DIY nanotech

Let's suppose that you are enthusiastic about nanotechnology, but you are not rich.

Let's suppose that you don't know much about molecular devices. Let's suppose that you are not already working in the field, but you have some time to spend in it, an a burning desire to see things moving. What can you do?

• Well, you can stay sat doing nothing and waiting for the future to happen. That's the easiest path. Stop reading.

• Too active for just waiting? Great. Perhaps you can burn that energy writing advocacy. Then you can happily sit and do nothing more. Stop reading.

• Advocacy is not enough for you? Oh, boy, you are really serious. Thus, you may have enough willpower to spare a coke or a chocolate bar to help others make the hard work for you. Well done!. Stop reading.

• So you are one of those who don't anesthetise your mind by losing a couple of dollars. You want to be at the eye of the hurricane. You are a hard core (wo)man. Edison would admire you!. What can you do? Well, it depends on how much time you have, and how good is your education.

If you have the right match of education and freedom, get a Ph.D. on nanotech, and become part of the tidal wave. You can have your own start-up very soon. In some years from now, you can be an influential leader in the field.

If you have education, and not much time, I am sorry to say that you won't be able to do much more than intelligent(?) investing or "advanced" advocacy(?). Bad luck.

If you have time (at least twenty hours a week), independently of your education, you can start learning the fundamentals. Once you have learnt, you can play freelance or join other people. Don't believe in people who say that only big teams with big money can make the difference. YOU can make the difference. To start with, you can play with any of the free molecular modelling packages that are out there. Computing power is so cheap these days that you can have a decent workstation for very low money, or even a home made beowulf. Looking for good examples of software packages? Here you have two excelent free packages: NAMD and GROMACS

And now, stop reading. I have nothing more to say!