It's easy for a lazy thinker -- that's everyone in some respect -- to get d istracted from the possible by studying thermodynamics which focuses on the impossible. Obviously the "cardinality" of the set of impossible things i s >> than the set of the possible so you save an infinite amount of time ju st by being aware of the impossible. You definitely need the basics to imp rove your odds.
Saying "technology is directional" that is, society and public policy can d irect research and development and get beneficial results like HVDC falls d irectly out of the statement "there's low hanging fruit everywhere, we only need to look for it."
IOW, the reason technology is so directional isn't because engineers and sc ientists can do anything or are omniscient but for almost the exact opposit e reason. It's because, as Einstein pointed out, there is so much unknown that can be very easily understood and put into practice if we only got the right insight.
For an instant example, maybe 2 kilobites of tips could reduce the economic and public health effects of CV-19 by 90%. That's trillions of dollars a couple million lives.
To be sure, at present population growth rates, there will be only 15 watts of solar power / human in 500 years. This isn't enough energy to keep the brain alive.
The Mars thingy probably won't happen anytime soon but there may be other o pportunities. Breakthroughs are guaranteed. We just need the right ones.
Bret Cahill