Whine Power

"It's definitely a different game from IT," he said. "Energy tends to take a lot more money. The markets move more slowly." Moreover, large energy companies are generally much less enthusiastic about trying new technologies than their counterparts in the IT sector.

No kidding.

But according to this article in Wired, funding for alternatives to gasoline seems to be picking up. And why is that? Because gas prices are going up, that's why.

If you mention to an American who's outraged about rising gas prices that gas is and has been far cheaper in other countries for years, you may well get the response "I don't live there." That's pretty annoying.

But, the US is the largest car market in the world. If a change is to happen in the automotive industry, it has to happen in the US.

So, so what if it's an annoying attitude. If whinyness about rising gas prices is enough to drive the development of new fuel technologies, then keep whining, America.

Just not to me.