"I was thrilled with the idea of starships, monsters from outer space, ray guns," he said. "After a while, I figured out that physics really makes science fiction possible. I figured out that the two passions of my life were the same thing."  We chatted with Kaku about futuristic technology from our favorite science-fiction movies and TV shows. He predicts that that much of it may well come true -- some even within our lifetimes.  And while some of it seems far-fetched, he said to consider how our smartphones, laptops and space missions would have been viewed 100 years ago.  "If they were to see you with all of your wizardry, they would consider you a sorcerer to be able to summon up images from all over the world," he said. "But if someone could come today from the 21st century, what will our grandchildren think of us? In the 21st century, they will have the powers of gods."  When: The next 20 to 50 years  Reminds us of: "Predator," "Total Recall," "Gamer"  "The internet will be in our contact lenses," Kaku said. "You'll blink and you'll go online. When you talk to people, you'll see their biographies printed out. When they speak to you in Chinese, subtitles will appear under their names."  He said access to the Web could be turned on and off with just a blink of the eye.  When: Next 20 to 50 years  Reminds us of: "Star Trek," "The Matrix"  The first steps in this field have already been taken. But they'll be taking a big leap forward in the next few decades, Kaku said.  "This is 'The Matrix,' " he said. "Tourists will love it because, if you walk in the streets of Rome, the Roman Empire will arise in your contact lens."  Overlaying images on the real world will have more practical applications, Kaku said, and not all of them so peaceful. For example, soldiers might wear special lenses that would help them see enemy locations superimposed over real-life scenes.
Growing up, physicist Michio Kaku had two heroes.The first, predictably enough for the man who co-founded a branch of string theory, was Albert Einstein."Second?" he said. "I used to watch 'Flash