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[cs30109]

Careful!  These may not be the best scarf material.  They might be carcinogenic.

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v26/n7/full/nbt0708-774.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/20/carbon-nanotube.html

[mustang6172]

Well it seems to compare them to asbestos.  And asbestos is only dangerous in a powder form.  Such a scarf would be made of long threads so you're not likely to inhale something dangerous.

[Surgoshan]

Except that microscopic particles of asbestos escape from the material it's made of, which is a possibility with a thread of nanofiber.

However, carbon nanotubes are, at the moment, still only being considered for microchip purposes, as I understand it.  I don't think anyone's made a nanotube even microns long, let alone long enough to weave into yarn.

[Is it cold in here?]

Last year some University of Cincinnati researchers announced having created nanotubes almost two centimeters long.

You are now free to call me a nerd.

[Surgoshan]

That is impressive.  Weavable?  Because if they can be woven, we're talking space elevators.

[Maxey]

Edward D. Wood Jr. would be proud.

Oh, hai!

[raoullefere]

I've often thought Space Elevators to be the absolute maddest idea anyone's ever come up with. Which means that it will probably be the future, and Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory [1964] and its sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator [1972]) is the new Jules Verne. Which means, I suppose, we may all be flying in giant fruit soon, too.

[cs30109]

Except that microscopic particles of asbestos escape from the material it's made of, which is a possibility with a thread of nanofiber.

However, carbon nanotubes are, at the moment, still only being considered for microchip purposes, as I understand it.  I don't think anyone's made a nanotube even microns long, let alone long enough to weave into yarn.

Yeah, but like the other guy said, the problem is that pieces might break off and be inhaled.

As I understand it, the problem with long nonotubes has been that the catalyst used to grow them seems to get messed up after a while, so the tubes stop growing.  I think there was a breakthrough that was published a couple of years ago (in Science, I believe) where somebody found some set of conditions that kept the catalyst functional.  They were able to grow tubes a couple of millimeters long.  This has now been improved on even further, as somebody else noted.

Presumably, with the right coatings, or by putting the right functional groups on the nanotubes, carcinogenicity could be minimized in the future.

[mustang6172]

Well considering they're grown on the backs of space bunnies I doubt length isn't that much of an issue now.

[Surgoshan]

Well considering they're grown on the backs of space bunnies I doubt length isn't that much of an issue now.

I don't care who you're talking to, length is always an issue.

[Gingernut]

width is a more serious issue.

Cause.

You know.

Width.

[Insectile]

Once we master these carbon nanotubes there will be dragons

[raoullefere]

How did this thread get from serious science to pricks 'n dragons? Which is, by the way, what Gygax should have named his system. Or maybe it's just the groups I've played with.

There. That oughta take us from derailed to transdemensionalized.

[satsugaikaze]

I was going to say something meaningful and productive to this thread, but jeez...

jeez. You guys really bit the biscuit. I'll just make a fantasy reference and be on my way demoralized that I couldn't post something on here that had any specifc meaning.


We'll make magical nunchaku with these carbon nanotubes all rolled up into a rope. <__<

[raoullefere]

See? satsugaikaze couldn't even make sense of things anymore.

             Transdemensionalized, baby!
             /
         

[misticloudz]

but wait, if the thread's gone trans-dimensional that means that somebody somewhere in one of those gazillion alternate realities has a QC branded love doll.

*shudder*

[KamikaziCal]

but wait, if the thread's gone trans-dimensional that means that somebody somewhere in one of those gazillion alternate realities has a QC branded love doll.

*shudder*

Yea. It's me.

[raoullefere]

Thank god. I was afraid it might be me and I didn't know it, since it was happening to one of those other mes.

It's frightening, thinking that in some other reality there's a version of you acting on what are simply passing thoughts for the you in this one. I mean, I'd probably catch some horrible disease doing that.

[blishfire]

I sometimes ponder if my nightmares are actually my actions in another universe, and am experiencing the netherworld version of me fail utterly. And get chased by rage-style zombies.
Which tbf, was insanely fun.

Either that or get insanely jealous at the "ace-rimmer version" who apparently is hard living, fast talking and womanising. That...hasn't cropped up yet.

- Just to stay on topic;

Carbon Nanotubes! they are to today what stem cells were 5 years ago! and nanobots ten years before that! And computers 10 years before that!
Whats next? Higgs bosons pointing the way to planck energy?
Free energy for the next 10,000,000 years! We could cross into these dimensions and find QC love dolls.

[raoullefere]

Or get swallowed by black holes created in our attempt, yes? Is it worth the risk? Are these QC love-dolls animatronic?

Really, though, let's get the space elevators done first. Provided, of course, that they are transparent, covered with LEDs and look like they're going down into a water fountain when they reach ground level. We want a classy elevator, after all.

[Phailure]

sorry to bump but this thread just restored my hope in humanity