[LINK] Of nomads and nanotech [Was: 'New mobile phones will double as credit cards']

[Jan Whitaker]

At 08:46 AM 29/04/2007, Ivan Trundle wrote:
>Interestingly, a recent survey of Americans showed that 70% are
>unaware that most plastics come from oil. 40% believed that plastics
>biodegrade, too (okay, technically this is correct - but the
>timescale is far greater than the survey participants).

I checked this with a polymer engineer last month. It was one of 
those synchronicity things. I had been thinking about what would 
happen to all the incidental plastic we use today when oil is either 
so dear or no longer available. This guy said there are current 
alternatives. The plastics are made out of lots of different things, 
not just oil. Natural gas for example. Even plant materials. Wiki has 
a decent article on the subject.

Jan


Jan Whitaker
JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
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'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, 
there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005
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