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Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything Hardcover – October 17, 2017

by Kelly Weinersmith (Author), Zach Weinersmith (Author)

4.5 867 ratings

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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The instant New York Times bestseller!

A Wall Street Journal Best Science Book of the Year!

A Popular Science Best Science Book of the Year!

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 hold-up?

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.

Soonish is the perfect gift for science lovers for the holidays!

Length

368
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publisher

Penguin Press
Publication date

2017
October 17
Dimensions

7.1 x 1.0 x 9.1
inches
ISBN-10

0399563822
ISBN-13

978-0399563829
Lexile measure

1110L
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

A book about physics, economics, or biology might not get very far with most teens. But a book about constructing robots that can climb over walls, embedding microchips that waft smooth ocean sounds directly into your ear, and creating 3-D printed food might be the way to spark an interest in STEM. This title offers 10 possibilities for potentially life-changing scientific advancements. Complicated subjects are broken down into readable chapters, each with a description of a different topic (augmented reality, fusion power, etc.), its current status, concerns, and how it would change the world. Teens who like to build or figure out how things work; fans of science, math, or medicine; gamers; and those who love the weird and wonderful will gravitate to this volume. Science teachers will find much to appreciate here, too, as they can use the volume to create inspiring, imaginative assignments. The math isn't easy, but the authors explain it with humor and informative science, using entertainingly outlandish examples. VERDICT Give this to teens interested in STEM and those who don't quite understand the science they're studying—both will find much to interest them here.—Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA

Review

“Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's SOONISH is an exceptional science book: it concerns itself with ten(ish) coming technologies that hold enormous, potentially world-changing promise (and peril), and it delves into each of those subjects with admirable depth, including all the caveats and unknowns, and still keeps the excitement intact.”—Cory Doctorow, Boing-Boing

“A great book. [SOONISH] is wonderful to read.”—Ira Flatow, Science Friday

“Soonish addresses heady scientific concepts in an accessible, readable way. . . . Part of the benefit of the book is that it doesn't promise we'll all be sipping printed cocktails on the moon in 2067. The Weinersmiths just lay out, clearly and with a wry sense of humor, exactly what it might take to get us there.”—Tasha Robinson, NPR.org

“[A] wild glimpse into a future that may or may not involve space elevators and brain-computer interfaces and programmable matter. . . . [Kelly and Zach Weinersmith] sift through mountains of literature and pick the brains of the researchers at the forefront of things like bioprinting (like 3-D printing, only more bio) and augmented reality (like reality, only more augmented), turning a skeptical yet exuberant eye toward the technologies of tomorrow.”—Matt Simon, Wired

“Beautiful.” —Forbes

“Fans of science, math, or medicine; gamers; and those who love the weird and wonderful will gravitate to [SOONISH].”—School Library Journal

“An entertaining look at future tech wizardry, from space tourism and asteroid mining to nuclear fusion power, matter replication, synthetic biology and direct brain-computer interfaces. . . . The text is very well-researched, with a casual, friendly style (“Tinkering with the language of life. What could go wrong?”), and color cartoons add a wry counterpoint to the narrative of a future that, as always, might be utopia or disaster.”—Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal

“Curiosity is a beautiful thing, and Kelly and Zach Weinersmith have it in spades. Their coauthored SOONISH is an unabashed nerd-out of a book, zinging from outer space to DNA, hardly pausing for breath. . . . The gleeful geeking out makes for a great read—I couldn’t help chuckling or outright cracking up a number of times—while surreptitiously teaching some really important science. It’s a winning combination. The sheer breadth of topics covered is also amazing: Probably no other book in history has seriously described the science behind both tentacle construction robots and the human nasal cycle.” —Colin McCormick, Science

"Space elevators, gold asteroids, and fusion-powered toasters - who knew science could be so much fun? And who knew fun could be so scientific? 'Soonish' is hilarious, provocative, and shamelessly informative." – Tim Harford, author of Messy and The Undercover Economist

"Basically, I think this book is a masterpiece, and something I wish I'd written myself.” – Scott Aaronson, David J. Bruton Centennial Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Quantum Computing Since Democritus

"Playful, yet deep." – Dr. George Church, Harvard University

"I love this book so much I 3D printed myself a second heart so I could love it more." – Dr. Phil Plait, astronomer, author, writer of the Bad Astronomy Blog

"Kelly and Zach promised me a crystal ball, but what I got is both more insightful and far more entertaining than staring into a dumb glass orb. Soonish will make you laugh and -- without you even realizing it -- give you insight into the most ambitious technological feats of our time. You should read this book, sooner than soonish." - Alexis Ohanian, Cofounder of Reddit

“[An] enthusiastic exploration of ten areas of potentially world-changing innovation. . . . Excellent.”—Library Journal

“Predicting the future of scientific endeavor isn’t easy, but this fun title from this husband-and-wife team gives readers plenty of amazing possibilities to think about. . . . The authors leaven even the most serious topics. . . . The Weinersmiths deliver a fascinating look at the most provocative and promising research going on today and how it could alter the way we work and live.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The world of emerging technologies is a fascinating place, though for the layperson, the specifics and implications of scientists’ most groundbreaking research can be mind-boggling. . . . Thankfully, husband-and-wife team Kelly and Zach Weinersmith boil down some particularly juicy advances and present them in a compelling, accessible, and wryly funny way. . . . With infectious enthusiasm, the Weinersmiths serve up the perfect combination for curious, critical minds. Popular-science writing has rarely been so whip-smart, captivating, or hilarious (albeit occasionally terrifying).”—Booklist, starred review

“Astute. . . . [Kelly and Zach Weinersmith] deliver excellent descriptions of the science behind each [technological] wonder and the state of current research that may or may not bear fruit.”—Kirkus

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Press; Illustrated edition (October 17, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399563822
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399563829
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1110L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.06 x 1.04 x 9.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #271,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #83 in Engineering Patents & Inventions
- #538 in Technology (Books)

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4.5 867 ratings

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867 global ratings

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Mat Rodriguez

Mine came with a mint.

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023

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10/10 - no notes

One person found this helpful

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Dan S. Tong

Have you ever wanted to understand Technology?

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022

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Then this is a book for you. Few teachers are so good at what they do that you remember them for the rest of your life. It takes a very special type of talent to be able to explain complicated things so well that nearly anyone with a sense of curiosity will understand it at some level.

Soonish, is a book that is brilliant at accomplishing this goal. It covers a ton of ideas from how to launch stuff into space, to the potential world changing promise of fusion energy, and too many other exciting things to list.

Some negative reviews get upset with the humor which is not to their liking, totally neglecting anything else the book is saying. This is too bad, but it does not dampen my enthusiasm for this superb book.

Go read it and satisfy your curiosity, at least temporarily.

3 people found this helpful

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Rachel Noel

Informative and entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2017

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I picked this book up because I'm a fan of Zach Weinersmith's web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC). I actually pre-ordered the book because I liked his writing and non-fiction about technology is usually a big win with me. I was not disappointed!

The potential technologies brought up in Soonish were not just computer science based. They cover many areas of science including medical, world enhancements and energy. Many of the topics covered are ones I had no idea we were so close to. Programmable matter would be an incredible game changer in the world, for better and worse.

And that's something else that I really appreciated about this book. Each technology sounds like it would be an incredible boon to mankind. So the authors have made sure to include a "Concerns" section for each of these potential marvels. It is important that these exciting innovations are properly thought through and discussed. As much fun as it was thinking that Asteroid Mining could soon be a reality, what would be the actual economic effects? Being able to 3D print your own replacement heart valve or liver sounds like nothing but good news (and the authors do struggle to find a concern for this one) but how do we make it fair to those who may not be able to afford this marvel?

As much fun as the content is to read, the comics that they include are fun as well. Sometimes they're included to help drive a point home. Other times they're included to show the authors' sense of humor. For example, one comic shows Elon Musk walking on Mars and proclaiming "Finders Keepers" to talk about the legal issues of private companies driving the space program. Another comic shows one of the authors assuring Dr. Elvis they will not draw him as Elvis (though they totally do).

Overall, I'm glad I got this book. If you're looking for a science, non-fiction with a good sense of humor, you'll enjoy this.

11 people found this helpful

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Laughing and learning... if vegetables tasted like chocolate, they would be this book. Good for you & yummy (funny) too.

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017

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I adore this book. It teaches about cutting edge technology while interjecting humor. I cannot count the number of times I said “what, really?” while reading it. You may annoy those around you by insisting they listen while you read out loud whole sections. I was flabbergasted by how much information I was absorbing while simultaneously being entertained.

Each section outlines advancements in an area of science or technology, and then muses about how those advancements might change the world. I teach physics, and I learned a great deal from this book. The biology section really astonished me, as I do not keep up with that area at all. AND there is a comprehensive bibliography if you care to delve deeper into any of the areas of interest.

Topics covered include cheap access to space, asteroid mining, fusion power, programmable matter (woah, yeah this is mind blowing), robotic construction, augmented reality, synthetic biology (I knew absolutely nothing in the section, I read it three times), precision medicine, bioprinting and brain-computer interfaces. Then there is a section of topics that were considered and rejected.

I bought it originally to support SMBC, but have already been back to purchase three more copies for friends and family. If you need a gift for a nerd or science geek, you have found the perfect book.

12 people found this helpful

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arrowheadloki

Accurate description

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

Accurate description, prompt shipping.

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

Somewhat labored explanation of tech punctuated by very labored attempts at embarrassing dad humor. If you're a fan of David Pogue-style chuckles intrusively planted to make the medicine go down, this is for you.

If this were a "young adults" title, I'd understand better. But the real problem is the authors have no ear at all for a fascinating fact or insightful anecdote. They consistently make the fascinating dull....and then count on weak yucks to make it all work.

Here's just one random example.

==================
"Part of what makes traditional origami really enjoyable*: is that you can
make complex structures from a small set of rules."

* FOOTNOTE: We are told. In reality, we suck at it, and our inadequacy makes us angry
and confused.
==================

Ha! Good one!

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Rule 62 Ken

Unpretentious, Thought Provoking and (gasp) FUN!

Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

Do you ever wonder how soon it will be before you can take a vacation to Mars, replace diseased organs with new ones created with a 3-d printer, or add memory to your brain as easy as you can to your computer? Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, the wife and husband team of authors of Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything have pondered these and many other questions of what life will be like in the future. They've written a book about it that is (a) thorough and (b) genetically modified to contain a sense of humour, ideal for anyone with a small to great interest in futurism.

The authors boldly go into the future, breaking down their journey into three parts: 1. The Universe (Space), 2. Stuff (ranging from futuristic power sources to augmented reality and synthetic biology) and 3. You (precision medicine, bioprinting, synthetic prosthetics and rewiring our brains.) Their adventures into nerdfest land are supplemented by Zach's amusing cartoon art. Kelly, a bio-science prof from Rice University has scoured the planet for the leading professionals and academics on each of the subjects of the book. The discussion is dumbed down somewhat so that those of us without a science background stand a chance of following much of the complicated science and technology, with the aid of humourous examples and analogies to illustrate the practical problems of building an elevator to the moon or 3-d printing a new liver when your old one has had to filter too much Tequila. There is still a lot to wrap your mind around, but the authors do their best to make the journey as fun as one can, when discussing the intricacies of DNA, RNA, fusion and bricklaying robots.

After an overall discussion of each of their futuristic subjects, the authors summarize their concerns on the proposed technology, how it would change the world, and a "nota bene" (special notice) section. They also conclude with a brief discussion of some futuristic subjects that also caught their interest, but that space in the book did not allow for.

The foundation of fun that this book is based on is brilliant. Grasping one's mind around many of these subjects can be quite a labour, but this is due to the nature of the subject matter, not the authors' presentation of it. They don't pretend to have the power to predict the future, and like all principled futurists, they realize that the more one knows, the less one knows. This realistic discussion contributes to a paradigm in which science becomes accessible to everyone, and in which pretentious attitudes are checked at the door, making for a great read.

2 people found this helpful

Big Ben

It's OK, but....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

A pretty good book, but it disappointed slightly. I love the Weinersmiths, and read SMBC daily, but it didn't excite me when I was reading this. The cartoons are (of course) great, but fairly few in number.
Too much of the hardware chapters were familiar ground - I was a space cadet from the 1950s onwards and worked on satellite electronics design in the 1980s so maybe that's unfair?
Equally, Kelly's 'wet stuff' chapters didn't do it for me, with a few minor exceptions. Not my thing, I suppose. Although I recall being intrigued when reading things like "The Double Helix" years ago.
Never expected to just feel 'meh' about this well-produced and informative book, but I do.
Your mileage may vary of course.

One person found this helpful

Matt Bedford

Nice book, would be better if authors didn't try so hard to be funny

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

A nice book with useful background info not just on the current crop of hyped technologies but also a bit more insight into how well that hype is justified.

Mostly a very enjoyable read, my two criticisms are:
A) Authors are really trying VERY hard to be funny/ironic. Sometimes it works, often it doesn't and it just grates.
B) Often, especially later on in the book, authors descend into the kind of hype that the book ideally would help evaluate/demystify: that's especially true in the chapter on AI.

Overall, quite good fun, quite interesting, I don't regret buying it.

2 people found this helpful

Pedro Andrés Rangel Walteros

Amusing look into possible future technologies

Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

In "Soonish", the Weinersmiths present 10 emergent technologies that could change the world. They explain this technologies in a popular science style. The book reads like a conversation with your super smart, cool, and enthusiastic friend. This makes for an accessible presentation. If you enjoy learning about cool applications of scientific works, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Alex

Good book with plenty of interesting content but maybe a little too US centric

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Like many other reviewers, I am a longtime reader of SMBC and had high hopes for this book, pre-ordering it as soon as it was first mentioned and available on Amazon UK. However, like those reviewers, I was also a tiny bit disappointed too. It's possibly my high hopes that are at fault here as the book has a load of good content, but I was expecting more from the cartoons/comedy, and it was quite US centric. Also some topics I would have preferred a deeper dive.

Still, a good read and well worth a punt I say.

One person found this helpful

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