{"id":1950220,"date":"2023-06-18T05:27:06","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T09:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dude-wheres-my-flying-car\/"},"modified":"2023-06-18T05:29:56","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T09:29:56","slug":"dude-wheres-my-flying-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dude-wheres-my-flying-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Where&#8217;s my flying car, dude?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdude-wheres-my-flying-car%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1950220&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Breakthrough in Fusion Energy: A Shot for the Ages<\/h2>\n<p>On December 13, 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced a groundbreaking achievement in fusion energy. After more than 60 years of global research, development, engineering, and experimentation, they have made a significant breakthrough. The National Nuclear Security Administration hailed this accomplishment as a monumental milestone.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;A good part of the nation\u2019s press went wild over the news. Livermore\u2019s own publicity department called the new fusion reactor &#8216;a shot for the ages.&#8217; <em>Wired<\/em> magazine declared, &#8216;It\u2019s Time to Fall in Love With Nuclear Fusion\u2014Again,&#8217; while ABC explained, &#8216;Scientific \u2018breakthrough\u2019 in nuclear fusion could launch new era of clean energy.&#8217; As it happens, even on the most optimistic of timetables, we\u2019re still 20 years away from commercial reactors, but that didn\u2019t stop the nation\u2019s press from proclaiming the arrival of the new fusion age.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Such excitement and hype surrounding engineering breakthroughs are not uncommon. However, many of these hyped advancements often lack a clear purpose beyond the breakthrough itself. The pursuit of technology for the sake of advancement, rather than for the betterment of humanity, can be misguided.<\/p>\n<h3>The History of Hype and Failure<\/h3>\n<p>In his book, <em>Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure<\/em>, Vaclav Smil provides a realistic account of the history of science. He aims to temper our inflated optimism about new technologies and remind us of the broken promises and unfulfilled hopes that have characterized the field. Smil&#8217;s work serves as an antidote to irrational enthusiasm about technological change.<\/p>\n<p>Smil presents nine case studies of hyped inventions that either failed to deliver on their promise or had unforeseen negative consequences. He explores the rise and fall of technologies such as CFCs, leaded gasoline, DDT, blimps, hydrogen airships, nuclear fission, and supersonic flight. He also examines three much-hyped breakthroughs that never materialized: trains in vacuum tubes, nitrogen-fixing cereals, and fusion energy.<\/p>\n<p>While Smil&#8217;s skepticism about hyped claims is valid, he tends to overlook the genuine progress that has been made through imperfect solutions. Progression from bad to less bad is a natural part of historical development.<\/p>\n<h3>Seeking Meaningful Innovation<\/h3>\n<p>Smil suggests that inventions should focus on improving the human condition with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dude-wheres-my-flying-car\/\" title=\"Where's my flying car, dude?\">minimal long-term impact<\/a> on the environment. He advocates for prioritizing fundamental aspects of human life before pursuing extravagant advancements. However, these abstract suggestions may not generate the necessary momentum for technological progress.<\/p>\n<p>While Smil&#8217;s book highlights the shortcomings of inventions and innovations, it fails to recognize the potential positive impact of ambitious projects like supersonic flight and commercial space travel. These endeavors can inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists, even if they are accompanied by hype. Hype, it turns out, can be beneficial in certain contexts.<\/p>\n<p><em>Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure<\/em> by Vaclav Smil is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-randomly-makes-up-story-about-being-born-in-same-hospital-his-grandfather-died-at-weeks-prior\/\" title=\"Biden Randomly Makes Up Story About Being Born in Same Hospital His Grandfather Died at Weeks Prior\">thought-provoking commentary<\/a> on the pitfalls of exaggerated claims in the field of technology. It sheds light on the importance of critically evaluating advancements and considering their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/young-americans-must-lead-the-way-in-opposing-additional-covid-shutdowns\/\" title=\"Young Americans Must Lead The Way In Opposing Additional COVID Shutdowns\">long-term consequences<\/a>. However, it is essential to recognize that hype can still play a role in driving progress and attracting talent to crucial disciplines.<\/p>\n<p><em>Matthew Phillips is a doctoral student in aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On December 13, 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made a significant fusion energy breakthrough after over 60 years of global research, development, and experimentation. The news sparked excitement in the press, with Livermore&#8217;s publicity department also expressing enthusiasm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2132,"featured_media":1950221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[8171,12530,6328,11882],"class_list":["post-1950220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon","tag-car","tag-dude","tag-flying","tag-wheres"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1950220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1950221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1950220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1950220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1950220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}