On Thu, May 15, 2014 at 11:39:37AM +0300, Mikko Parviainen wrote:
> I have sometimes wondered how much better the new "grey goo" should
> be compared to the current one. As it is, there are quite a lot of
> self-replicating nanomachines at almost all places, trying to eat
> everything, or at least everything organic, and we don't seem to be
> being overrun by it.

In another sense, we are overrun by it.  In a third sense, we *are* a
(somewhat less grey) goo, partway through the process of devouring the
Earth.

One possible difference is that technological self-replication could
make use of energy sources and processes that biological organisms
would never evolve without intelligence.  There's also a problem of
existing organisms having no defenses against totally novel attacks.

But yes, we are surrounded by self-replicating nanomachines already.
I expect if we ever come to make purely technological selfreps, we
will find out that replication is extremely difficult to sustain
outside of carefully tuned conditions.  Certainly nothing like the
magic "utility fog" capable of creating anything (including more of
itself) effortlessly from almost arbitrary materials.

- Tim