Here's some hope for optical signalling: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep13615 http://www.nature.com/articles/srep13615 I have very little doubt we'll be pr

Here's some hope for optical signalling: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep13615 http://www.nature.com/articles/srep13615 I have very little doubt we'll be printing long wires using just carbon in the next few decades. Until then, sure, let's use crust-extracted materials, but the advantages to making them obsolete are enormous and available.