Nobody speaks of "gigabucks"... yet. But this country's national debt is counted in terms of many trillions of dollars. The interest costs alone to finance the debts of the federal government, state governments, city governments, and the many unfunded pension programs for the military, unionized: bureaucrats, teachers, police, firemen, postal workers, (not to mention the costs for medicare coverage of an large and aging population segment), could very soon cost as much as all tax revenues that could ever be extracted from a seriously weakened economy. The USA/western world debt financing needs,measured in "dollars," are in galactic sized numbers, with the ONLY economic result possible being the eventual devaluation of the "good faith and credit" reputation of a nation's unit of currency. We are re-living Germany between their two world wide wars. (brings a new meaning to: www).

This current "recession" could easily become a world-wide depression. Homes of middle-class professionals already cost millions of devalued dollars. Contracts to chase balls in professional team sports now are measured in many tens of millions of dollars. Producing even a BAD Hollywood movie takes hundreds of millions of dollars, while the employment contracts for the actors (stars?) are counted in tens of millions of dollars for two hours of work. And let us not forget that "APPLE," as a corporation, is now valued in many "gigabucks." With regard to the intrinsic value of a "buck," we are not in Kansas anymore, Todo. We are forced to follow the gold-brick-lined road to the end of the 21st century.

And, THAT is not our REAL problem.

All the solutions to the world's new modes of transportation and energy generation and distribution will cost massive amounts of money that NO banking system anywhere has in deposits. Only an international dictatorial political system can force the construction of a massive world change... Are we ready for this? Probably not.

OR SO IT ALL SEEMS...

It is much more likely that an over-populated, over-consuming, and under-educated, under-producing total world population will experience political and economic failures that could even lead to nuclear "energy" wars that use megaton bombs to level major cities. Even the United Nations predicts that the world's population at the end of the 21st century can be either 14 billion people or 5 billion (less than our current 7 billion). It is up to us to decide which number is the positive or negative viewpoint. It is man's typical, classical and historical way out of impossible problems. Basically, it is a rather safe bet to assume the world will hit the "reset" button sometime this 21st century. Of course, billions of people will survive and how they will live will necessarily be based on new ideas of transportation and energy. Of that we can be certain.

It is difficult to model how human evolution will take place in the future, but if it maintains a technological center as it did over 300,000 years of human existence, it is likely that in the future, people will move, live in smaller trusted communities, and be rather self sufficient. All of that can be well supported by energy systems based on: solar/wind, fuel (energy storage) systems based on Hydrogen, and transportation that does NOT require ribbons of very heavy and energy consumptive steel or concrete to move around in ultra-heavy "vehicles". The world's "reset" will be an opportunity to finally become seriously "energy efficient."

Said differently... the world's economy, based on small units of productivity (companies, smart people, social organizations), is likely to count "credit" in terms of "GIGABUCKS" rather than BTUs. Translating THAT, units of energy production and transportation are likely to cost $100,000s in today's dollars. That should be encouraging for those who are likely to live independently, away from failed cities, and who must build their own total energy system solution. We do NOT have to find economical ways to power everyone, everywhere, all the time, at the most inefficient, expensive methods of upgrading 20th century technologies. Change in EVERYTHING is most likely the theme of the 21st century. It IS the FUTURE. GIGMEDIA CONSULTING knows what to change and how (or so it seams).