TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
by
HL Carpenter

 

The Next Big Thing Is Really Small
by Jack Uldrich with Deb Newberry
207 pages; hardcover; $18.95
Crown Business, New York, 2003

You may have seen recent news reports about the space elevator, a tube extending into space which scientists believe can be used to launch satellites. No, it’s not science fiction, though that’s where the idea first appeared. This is real science, the process of manipulating atoms to create new things.

It’s called nanotechnology. Nano for dwarf (from the Greek) and technology because this is a branch of science with commercial objectives.

The space elevator, which would be made of a nanotechnology product called carbon nanotubes and could potentially save NASA millions of dollars, is only one application. The Next Big Thing Is Really Small gleefully dashes through long lists of other possible uses.

The book’s subtitle is ‘How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business’ and the authors, both consultants, point out every conceivable industry that they believe will be affected. And there are a lot, from automobiles to medicine and beyond.

Jack Uldrich and Deb Newberry are fervent about the future of nanotech, though they admit that at the moment, for many industries, ‘it is still barely more than a neat idea that is somewhat understood.’ Even that may be overstated. Nonetheless, they conclude nanotechnology is ‘not just going to be the next big thing ... it is going to be everything.’

Whether you’re swept along in the excitement or not, the truth is, nanotechnology is already here, and affecting not only business, but also your everyday life. In 2001, for example, Toyota began using nanocomposites in car bumpers, and Eddie Bauer’s stain resistant clothing incorporates nanoparticles.

The Next Big Thing Is Really Small is a thin, fast-moving book that reads like an advertisement. If you want in-depth explanations of the science, you’ll need more. If you’re interested in a broad overview of a new technology, The Next Big Thing Is Really Small can help ... in just a bit more than a nanosecond.

 

Review originally published October 2003.