Now we can finally live like The Jetsons

Flying cars will shortly no longer be the stuff of science fiction, says Stuart Watkins. It's time to look to the skies for your next ride.

863-Coast-634

Life imitating art: DeLorean's DR-7

An amusing "meme" has been doing the rounds on social media sites, says Jacob Brogan on Slate's Future Tense blog. Such memes involve embellishing upon a joke, then widely sharing it on Twitter and other sites. In this meme, wags first remind us of how we all thought back in the 1970s: "I bet they'll have flying cars and jet packs in 2017!" Underneath, they post a picture from the present day to show how far we have failed to come since then teens staring gormlessly into their iPhones, taking selfies, playing with pointless gadgets. The meme is a bit of fun, but the real laugh, according to Brogan, is that a significant percentage of Americans really do want to see autonomous flying cars (at least according to one recent study). Flying cars remain "the quintessential undelivered promise of the future".

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Stuart Watkins
Comment editor, MoneyWeek

Stuart graduated from the University of Leeds with an honours degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, and from Bath Spa University College with a postgraduate diploma in creative writing. 

He started his career in journalism working on newspapers and magazines for the medical profession before joining MoneyWeek shortly after its first issue appeared in November 2000. He has worked for the magazine ever since, and is now the comment editor. 

He has long had an interest in political economy and philosophy and writes occasional think pieces on this theme for the magazine, as well as a weekly round up of the best blogs in finance. 

His work has appeared in The Lancet and The Idler and in numerous other small-press and online publications.