oil predictions

[Les Schaffer <schaffer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

charles asked:
> How about taking a bunch of hydrogen and oxygen and combining it to
> make new water ?

to which ian replied:
> That's where the Star Trek technology comes in. You'd need a quantum
> computer capable of synthesizing probability amplitudes from the
> Planck scale; it's not even decidable whether it's possible yet, let
> alone if it would ever be technically and economically feasible.

and then charles brown followed up:
> CB: This undecidability IN PRINCIPLE stuff is weird. I mean does
> physics have to turn into the complete opposite of its "exacting"
> self , from hard to totally soft science ?  Social science need no
> longer have an inferiority complex. What gives

and les says:

i wouldnt take ian seriously. making water from two gases (H and O) is
not so hard in the laboratory, fuel cells do it:

http://www.ectechnic.co.uk/BASICS.HTML

no planck scale nonsense.

the point though is the energy required to capture/seperate quantities
of hydrogen and oxygen in such a way that power in (capture/seperate)
- power out (fuel cell) is not prohibtive.

so, realistically making more drinking water for the world, in
quantity with no excess power drain and at cost?

ask the econs, but i would guess its way way way cheaper to keep water
clean (no pollutants in) and clean water (filter, seperate pollutants
from water) than it is to make water from the air.

(and obviously stealing from the air is not such a hot idea either.)

les schaffer