Yep. But... What could be better than a car, I mean the concept of "mechanized individual transportation". Same question with train "mechanized mass transportation". Sewer ? What could be better ?
While any of these is "not perfect", it's tough (at least for me) to come with something conceptually better right now.
And also, I think we have to rememeber that many of these were possible because of oil. So, I think that if we don't find a significantly better energy source, the material world will just evolve very slowly.
When I think about it, it's obvious that new stuff happens in knowledge/information space : it has a very strong innovation/energy ratio...
> A world where you could walk to the things you need because they're close?
That was the world before cars - it's cars and access to good infrastructure that changed the world to its current state where local businesses can't compete anymore.
We've made tremendous progress in that direction since 1960. What's your point?
> A world where you could walk to the things you need because they're close?
That's not a technology problem; much of the developed world is like that and more of the world is getting to be like it with progressive urbanization. The US made a deliberate social choice to focus on auto-centric development that inhibits that a bit in the US, but that's a social problem, not a technical one.
Better than a car? Mechanized individual transportation that isn't bounded in the 2d plane.
I think Elon also asked the question of what could be better than a train and threw out one possible answer: Hyperloop
Sewer? It doesn't take a lot of creativity to see how a sewer could be better. How about micro waste treatment directly inline with the sewer so now it is not carrying waste, but clean water, and just pipe it directly back in.
While any of these is "not perfect", it's tough (at least for me) to come with something conceptually better right now.
And also, I think we have to rememeber that many of these were possible because of oil. So, I think that if we don't find a significantly better energy source, the material world will just evolve very slowly.
When I think about it, it's obvious that new stuff happens in knowledge/information space : it has a very strong innovation/energy ratio...