The World in 2030 by Dr. Michio Kaku - Book Report/Review Example

 "The World in 2030" by Dr. MichioKaku Dr. MichioKaku who is a theoretical physicist and a professor addresses how science will affect various fields including medicine, computers, jobs, our lifestyle, and wealth of nations in future. Although futurism is mere speculation, Kaku may be very right because advancement in science is evident even while comparing the previous and the current world we cohabit. MichioKaku interestingly asserts that computers will no longer exists because getting online will only require a blink but not the normal clicking as we experience. According to Kaku (2009), tangible or the handheld devices such as mobile phones and desktops or laptops will cease to exist. Kaku gives a thorough explanation of what the technology will look like in future and the fact that science will enable self-diagnosis and detection of diseases and disorders. He further explains some unimaginable things such as internet in the eye contact, intelligent wallpaper organizing for a date, use of robots, teleportation, and invisibility. Indeed the world around us is changing very fast and according to MichioKaku, we are yet to see much more fascinating changes in future. Every futurist would be glad to hear Kaku speak about where the society is heading in future by giving out very colorful points with some interesting sense of humor.MichioKaku highlights how communication will be enhanced in such a way that optic web interfaces that will start with eyeglasses and even get to the contact lenses. This will largely increase the speed of gathering and even distributing information(Santen, Khoe& Vermeer, 2010). Although the speed of gathering information is already high, Kaku predicts a super high process that is currently unimaginable (Kaku, 2009). This idea does not actually sound that good and perhaps there would be exposure to the digital kind of advertising. It is interesting to hear Kaku speaking about disposable or commoditized computers since there will be chips carrying all the information that we will be walking with. This sounds very interesting particularly considering the fact that most people would always want to remain as light as possible. The chips will definitely enhance flexibility and convenience because it will be possible to utilize them almost everywhere and anytime. Kaku (2009) observes that the chips will greatly help in filling because it will have a filling system and the computers act as the chips interface. Cloud computing actually would mean that computers are no longer needed(Santen, Khoe& Vermeer, 2010). Kaku also touched on the Smart Wallpaper idea where he claims that walls will have digital interface and eventually enhance communication and make touching attainable. Kaku(2009)says that an individual would no longer eat dinner alone since there would be video conferences and ever-available babysitters. Nevertheless, I tend to believe that issues of privacy may largely be interfered with due to the rampant hacking and other insecurity issues that information technology is exposed to. Moreover, there is the medical part, which sounds, very interesting and much helpful in that the society will be medically changed in two different ways. Kaku(2009)posits that health as well as ancestral health data, which will be readily available. The Smart toilet idea sounds beneficial and extremely amazing except that there may be privacy challenges associated with it. The fact that the toilets will be continuously analyzing feces and alerting the doctor in case of anything inappropriate sounds awesome. Kaku (2009) predicts that the smart toilets and the smart glass will carry out an analysis of human protein, genes, and DNA. The smart toilet will undeniably be one of the best predictions that will mark a great step in science revolution. He further predicts that the human organs will be genetically created in labs and that doctors will do surgery on 3D video and imaging. In addition, Kaku speaks about Artificial Intelligence and tells people not to worry about the judgment day. He claims that so far, the robots do not show any sign of having any conscious personality that may result into bad behavior and that just in case they misbehave, men will definitely turn them off. Moreover, Kaku(2009) addresses the issue of invisibility,teleportation, and telepathy, which technologically links the mind and the computer. This is indeed amazing and sounds almost impossible. Kaku explains that teleportation is actually impossible and that for human to teleport, there will be need to dissolve and reconstruct objects or organism. This is an absolute new idea that will create a new human being. According to Kaku (2009), Telepathy is currently possible and the current happenings just shows its initial stages and he proved the assertion by giving an example of a paralyzed victim that could communicate with the web. Dreams are some important though not taken serious aspects of our lives. Most people forget about dreams they had just a few minutes or hours after waking up but Kaku tells us that in future, science will ensure that our dreams are recorded. By stating the issue of dream recording, Kaku cements his prediction by giving an example of Kyoto study that mapped images from the brain through MRI scan to computer.Kaku says that the subject had his or her sight recorded via the extraction method as the object mapped out was a horseshoe and that such kind of technology may be usable for the government agencies with lie detector tests. He furthers his discussion by speaking about the far away future involving the interstellar travel through NASA starships. Kakuadds “Black-holes” and Time machines in his discussion and gives an interesting explanation concerning “The 4 Types of Civilizations” and that Type 1 civilization will take place in 100 years. It is probable that Kaku’s predictions will take place and I tend to agree with him at some point. Many other futuristic have given almost similar predictions, For instance, Christian HenrikNesheim (2010), the author of the I Look Forward To blog and a self-described “layman” when it comes to understanding the years ahead recently published “11 Predictions for The World in 2030”. It is likely that human will no longer need to learn a second language by 2030 because there will be a cheap fitted in human ear to translate what is heard to an understandable language, All the technologies already exist and the most vital thing remaining to make this a reality is to complete the necessary by joining the dots. There is also hope that life expectancy may go high due to new technology but this may be disputable. Technology has recently turned man from eating healthy organic food to a genetically modified food that is related with unhealthy eating habits. However, in terms of medical field, science may enable people to live longer because there will be more powerful medicine and equipment that enhances life. There will be quick diagnosis, therapies, and other sophisticated techniques of ensuring preventive measures(Nesheim, 2010). Moreover, science will ensure provision of enough food and only a small percentage of people worldwide will live in extreme poverty by 2030. Poverty will be completely eradicated because there will be other better ways of scientifically producing food. The number of crops grown on land or soil based agriculture will have diminished. According to Nesheim(2010), food may in fact be grown in skyscraper because there will be tall greenhouses everywhere around the world to carry out farming. In the end, science will ensure that more food will be produced at a lesser cost thus letting the natural soil for ecosystem. With the current rapid changes in the automobile industry, predicting driverless cars may be a reality in future. Manual driving will not be necessary and once a passenger gets inside a car, the car will just move to the direction in which the owner or whoever is inside wants to go. In terms of automobile, there are so many proofs that cars will make greater stride. Vehicles prone to human error will not be operating because the vehicles will be driverless hence reducing the chances of road carnages and other human errors(Adonis, 2011). Some of the MichioKaku’s predictions are worrying and may make someone feel uncomfortable especially when it appears that the world around us will certainly change in a unique way. It is likely that even the workplaces will greatly change according to Kaku’spredictions and the question lingering is how terrible or interesting will success affects our daily activities such as work places. The fact that computers will cease to exist is indeed worrying and makes anyone think that human body parts shall have been reduced to a computer(Adonis, 2011). However, if the human brain is superior to computers then what is the point of computerizing human’s body parts. Sometimes simplicity may be too costly and making an attempt of computerizing a human body part may act as if the creator did not more than enough to make His work perfect and complete. Effort made by technology is indeed great but is it not going to be too much if it has to be as Kaku predicts? Back to the future working surroundingKaku predicts that contact lenses will be used since the computers will cease to exist and therefore just a blink will take us online. It therefore implies that the contact lenses will change the way discussions and meetings are held because people will no longer sit around a table or boardroom table because of there will be video teleconferences that will enable 3D images of people engaged in a particular meeting or discussion. Kaku(2009) says, “Your contact lens will recognize people’s faces and display their bios next to their image.” Languages will automatically be translated and therefore translators will not be required. Speaking to anyone in any continent and viewing his or her 3D images will be much easier and direct. Although there have been video teleconferencing and other features such as Google hangout and Skype, contact lenses will be an improvement of the current developments. Kaku (2009)adds, “If they speak Chinese to you, your contact lens will translate it and give you subtitles beneath that person's image. So you will always know who you are talking to and what they are saying.” Kaku extends her prediction to PowerPoint presentations that he believes will be in 3D animation thus making it simpler and interactive to carry out any presentation using PowerPoint. Kaku (2009) says that cars will not need drivers and this is very true because Google is currently working on a driverless car and one specific car drove almost 1000 miles autonomously. Google has been lobbying Nevada legislators to legalize self-driven cars because the technology tends to grow very fast and is likely to outstrip the current law. However, I believe driving experience is much better than just sitting in the car without even touching the experience. It is interesting how lawbreakers will be identified anyway. This prediction seems to have happened because it is right here with us and we may just expect in a few years or months when vehicles will now drive themselves to work. Having an intelligent wall in the offices enable smooth operation and interaction within an office because according to Kaku, activating the walls will simply need a wave of an hand and there you go. Sounds nice and easy as employees will not need to walk around from one office to the other since they will be able to interact on the intelligent wall without even a handheld device. Computer without keyboard has already happened especially in the tablets where the keyboards are already not tangible. This cements Kaku’s predictions that computers will never be physically significant. Technology responding to gestures as well as advanced voice recognition technology will definitely replace the universally used keyboards(Adonis, 2011). Cloud based computing is evident in the current world and Kaku’s prediction will automatically happen because the computers will largely be cloud based or will transform into tiny bits of jewelry. Most experts and workers will be able to work from wherever they choose to. Working from home or from anywhere is already happening to some extend currently with the many online marketers and freelancers working at the comfort of their homes. Nevertheless, working from anywhere will be a commonplace in the future because there will be many opportunities enabling it including real time complex conversation with machines. Nevertheless, if we think better and we have superior brain to computers why turn human into computer? The move to infiltrate technologies into our heads and letting them reside in our eyes seems to turn human into machines. Human should be left to utilize the intelligence in their brains to do things creatively but not be left into a computer or machine as Kaku predicts. It is however be inappropriate to blame Kaku for his predictions because what he does is simply predicting and being futurist but not forcing something in future. Science and technology have actually employed many people working online for various companies such as Google but the issue now turns to health matters. Human tends to be overworked by the online work and the effect is immense because everyone is currently looking for a job thus making jobs a recent phenomenon. Most people do not care about leisure time. It is unfortunate that human currently not work but overwork themselves because of the availability of online jobs. The prediction of increased online work therefore imposes a great threat to the human body that will work continuously until late at night because everything will be on their reach. Although online jobs have revolutionized productivity, the effectiveness was created at the expense of people who are addicted to their jobs and cannot easily switch off their computers and avoid a wired working world for sometimes. The future technology and science will only be significant if unemployment reduction will be experienced with an important living standard. Kaku’s explanation shows that scientism is still in existent and very phenomenological and therefore he relies exclusively upon scientific culture as well as inquiry to predict the future. He paints a very admiring and seemingly bright future for all humans but leaves much of what may be termed as invisible and essential such as deep social, ecological, moral, and ontological issues.Finding the deeper meanings imbedded in Kaku’s explanations as well the factual quantitative aspects of the text and social linkage is not very easy. According to Kaku (2009), there is a limitless future of science and technology and the contributions towards human. He discusses very crucial matters related to pertinent matters related to idea of consciousness and intelligence and he attempts to follow the accepted scientific conception that intelligence is localized and a product of brain physiology. It is fascinating that Kaku depicts scientists as the sage and guru who claim even the domain of visionary instead of the traditional understanding of vision as prerogative of mystics and sage. Kaku says, “We may be able to photograph some of the dreams that you have.”This may not sound good to spiritually strong individuals because there is no revelation and spiritual guidance involved in Kaku’s explanations. Integrated and divine intelligence is a very significant aspect because it provides the consciousness to resolve some insightful ontological interrogations as well as control and design own certainties and worlds. Kaku’s light and shallow touch on social level implies that he has naïve ignorance about the social issues that may impinge upon human future because he briefly focuses on the implications of the science and technology revolution along its present course. He focuses on some moral aspects such as artificial intelligence without deeply covering sociopolitical aspects such as population explosion as well as diminishing resources. Kaku observes a planetary culture emerging in such a way that communication technology will remain integral since the information will break down the boundaries of a world culture. Kaku(2009) says, “You’ll access the entire database of the planet of almost for free”. Still, Kaku’s universe will operate with similar consciousness as the current one that is limited by localized Media as well as separate individual component such as races and nations where everyone will push for their separate and isolated agenda(Santen, Khoe& Vermeer, 2010). It is apparent that development of science and technology will be the main indicators of human civilization advancement and therefore he tends to define the future world in terms of what human can achieve technologically and scientifically. He is so much concentrating on the machine metaphor predictions that dominate science and that the key to future are knowledge, power, and technique. Kaku focuses on machine led view of the future and this leads human to a world that do not seem fit for life. Kaku has actually given his explanations from a scientific worldview that is based on scientific methodology hence disregarding ideas and perspectives of other thinkers and philosophers outside of scientific world. It is important to incorporate views of other social l critiqs since they add value to the futurists. The fact that an idea or prediction is universally understood is undemocratic and therefore other people’s views are worthwhile. He tends to observe that science exists outside the paradigmatic worldview and that consensus of the scientists is superior and dissimilar from the ideas and notions of nonscientists. Scientific knowledge, according to Kaku’s explanation is vital for futurists like him and therefore social critics may not sum up or prove right thus making his predictions to lack the self-critical analysis of postmodernist scientific thought. Listening to Kaku’s predictions of the future, his science depiction, humanity and universe perceptions are as if they are universally accepted and confirmed and that science is the ultimate grand narrative which purveys truth in the new world. Considering Kaku’s future, it is as if technology will reign supreme and rescue human from various condition as the spirit will die giving way for science and machine to live. It seems that Kaku’s future will only be dominated by technology and information system that will replace spiritual concepts because he does not delve into the possible spiritual ramifications. He does not paint a broader picture regarding human values since he sees humanity challenges as technological and logistical. However, most of the things he points out are very evident in the current society. His technological and science explanations never disappoint. Indeed, there has been rapid evolution of science and technology and therefore the future is likely to follow the trend. Kaku being a scientist cannot stop to focus on what future will look like and his insight may just be one of the serious things and changes we are yet to see.MichioKaku in the video “The World in 2030” has revealed much about future technology and science impact on human. References Adonis, James. (2011, May 27). Internet via Contact Lenses, As Computers Die Out.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/blogs/work-in-progress/internet-via-contact-lenses-as-computers-die-out-20110527-1f6t0.html Kaku, Michio. (2009, October 28). "The World in 2030".YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=219YybX66MY Nesheim, Christian. (2010, November 29). 11 Predictions for the World in 2030 That May Sound Outrageous Today but not in the Future. I look Forward to. Retirieved from http://www.ilookforwardto.com/2010/11/10-predictions-for-2030-that-may-sound-outrageous-today-but-will-not-in-the-future1-by-2030-learning-a-language-will-no-lo.html#more Santen, R. A., Khoe, D., & Vermeer, B. (2010). 2030: Technology that will change the world. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More