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2030: Technology That Will Change the World
Imagine living in 1958, and knowing that the integrated circuit--the microchip--was about to be invented, and would revolutionize the world. Or imagine 1992, when the Internet was about to transform virtually every aspect of our lives. Incredibly, this book argues that we stand at such a moment right now--and not just in one field, but in many.
In 2030 , authors Rutger van Santen, Djan Khoe, and Bram Vermeer interview over two dozen scientific and technological experts on themes of health, sustainability and communication, asking them to look forward to the year 2030 and comment on the kind of research that will play a necessary role. If we know what technology will be imperative in 2030, the authors reason, what can we do now to influence future breakthroughs?
Despite working in dissimilar fields, the experts called upon in the book - including Hans Blix (Head of the UN investigation in Iraq), Craig Venter (explorer of the human DNA), and Susan Greenfield (a leading world authority on the human brain), among many others - all emphasize the interconnectedness of our global networks in technology and communication, so tightly knit that the world's major conflicts are never isolated incidents. A fresh understanding of the regularities underlying these complex systems is more important than ever.
Using bright, accessible language to discuss topics of universal interest and relevance, 2030 takes the position that we can, in fact, influence the course of history. It offers a new way of looking forward, a fresh perspective on sustainability, stability and crisis-prevention. For anyone interested in modern science, this book will showcase the technologies that will soon change the way we live.
In 2030 , authors Rutger van Santen, Djan Khoe, and Bram Vermeer interview over two dozen scientific and technological experts on themes of health, sustainability and communication, asking them to look forward to the year 2030 and comment on the kind of research that will play a necessary role. If we know what technology will be imperative in 2030, the authors reason, what can we do now to influence future breakthroughs?
Despite working in dissimilar fields, the experts called upon in the book - including Hans Blix (Head of the UN investigation in Iraq), Craig Venter (explorer of the human DNA), and Susan Greenfield (a leading world authority on the human brain), among many others - all emphasize the interconnectedness of our global networks in technology and communication, so tightly knit that the world's major conflicts are never isolated incidents. A fresh understanding of the regularities underlying these complex systems is more important than ever.
Using bright, accessible language to discuss topics of universal interest and relevance, 2030 takes the position that we can, in fact, influence the course of history. It offers a new way of looking forward, a fresh perspective on sustainability, stability and crisis-prevention. For anyone interested in modern science, this book will showcase the technologies that will soon change the way we live.
- GenresTechnologyScience
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2010
4 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this book! I learnt so much from it and it made me think about a lot of concepts that I don't normally pay any attention to. It took me a while to read it... it's definitely not a book that you can read 100 pages at the time because I needed time to process all the ideas and challenges this book presented.
Thank you Elena for this wonderful gift!
Thank you Elena for this wonderful gift!
March 28, 2015
هذا الكتاب من الإصدارات المترجمة لمدينة الملك عبدالعزيز للعلوم التقنية، ويمكن تحميل النسخة الالكترونية من على
موقع المدينة وتُشكر المدينة على إتاحة هذه الإصدارات للقراء في العالم العربي.
قرأت هذا الكتاب مباشرة بعد قراءة كتاب فيزياء المستقبل: العلم يشكل مصير البشرية عام 2100 وهو أيضاً من الإصدارات المترجمة لمدينة الملك عبدالعزيز، وحيث أني استمتعت مع كتاب فيزياء المستقبل، انطلقت مباشرة لقراءة هذا الكتاب كونه في نفس المجال، ولكن لم أجد تلك المتعة التي رافقتني مع كتاب فيزياء المستقبل. هذا الكتاب تشارك في تأليفه ثلاثة مؤلفون، وتحدث عن بضعة أمور في الوضع الراهن، ورأيتها من وجهة نظري توصيفاً لأمور واقعة ولاتصورات جديدة عما سيأتي به المستقبل، كما قرأته في كتاب فيزياؤ المستقبل.
أمر سيئ جداً بالنسبة لترجمة الكتاب، ومع احترامي للمترجمة، إلا أنه يبدو لي عبارات كثيرة وضعت كما هي بترجماتها الحرفية كمن يستخدم مترجم القوقل ويضع الناص كما هو ، وفي نظري لا يرقى الكتاب لأن يُدون عليه اسم المترجم، وأتمنى من المدينة إعادة النظر في ترجمته، ويحسن الأمر كثيراً لو تولى ترجمته المترجم الذي تولى ترجمة كتاب فيزياء المستقبل، فقد ظهر لي تمكنه من المادة العلمية بالإضافة إلى تمكنه في الترجمة.
موقع المدينة وتُشكر المدينة على إتاحة هذه الإصدارات للقراء في العالم العربي.
قرأت هذا الكتاب مباشرة بعد قراءة كتاب فيزياء المستقبل: العلم يشكل مصير البشرية عام 2100 وهو أيضاً من الإصدارات المترجمة لمدينة الملك عبدالعزيز، وحيث أني استمتعت مع كتاب فيزياء المستقبل، انطلقت مباشرة لقراءة هذا الكتاب كونه في نفس المجال، ولكن لم أجد تلك المتعة التي رافقتني مع كتاب فيزياء المستقبل. هذا الكتاب تشارك في تأليفه ثلاثة مؤلفون، وتحدث عن بضعة أمور في الوضع الراهن، ورأيتها من وجهة نظري توصيفاً لأمور واقعة ولاتصورات جديدة عما سيأتي به المستقبل، كما قرأته في كتاب فيزياؤ المستقبل.
أمر سيئ جداً بالنسبة لترجمة الكتاب، ومع احترامي للمترجمة، إلا أنه يبدو لي عبارات كثيرة وضعت كما هي بترجماتها الحرفية كمن يستخدم مترجم القوقل ويضع الناص كما هو ، وفي نظري لا يرقى الكتاب لأن يُدون عليه اسم المترجم، وأتمنى من المدينة إعادة النظر في ترجمته، ويحسن الأمر كثيراً لو تولى ترجمته المترجم الذي تولى ترجمة كتاب فيزياء المستقبل، فقد ظهر لي تمكنه من المادة العلمية بالإضافة إلى تمكنه في الترجمة.
March 10, 2026
A disappointment. Few useful insights, no investment ideas, unknown "experts".
This book comes out of the Netherlands and is relentlessly rooted there, in worldview and in choice of experts.
It is alarmist, about global warming among other things. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control has come under criticism this past year for overreaching -- letting their strong belief that global warming is a danger cloud the purity of their science. van Santen, Khoe and Vermeer go even further, raising specters of "tipping points" that can cause ocean levels to rise by tens of meters. They are off the scales. In this sphere they repeatedly cite one expert, Hans Joachim Schnellnhuber, who one finds through Wikipedia is the founder of the Potsdam Institute on Climate Control, for a plethora of scary hypotheses. For a much, much better treatment of global warming, see "A Vast Machine," which I also review. I add Feb 2012 that Schnellnhuber is cited in "Die Kalte Sonne" as a member of the lunatic fringe of climate change doom and gloom... which book claims that there has been no appreciable warming over the last decade, and appears to hope that Potsdam Institute staff will soon be appearing in bread lines.
This tactic is repeated throughout the book. Find a single quotable "expert" and use him to death. I read fairly widely, and I had not heard of any of their experts. While I admire the Netherlands, I believe that a lot of good science is done beyond their borders. I am skeptical that they find all of their world-class experts so close to home.
The graphs are not especially well chosen. To demonstrate that cars in general are getting heavier and less fuel efficient, they focus on one market where it is true (Europe) and track three given models over time. Of course - auto manufacturers generally allow a given model to creep upmarket over time. Much better would be statistics on all cars manufactured. It would show the same trend direction, but not as strong.
The authors are in love with Africa. If only Africa could obtain Internet connectivity, those fertile brains could be put to use as programmers, solving knotty problems for Europeans, Chinese and Americans. 'Scuse me, but if this were true, I expect we would see some evidence by now... outsourcing to SoWeTo instead of, say India. There is a lot of wishful thinking.
Lastly, I am a technology investor. I thought they might have some insights. Name some companies. Acquaint me with new developments. Alas, not a one. A lot of talk about general trends, such as making chemical plants smaller, the end of Moore's Law, etc., but no actionable ideas what might be done about them.
When you write a book, you have to imagine your target audience. This book is so superficial, so driven by idealism, and so parochial that I imagine that audience to be perhaps Dutch high school children. I have no idea why The Economist gave it a review.
This book comes out of the Netherlands and is relentlessly rooted there, in worldview and in choice of experts.
It is alarmist, about global warming among other things. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control has come under criticism this past year for overreaching -- letting their strong belief that global warming is a danger cloud the purity of their science. van Santen, Khoe and Vermeer go even further, raising specters of "tipping points" that can cause ocean levels to rise by tens of meters. They are off the scales. In this sphere they repeatedly cite one expert, Hans Joachim Schnellnhuber, who one finds through Wikipedia is the founder of the Potsdam Institute on Climate Control, for a plethora of scary hypotheses. For a much, much better treatment of global warming, see "A Vast Machine," which I also review. I add Feb 2012 that Schnellnhuber is cited in "Die Kalte Sonne" as a member of the lunatic fringe of climate change doom and gloom... which book claims that there has been no appreciable warming over the last decade, and appears to hope that Potsdam Institute staff will soon be appearing in bread lines.
This tactic is repeated throughout the book. Find a single quotable "expert" and use him to death. I read fairly widely, and I had not heard of any of their experts. While I admire the Netherlands, I believe that a lot of good science is done beyond their borders. I am skeptical that they find all of their world-class experts so close to home.
The graphs are not especially well chosen. To demonstrate that cars in general are getting heavier and less fuel efficient, they focus on one market where it is true (Europe) and track three given models over time. Of course - auto manufacturers generally allow a given model to creep upmarket over time. Much better would be statistics on all cars manufactured. It would show the same trend direction, but not as strong.
The authors are in love with Africa. If only Africa could obtain Internet connectivity, those fertile brains could be put to use as programmers, solving knotty problems for Europeans, Chinese and Americans. 'Scuse me, but if this were true, I expect we would see some evidence by now... outsourcing to SoWeTo instead of, say India. There is a lot of wishful thinking.
Lastly, I am a technology investor. I thought they might have some insights. Name some companies. Acquaint me with new developments. Alas, not a one. A lot of talk about general trends, such as making chemical plants smaller, the end of Moore's Law, etc., but no actionable ideas what might be done about them.
When you write a book, you have to imagine your target audience. This book is so superficial, so driven by idealism, and so parochial that I imagine that audience to be perhaps Dutch high school children. I have no idea why The Economist gave it a review.
November 19, 2017
An interesting compendium, packed full of existing and future technology and ideas that may become important in the future. It boldly goes where others fear to tread by making actual predictions, so we will see if it holds true. It gives a little hope for the future, but is not a riveting read, more something to pick up now and then when you feel like seeing what's out there.
April 9, 2021
Great to have read it again 10 years from when it was published. Look forward to reading it in 2030. Will pass copies on to my grandchildren in the meantime.
June 6, 2025
I really like the chapter five <3
June 6, 2014
I didn't finish reading this book *gasp* because it couldn't keep my interest. The author would talk about several world problems, introduce interesting facts about said problems, and propose how we could solve the problems ourselves. I didn't read (or remember) any mention of a technological device that could solve these problems. Maybe it was because I didn't read far enough, but I think my star rating is decent for my experience. I would recommend that everyone at least pick this book up and give it a try.
January 30, 2014
An extrapolation of where existing technological trends could take us. Given the adage that surprises often bring the future faster than we expect, this may well be 2025 oe even 2020 in some instances.
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July 14, 2013This day a surprisingly interesting book. It wasn't quite what I expected, but that wasn't a problem in the end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews