Re: books

J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Fri, 1 May 1998 14:32:01 -0700


>> Anyone else reading Kaku?
>
>I've read him, and after the recent
Cassini protests, I am rather disgusted
>with him. He is no scientist, but a
grandstanding politically correct
>scientific faddist. I am not surprised
that he cannot forsee AI sooner, nor
>accept the potential for nanontech. It
fits with his anti-nuke, anti-cassini
>views, which are rather narrow and self
serving.
>
>>
>
>Mike Lorrey
>

I've read him. He harps about "Type I,
Type II, and Type III" civilizations.
But since these "types" of civilization
exist mostly in the far distant future,
and since Kaku ignores the eventuality
of a Singularity (with its explosion of
incomprehensible consequences), he
completely misses the point that
*accurate* long-range projections about
the future of science and technology
must await the presence of more powerful
thinking machines, i.e., artificial
intelligence -- which he postpones for
another half century.

Cheers,

J R