Since I am being nostalgic about my own family's experience with alternate energy I will point out that my auntie had gas lighting in her house well into the late 50s. (About the time the Beatle's emerged.) And when I came to Australia about 2/3 of Sydney was, to my horror, without sewerage! The so-called nightsoil was collected by the night man who accessed it by going down the little lanes at the back of the houses. I must stress this doesn't happen still!!!!

I think that we are not dumb so much as greedy. We have come so far in 50 years-- what will we have achieved in another 50 if we are encouraged to explore our planet and further.

The dumb thing we do now though is to disregard the need for scientific discovery/research that is not tied to a funded project. We are then discouraging the accidental discoveries, or the results of experiments like Hero's, completed for the delight of it and the pleasure of success. Here in Oz our science faculties are starved of funds and students, while the Law and Commerce depts are overflowing.

This IS dumb!