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My favorite popular science author has done it again.
I really like this book.
Actually the title of the book is a bit misleading though, because in it, Michio mainly talks about things which are possible, some of which even already exist experimentally.
My favorites are experiments being done to bend light in order to make objects invisible.
Who knows: one day in the far future we might all walk around with our little light bending machines on our belt.
That would be so cool. I can think of a lot of things I would do while I'm invisible. LOL.
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I had been waiting for months to read this thing, and it was well worth it. The only thing I can say is that I wish Kaku would write more.
He explains the "impossible" by reducing scientific evidence to one brilliant bottom line sentence, supported by accurate modern research. He does not try to pump up his theories with confusing analogies or humor, just hands the good stuff on a plate for one to sample and digest at leisure.
He also avoids the moral issues regarding future weapons and possible dangers of advanced technology, keeping his thoughts in perspective, and giving a clear objective picture of true vision.
Rating: -
I had been waiting for months to read this thing, and it was well worth it. The only thing I can say is that I wish Kaku would write more.
He explains the "impossible" by reducing scientific evidence to one brilliant bottom line sentence, supported by accurate modern research. He does not try to pump up his theories with confusing analogies or humor, just hands the good stuff on a plate for one to sample and digest at leisure.
He also avoids the moral issues regarding future weapons and possible dangers of advanced technology, keeping his thoughts in perspective, and giving a clear objective picture of true vision.
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I found this to be an interesting read, but I was disappointed to find many errors - not necessarily in content, but in wording and sentence structure. For example, "Newtons's laws are so all-embracing that if you know the location and position of all the molecules in the universe..." Obviously, he meant location and velocity. The reader will usually know what was meant, but I would hope the author would have the book proof-read before any future printings.
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Having been a wannabe Jedi since birth, the idea of lightsabers, phaser guns, and force fields has always intrigued me. Michio Kaku's "Physics of the Impossible" explores the possibility of such technology not in a galaxy far far away - but in our own. He has put into words what every Treky only dreamed of, and what every kid who dressed up as Flash Gordon, Dr. Emmett Brown, or Luke Skywalker for Halloween only wished was humanly possible.
In a very matter-of-fact way Dr. K divides things such as teleportation, telekinesis, time travel, invisibility, parallel universes, and precognition into three classes of impossibilities. Each class is different in how soon or likely its subjects are to come to pass, whether in a decade, century, millennium, or never.
Kaku's style of writing is very easy to comprehend. Although it is largely based on ideas of science fiction, that which seems to us impossible seems within reach. Teleportation is on the verge of a breakthrough. Laser technology is growing by leaps and bounds all around us. NASA's ability to explore the universe continues to expand in authority. Only time will tell when physicists and scientists of today will unlock the key to the impossible.
The content within "Physics of the Impossible" was intriguing. Much of the content was about things not many people read about - NASA's recent research projects, for example. Kaku's often citations of popular science fiction movies made the pages come to life as the ideas and possibilities of the future were explained in each chapter. His detailed but simple chapters made for an easy read during a few minutes of free time.
Dr. K discusses an episode of "The Simpsons." Quoting Homer Simpson, "Lisa, get in here....in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" (p. 258) While the Simpsons may be the most popular misconstrued family on planet Earth, Homer was in no doubt correct at one thing - at least for now.
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