Why is Present Technology Behind the Pasts Predictions
Introduction
Where is My Flying Car? is Dr. J. Storr Hall’s book on the industry of “flying cars,” and why in we do not have flying cars today. The industry of “flying cars” is used as an example of the power of mindset and regulation on the growth of an industry. Through his discussion, Dr. Hall explores the technologies behind flying cars, nuclear energy, and nanotechnology, painting a picture of the current capabilities of the modern day.
The Great Flying Stagnation
To help set the scene of why there can be a complaint in the lack of a flying car, Dr. Hall goes back to the 1970s. In the 70s, the was a gradual lean towards what Dr. Hall deemed the great flying stagnation. The production and purchasing of flying vehicles, such as private jets and helicopters, saw a severe downturn at the start of the 70s. This was due to the economic ‘strain’ that would be required to push the boundaries to provide a more accessible and energy-efficient vehicle. With the plummeting of the future of the flying industry, efficient fuel sources were also ignored. PhDs for studies of nuclear energy saw a downturn very similar to the flying industry’s decline. The 1970s were the death of the future of the flying car.
Technology of Today
Dr. Hall made sure that this decline was not just due to lack of technological prowess. First, he researched the 50 years prior to the seventies. In those fifty years, the creation of the airplane occurred, changing the war scene between World War I and World War II. Because of these World Wars, there was great development in nuclear energy, an outcome of the creation of the atomic bomb. As he researched, Dr. Hall realized that technological barriers were not an issue in any era. After he came to realize this, he continued his study with researchers today. What he found was just as promising. Dr. Hall found manufactures trying to develop flying vehicles, but the problem of technology was not making a car fly. The boundary was finding an energy-efficient vehicle that could fly, which led Dr. Hall down the path of nanotechnology. There are many elements and molecules that have the energy that could easily power an flying vehicle, however for many of these elements, acquiring the energy that store is the roadblock. One of the only ways Dr. Hall found that this energy could be acquired was through nanotech. As the name suggests, nanotechnology is science and manufacturing that happens at the atomic level. This means the energy that was unavailable before could be harvested by these machines. Dr. Hall then realized that nanotechnology could be the future, even better than flying care. For example, machines that function at the molecular level could form and create basically anything through simple commands. Dr. Hall also discovered that this technology was being developed in the modern day. Alongside nanotech and flying vehicles, Dr. Hall also explored Artificial Intelligence. AI has made many leaps and bounds in the current years, so it is no question toward the development of AI systems. However, with all these technologies being developed, where is the flying car.
So, Where is The Flying Car
We have found the reason behind the lack of flying cars, which is the basis of the discussion. Dr. Hall provided 3 reasons why there is no flying car: Ergophobia, regulations, and Machiavelli Effect. I believe that these 3 reasons work in tandem together. Ergophobia and Machiavelli power regulations. The Machiavelli Effect is described, in my terms, as the lack of entrepreneurial spirit as life becomes easier. Ergophobia is the fear of energy and where it is used. During the 70s, ergophobia was behind the pull away from nuclear energy. During the Cold War, you can see the reason behind the fear to try to research further into nuclear energy. This resulted in many world legislations and national regulations to help limit nuclear energy usage, specifically with weapon development. Machiavelli has taken root into the thinking of today. In the United States, the ease of life has increased tenfold at the start of the 20th century. A plateau has been created in the minds of people today that any more development is merely science fiction, and we have reached the peak in our modern day. This makes it harder for those who want to develop, not finding enough people to support them through work and funds. With these ideologies, it’s easier for people to accept registration that might limit future industries. My takeaway from this is that the regulations are not actually to blame, but today’s mindset. Dr. Hall said that the use of the word “crisis” has increased after World War II. Of course, we now have more outlets to use this word, but the fact that we as a nation are using these outlets for this kind of rhetoric is concerning. With this mindset, we have shifted away from the researcher and entrepreneur to solve our problem and on the legislator. Our country has become more accustomed to letting the government give short term solutions, instead of letting entrepreneurs give long term solutions. We have fallen in a mindset of complacency.