Kaku talks about space colonization in the future.
"Space colonization (also called space settlement, or extraterrestrial colonization) is permanent human habitation outside of Earth.
Many arguments have been made for space colonization. A common one is ensuring the survival of human civilization and Earth's biosphere from disasters such as asteroid impact or global nuclear war. Another is helping to provide unlimited space-based solar power and other resources to let all human beings on Earth enjoy developed-world lifestyles with far less environmental damage, and eventually providing a High Frontier where any number of people may settle and thrive.
After its successful Apollo project moon landings, the US NASA sponsored the first formal engineering studies of a space colony concept: Princeton professor Gerard O'Neill and colleagues' proposals to build space colonies and Solar Power Satellites (SPS) from lunar materials.[1][2]
These proposals are striking for their boldness, level of detail and technical rigor. The thickness of metal beams needed to contain the colony's atmosphere and withstand rotation for artificial gravity was engineered. Chemical reactions to smelt them out of Moon rocks were worked out (by a young K. Eric Drexler, who later became famous as the founder of Nanotechnology).[3] The Moon rocks would be launched to the desired orbital location cheaply using O'Neill's electromagnetic mass driver. Modifying standard 1970s industrial productivity figures as needed (work in space suits would be slower; moving heavy objects in weightlessness easier than in factories on Earth), they estimated that the 10,000-person workforce housed in the first Island One colony could produce one giant SPS-capable of supplying 5% of total American electricity demand-each year. Yet the project timeline didn't call for producing the first commercial SPS until Year 22, and the huge investment-totaling almost $200 billion in 1975 dollars-wouldn't be fully repaid unt
"Over the last five years, technology has been rapidly changing and expanding in every field imaginable. Smart phones are now capable of acting as standalone computer devices that can take pictures, search the Internet, send emails and text messages and yes, they even make phone calls. While it might seem that the technology of today has reached its limits, it is still actually spreading its proverbial wings. Only twenty or so years ago, personal computers were becoming small enough and affordable enough for families to buy them for home use. Since then, the world of technology has shown no signs of slowing down and practically every device available today is somehow tied to computer technology.
It seems hard these days to fathom the original size of computers and how small they have become in the last ten years, but within the last five years they have become even smaller and somehow more powerful and faster than ever before! The Internet allows people to connect with family, friends, and work colleagues from across the globe in the push of a button. Communication options have literally exploded in the instant avenues of text and video based chat as well as the near instantaneous method of email. Gone are the days where one had to post a letter and wait a week or more for a response and long distance phone calls are unnecessary for anyone with a computer, a webcam, and a speedy Internet connection.
Automobiles are now being manufactured with standard GPS and emergency call features for the convenience and safety of drivers and their passengers, making the days of carrying a map completely unnecessary and improving the peace of mind of anyone who must travel the roads alone or at night. Computerized cars are now potentially at risk in much the same fashion as a personal computer as a moderately skilled hacker can theoretically take over basic functions of a vehicle - including its engine.
Yes, technological advancement has changed our lives completely, and not al
Kaku mentions the three different types of civilizatio a lot through out his book. Here are definitions for each civilizations.
In 1964, Kardashev defined three levels of civilizations, based on the order of magnitude of power available to them:
Type I
"Technological level close to the level presently attained on earth, with energy consumption at ≈4×1019 erg/sec[1] (4 × 1012 watts.) Guillermo A. Lemarchand stated this as "A level near contemporary terrestrial civilization with an energy capability equivalent to the solar insolation on Earth, between 1016 and 1017 watts."[2]
Type II
"A civilization capable of harnessing the energy radiated by its own star (for example, the stage of successful construction of a Dyson sphere), with energy consumption at ≈4×1033 erg/sec.[1] Lemarchand stated this as "A civilization capable of utilizing and channeling the entire radiation output of its star. The energy utilization would then be comparable to the luminosity of our Sun, about 4 × 1026 watts."[2]
Type III
"A civilization in possession of energy on the scale of its own galaxy, with energy consumption at ≈4×1044 erg/sec."[1] Lemarchand stated this as "A civilization with access to the power comparable to the luminosity of the entire Milky Way galaxy, about 4 × 1037 Watts."[2]"
Michio Kaku says in his book that all technological revolutions are leading to the creation of a planetary civilization.
"The planetary phase of civilization is a concept defined by the Global Scenario Group (GSG), an environmental organization that specializes in scenario analysis and forecasting. Proponents of the planetary phase of Civilization State that it refers to a current historical transition from a world of capitalist states and consumerist societies to a world of increased global connectivity with new global institutions (like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization), new information technologies, environmental change in the biosphere, economic globalization, and shifts in culture and consciousness. Although the concept is hotly debated in some circles, most reputable scientists give little credence to the theory and assert that current global economic interconnectedness is a function of advanced technology rather than the emergence of anything new in cultural or sociological terms."