote relevant nanotech research.

Foresight's Drexler offers 'Six Lessons from September 11'

Visit the page and click on the "Vote" button (you don't have to fill out the form) to see the current top vote-getters. George P. Burdell has nearly 37% of the votes right now ...

If you went to Georgia Tech, then you certainly know about George P. Burdell. If not, check out the URL below for more details.

http://www.tbook.org/traditions/burdell.html

George P. Burdell to be TIME 2001 Person of the Year

Viruses like HIV and Ebola are enabling researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to construct effective tools for gene therapy. Carefully combined and modified, these dangerous viruses could one day become an integral part of live-saving treatments for serious genetic disorders.

You can read the full text of the research article in the March 2001 issue of Nature Biotechnology. Subscription required for full text. Here's the URL:

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nbt/journal/v19/n3/abs/nbt0301_225.html

Attaching Good Genes to Bad Viruses

Here's a new paper published in the December issue of First Monday. The table of contents:

Introduction: Free Software as a Problem of Value and Reputation
Like Science
Credit and Reputation in Science
Citations and Reputations: Metaphors of Currency and Property
Conclusion: Further Thoughts on Reputation and Currency

Some excerpts:

Over the last few years, as the Open Source/Free Software movement has become a constant in the business and technology press, generating conferences, spawning academic investigations and business ventures alike, one single question seems to have beguiled nearly everyone: "how do you make money with free software?" If the question isn't answered with a business plan, it is inevitably directed towards some notion of "reputation".

... this paper examines ... some works in ... science that have encountered remarkably similar problems ... and [compares science and software] with respect to their "currencies" and "intellectual property".

Free Software/Free Science