[theAlphaDuck]

you don't "believe" in the electric car?

do you believe in "induction Coils"?
youve got them on your electric toothbrush

if the coils were embedded in the road...and in the bottom of the cars...
then the road itself would be able to supply power to the electric car...

simple physics...

but to place said coils in the road would be very expensive....
and it would mean no more tax from oil...
or from the oil companies....

money ALSO hinders technolgy in another way.

this is because of the "step" method....
it is MORE profitable to release technology slowly and in stages than just to go to the most advanced stuff right away...
(like windows 95/98/me)

because if you go to the advanced stuff right away....mr member of public makes 1 purchase
put it into 3 stages...and youve just trebled your profits...

the technology we have already is AMAZING!

and its not like its SUPER secret or anything....
there are things like holographic data storage....buy one of these and you'll never need to buy a new hard-drive EVER...
but there is NO profit in doing that...so why release a hlographic storage device when you can make 10fold profits over the next few years releasing gradually better technology?

its the same with drug companies....IF they developed a total cure for say....diabetes....would they release the cure?
you'd like to think so but think about it...

to do so..means that the company will make LESS profits..because no-one is gonna buy insulin anymore....
so while it would be in the PUBLICS interest to release the cure....
its not in the drug companies interests...because they would make LESS profits...SO....why do it?

after all glaxo-welcome is not a charity is it?
they exist to make profits....so why release a product that would damage profits?

the same thing has happened in REAL life with MANY products
(dunno about diabetes cure...was just example)
a guy discovered a compound that provided better grip and would mean that car tyres would last 10 times longer....
now....you own a tyre company...

you can
a. suppress this new tech and sell standard tyres
or
b. release these new tyres...and see your profits drop to 1 tenth of what they were before

which would you do?
from a buisness point of view...there is only one answer...a.

and that my dear boy...is how the quest for profits...hinders technology

also...regarding your last point...

INDIA...has developed nukes, and has a massive IT development sector....
Russia produced the MOST ADVANCED fighter plane in the world ever (PRE-EUROFIGHTER) in the 70's on a budget of $500 per month...

if that doesnt disprove that money and tech are linked i dont know what will...

also...USSR spent about 10% (number from air) on thier space program compared to NASA....yet the first man in space.,.....was a communist