Book Club-Our Molecular Future

In the book Our Molecular Future Douglas Mulhall shows us how “nanotechnology, robotics, genetics and artificial intelligence will transform our world”. The book starts out with how technology can make an impact on the 21st century. It describes how by manipulating things on a smaller level such as the atomic level we are able to create the greatest impact in our lives.
The book first starts off with telling us about what kind of benefits technology may be able to offer us. For instance, a 3D printer that is able to “print” out a model instead of a picture is being worked on right now. After it becomes cheaper and more available we can use it in the medical field to create artificial limbs. Not only can it be used in medicine architects can also use it to build models and filmmakers can use it to make props. By creating things on a nano scale we are able to create super strong material and also build microscopic robots that are able to clean our arteries and therefore eliminate heart diseases. Furthermore, many of us spend lots of time looking for things everyday. However, with a SPS system and nano sensors inserted into everything we have we will be able to track things easily and not have to look for things anymore. Super computers that are flexible enough to be put into a pair of jeans can allow us to create pants that are smarter than you
This book not only talks about the various benefits technology can have on our society in the 21st century, it also talks the idea of technology. Science is not the only thing about technology since technology does not simply depend on a good scientific idea. Breakthroughs in technology occur through different combination of factors. Many break through occurs with a combination of new technology and accidents. In the book, Mulhall gave an example about the invention of Polaroids. The inventor of Polariod went to the Grand Canyon with his daughter. His daughter asked him, why they couldn’t see the pictures right after they took it. A simple careless question like this is enough for a new invention to be made. However, a good idea is not enough. The Polariod Company was famous because of their new innovative idea but they soon went bankrupt. The invention of digital cameras made the Polariod company run out of business. Technological companies need to constantly try and improve themselves. The Polariod Company stayed in the same place while others kept on advancing. As a result new technology will take over. Thus in order to survive companies need to try and improve themselves constantly. Factors such as cost and availability can determine how successful a technology can be. Factors such as natural disaster and miscalculation can disrupt a technology from advancing or being widely promoted. Most importantly if a disaster is to occur in a technological field the research of this field could be stopped by decades. Thus researchers not only have to worry about their research they also have to worry about the fears and concerns of the public and their acceptance or approval to the product if they want their idea to be commercialized. Researchers have to be very careful about their work because a small mistake could stop the research from developing for a very long time.
Technology can also advance through other reasons other than a good scientific invention or idea. Factors such as the invention of a drug that can cure AIDS can cause technology advancement to accelerate greatly. This is because there will be an increase support caused by potential beneficiaries. In the 21st century, you must consider the different approaches in every issue. Even when considering science you cannot just consider only its scientific side. Every time there is an invention, there is a shock involved and the acceptance to this shock is very important in determining if this invention will be successful or not. Technological change occurs exponentially but the rate at which these changes find their ways out of the lab and into our daily lives do not occur as quickly since it depends on investment and consumer demands. Even if technological changes occur if they don’t get to the general public they are not considered useful and thus are not considered as technological advancement.
Technology is one way to make the 21st century different from any other century before it. Some of the new fields that will be developed include robotics, artificial intelligence, genetics, and nanotechnology. Robotics involves the creation of robots that may be able to wash our dishes, clean our house or wash our clothes for us. Artificial intelligence is similar to robotics but it involves looking at the intelligence level of machines. Genetics can look at researches in cloning or genetic modification and nanotechnology allows us to recreate things such as robots but on a smaller scale. These robots are then able to work in our body to help us fight against diseases.
Many more advancements can still be made. For instance we can create humans with super intellifence. We can turn the moon into a tourist place. We can eliminate language barriers between different countries by creating self improving translation software. We can also create clothes that can adapt itself and change when the temperature or humidity of the environment changes. Robots that can repair DNA strands in our blood and use nanotechnology to create supercomputers the size of a piece of dust.
The only problem is, perhaps we are not ready for all this. We are not able to handle the shock or the super war weapons that can cause instant world destruction. Also, we have to start killing some of our own creations fearing that they might take over us. Or even worse we may start to kill each other using our own creations.
Even though it all these ideas may seem a bit crazy right now but technology is advancing at a very fast rate. This book was published in 2002 and a lot of the ideas presented in the book that may seem futuristic at the time it was written are already common things we see in our everyday life. For example, the idea of changing the whole library into an online data base so readers can access the books electronically has already been carried out. Also, the idea of sharing information by means of an open source is also achieved through the use of blogs and websites such as Youtube and Wikipedia. These websites allow us to learn from each other and share with others what we know. Different pools of knowledge are found everywhere on the internet, giving those who are willing to learn unlimited access of information and knowledge.
Before technology goes too far there are some things we have to do and some principles we have to follow before our technological advancement goes too far. First we have to try and learn how to coexist with the intelligent machines before they learn to control us. Even though we are advancing at a very fast speed into the future we should still find ways to remember our past and not forget where we are form. We might even need to create a new government system to cope with the creations with artificial intelligence.
This book not only taught us about technology and the innovative ideas behind it it also talked about the importance of the other factors that may be able to promote technology. Furthermore, it teaches organizations and people about how to survive. A good idea is a good way to start a successful business but its not enough to sustain it. The ability to change and adapt to new environment and the willingness the listen, observe and learn from others is also key. Persistent may be a good thing but if a company is too stubborn and unwilling to change while everyone else is advancing, soon the company will not be able to compete with the rest of the world and eventually it will collapse. Also, technology maybe able to provide many beneficiaries to our society but just like everything else, it must be used in moderation!