The Dudeism Forum

This stuff sounds freaking AWESOME!!!

http://gigaom.com/2013/07/15/what-is-graphene-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-a-material-that-could-be-the-next-silicon/

I want some. For a zombie-proof house.

Someone recently came out with a cheap easy way to make graphene threads which would be not only extremely durable and flame proof I imagine, but could contain electronics so low powered they could run off the electrical fields your body generates. Notably, graphene is one of the few materials believed to be capable of supporting both classical and quantum computer circuitry in the form of optical circuitry and spintronics. As far as the chip industry is concerned ideally chips could process just about anything you throw at them, figure out for themselves how to process different things, and talk to almost any other chip and divide tasks among themselves. Your basic self-interested independence, yet also capable of cooperation and "playing nice" with others to get things done.

Hells yeah Masked Dude, a zombie-proof house would rock, maybe even some zombie-proof clothing too

Wuliheron, that sounds awesome man, my buddy was just saying something the other day about the possibility of devices that will be able to run off the electricity that our bodies generate... I can't wait!!!!   

Quote from: wuliheron on July 15, 2013, 08:02:58 PM
Someone recently came out with a cheap easy way to make graphene threads which would be not only extremely durable and flame proof I imagine...

Is this a proprietary process or have they shared it?

Quote from: Masked Dude on July 16, 2013, 03:48:06 PM

Quote from: wuliheron on July 15, 2013, 08:02:58 PM
Someone recently came out with a cheap easy way to make graphene threads which would be not only extremely durable and flame proof I imagine...

Is this a proprietary process or have they shared it?

It's an industrial process they developed and I'm sure some patents must apply. Essentially, they discovered a cheap and easy environmentally friendly way to make graphene threads out of flakes and that a simple knot in a bundle of threads did not promote breaking at the knot because of the unique properties of the material. It doesn't sound like an competition for cotton soon, but its applications could be wide ranging including for composite materials used in aircraft or body armor for example. There are considerable efforts to discover such uses for graphene in part because it is a cheap and green material that can work wonders.

This year also saw advances such as the introduction of a cheap graphene super capacitor you can make right now at home using a standard DVD light scribe. Theoretically quantum super capacitors made of graphene could replace almost every battery on the planet with among the most powerful and fast recharging battery possible. Batteries that could also be transparent and double as wall paper video displays and solar collectors you buy from Wallmart by the foot. That's maybe a few decades away from becoming commonplace, but all the industries are gearing up to compete using self-assembling and printing technologies for ultra cheap and environmentally friendly products mass produced like so much fancy toilet paper or mushroom grown in a closet or whatever.

cables for a space elevator maybe?

Quote from: cckeiser on July 16, 2013, 05:56:12 PM
cables for a space elevator maybe?

I doubt it. For a space elevator imagine you want something like nanotubes arranged like a spider web with reliefs built into the system in case of emergency. The first apparently complete quantum mechanical theory describing the 500 states of matter was just published and we may have to wait another century before someone contemplates building a space elevator, but you can bet the idea is not going away.

This is promising stuff dude. Do you think this could replace plastics when we finally run out of oil?

We're never going to run out of oil....not for at least a thousand years, even if consumption trippled over that time..

Right but its use for fuel and the production of plastics is entirely dependent upon the human element. You're right about not running out of course; I worded that wrong. I just mean that certain sources can be depleted and finding other sources can be stopped by other humans, whether its tensions between countries or activists that don't understand where plastic comes from. My bad Dude.

I don't quite understand your statement. It will be me missing something I'm sure so don't take it personally.

Let me break it down so I can comprehend:

Oil: "It's use for fuel and plastics is entirely dependant on the human element." Clearly. I don't see many fish driving around in cars or beavers digging oil wells. What other element are you considering here?

"Certain sources can be depleted and finding other sources can be stopped by other humans": I'm clueless to be fair mate. If that's English then I need to go back to school.

"Whether its tensions between countries or activists that don't understand where plastic comes from":

Again I'm at a bit of a loss! Countries are just landmasses and are not sentient. Activists tend to be very well informed but may be as stubborn as any country. Even schoolchildren know that plastics are formed from petrol surely? This is the 21st Century after all.

I just don't know what you are trying to say here...not in the slightest. As I say it's probably me.

Peace

I think he means that the countries who have the majority of the worlds oil supply could possibly cut off other countries who don't have their own adequate supply.

Like if the middle east just up and decided that they would no longer supply oil to any other country outside of the middle east, the rest of us would be kinda screwed.
Granted most countries have a surplus in reserve for such an occasion; but how long would those reserves last and the countries who don't have any would be pretty much screwed.

I could be wrong but that's just my take on what he was trying to say

Seriously? You translated that from that post? Nice one!

If that is what the dude was saying...well isn't that what our wars have been fought about over the last 20 years?

There's still enough oil!

Haha just re read what I wrote. poor word choice indeed. Purple drank got the idea basically. I can easily just imagine several situations that could result in Earth's oil supply being nearly inaccessible to humans, or at least inaccessible enough to where we just wouldn't bother with it anymore. especially if we had alternate fuel sources and a replacement for plastics.