Re: Hand-made high-tech

[email removed] writes:
> >
> >If the objection to mass-production is philosophical, what they may demand
> >is that an individual - or even a single group - be responsible for the
> >entire production of a given item.  And the maker(s) will take some pride
> >in their product, to the extent of embellishing it a little - signing it,
> >decorating it, or in some other way adding an organic touch.
>
> Spot on, Adrian. That is exactly what I had in mind.

Oh, good.  Now, assuming I've got some idea of how this society works:

> Scott Kellogg:
> >
> >But, would your definition of hand made allow them to use a tool
> >(machine?) that would grow silicon chips?
>
> Depends on how the machine is used. If it turns out identical chips by
> the dozen it's a no-no. If the craftsman can look at one of his chips
> and say: 'Yeah, I remember that chip, that's the one I made last Tuesday',
> then it's ok.

I don't know if silicon chips can be made one at a time.  What the craftsman
(or crafts team, probably) should be able to do is make a whole wafer by
themselves, and identify a chip from that wafer.  Treat the wafer as the
individual's product, and break bits off it to be used as necessary.

Presumably these people don't grow salt one crystal at a time, or sell
orange juice in handy, mouthful-sized containers.  You buy a big lump of
the product, and break bits off as necessary.  The same applies to silicon
chips.

Alternatively, maybe they've gone from discrete components to VLSI in one
step, and produce a whole computer on one mega-chip.  These people are
likely to be the first to make a portable Model/9 computer.

- --
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  [email removed]
 UUCP: ..!uknet!cee.hw.ac.uk!adrian  |  ARPA:  [email removed]