CHAPTER ONE Convergence Flying Cars The Skirball Cultural Center sits simply off the 405 thruway, on the northern fringe of l. a. . engineered atop the skinny spine of the Santa Monica Mountains, the middle offers spectacular views in nearly each direction, aside from the thruway below—which is slow for miles on finish. Of course it's. In 2018, for the sixth straight year, l. a. earned the dubious honor of being the foremost gridlocked metropolis within the world, where the average driver spends two-and-a-half operating weeks a year unfree in traffic. nevertheless facilitate is also on its means. In could 2018, the Skirball Center was ground zero for Uber Elevate, the ridesharing company's radical plan for finding this traffic: their second annual flying automotive conference. Inside the Skirball, large screens displayed an evening sky dotted with stars that slowly pale into a blue dotted with clouds. at a lower place the clouds, it had been room solely. The event had attract...