🚀 go-pugleaf

	Is 'rolling your own' STM merely unlikely, or am I asking something
	more like 'how do I build a space shuttle in my backyard?'

Yes, while Todd Gustavson was at Homestead High School (in Sunnyvale,
CA though he lived in Los Altos), he built one for a high school
science fair.  He is now at Cal Tech, where I talked to him about a
year ago. (but finger doesn't find his email address
tlg@tybalt.caltech).  I should have asked him if he knew about
sci.nanotech, since he is familiar with Drexler's work (Darn - I should
have asked Chris to invite him to the FI new-year's party).

I have a copy of his science fair report, and it is pretty impressive
for a high school project, but I would not consider it a "how to
manual" unless you are already well versed in electronics and
STM basics.

Todd's dad David helped him a bit and provided the tools (oscilloscope,
etc.) and Doug Smith (then a grad student at Stanford) made several
useful suggestions, and provided one of the most important components
of the project (the piezo-ceramic element).  Todd was inspired by
Calvin Quate, also at Stanford.

ttf@iti.org     (Tihamer T. Toth-Fejel)
Industrial Technology Institute, P.O. Box 1485, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
office: (313) 769-4248   fax: (313) 769-4064   home: (313) 662-4741
*----*----*----*Think of it as evolution in action*----*----*----*----*