Physics of the Future

Man, I was SO excited to read this book. I am a big fan of quantum physicist Michio Kaku, having read a few of his other books. This is his latest (and maybe the first book I've read this year with a 2011 publication), and promised to peer into the future. Funny enough, Kaku references two books that I read previously for this challenge in his introduction - Paris in the Twentieth Century and Neuromancer. I figured that was a good sign.

To write this book, Kaku used both the depths of his great knowledge of the science realm as well as interviews and research from other scientists and innovators. He looks at several main categories and how they will play out in the near future (by 2030), the middle of the century (2030-2070), and the end of the century (2070-2100). His categories are:
- Computers/Internet
- Artificial Intelligence/Robots
- Medicine
- Nanotechnology
- Energy
- Space Travel
- Wealth/Government
- Humanity/Civilization

He takes an extremely in-depth look into each category, explaining what prototypes are in work today, as well as likely paths for each area. He explains the science behind all of the future technology, and also points out potential limitations. Some of his predictions include computer chips (with internet access)  in just about everything from clothes to your walls, internet contacts, handheld medical diagnoses scanners, and quantum computers that use atoms as their base rather than digits.

Physics of the Future reads a lot like the magazine Popular Science: futuristic science and technology explained for anyone with an interest in science or technology. The title is a bit of a misnomer. There's only a minimal amount of actual physics in the book. As a fan of Kaku's previous material, I found this to be disappointing. I skimmed over most of the physics parts because they were fairly basic quantum physics, stuff I've read a hundred times. Physics of the Future, apparently, is Kaku's attempt to appeal to a broader base. However, by referencing physics in his title, he can still get readers of his other books to read this one.

Kaku also extends his reach a bit beyond science, covering economics and politics in shorter sections towards the end. He probably should have stayed away from this arena, as his predictions are very broad and unspecific. These sections were the weakest and I could tell that he was out of his comfort zone. I think they were included only to create an overarching picture of the future in 90 years.

Physics of the Future may have a misleading title, but it was still an interesting book. The future technology Kaku describes is fascinating. At times, it feels like you are reading a science fiction book, but in actuality there are at least prototypes for almost everything he predicts being widely available by 2070.  I enjoyed reading this book, but it's clearly Kaku's weakest book for two main reasons:
1.) Kaku strays away from his area of expertise, physics, to write something with wider appeal. At times it reads like a Discover Channel or PBS special rather than his usual scholarly work. There's a purpose for both, but he shouldn't have billed it as being a physics book.
2.) Kaku strays away from science in some areas. This creates a lot of openings for his personal opinions, rather than research and scientific theory. He inserts (perhaps subconsciously) his political opinions, most markedly by referring to anything in the very near future as happening in "Barack Obama's second term." He does this several times, which seems to indicate that he can't even imagine the ramifications of a Republican being in the office of the Presidency. I tend to agree with Kaku, especially because of the threat of human-created global warming. Kaku gives a short but complete explanation of how it's literally impossible to disagree with the phenomenon of global warming, and it's extremely ignorant to disagree that humans are the primary cause of it. There are other areas where Kaku's opinions come out, but not quite in as biased of a fashion.
3.) Kaku inserts more of his religious beliefs (or lack thereof) in this book. He disregards pretty much any notion of God, seeing science as our way of achieving some sort of god-hood. That notion was only occasionally present, but when it was, it came off as being a bit arrogant and ignorant. Kaku's nowhere near as bad as Richard Dawkins, but this is the most overt Kaku has been in any of the books I have read.

While this may be Kaku's weakest book, it's probably the one I would recommend to start with for anyone unfamiliar with his work. It's fairly easy to read (compared to his other work), and not too rich in its science. If you like Popular Science or science documentaries like Nova or stuff from the Discovery Channel, then you'll probably enjoy this book as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

book 70 of 100...still very much ahead of schedule!