Seeing Michio Kaku today. Any questions you'd like me to ask?

[SeventhSigma]

Just going to compile a list and see what I can do if there is a Q&A session/signing. Let me know!

 

[QuarkCharmer]

Please ask him to stop making non-documentary Sci-fi (SyFy?) shows! :)

 

[SeventhSigma]

Why so? XD

 

[QuarkCharmer]

Watch an episode of Sci-Fi Science and see for yourself!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just got off the phone with Michio. He was all atwitter over the prospect of finally meeting SeventhSigma, he could hardly contain himself. He was so exuberant that he cornered the conversation and I forgot to ask him my question so if you get a chance, ask him "Where's that 5 bucks you owe me from last year?"

 

[DR13]

Watch an episode of Sci-Fi Science and see for yourself!

I agree. It's horrible! All he does is make up stuff that isn't close to the realm of possibility and say, "Well we may get there one day." It's pointless.

 

[SeventhSigma]

Technically a lot of the stuff he talks about is based on science we've already shown to be true today, so is it really that big of a stretch?

I mean, I understand that it's always going to sound funny to talk about technology of the future, but it seems like a lot of it is reasonable extrapolation given the current nature of our exponential growth (as well as what history's shown us).

Granted, I don't really like the whole "other dimensions" talk -- in fact I don't like talking about other dimensions much at all.

 

[DR13]

Technically a lot of the stuff he talks about is based on science we've already shown to be true today, so is it really that big of a stretch?

I mean, I understand that it's always going to sound funny to talk about technology of the future, but it seems like a lot of it is reasonable extrapolation given the current nature of our exponential growth (as well as what history's shown us).

Granted, I don't really like the whole "other dimensions" talk -- in fact I don't like talking about other dimensions much at all.

The "other dimensions" talk seems to be more concrete than what he talks about. It is widely accepted that there are more than the three spatial dimensions + time. However, when he talks about how we could do inter-gallactic travel, he mainly makes up technology that he admits won't be available for many, many years (if ever). It would be more interesting to hear about technologies that could emerge in the next few decades (10-50 years). These are things that we could see in our lifetime.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

My favorite was the one where he was talking about going back in time by building a huge cylinder and navigating around it. Only problem is "oops" the cylinder would have to be more massive than the freaking earth! But hey, we'll figure out a way around that some day.

 

[phinds]

The value of a science popularizer like him is that he gets younger folks interested in science whereas more straightforward academic types. Yeah he stretches things too much and hypothesizes out the wazoo and that makes a lot of us grit out teeth, but if at the end of the day he causes more people to go into science as a field of study, that's a good thing.

He loses the respect of some of his peers because of what he does (or maybe I should say how he does it) but he makes himself a ton of money so I'm sure that balances out for him.

 

[QuarkCharmer]

Oh don't get me wrong. I like the guy. He has done some good things, and I enjoy a few of his books (Hyperspace has a great few chapters on him growing up). That show is absolutely horrible though, and I cringe at the end of each one when he says "Let's ask the sci fi fans!" and a bunch of guys give their input on the impossible thing he "accomplished/planned".

I am all for popularizing the sciences, but things like that are presented in a "look what may be possible" or a "look what those other people can do" perspective. I think part of popularizing sciences should include actual science.

 

[gendou2]

All he does is make up stuff that isn't close to the realm of possibility and say, "Well we may get there one day." It's pointless.

For that matter, tell him to stop writing popular physics books, which are bad for the same reason. I pirated a copy of "Physics of the Future", and I STILL want my money back! :(

The value of a science popularizer like him is that he gets younger folks interested in science...

I don't buy this argument.
You can be cool with the kiddies and avoid hyperbole/misrepresentation at the same time.
For an example of this, look to Neil DeGrasse Tyson!

 

[SeventhSigma]

I love Neil deGrasse Tyson as well. But can you explain to me exactly when Kaku is demonstrating hyperbole/misrepresentation? I've never heard him say anything that's exaggerated or incorrect with respect to science. There's plenty that's extrapolated, but I think that's a different story.

 

[lisab]

Oh don't get me wrong. I like the guy. He has done some good things, and I enjoy a few of his books (Hyperspace has a great few chapters on him growing up). That show is absolutely horrible though, and I cringe at the end of each one when he says "Let's ask the sci fi fans!" and a bunch of guys give their input on the impossible thing he "accomplished/planned".

I am all for popularizing the sciences, but things like that are presented in a "look what may be possible" or a "look what those other people can do" perspective. I think part of popularizing sciences should include actual science.

I agree. Someone here on PF had a great analogy about this. Many science books that are intended for laymen are like pictures taken from the top of Mt Everest: the pictures are pretty, but they give *no* indication of what it's like to be a mountain climber.

(I wish I could remember who said that...I think it was twofish...)

 

[Newai]

I remember seeing him in an interview on a YouTube video being asked about time travel. He suggested that people from the future may already be here. When asked where they were, he said, "Maybe they're invisible."

Uh, yeah. Maybe they are.

Found it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnkE2yQPw6s

 

[rhody]

I just got off the phone with Michio. He was all atwitter over the prospect of finally meeting SeventhSigma, he could hardly contain himself. He was so exuberant that he cornered the conversation and I forgot to ask him my question so if you get a chance, ask him "Where's that 5 bucks you owe me from last year?"

Hehe, priceless Jimmy, priceless...

Rhody...

 

[DR13]

I love Neil deGrasse Tyson as well. But can you explain to me exactly when Kaku is demonstrating hyperbole/misrepresentation? I've never heard him say anything that's exaggerated or incorrect with respect to science. There's plenty that's extrapolated, but I think that's a different story.

I gave the example of inter-gallactic travel. Kaku stated that the traveler would need to be encased in an energy shell the size of Jupiter to be safe from ramming into debris. Also, the ship would have to some how warp space time because it would be necessary to break the speed of light without violating the laws of physics. QuarkCharmer talked about the time travel episode and how that was rediculous.

This is hyperbole. If someone without a PhD said it, then it would just be someone's imagination.

 

[phinds]

Oh don't get me wrong. I like the guy. He has done some good things, and I enjoy a few of his books (Hyperspace has a great few chapters on him growing up). That show is absolutely horrible though, and I cringe at the end of each one when he says "Let's ask the sci fi fans!" and a bunch of guys give their input on the impossible thing he "accomplished/planned".

I am all for popularizing the sciences, but things like that are presented in a "look what may be possible" or a "look what those other people can do" perspective. I think part of popularizing sciences should include actual science.

I absolutely agree w/ everything you've said. His playing to the morons is what's grating.

 

[Darken-Sol]

it sounds like every one is bustin this guys balls for doing science fiction. for the lay person it is almost all sci fi as we will not have a chance to prove or disprove most things. i do have some questions about the higgs boson, but i have to do some more research first.

 

[Andre]

...if you get a chance, ask him "Where's that 5 bucks you owe me from last year?"

and

... He suggested that people from the future may already be here. ..

Hmm, maybe we should ask "where's that 5 bucks you owe me from next year?"

 

[glueball8]

I'm glad most PFers share my view on Michio Kaku. I get very annoyed when I see him on youtube because I feel he is misleading viewers.

Even though most of what he says isn't wrong (or right) because his just theorizing. But when those who knows no science hear it, they treat it as fact. Which ends up into metaphysics and pseudosciences. This type of edutainment/scientainment needs to stop.

 

[Lacy33]

it sounds like every one is bustin this guys balls for doing science fiction. for the lay person it is almost all sci fi as we will not have a chance to prove or disprove most things. i do have some questions about the higgs boson, but i have to do some more research first.

 

[pergradus]

Yea seriously, ask him to stop going on T.V. and saying a bunch of ******** that normal people aren't educated enough to understand are only playful "maybe" scenarios.

 

[russ_watters]

it sounds like every one is bustin this guys balls for doing science fiction.

No, it's for passing off science fiction as science.

...for the lay person it is almost all sci fi as we will not have a chance to prove or disprove most things.

This is why it is so important for people who sound like authority figures to actually know what they are talking about. Most people will just believe whatever a guy with "phd" after their name says. It's harmful both to the public who doesn't know and the scientific community that becomes less worthy of the public trust.

 

[Nicook5]

I think most of you are being a bit harsh, and a lot of you are probably not in a much better position to call him out than the people his shows are designed for. Without people like him, although in my case it was more Ian Stewart with Flatterland, I would probably not have much of a serious interest in math/physics as a career. So I thank him for that, although I do have to admit that scifi show is a bit...

 

[flyingpig]

Ask him why does he talk about the same thing over and over and over again in all of his documentaries

 

[glueball8]

I think most of you are being a bit harsh, and a lot of you are probably not in a much better position to call him out than the people his shows are designed for. Without people like him, although in my case it was more Ian Stewart with Flatterland, I would probably not have much of a serious interest in math/physics as a career. So I thank him for that, although I do have to admit that scifi show is a bit...

How about when he goes on CNN to talk about the nuclear power plant situation in Japan? He is not a nuclear power plant expert at all. I feel he should really stick to his own field.

Its really different how he talks about science (or science friction but he don't make it clear) from how Feynman would talk about some ideas like computing/nanotechnology in his time. Where when Feynman talks about it you learn something real, but when Prof. Kaku talk about classes of civilizations for example you learn nothing. (Even though you'll learn nothing, it might sometimes get people interested in physics lead to bad metaphysics.)

 

[russ_watters]

Even though you'll learn nothing, it might sometimes get people interested in physics lead to bad metaphysics.

Yes, when exposed to this stuff, you get pushed in the general direction of science, but specifically in the direction of real science. The result is some people might find their way to real science after this push while others will find their way to crackpottery.

 

[pergradus]

How about when he goes on CNN to talk about the nuclear power plant situation in Japan? He is not a nuclear power plant expert at all. I feel he should really stick to his own field.

Its really different how he talks about science (or science friction but he don't make it clear) from how Feynman would talk about some ideas like computing/nanotechnology in his time. Where when Feynman talks about it you learn something real, but when Prof. Kaku talk about classes of civilizations for example you learn nothing. (Even though you'll learn nothing, it might sometimes get people interested in physics lead to bad metaphysics.)

exactly!

 

[Loren Booda]

Dr. Kaku will only answer one question per person from the audience, so make it good.