Well, first we're waiting for someone to invent flying nanobots. Then we're waiting for someone to successfully convince the public that flying nanobots somehow won't kill us all.

We could call them... bees.

What is a bee if not a miniature flying pollination machine? :)

Seriously? It's was our faith in mankind's ability to engineer its way out of any mess that gave us this miracle pesticide in the first place. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

And a great excuse for China to develop armies of flying nano-bots without it being too suspicious.

Actually, I hope that people's budding interest in hobby beekeeping can help pick up the slack...

I was thinking the other day about the viability of a small business that would install apiaries in peoples back yards, and the hosts would get a share of the honey. The rest would be sold at at markets. A distributed system of bzzzzz. Eh? An article in the nytimes the other day inspired the idea - about how different communities are dropping prohibitions on urban beekeeping. Of course, this article appeared only a few days after another article about bees drinking maraschino cherry juice in Red Hook and producing red metallic-tasting honey.

Er, isn't that an excellent use-case for hiring more beekeepers?