" From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx> " " Andrew wrote: " " > > research is only just beginning on fuel crops. more is needed. and " > > the issue of competition for food acreage could indeed be a serious " > > problem. " " That's a good point. Of course transnational oil companies are required by law " and their stockholders (and greedy top management) to not only make profit " continuously, but growth in profit quarter by quarter. There's no room in " there for costly 20-year-plans to develop systems that would either put them " out of business or be useful only when they're dead from "natural causes". " Likely it would cause huge social upheavals too, eg. we wouldn't be driving " individual fossil fueled cars (ouch). " " It's too bad, as we've demonstrated an ability to develop tremendously subtle " and powerful stuff, like silicon and software, but only when it also produces " a continuous stream of treats. If there was a 20 year gap between the " invention of the transistor to the integrated circuit, say, chances are no " one would have done it. Clearly it would still have been a huge boon. ics were first developed for military work, where performance mattered and financial payback didn't. maybe what we need to do is make energy independence a defense priority! they'll grossly overpay for development, but practical affordable alternative energy would eventually filter down to the commercial sector. ________________________________________________________________________ Andrew Hay the genius nature internet rambler is to see what all have seen adh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and think what none thought _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list