Toilets in abundance

My latest reading has been 'Abundance' by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler. It is subtltled 'The Future is better than you think' which really does explain what the book is all about. 

They start by explaining how we are predisposed to be worried and afraid, a feeling that is exploited by the media. As this quote says "it's hard to be optimistic, because the brain's filtering architecture is pessimistic by design. Second, good news is drowned out, because it's in the media's best interest to overemphasize the bad." They point out that all almost all measures we are better off than we have ever been. Given my energy background the one that most stood out to me was the case of lighting; "In England, artificial lighting was twenty thousand times more expensive circa AD 1300 than it is today."

The book then goes on a grand tour of a vast range of subjects and argues how technology is and will enormously transform our lives. Topics covered include IT, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing, medicine and nano materials. I was particularly struck with the small section on toilets! They point out that the basic technology has been unchanged for thousands of years. Apparently the Gates Foundation is funding eight universities to bring toilet technology into the 21st century; "the goal is to solve both problems: to find a way for people to go to the bathroom that doesn't involve running water or sewage, while still rendering human waste completely harmless." 

Overall is an uplifting book but I remain sceptical that technology will win its race against scarcity. Our levels of consumption and environmental damage will require revolutionary change and whilst the technology might be available I doubt whether the political will exists to allow that technology to thrive.