Asking The Sciencey Questions *spoilers*
 

Is all that kopelson intrinsity stuff all real or fully amazing fact in the mind of brian clevinger. oh this too if the nanotech things are supposed to be like if they were in 10 years right? so if the people of today knew the tech of the next 10 years couldn't they jump over that whole robot thing and advance the tech of the next 10 years so the nano stuff make the tech of the next 20 years. and is there really a tree seed that need fire to grow?

Kopelson Intrinsity is a made-up fiction, or at least something that has shown no signs of existing, although it is a device that manages to sound scientifically credible.

We have not yet built nanobots. Once we do, there's a great difference between making self-replicating nanobots and making self-replicating intelligent nanobots.

There is, however, a species of tree whose seed doesn't start growing until it exposed to great heat.

tho we have started to create modular robots witch are nanobots... just not so nanosized i think the smallest one is like 6x6 cubes that react togehter to make decisions so were starting to make them but... just not the right size

What scares me is how credible KI sounds. Of course, people would dismiss it immediatly because to them it would sound like a "God Did It" thing, where there's no reason for how it is, it just IS that way. *shrugs*

Regarding the 10 year thing, did anyone get how that worked?

Time traveling nanobots.

Keeping 10 years ahead is one of those purposeful "What the hell?!?"s since it doesn't make any logical sense whatsoever.

Plus the paradoxes (or the constant really-really-really fast evolution, every 15 seconds or so there'd be a (supposed) major technological upgrade) would be fun.

That is, however, assuming that it updates every second, not constantly.

Dr. Genius metions the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but every self-respecting nerd knows it's 42.

Weren't the nanobots set not to time-travel but to post-contemporize? They were supposed to upgrade themselves based on a realistic view of the future 10 years ahead.

I think that's what I read today in the "Them, Robots" chapter; I can't check because my friend wanted to borrow it.

That is true. It's just a little jab at why things like the X-Men mansion or JLA headquarters looks a little different every month with all new, incredibly expensive high-tech equipment (or whole rooms, if not wings) added at random and no one ever questions it.