I think your questions, particularly as rephrased by frgab, could equally well have been asked right after Newton published his theories of mechanics and gravitation. These theories enabled one to predict the motions of the planets, but not significantly better (at that time) then the existing techniques. They gave a better description of what happens when you hurl a rock or shoot an arrow, but doing so with accuracy relied far more on the subconscious skills of the warrior than upon any calculations. They greatly increased our understanding of the workings of nature, but for a long time did not contribute to our control of nature.
This reminds me of a famous (and probably apocryphal) exchange between Queen Victoria and Michael Faraday when the queen visited Faradays lab for a demonstration of his brand new invention, the electric dynamo. Queen Victoria asked Faraday; "So Mr. Faraday, that's all very nice and interesting, but of what the fuck use is the damned thing?" Faraday replied; "Madam, of what use is a baby?"
Another important aspect that has not been mentioned is that while elementary particle physics, cosmology, and the physics of the solid state (now usually referred to as condensed matter physics and includes our understanding of the semiconductors used in our computers, etc.) seem to deal with quite different components of nature, in fact there is a great deal of commonality in the mathematics and models of these topics. A key part of the current theory of elementary particles, the standard model, is a mathematical description called spontaneous symmetry breaking. This concept and its development originated in solid state physics.
I am currently reading and highly recommend a very nice popularization (very easy read and no equations) of the current state of fundamental physics: "The Trouble with Physics", by Lee Smolin. It will give you a good idea of what is currently taking place in the field, and as the title implies, its current impasses. If you read this book, keep in mind the extremely sophisticated and powerful mathematical and modeling techniques that are being developed to tackle these problems.