Driving under the influence of Feynman
Written by Howard Lovy
Published February 11, 2004


One of my dirty little secrets is that I listen to audiobooks from audible.com (My commute fromsuburban Detroit to Ann Arbor keeps me in my car about two hours aday). This morning, I "read" (OK, had read to me), Richard Feynman's"The Pleasure of Finding Things Out."(

)

I'm a caffeine addict, but Feynman's words had, as the nanofather himself would say, a "kick" all its own. Here are a couple of quotesthat stayed inside my brain:

    feynman
      "It is not necessary to understand the way birds flap their wingsand how the feathers are designed in order to make a flying machine. Itis not necessary to understand the lever system in the legs of acheetah — an animal that runs fast — in order to make an automobilewith wheels that goes very fast. It is therefore not necessary toimitate the behavior of Nature in detail in order to engineer a devicewhich can in many respects surpass nature's abilities."
    The quote had me rushing to my notes when I got to the office thismorning. It reminded me very much of something one of Feynman'ssuccessors (in fact, a winner of the 2003Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology), told me during an interview last fall. CarloMontemagno of the University of California, Los Angeles, won theprize in experimental nanotechnology. He's making hybrid devices, or"takingcomponents you would find inliving systems and import them into engineered systems." I asked himwhether that is what they're talking about when I hear the term"biomimetics." He responded that he's working on a different levelthan, say, an engineer who is creating "a robot that moves its fin likea fish, or a flying object that flies by flapping like a bird."
      "The work that I do is a little more basic than that in the sensethat I'm looking at trying to make materials and devices in terms ofsensors and actuators that incorporate the same sort of molecular,biological complexity and structures that enable these to behave almostexactly like a living system. So, it's a little bit different. I'm at asmaller scale. So, I'm looking at making membranes that convert energyfrom one form to another, or filter chemicals or pump molecules justlike a living membrane would do."
    Montemagno's "end-game" is to make devices that have "embeddedintelligence," or whose "functionality is greater than the individualpieces." And before I bore the business-minded among you, he's notdoing this merely for the pleasure of finding things out. He said he'sabout two years away from commercialization. The first application?Water filtration. Remember those two words, by the way. They will makethe headlines this year as a number of nanotech research and businessplans grow ready for prime time.

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    Driving under the influence of Feynman
    Published: February 11, 2004
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    Section: Books
    Filed Under: Books: Biography, Books: History, Books: Nonfiction, Books: Politics and Affairs, Books: Science
    Writer: Howard Lovy
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    Comments

    #1 — February 11, 2004 @ 12:16PM — wKen [URL]

    Feyman wasn't just a genius. He was also very entertaining. I love his books. Thanks for reminding me.

    #2 — February 11, 2004 @ 13:24PM — duane

    I would restate that, and say that Feynman was not just merely entertaining, he was a genius, in the true sense of the word.

    #3 — February 11, 2004 @ 13:29PM — Mark Saleski [URL]

    plus, he was somehow able to convey complex physics topics so that even physics morons (and i'm including myself in that list) can get something out of it.

    #4 — February 12, 2004 @ 02:34AM — Mac Diva [URL]

    Feynman is one of my role models for going your own way without regard to the general nitwittery of the population. He achieved that state of transcendence. I'm still just striving.

    While we are talking certifiable genuises, I have an entry about polymath musician, physicist and writer Richard Powers up here at Blogcritics, too. He is another one of those people who awe me with their ability.

    #5 — February 12, 2004 @ 05:20AM — Ga-ne-sha

    Regarding Feynman, "He achieved that state of transcendence. I'm still just striving." Mac Diva

    How can you read Feynman, then make such a rediculous post about the "average Indian"? Feynman would turn green.
    Actually, you can go to a "state of transcendence" in an instant. The problem will then be in staying there. Good Luck to us all.

    #6 — February 12, 2004 @ 14:39PM — Eric Olsen

    excellent job Howard, thanks!

    #7 — February 16, 2004 @ 08:04AM — Shark

    I would also recommend "TUVA OR BUST", an entertaining and informative book that touches on the inquisitive, obsessional nature of Feynmann's brilliance.

    Very fun read.

    (BTW: It has nothing to do with Physics)

    #8 — November 14, 2005 @ 23:20PM — Scott Butki [URL]

    The W. Post has a great review of a re-release of Feynman's books. Details here.

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