The thing I don't get is why oil companies aren't very publicly pumping umpteen billions of the profits they're making into renewable energy technology. We're going to have to switch sooner or later, and having the setup in place for widespread manufacture of company-controlled windmill fields and solar panels would ensure that they'd still be making money in the energy business long after the oil gets too scarce to be a practical energy source.

The thing I don't get is why oil companies aren't very publicly pumping umpteen billions of the profits they're making into renewable energy technology.

Because, as the current economic crisis shows (to name just one example,) people are stupid, greedy, shortsighted, and averse to change until everything comes crashing down around them.

Petroleum is a vile substance, that corrupts the souls of everyone who deals with it.

Except the Norwegians, for some reason.

The thing I don't get is why oil companies aren't very publicly pumping umpteen billions of the profits they're making into renewable energy technology.

They are pumping a lot of money into the renewable energy sector, but their board members and shareholders have seen the craze for renewables come and go before, and a lot of them remain unconvinced that changing course like this is the best way to go. Scalability is still a huge issue, environmental factors loom large (like, say, wind turbine fields killing scores of birds), and the U.S. government has removed tax credits for developing renewable energy. A lot of this really does have to do with the government - if there was a program in place to strenuously encourage renewable-energy development, we'd be seeing a lot more movement in that area (like Spain has). As it is, we're dependent on wealthy people like T. Boone Pickens and Vinod Kohsla to get that ball rolling.

Also, people really are adverse to change. But if the money is there, they'll go for it.

I think a lot of it is that even though in their duty to their stock holders, they're supposed to think long-range everyone tends to focus on quarterly results. Government initiatives would help on that front as well.

T. Boone Pickens

I know this is a real person, but every time I see the name I picture the crazy rich cowboy from The Simpsons.

I know this is a real person, but every time I see the name I picture the crazy rich cowboy from The Simpsons.

Hee! You and me both.

Sarah Palin baby name generator: [link]

My Palin name is Blitz Harden Palin!

Halter Grasshopper Palin

Hee! Slicer Mission Palin.