Any of you guys ever watch Star Trek? Remember the "replicators" that produced food, clothing, etc by re-organizing matter at a molecular level?

Well, somebody has invented something VERY similar. Here is a link to the USA Today article and a couple quotes from it. This technology could totally change the way we design and buy fishing tackle.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/maney/2005-06-14-replicator_x.htm


"...The other day, I met Thomas Mino, CEO of a nanotech company called Lumera. It can change the molecules in a plastic to give it different properties, depending on whether it will be used in radio antennas, circuits for computer chips or devices for drug research. If nanotech factories can build plastic products one molecule at a time, why couldn't that capability someday sit in your office?"

"...In 2020 or so, you might be ready to play Wiffle ball with your kids but can't find the ball. So you'd go on the Web, perhaps finding a Wiffle ball design that's been modified by a aerodynamics graduate student so the ball dips like a Roger Clemens slider.

You'd download the design the way you download a PDF file today. Then instead of clicking "print," you'd click "fab."

The computer would dump the design into your fabricator, which would spray molecules from a cartridge to form the ball. A small fee for the design would get charged to your PayPal account..."

Freakin' COOL, huh!?
Chris