Who on Nostr: I totally agree with all of that, and implicit within it is that Bitcoin is heading ...

I totally agree with all of that, and implicit within it is that Bitcoin is heading towards usefulness for large sums mainly. The pricing structure for block fees is based on what satoshis were worth years ago and I see no sign of any incentive for any solution that would lead to lower fees. What would create such an incentive is some upstart focused on making mining more affordable to create more competition. Currently supply and demand favours the largest miners. So, yes, exactly as you say, technical advances. But if they are market driven as they surely have to be then more accessible mining technology has to be the way.