It took railroad trains about 80 years to evolve from steam to diesel electric (and beyond), and cars have evolved, but just not on the same scale. I have two cars, one is a 1989 and the other is a 2008. There is a world of difference in the technology, the weight of the vehicles and the safety features. The newer car is larger and gets significantly better mileage (and presumably is better for the environment). My point is that the early adapters will hopefully make electric (or hybrid electric) technology more workable in the near future.
I agree that fuel taxes (or the lack there of) will be a serious issue for the states and feds.
I toured an algae to diesel facility and was surprised that the most valuable parts of the conversion were food products and dyes, not the oil. Unless crude oil goes up a lot in real terms, I do not see algae as a salvation for the replacement of imported oil, but rather a supplement to the food supplies. Maybe algae can offset the corn and other food products to ethanol, specifically as a food stock for fish.
I drank a large glass of denial this morning and chased it with lots of caffeine. It has done wonders for my outlook.
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If youve ever cared about privacy while using the Internet ... you might be a terrorist.
Slate magazine
[url http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/02/02/communities_against_terrorism_ini