E64: Flying Cars, AI, Nanotech with a Scientist

Dr. J. Storrs Hall explains how bureaucracy, cultural stagnation, and fear of energy halted the future we were promised—flying cars, nanotech, and unlimited clean power—and what it’ll take to bring it back.

🎙️ Guest Info:
Dr. J. Storrs Hall is a scientist, author, and futurist specializing in nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science, was a pioneer in molecular nanotech research, and authored Where Is My Flying Car?, Beyond AI, and Nanofuture. He is a leading voice in techno-optimism and a critic of regulatory overreach and cultural risk aversion.

📌 Topics Discussed:

• Why flying cars should exist—and nearly did
• The "Great Stagnation" since the 1970s
• Energy use as the true bottleneck of progress
• How regulation killed innovation
• AI’s future and the promise of nanotechnology
• Environmental fundamentalism vs. nuclear power
• Why college IQs dropped and degrees devalued
• What 2050 might actually look like
• Cold fusion, space travel, and civilization’s next leap
• Optimism vs. doom in the 21st century

💬 3 Standout Quotes (Formatted for Visual or Social Use):

"The real danger isn't AI—it's that we finally build the future and then screw it up."
– Dr. J. Storrs Hall

"We could have had flying cars by now. Bureaucracy and fear killed them, not physics."

"If humanity gets nanotech right, we can rebuild all U.S. infrastructure in a week."

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Thanks for listening!