At 10:46 AM 7/31/01 -0500, you wrote:
>In grade school we learned that the world's supply of oil would run out
>before 2000 and we'd all be driving solar powered cars.  Of course the
>lunar colonies would provide some relief, but there would also be
>overpopultion to te point we'd all live in high-rise apartments.

I recall one of the OPEC oil ministers saying that by 1985 there would
no longer be a need for OPEC, that shortages would drive the prices
inexorably up. Well, it's 16 years after that deadline, and despite
a spike up, there's really no immediate oil shortages, and the price is
not far off historic lows in real terms. There's enough
oil (if they could get it out) in the oil sands in Canada to supply
the entire US & Canada for something like 60 years. Getting it out is a
matter of cost and technology. If we were desperate, there was a proposal
to  set off sub-surface nuclear explosions to melt the oil shale- but
we're not nearly that desperate yet.

P.S. I want that damn Popular Science flying car too.

Best regards,
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..."            "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com
Contributions invited->The AVR-gcc FAQ is at: http://www.bluecollarlinux.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic:
[PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads