Soonish : emerging technologies that'll improve and/or ruin everything

by Kelly Weinersmith

Other authorsZach Weinersmith (Author)

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

601/.12

Library's review

Indeholder "1. Introduction", " Soonish. Emphasis on the ish", "Section 1 - The Universe, Soonish", "2. Cheap Access to Space - The Final Frontier Is Too Damn Expensive", "3. Asteroid Mining - Rummaging Through the Solar System's Junkyard", "Section 2 - Stuff, Soonish", "4. Fusion Power - It Powers

the Sun, and That's Nice, but Can It Run My Toaster?", "5. Programmable Matter - What If All of Your Stuff Could Be Any of Your Stuff?", "6. Robotic Construction - Build Me a Rumpus Room, Metal Servant!", "7. Augmented Reality - An Alternative to Fixing Reality", "8. Synthetic Biology - Kind of Like Frankenstein, Except the Monster Spends the Whole Book Dutifully Making Medicine and Industrial Inputs", "Section 3 - You, Soonish", "9. Precision Medicine - Everything That's Wrong with You in Particular - A Statistical Approach", "10. Bioprinting - Why Stop at Seven Margaritas When You Can Just Print a New Liver?", "11. Brain Computer Interface - Because After Four Billion Years of Evolution You Still Can't Remember Where You Put Your Keys", "12. Conclusion - Less Soonisher, or The Graveyard of Lost Chapters", "Acknowledgments", "Bibliography", "Index".

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Genres

Graphic Novels and Comics

All Topics

Publication

New York : Penguin Press, 2017.

Description

"From a top scientist and the creator of the hugely popular web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies--from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing. What will the world of tomorrow be like? How does progress happen? And why do we not have a lunar colony already? What is the holdup? In this smart and funny book, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and noted researcher Dr. Kelly Weinersmith give us a snapshot of what's coming next--from robot swarms to nuclear-fusion-powered toasters. By weaving their own research, interviews with the scientists who are making these advances happen, and Zach's trademark comics, the Weinersmiths investigate why these technologies are needed, how they would work, and what is standing in their way. New technologies are almost never the work of isolated geniuses with a neat idea. A given future technology may need any number of intermediate technologies to develop first, and many of these critical advances may appear to be irrelevant when they are first discovered. The journey to progress is full of strange detours and blind alleys that tell us so much about the human mind and the march of civilization. To this end, SOONISH investigates ten different emerging fields, from programmable matter to augmented reality, from space elevators to robotic construction, to show us the amazing world we will have, you know, soonish."--Jacket.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member heike6

It’s like sitting around with your smart, sarcastic friends as they tell you about new technologies.

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LibraryThing member Razinha

I love, but admit I don't regularly follow Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. They think! My son got this book and shared with me when he finished. On top of being quite brilliant, they also had me literally (and I do mean that in its correct definition!) laughing out loud several times.

The

authors looked at more-probable-than-not technologies that could might possibly someday come to fruition: cheap access to space, fusion power, augmented reality, synthetic biology...and more. "Looked at" is a gross understatement. They researched, examined, sifted, distilled, and summarized brilliantly the histories, how the world would be changed, current states, possibilities, concerns about the technologies and some things to take special notice for each.

And they do it with humor! Not too worry, though, just a few snarks and jokes inserted here and there. Like the difference between a geneticist and a genomicist: "This may sound like the genomicist is just smarter, but it's kind of like the difference between a psychologist and a sociologist." The footnote shreds!: "The former is wrong about individuals, the latter is wrong about groups."

And the analogies! On why electroencephalograms are so limited (poor spatial resolution, among other reasons): "Imagine you have a giant sphere filled with a million cats. You have sound detectors all around the rim of the sphere, There is no outside interference because your friends have stopped speaking to you."

The eleven pages of bibliography (in maybe 4 or 5 point font) are enough to keep me reading for the next 111 years. Brilliant. Well done. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member Guide2

Funny look at upcoming technologies. A good recap for someone with a wide technical background and very good vulgarisation for others.

LibraryThing member fpagan

The 10 subtitular things are cheap access to space, asteroid mining, fusion power, programmable matter, robotic construction, augmented reality, synthetic biology, precision medicine, bioprinting, and brain-computer interfaces. The jocular style and numerous color cartoons fortunately leave room

for some addressing of privacy concerns.

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LibraryThing member AliceaP

I'm a naturally curious person (obvious to the longtime reader) and I really enjoy learning about the the world we inhabit. I especially enjoy discussions which forecast what our world might look like in the near to distant future. This book touched on a lot of that and much more (much of it out of

my sphere of knowledge). Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything by Kelly Weinersmith (with illustrations by Zach Weiner) covers everything from space settlements (and space elevators!) to computer brain interfaces (no thank you!) with Utah Array (basically multiple neuron points). The wide variety of topics explored should appeal to a diverse audience and if that doesn't do it the illustrations scattered throughout certainly will as they further explain extremely technical subjects through a pop science lens (some quite funny while others tried just a bit too hard). I have to give them a giant HOORAY for their excellent use of references such as George Church (remember him from Woolly?) which lent a more academic feel. Besides explaining what inventions we might see in the future, Weinersmith discusses the concerns both ethical and economical which could either delay or outright stall further development. The futurists among you would do well to check this book out to get excited for the years ahead while the cynics might want to get their hands on it to strengthen their arguments. ;-) 7/10

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LibraryThing member strandbooks

I loved everything about this book. I heard the Weinersmith's speak on NPR and then heard them speak at Tattered Cover. They were hilarious and explained science in a way that I totally got. Their book is just as good. By chapter 2 I was reading so much of it to Chris he said just to let him read

it before it goes back to the library. I would read 10 more books about science topics written by them. My favorite chapters were about nuclear fusion, synthetic biology and asteroid mining.

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LibraryThing member themulhern

Subject matter all very interesting, jokes off-puttingly dumb. I think this would work much better as a performance rather than a book. I chose to take an interest in the references none the less.

There are similar cartoon-using books, like "We Have No Idea", but the execution is much better.

LibraryThing member cmbohn

I received this book for free from Net Galley.

I really enjoyed this book. I am definitely a science nerd. I love stuff like this, about technology and how it might impact our lives in the future. I only got to read an excerpt from the book, but I really enjoyed what I read. The book starts out with

the very big and goes to the very small. The first chapter starts with cheaper space travel - because why can't we go all Star Trek yet and what's it going to take? The authors break it down, with what space travel involves and why it is so expensive. I also love the style. The whole book is written for readers like me, who really dig science, but aren't experts at it. Then there are cartoons, because we get a little distracted too.

I would definitely recommend this one. I think it would also be a great gift for the science nerds you love, including your teenagers.

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LibraryThing member aadyer

A reasonably fun, in places, slightly dragging look at possible ways the world is going to change with developing technologies. Interesting and in the main, accessible. The humour was quite good but not brilliant and some of this material, I just thought that I could get this off of Wikipedia or

from other sources before proceeding to us.

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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW

Soonish
Ten Emerging Technologies That Will Improve and/or Ruin Everything
by Dr. Kelly Weinersmith; Zach Weinersmith
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book is an informative and fun book to read. Not only does it give the reader ideas for what might be coming

along in the future and what that might mean for mankind (good or bad) but it is done in a very humorous way! It sure got a few chuckles and giggles out of me! That's the best way to read science! Make it fun! I would definitely recommend this to anyone! A fun coffee table book, bathroom reading book, a book for that person who has everything! Great job!

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LibraryThing member jefware

Covers the down and skinny of space travel and mining, fusion power, nanotech, robots, AR, synthetic life, precision medicine, bioprinting and brain/computer interface.

LibraryThing member Paul_S

A bit like what Randall Munroe did with his what if and thing explainer only without the math or humour (similarly to how SMBC is a bit like XKCD except without math or nowadays without humour either). What I'm trying to say is Zach hasn't been funny since ~2012 when he went all weird so maybe

branching out is a good idea. I stopped reading SMBC but I thought I'd give this a chance. Might try again with the next book.

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LibraryThing member GlennBell

This is a fun book to read due to the humor of the authors. The content is also interesting and is explained with understandable analogies. I enjoyed reading this book and learning some concepts that I was not familiar with. There were a few topics that I am quite familiar with due to my education

and occupation. The book is more of a discussion of a series of emerging technologies that a prediction of the future. I strongly recommend this book for any nerds like myself.

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LibraryThing member bdgamer

Bioprinting, neuroprosthetics, asteroid mining - these are just some of the more interesting parts of the future Kelly and Zach highlight in this delightful book. Chockfull of their trademark humor and insight, it was a pleasure to read.

The best part is how they do all three things - dreams of what

might happen, the present situation, and where we’re headed. Each part is given equal weight. They also highlight that it’s not futurism but rather a look at the sciences.

The witty, swift writing style makes for a quick, enjoyable read. Pick it up if you’re interested in learning what may happen within our lifetimes.

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LibraryThing member martialalex92

This was great and makes me want to follow them on twitter. Would highly recommend

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