Diamonds, semiconductors, blood

[Abdul Alhazred]

Here is a link to a Wired article about how synthetic diamond semiconductors are the wave of the future.

Here is why not.

Sample:

I'm not sure this report is quite as revolutionary as Wired would like to pretend.

There are some myths about diamonds which DeBeers has been very careful to promulgate. One is that diamonds are rare. They're not, really. Based on supply alone, if diamonds were traded in an uncontrolled market, they would be considered no more than semiprecious ...

And here is a more political article about just how dirty the diamond business is.

Sample:

For ten years, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) terrorized Sierra Leone. The rebel army hacked off limbs, massacred, raped and tortured the civilian population. Child soldiers with AK47s and drug-glazed eyes committed countless atrocities. At the heart of the war lay Sierra Leone's diamonds.

Conclusions:

<ul>
[*]Diamonds are pretty and we could have buckets full of them to play with if the free market were really free.

[*]Diamond chandeliers could be affordable to anyone who could afford a crystal one.

[*]Diamond semiconductors would probably still not be a paying proposition.

[*]Part of the reason Africa is a hellhole is not a capitalist struggle for precious resources, but to support the price of a luxury.
[/list]

 

[Jon_in_london]

[*]Part of the reason Africa is a hellhole is not a capitalist struggle for precious resources, but to support the price of a luxury.
[/list]

Elaborate.

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

Re: Re: Diamonds, semiconductors, blood

Elaborate.

Click the links.

 

[Jon_in_london]

No, I meant thats quite elaborate!

 

[Matabiri]

Diamonds are pretty and we could have buckets full of them to play with if the free market were really free.

Still don't see the attraction in diamonds. They're just carbon, after all, and any half-decent star can make carbon.

Gold, on the other hand, is forged in the heart of a nova. How cool is that?

 

[Agammamon]

Keep in mind that mined diamonds are not going to be the source for the semi-conductor industry. They'll be making their own. That way the can control purity. In addition the sorts of diamonds that make good gemstones aren't of much interest to industry. The abrasives industry uses primarily grey or brown diamonds rather than the sparkly ones you see in the shop window. They are cheap and common. So the political angle isn't really relevant.

 

[Jon_in_london]

Re: Re: Diamonds, semiconductors, blood

Still don't see the attraction in diamonds. They're just carbon, after all, and any half-decent star can make carbon.

Thats what I keep telling my wife! "Look dear, there are plenty of rocks in the garden that you can have for freeeeeeeaaaAAEEEAARRRGHH!!! LET GO!!!"