It doesn’t seem like a year since we were running through the Negev desert looking at water solutions, but it is. Progress has been slow, but there has been progress on water issues worldwide.
One of the good friends we made in Israel, Bob Rosenbaum, met with a select group of visiting US high-tech and science journalists in Jerusalem over the weekend and found them to be well-informed about the current state of nanotechnology, though considerably less knowledgeable about nanoscience.
Bob reports a number of observations:
“The natural tendency among those reporting new technology developments is to search for the ‘killer app’ or the end product that will appear on the shelves next year. This is probably to be expected after generations of reporting bias toward big names and commercial success with multi-million dollar profits.”
“Some writers are overlooking the smaller accomplishments that together, over a few years or more, create a wave of practical knowledge that, in turn, leads to a wave of products. These small advances are reported every day in science and high tech journals — even in papers like USA Today — but reporters don’t have the time or the motivation to step back and say, ‘Ah, now I see why this is already significant.’ “
“Also, when you talk about coatings or lubricants or even drug synthesis, a science reporter’s eyes glaze over pretty fast. They’re always looking for that space ladder or that chip to replace every other chip ever made.”
Bob spoke with the group as the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by Israel21c , a well-known independent media awareness group that provides alternative news and information about technological and cultural goings-on in Israel. Bob also publishes Nanotech Advantage Israel, an Internet newsletter focused on the Israeli nanospace.