New York
In 2020, the word "computer" will disappear from English, physics Michio Kaku predicts. Every 18 months, double computer power, it is recorded, so in eight years, the microchip will be charged only a penny. Instead of a desktop chip in, we will have millions of chips in all of our property: furniture, cars, appliances, clothing. Chips will be so at any of that "we will not say the word 'computer'," prophesied Mr. Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at City College of New York. "We will only reverse the situation on."
Mr. Kaku, who is 65, enjoys making predictions. In his latest book, "The Future of Chemistry", released in Anchor paperback in February, it predicted driverless cars in 2020 and synthetic organ in 2030. If that sounds strange arrangement, Mr. Kaku understand that skepticism. "If you can meet your grandchildren as elderly in the year 2100," he offered, "you will see it as, basically, the Greek god." Nonetheless, he said, "the direction in which we,"-and it was worried that the U.S. will fall behind in the onrush of technology.
To understand the world we are entering, consider other words that will be lost absent ". Tumor" "We will have a DNA chip in our toilet, which will be some blood and urine samples and let us know if we have cancer may be 10 years before a design tumor, "said Mr. Kaku. When you need to go to the doctor, you will be talking to a wall in your home, and "a doctor, artificial intelligent animation will appear." You will scan your body with hand-held MRI machine, "Robodoc" will analyze the results, and you will receive "99 percent accurate diagnosis."
In this case "Augmented reality," as Mr. Kaku said it, the internet will be your contact lenses. "You will blink, and you will go online," he said. "That will change everything." Students will find answers on tests when taking them. Actors will cheat from their scripts while performing onstage. Foreigners would translate their conversations with the natives at all. Job seekers will identify "who sucked up at a cocktail party" secretly. And President Obama "will never have teleprompters in front of him," she joked.
Although this gadget seems light years away, Mr. Kaku asserts that they "came very, very quickly." Army already has a prototype of contact lenses called "Land Warrior." In 2010, he tried to shoot when specific devices for Science channel, where they appear regularly. Land Warrior helmet with eye lens that allows users to see the entire battlefield. "You see friendly forces, enemy forces, artillery, planes, everything," said Mr. Kaku, "only to flick to the bottom right of your eyes."
When he described the crystalline lens, Mr. Kaku on my friends through his hands . We sat in the room from the lobby as well as his high-rise overlooking the Hudson River. With silver gray hair, threw back his ears, he made his shot to illustrate his points. And he laughed continuously. Despite the success of his passion for knowledge, they also find humor in failure.
Download the paperless office. Futurists predict that computers would make paper obsolete. Now, however, we use more paper than ever. Techies ignored what Mr. Kaku calls "Caveman Principle": ". Personality we do not change over 100,000 years, since modern humans emerged from Africa," the fact that scholars like high technology, "but the man who likes to cave high touch," he explains. "People do not feel comfortable with all the electrons on their PC screen." With a flip of the switch, the electrons missing, feared our inner cave. "We want hard copy."
However, Mr. Kaku is bullish on the prospects of mankind. Driven by advances in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, we will be fully global civilization in the year 2100, he predicted: "The language is English planet Internet will become the European Union telephone system planets and large trading blocs will be economic planetary ball .. Olympic soccer will be sporting Gucci and Chanel .. planet will become high fashion youth culture of the planet and the planet would be a Rock 'N Roll' and rap .. "
Mr. Kaku has been exploring the limits of physics since childhood. When he was eight years old, Albert Einstein died, and the public reaction to pass through the physical "with Whitney Houston as great as dying," he remembered. In the midst of riots, he heard that Einstein had failed to solve the largest employment: individuals, inch long equation that would include the laws of physics. Einstein hoped that this theory including all will explain how the universe works. Fascinated by the idea, Mr. Kaku decided to take the place it left off.
To understand the universe, physicists must first find out what it is made of. "We need to write down all the books," told Mr. Kaku, "because 10 years ago they all say the universe is primarily made of atoms We now know that it is wrong .." In fact, atoms make only 4% of the universe. The other 96% consists of dark material and dark energy, two mysterious substances very little is known.
Moreover, the standard model of physics is complete, the theory behind the particle. They now know there are not only three types of particles-protons, neutrons and electrons-but, and thousands of them. Physics in Geneva near the last to find the particle they need to solve the model, the Higgs Boson. Using a whisk atom Large Hadron Collider called humongous, they spend their days shooting ray protons into each other and examine what comes out.
Mr. Kaku believes that researchers will be looking for Higgs at the end of the year. The next purpose was to make the dark matter. And eventually, they hope to nail down what dark energy is consistent. When calculating the amount of dark energy in the universe, current theory does not produce estimates that are active in the 10,120. "It was the largest ever clash between theory and experiment in the history of physics," admits Mr. Kaku, laughing. "This is very embarrassing."
Who is also a shame is that the U.S. falls behind its competitors in scientific research. Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland for Congress to cancel the development of much larger atomic whisk us, the Super Collider a superconductor, in 1993. In addition, we study the combination of many nuclear laboratories are closing, while France plans to open a combination of a nuclear reactor in 2019. Finally, the U.S. space program guides small to China. "In 2025, do not be surprised if China placed the flag on the moon," warned Mr. Kaku.
And woe to the people who have lost sight of. English as a world empire pioneered steam power in the 19th century, Mr. Kaku tells. In 1920, however, English is self-starting. British industry lost focus on technology development, to strengthen the country's status as a world power declined. "And who took over Germany.?" German scientists split the atom and developed the core of the astronauts. "So the end of the spear in the art of shifting from English into German with catastrophic results" in World War II, Mr. Kaku concludes.
Now, he said, the U.S. lost the edge because we do not produce enough scientists. "Fifty percent of physics Ph.D. was born in a foreign land, and they are here compliments of the H1-B visa," related Mr. Kaku. "There is brain drain to the United States; that is why we are No 1 But it can not last forever .." China and India are slowly win back their original inhabitants, while the best students we avoid the hard sciences for lucrative careers in areas such as investment banking.
"I do not hate investment banking," said Mr. Kaku, "but like a massage money from creating money. If you are in physics, you make a discovery, you make a laser, you make transistors, computers, GPS." If you are an investment banker, on the other hand, "you do not make something new you simply massage other people's money and take a cut .."
This is a shame, because Mr. Kaku believes that human beings are natural born scientists. "When we are born, we wanted to know why the stars shine We want to know why the sun rises .." But then we have the "in danger" for young people: high school. "And we lost them by the millions, literally by millions Why? This is a combination of a bad teacher and inspiration is not there .."
After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Mr. Kaku's hobby into a call: "This great national outrage that the Russians were beating us left and right is your patriotic duty to be a physicist .." Today, unfortunately, as there is no catalyst for our students: "This is all going." Mr. Kaku has spent his life trying to fill the vacancy: "'. When Sputnik" I want to inspire young people to have "
Despite fears that the country is losing the edge, Mr. Kaku can not optimistic. New last month, scientists announced that they have discovered a planet that is very likely to have oceans of liquid (and thus potential life) 22 light-years from Earth. He predicted that in this century, we will find evidence that "we not only game in town."
In short, the physics will continue to push the boundaries of knowledge forward, the U.S. is in the lead. Mr. Kaku just hope we will not allow ourselves to fall too far behind.
Mr. Bolduc, a former Robert L. Bartley fellow at the Journal, is the association for the National Review editorial.
