Replicator Technology
$7.99
Minimum price
$7.99
Suggested price

Replicator Technology

Using Information To Create Physical Objects

About the Book

Beginning with a simple, idealized definition of a Replicator Device, the reader is led on a thought-provoking exploration of virtually all aspects of technology and modern society.

A Replicator is a device which takes energy and information as input and produces physical objects and waste heat.

Topics include: ■ The Benefits of Being Able to Replicate Anything ■ What is a Replicator? ■ What do we want to Replicate? ■ What DON’T we want to Replicate? ■ The Challenges of Replication Technology

  • More than 25 areas for further research.

■ Roadmap to a Replication Future

Five supplementary essays treat topics related to developing future technology:

  • I Have A Cat
  • On the Failure of Capitalism
  • On Inventory Management
  • What is a Source File?
  • Malevolent Social Engineering in Open Source Software

About the Author

Brian McMillin
Brian McMillin

Brian McMillin is a technologist and inventor. He does hardware and software design and prototyping using the forerunners of many of the tools discussed in this book. He enjoys astronomy, caving, flying, photography, and scuba diving -- rarely at the same time. He lives in Keller, Texas, with his wife, their four demanding cats and three jealous but confused dogs.

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • I Replicator Technology
  • 1 What is a Replicator?
  • 2 What Do We Want To Replicate?
  • 3 What DON’T We Want to Replicate?
  • II The Challenges of Replication Technology
  • 4 The Challenge of Raw Materials
  • 5 The Challenge of New Materials
  • 6 The Challenge of Processing
  • 7 The Challenge of the Skilled Operator
  • 8 The Challenge of Inorganic Compounds
  • 9 The Challenge of Organic Compounds
  • 10 The Challenge of Large Objects
  • 11 The Challenge of Small Objects
  • 12 The Challenge of Inventory and Storage
  • 13 The Challenge of Molecular-Scale Structures
  • 14 The Challenge of Design Standards
  • 15 The Challenge of Conventional Wisdom
  • Spacesuits and Glove Boxes
  • Auditory Systems
  • Vision Systems
  • 16 The Challenge of Sub-Assemblies
  • 17 The Challenge of Perceived Cost
  • 18 The Challenge of Economics
  • 19 The Challenge of Permanence
  • 20 The Challenge of Quality
  • 21 The Challenge of Environment
  • 22 The Challenge of Yield
  • 23 The Challenge of Waste Management
  • 24 The Challenge of Transportation
  • 25 The Challenge of Assembly
  • 26 The Challenge of Recycling
  • 27 The Challenge of Not Dying
  • 28 The Challenge of Pattern Design
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
  • 29 The Challenge of Reliability
  • 30 The Challenge of Obsolescence
  • 31 The Challenge of Hidden Feedback Systems
  • 32 The Challenge of Intellectual Property
  • 33 The Challenge of Semantic Blindness
  • 34 Roadmap to a Replication Future
  • III Essays
  • 35 I Have A Cat
  • 36 On the Failure of Capitalism
  • Obfuscation Wins
  • Outsourced Middlemen
  • Mob Rule
  • Cascade Failures
  • Feedback Limits
  • Adapt or Die
  • Buyer Rules
  • Contracts and Lawyers
  • 37 On Inventory Management
  • Background
  • Requirements
  • Visual Object Recognition
  • Modern Examples
  • Other Recognition Techniques
  • Implementation
  • Applications
  • Notes
  • 38 What is a Source File?
  • Introduction
  • What Are Source Files?
  • How Are Source Files Used?
  • What Does the Future Hold?
  • What Could Replace Source Files?
  •  I Am Requesting Some Feedback
  • 39 Malevolent Social Engineering in Open Source Software
  • Background
  • Examples
  • Single-Bit Date-Time Bug
  • Intel FDIV Bug
  • NASA End-Of-Year Protocol
  • McAfee Automatic Update
  • Adobe Flash Player
  • Zune 30GB Music Player Leap Year Bug
  • Sony Root Kit
  • A Tirade Against Digital Rights Management Software
  • Physical Damage to Memory
  • Analysis
  • Vulnerabilities, Exploits and Triggers
  • The Stack As An Unnecessary Vulnerability
  • Recommendations
  • Afterword
  • References

Other books by this author

The Leanpub 60 Day 100% Happiness Guarantee

Within 60 days of purchase you can get a 100% refund on any Leanpub purchase, in two clicks.

Now, this is technically risky for us, since you'll have the book or course files either way. But we're so confident in our products and services, and in our authors and readers, that we're happy to offer a full money back guarantee for everything we sell.

You can only find out how good something is by trying it, and because of our 100% money back guarantee there's literally no risk to do so!

So, there's no reason not to click the Add to Cart button, is there?

See full terms...

Earn $8 on a $10 Purchase, and $16 on a $20 Purchase

We pay 80% royalties on purchases of $7.99 or more, and 80% royalties minus a 50 cent flat fee on purchases between $0.99 and $7.98. You earn $8 on a $10 sale, and $16 on a $20 sale. So, if we sell 5000 non-refunded copies of your book for $20, you'll earn $80,000.

(Yes, some authors have already earned much more than that on Leanpub.)

In fact, authors have earnedover $13 millionwriting, publishing and selling on Leanpub.

Learn more about writing on Leanpub

Free Updates. DRM Free.

If you buy a Leanpub book, you get free updates for as long as the author updates the book! Many authors use Leanpub to publish their books in-progress, while they are writing them. All readers get free updates, regardless of when they bought the book or how much they paid (including free).

Most Leanpub books are available in PDF (for computers) and EPUB (for phones, tablets and Kindle). The formats that a book includes are shown at the top right corner of this page.

Finally, Leanpub books don't have any DRM copy-protection nonsense, so you can easily read them on any supported device.

Learn more about Leanpub's ebook formats and where to read them

Write and Publish on Leanpub

You can use Leanpub to easily write, publish and sell in-progress and completed ebooks and online courses!

Leanpub is a powerful platform for serious authors, combining a simple, elegant writing and publishing workflow with a store focused on selling in-progress ebooks.

Leanpub is a magical typewriter for authors: just write in plain text, and to publish your ebook, just click a button. (Or, if you are producing your ebook your own way, you can even upload your own PDF and/or EPUB files and then publish with one click!) It really is that easy.

Learn more about writing on Leanpub