robotbling (www.plasticpals.com) In this TV series produced by the Science Channel, host Dr. Michio Kaku (a self declared sci-fi geek) explores how popular concepts from science fiction might actually pan out. He visits relevant experts to discuss each futuristic scenario, but there seems to be very little science and a whole lot of wild speculation going on. The majority of Kaku's theories rest heavily on the predicted technological singularity, a prediction which he strongly believes. The expected effects of the singularity are considered so game-changing that virtually anything goes.Kaku often takes modest technologies that may hold promise many years from now, and then exaggerate them to an obscene degree. At the end of each episode, Kaku cobbles together the examined technologies into a single monstrosity, often with rather awkward results. All the while the viewer is treated to cheesy computer animations illustrating what it will all look like, apparently made by someone with the intellect of a small dog. I'm being perfectly honest when I say the end result is about as thoughtful and impressive as the doodles of a schoolboy. Like the History Channel's shows on aliens and ghosts, this one may be a better fit on the SyFy channel.The episodes are mercifully short, and there's only three episodes that deal with robotics. In season one, episode 9 is all about building a proper science fiction robot. He doesn't talk about smart homes, autonomous vehicles, planetary rovers, nor does he touch on battery life, synthetic muscles, or artificial skin. It seems to me there is no magic bullet as to what robots will look like in the future, but we can expect a wellspring of forms tailored for specific purposes, much like we have now. Kaku visits various labs, none of which build humanoids, which leads him to conjure a humanoid robot that has modular parts. Surprisingly, his lame creation is not as stupid as what is seen in season two, where he tackles cyborg armies (in episode 9) and an A.I. uprising (episode 10). These are both embarrassingly bad, though I suppose you may find them mildly entertaining for that reason.I find it baffling that a respected theoretical physicist like Dr. Kaku would lower himself to do a show like this, which was poorly planned and clearly rushed, but I guess everyone's got bills to pay. In keeping with the show's premise, it would have been more effective to take a specific technology from the realm of science fiction and contrast that with the cutting edge work being done in related fields. For example, an episode dealing with life-like androids (Star Trek's Data for example) could have been compared with the technology of the Geminoids, artificial skin with embedded sensors, neural nets, etc.. Instead, the show takes a much broader view of topics and ends up biting off more than it could possibly chew in 20 minutes. My advice: keep it simple, stupid, and steer clear of this show.

sedativchunk I love Sci Fi Science! I am a big space and science enthusiast as well as a fan of science fiction. Unfortunately in todays world there is a brick wall that separates the factions of both those things. Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible is one show that thins the line between science fiction and real science, and that is a great thing.When I first watched this show a few weeks ago, I was very skeptical. It seemed silly and unrealistic. Lasers on the Moon? Asteroids crashing into Mars to terraform the planet? As ridiculous as Michio Kaku's ideas sound at first, they are, in my opinion, very realistic as well as practical. Kaku is attempting to explain things scientifically that many other ignorant so called scientist seem to put off as being impossible. Isn't science supposed to be about making the impossible a reality? The main thing that turned me off of this show at first was the overall quality and narration. After recently watching Stephen Hawking's brilliant "Into the Universe" series, this show seemed to be lacking. It wasn't quite at the level Hawking's three part series was. But Stephen Hawking spent over two years editing and narrating three episodes of his show, so of course they are going to be of high quality. Kaku's show is more simplified and is geared towards being a weekly television show rather than a huge one time only deal show, so I lowered the bar for this show and embraced it for what it is. In the end, I found I actually enjoyed it!Kaku's show seems to be more geared towards sci fi fans more than actual scientist, but that does not mean it is not worth checking out if you are a scientist or science enthusiast. How would you go about creating a society on Mars? What is the best way to protect Earth's ecosystem permanently from killer asteroids? Colonizing Mars and protecting Earth from killer asteroids are more than science fiction. They both could happen one day hundreds of years from now. I think it is nice to see a real scientist actually talk about real problems of the future and come up with a practical solution on how to solve them. For the skeptics, I will talk about one of Kaku's episodes and challenge it's ideas. Being a curious person and computer scientist myself, I challenged Kaku's theory on terraforming Mars. Kaku did an episode of Sci Fi Science where he talked about how we would be able to attach rockets to asteroids from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, slingshot them around Jupiter and send them hurling towards Mars. When the asteroids would impact, they would theoretically melt the polar ice caps on Mars and create a greenhouse effect on Mars to heat the entire planet. This would hypothetically make the planet suitable for life as well as protect it from the Sun's deadly radiation.As much as I tried to challenge this asteroid concept, in the end, I couldn't find a better solution. There are variables involved. How would we attach rockets to massive asteroids? How would we navigating them back through the asteroid belt after sling shotting around Jupiter? How long would the process take? How long would Mars be hot for or how long would the effects last? As many questions as there are, the idea is practical and realistic. How else do you heat an entire planet? Mirrors reflecting light from the sun on the planet? Changing the albedo of the entire surface of the planet? The cost and ideas of those other theories are astronomical. Building guided missiles and sling shotting objects in space has been done before, so why can't that be applied to asteroids and Mars?Have fun and watch this show, challenge Kaku's ideas and you will find that his show is not all just silly business for science fiction. It is real, practical science. Give this show a try. It may not be everyones flavor of science, but I like it more than the typical Discovery Channel type show.