energy: We live in a time of miracles built on a foundation of free energy. Free energy is an illusion. The hidden costs of free energy are wars, pollution and oppression.

And yet the options are so marvelous. Wind turbines. Solar cells. Geothermal. So why aren't we developing them like mad? The powers that extract have a significant chunk of change tied up in their ailing infrastructure. But just give them time. It Takes deep pockets to develop large-scale infrastrcutures such as these energy projects. And it takes that kind of infrastructure to develop (and keep) deep pockets. If I owned and oil well, I'd probably be building a wind turbine about now.

On the other hand, look how much power we little people have. Small-scale decentralized systems could bring us into the future, one baby step at a time. Emerging technologies such as hydrogen only make sense when the constituent pieces (energy needed to create hydrogen) are developed sustainably. Try transit instead.