Hijexx wrote:
] As this happens, everything is going to become more expensive.

I agree. But, in a sense, it "costs" more to produce pentiums then 386s...

] Delving into the political landscape for just a second, we
] might believe that the war is affecting these trends. Surely
] it is, but take a look around. I don't believe this war is
] going to end. Our leaders say as much. Consider that outside
] influencing factor a constant from here on out.

I agree. Thats basically my reply to assertions that this is an "war for oil." The cost advantages of energy from iraq are going to be minor compared with the overall cost of this conflict. The WOT may last a long long time. The Iraq situation has been looking more grim recently. We may be mired in it for a while too.

] ] Furthermore, there are new technologies for extracting
] natural
] ] gas that have nothing to do with wells.
]
] Which new extraction technologies are you referring to? I'd
] like to research them.

That natural gas website I linked offered a lot of examples, some with very high potential returns.

] It looks interesting. Do they exist in concentrated deposits?
] How much of our energy today is produced from them? How
] quickly could it be ramped up? Is it economically and
] chemically feasible?
]
] Or, put another way, is this the natural gas equivalent of
] fusion? Lots of promise, little results.

Methane Hydrates were discovered very recently. Its too soon to tell. Most of these things are in the middle. They aren't as hard as fusion, but we don't have all of the technology worked out right now.

RE: As prices rise, concerns grow about world oil supplies