Physicists look at the coming century
929888
This book contains ten lectures from a conference of the same name held in 1997. The articles tend to concentrate on particle physics, although not completely. The first article, ``Three Stages, Three Modes, and Beyond'',  by Y. Nambu, discusses several modes of research progress in particle  physics. It would be of great interest to the historian of science. The  article ``Nonequilibrium Physics and the Origins of complexity in Nature''  by J.S. Langer considers how physicists in the next century may approach  the problem of life.  There is a fine, if brief discussion of snowflake  formation as an example of complexity studies. The article  gives a  fascinating perspective, suggesting that phycicists may have to abandon  their search for fundamental principles in approaching the problems of  life. The last article in the volume, ``Quantum Cosmology, Problems for the  21st Century'', by J.B. Hartle, gives a broad discussion of cosmological  problems, dealing in particular with the role of initial conditions to the  cosmological equations, and lists eight problems that may guide future  work. Taken as a whole, the volume illustrates the ability of physicists to  move from their particular technical work to a consideration of profound  general problems.
3245457
This is an interesting book written by an 'outsider' to the mainstream Physics community.  Wan-Jiung Hu is a Physics postdoc from Johns Hopkins University and former M.D. that gives him a unique experience and fresh perspective.

Dr. Hu takes on some of the most challenging questions in modern Physics, and really science in general.  His approach is to address these questions in a Theory of Everything (TOE) framework across the various disciplines which is what a unifying theory should do. Some of the wording and terminology is awkward in English but I suspect that is due to translation from Chinese.  Terms like `spinnity', `lightity', and 'gravitospinnity' are curious in English but in context we can see how they are used in Dr. Hu's analysis.

The most interesting chapter cosmologically concerns dark energy or "universal lightity".  Physicists today almost universally accept the existence of dark energy that is causing an accelerating expansion of the universe, but with an unknown nature, possibly anti-gravity or something else undetermined.  Dr. Hu proposes that dark energy might be light energy or more accurately light pressure that is counteracting the central attraction of mass.  He actually offers a calculation that shows how this action is on the order of magnitude of what we would expect from dark energy based on an earlier paper of his.  He actually shows how Hubble's law can be obtained from this outward light radiation pressure.  This certainly warrants more analysis, especially so since dark energy theorists are not publishing much in the way of explanations of it's nature.

Dr. Hu also proposes a new earthquake prediction theory as an alternative to classic tectonic plate interactions which cannot currently explain or predict all earthquakes.  His theory is based on thermal radiation release from the earth's core which he calls intra-tectonic plate theory.  This is new science and like any theory requires testing, but if it truly can improve prediction, then given the plethora of earthquakes and tsunamis we are experiencing worldwide, let's test it to see if it constitutes a better predictive theory to possibly save lives.

He offers new theory and explanations on many topics including dark matter, the Grand Unified Theory, the birth and end of the universe, a theory of everything in Biology, and even a theory of everything in Economics, to name a few.  Dr. Hu also offers a theory of everything in Philosophy where he delineates an ontological proof of God's existence, so there is something of interest here for every field in a truly interdisciplinary sense.  It is probably overly ambitious in even attempting this, but certainly stimulates new innovative and integrative thinking outside the usual divisions.

This book is highly recommended due to its out of the ordinary fresh perspective and bold approach to tackling some of the most difficult questions of Physics, and  science in general across interdisciplinary boundaries.  Dr. Hu challenges readers and scientists to test his theories and provide experimental data to either support or refute them, and this is how science should be done.

James R. Powell
1733013
If you want to know where the future is headed and where we are today, take the time to read this book
3444388
Winston Churchill said, "The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." It is, perhaps, surprising to learn that much of what has taken place with the Internet could have been predicted by studying events in the past 150 years. The invention, deployment and integration of the telegraph into society and business practices mirror the Internet in a great many ways.

The Internet has shrunk the world (like never before?), enabled business to take place at the speed of light (like never before?), caused information overload (ditto), and even enabled new mechanisms of dating and marriage to take place (again ditto). One wonders if by studying the rise (and fall) of the telegraph and related technologies we can predict the next "big things" and opportunities in this age of the internet?

This is a terrific "gee-whiz" book, an easy read on an airplane. It will likely amuse you; it may evoke an epiphany or two; it may even spark the idea for a new product or business!
4853051
****.5
"Not only does physics tell us how something could have come from nothing, it goes further, by Krauss's account, and shows us that nothingness is unstable: something was almost bound to spring into existence from it. If I understand Krauss aright, it happens all the time:... Particles and antiparticles wink in and out of existence..." --Richard Dawkins
*

A couple of years ago, Krauss discussed the current status of the universe, and how it could have come from nothing. The lecture's video quickly became a YouTube sensation, of nearly a million viewers, and out of that success emerged the idea for his new book, "A Universe from Nothing: Why there is Something rather than Nothing," in which Lawrence Krauss recounts the recent developments in our conceptions of cosmology, with the help of modern physics, addressing the question of "Why there is something rather than nothing," and why this is in fact a scientific question rather than a philosophical or theological one.

"Science has changed the way we think about ourselves and our place in the cosmos, and the astounding progress of the last forty years has led us to the threshold of addressing key foundational questions about our existence and our future that were previously thought to be beyond our reach," says Krauss, ". . . , the public deserves to share in the excitement of our scientific quest to understand the biggest mysteries of our existence. As Steven Weinberg has stressed, science doesn't make it impossible to believe in God. It however makes it possible to consider a universe without one."

In an entirely statistical world of quantum physics, whatever change in quantum numbers, only permitted by the selection rules (that limit the transition probability from one eigenstate to another), define how the probability of transitioning from one level to another can happen. Experiments reveal that virtual particles are popping in and out of existence, allover the pseudo-conscious universe. Einstein's relativity provides that empty space can curve, and quantum physics permits matter to appear out of nowhere, given it also vanishes in no time. The reader has just to understand something about vacuum in space, as it is viewed in quantum field theory.

Since modern physics assumes that a vacuum is full of fluctuating electromagnetic waves, which can never be completely eliminated, they have been occurring before the dawn of time. All were thought to have quickly disappeared, but perhaps under the right conditions, if one lived long enough to give rise to the original event of the nascent universe: banging inflation. Thereafter, the original relatively infinitesimal volume expanded enormously to produce our present universe. Krauss recounts its history, underling the recent discoveries that not only increased our knowledge but also our ignorance (imperfect knowledge).

Krauss, a pioneering theoretical physicist, at the forefront of exploratory cosmology and particle physics, tackles the timeless enigma, articulating how cosmic physics has literally changed the response to this ancient question. Recent research into the origins of the universe explored by quantum mechanics, shows that our universe could arise from nothing. I enjoyed above all Richard Dawkins 'Afterword', that nothing expands the mind like the expanding universe, made known to the lay by Sir James Jeans before Dr. Krauss was even born. He concludes that, "Krauss's vision of the cosmology of the remote future is paradoxical and frightening!"
3596948
Kurzweil is one of the leaders in historic and future trends. This book is a summary of just that: trends during the lifetime of the universe, and what that means for the future. The book delves into all sorts of coming and current revolutions, mostly focusing on ones in computers, nanotechnology and biology, and mostly their intersection. It is fascinating and mind-expanding. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in history or interested in what will be happening over the next several years
3191643
Now that the 21st century is well on the way, I've found myself being drawn to books written in the 20th century talking about the 21st century. I find it both amusing and fascinating to see what authors were writing and predicting about "the future." COUNTDOWN TO 2000 is one such book, but written for kids.  The book is written kind of as a prediction book/scrapbook combo and includes four major sections.

The first section explains where the word millennium came from, how the modern calendar came to be, and some suggestions on creating a time capsule. The second section is all about predictions. Predictions about the end of the world, robots, space exploration, and the environment. There's also a sections about science fiction and about what life was like around the year 999. The third section is also about predictions, but more on a personal level: the types of food people will eat, the clothes people will wear, how people will shop, the types of jobs, and how people will entertain themselves. The final section of the book is the major scrapbook feature and provides a place where people can record all sorts of events for the next 6 years (1996-2001): height, weight, friends, favorites songs, favorite teachers, favorite movies, etc.

I've always found the majority of children's prediction books to be funny. For example, the clothing section in COUNTDOWN TO 2000 makes the prediction that in the new millennium "space-age-fashion" (sterile white clothing with shiny metal)will be all the rage. This is a prediction that I have read in books for the past twenty years and it has yet to come to pass.  Of course, there are some predictions made in the book that have become a reality. Back in 1996 the Internet had just started to enter the public mainstream and the book predicts that the Internet will play a huge role in the future and commands readers to "get prepared--the internet is coming to you."  That's a prediction that did become a reality because most kids today can't imagine life without the Internet.

Besides the predictions and some simple games, COUNTDOWN TO 2000 also includes several interesting tidbits of information. For example, in 1957 a "House of the Future" was built at Disneyland that was made totally from plastic. Ten years later when the house was to be demolished for a new exhibit--the wrecking ball bounced off the surface and the house had to be taken apart by hand.

Overall, I enjoyed reading COUNTDOWN TO 2000. Though the book offers some educational and entertainment value, most kids won't have much interest, except those that will be amused by the book's (often hilarious) predictions.
4202303
The science is becoming reachable. At least the nano technology appears so. I refuse to believe in a future that does not contain some form of interstellar travel.  It will probably be very different from any thing we imagine. The life style differences on Earth are marked.  Moving away from this planet can only exacerbate change. I wish I could see it.
4865127
The book is a fascinating journey into the world of quantum physics. Leading experts provide their opinions into the bleeding edge research being conducted. Some of the answers are somewhat technical but can be comprehended with careful reading.
3272334
Our understanding of the universe is shaped by observational cosmology and astrophysics, which are, in turn, shaped by socio-political and economic concerns. This book explores the history and analyzes the processes and forces that influenced the twentieth-century advances in the astronomical sciences, including theories and theorists.

This text is very accessible and well-illustrated and is interesting reading not only for scientists but for academicians, historians, sociologists, economists, &c. It is a truly interdisciplinary look at how science works.
2318089
Huw Price's book is one of the best, but also most demanding, popular science books on the market. Actually it is a mixture of science and philosophy. Depite now being over 10 years old, there is little in it that has lost its relevance or been knocked down in those intervening years.

The great thing about the topic of time is that it is something that we all experience and have an intuitive feeling for. But if asked to explain it, to others or ourselves, we start to tie ourselves in knots. That is where this author shines most - at tackling the problem a step at a time, clearly, in simple language and with great attention to possible misunderstandings. His whole argument centers on the question of why the laws of physics are time symmetric whilst the world that we observe appears to have a preferred direction - from past to future. It turns out that many fascinating concepts are involved in untangling this problem. Entropy, causality and dependence, micro- versus macro-events. Psychological factors (based on human experience) are shown to strongly influence the way we think about the world, and to obscure our view of what time symmetry really implies.

The central claim of the book is that microscopic processes actually are time reversible and admit backwards causation. This idea is applied in quantum mechanics (in a non-mathematical but logical fashion) to suggest that Bell's theorem and non-locality can be explained (away) by assuming that particles can be influenced in their present state by a measurement that lies in the future. Sounds crazy? No its not, really. This is not wishful thinking, or trying to open a 'scientific door' to supernatural phenomena. What Price shows, very convincingly, is how difficult it is, even for famous physicists, to step outside our human perspective as actors in time. However, with a little effort to adopt the Archimedean perspective 'outside' of time, the reader is rewarded with a truly mind-bending new view of time, and the challenges it poses for physics and philosophy. An excellent, carefully argued and thoroughly stimulating book!
2009040
By now it's a familiar theme that description of movement and energy in the atomistic world is beyond human scientific experience, if not beyond imagination. This book presents interesting insights into the apparent incompatibility between relativistic principles and atomistic ideas. The most interesting parts introduce the progression of science and scientists from Democritus in 450 BCE to Einstein, Bohr, Hubble and modern contemporaries at CERN and other laboratories.  There is more history than science.
276902
As a grade school attendee when the periodic table was the be all and end all of matter, a liberal arts graduate of the 1960's, and current business executive whose last periodic update on physics was light reading about  quantum mechanics parallels with eastern philosophy, this is a gem of an  update.
Aside from the fascinating content, I was wowed by the technical  writing and use of analogies.  I only hope Brian's mind functions long  enough to write the sequel -- while mine functions well enough to read  it.
For those who don't follow physics, this may be the book that changes  the way you view your existence and relationship to the cosmos.
4011528
Ken Wilber takes us back to the early turn of the Twentieth Century, in this work, but remember, it is not his work but the work of some of the greatest scientists of the last century. This book is an anthology that includes original works from Heisenberg to Eddington. Uniquely, they are not theoretical works by these authors(the scientists), but enters into the classification of Philosophy of Science. As a Philosopher in train-ing, this is what I bought the book for, and already familiar with Ken Wilber, this was an easy decision. So, for anyone who is an avid reader of Philosophy, this is for you! Though the title alludes to the mystical perspectives held by say, Einstein and Plank, for instance, it does so by way of philosophical speculations about the Universe.
4483539
As far as I have found so far, this book is among the best books that describe the "new physics" on the atomic and subatomic scale (and it macroscopic affects).
New physics, in my definition is the physics of tomorrow, doing away with quantum mechanic's obsoleted view of the nano-scale world.
The book starts out by defining the basic structure of matter and physical space and then goes on to describe the electron, superconductivity, energy of the physical vacuum, structure of elementary particles, the hydrogen atom (and it molecular forms), atomic structures, structure and bonding mechanisms of molecules, time, inertia and gravity, hypothesis for biomolecules, bio-energy and intercommunication. The book is rounded off with sections on cosmology and galactic cycles, which puts the mega structure of things in connection with the macro and micro/nano universe. finally the books sums up some of the possible applications of the theory in the areas of energy, transportation and communication.

The books seems to be based on and inspired ny the knowledge collected throughout the 20th century by many unconventional physicist, chemists, engineers and inventors. The book compiles this knowledge and presents a theory/hypothesis for the observed effects in a comprehensive way. The book is a foundation for exploring the vacuum based physics of our world. Being theoretical, the book does not include simple experiments or examples of such that could be performed to verify the theories (though some can be found on the net). Many phenomena seen in the view of the new physics remains to be explained, but It may be the basis for a future publication from the same author or from other authors in the very near future.

If you want to know the foundations of "new physics" and is not afraid of math (use of abstract/advanced math is avoided in the book), this is a must-have book. I can also recommend the other books from the same author which goes more into the details about the energy and transportation aspects of the theory.
2416125
This is a well-written, fun to read book that seeks to explain a number of topics such as force fields, phasers, invisibility, and antimatter in the context of real physics. He considers the first class of possibilities to be things that seem possible today and don't violate the laws of physics. They may be possible in the future. The second category are at the very edge of our theoretical understanding and could be available thousands of years in the future if ever. The third category actually violates known physics and would require the basic shift of our understanding of the universe.

The approach to a subject such as force fields is to historically discuss Faradays experiments and the physics involved. He then progresses to Maxwell's very mathematical laws, how force fields appeared to be used in Star Trek, and his best guess as of 10 years ago how possible it is to control and use. Despite the guesses being made so long ago, since they were based on laws of physics, they are still pretty much valid.

He uses a synopsis of famous science fiction stories, science fiction movies or TV series such a Star Trek to begin the discussion of how some of the systems portrayed such as phasers might actually work.  Kaku goes into the general and special theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, string theory and others as necessary to explore the possibilities.

Kaku does point out that increasing the number of dimensions available changes our perspective. For instance Ed Witten at Princeton showed that when you look at the most popular five string theory's from 11 dimensions, where a new mathematical object called a membrane exists, all five theories were essentially the same. This eventually developed into the idea that instead of a big bang to create our universe there is a big splat where membranes actually collided. These collisions may continue to occur in a cycle.

Despite being written over a decade ago the book is still quite interesting to read. You can amuse yourself by checking the status of different topics of interest today on the Internet.
4022543
Written during the era of predictive doom for the year 2000, and visions of the end of times, the author capitalizes on these themes by using the concept of the evolution of the human brain as indicative of coming major changes in social, spiritual, and intellectual advancement in 21st century humanity. Although science offers no current empirical evidence to support such an earth-changing phenomenon, the author's theoretical viewpoint deserves serious consideration when seen from a historical perspective of select individuals who have displayed superior intellect and spiritual enlightenment such as The Christ, The Buddha, Lao Tzu, and a long list of noted sages in world history.
The author points out key individuals who have made contributions toward the theme of human spiritual advancement, adhering primarily to Buddhist and Christian dogma in his commentary.  As science alone can merely serve as the boundary of our reasoning, our faith in spiritual leaders and our own advancement in the maturity of human wisdom, must truly lie with the individual's journey along that path toward enlightenment. In that regard, the author strives to assist and guide us, and for that, I wish to thank him for his commendable effort and hope that you find this work to be helpful and rewarding.