23 of 52 in my 2011 book blogging challenge.
Physics of the Future is a fun read. I don’t often say that about books with “physics” in the title, but I’m saying it and meaning it now.
I’m not sure there is a lot of physics covered in the book, and when it did start talking about magnetic fields or neurons or what have you, I tended to drift off. The book is really about gadgetry of the future, though, and I enjoyed imaging every wall in my house functioning as a giant iPad.
There aren’t a whole lot of big surprises here. If you’ve seen as many sci-fi shows as I have, you’ve already imagined house robots and trouble with replicators. Some things discussed are also already happening at least to some extent. Augmented reality experiences are coming our way fairly quickly, not in the far distant future.
I was most interested in the medical technologies Kaku predicts. Once I learned about toilets of the future that do routine urine and stool sample tests and report to you any signs of illness, I was pretty much done. That one alone was worth the price of the book. I blanked out on several chapters while I wondered if my toilet was going to admonish me for my dietary choices. And what if a guest uses my bathroom. Is it going to tell me this person’s private business? How about public restrooms? Will they still be old school?
I’m easily distracted, and I was terribly distracted by the idea of a toilet that automatically and routinely performs medical analysis.
Moving on, though — if we must — Kaku devotes a great deal of time to discussing how technological advances might impact society. He talks about increasing globalization and the need to balance wisdom with knowledge.
Physics of the Future is written for general audiences. There aren’t any scientific explanations that your average physicist wouldn’t already know. There also aren’t, as I said, a whole lot of big surprises here for a person familiar with futuristic novels and shows. Kaku does, however, do a good job of helping the average person sort out which of our common sci-fi visions are possible and which are not. He helps us parse the science from the fiction.
Aside from the toilet issue the main thing this book leaves me wondering is whether I will live long enough to live a very long time. Kaku predicts that human life expectancies will continue increasing as medical technologies advance. Those who are babies now might be able to expect to live more than, maybe a good bit more than, 100 years. I’d like to be around to find out if that’s true. I’d like to at least be around long enough to find out if the iPad-like walls and the Internet contact lenses are true.
Overall, thumbs up. If you too can’t stop wondering what your toilet would say to you if it could talk, go read this book. It might not answer all of your toilet questions, but it will give you plenty to ponder.
