Unfortunately, the media decides who gets their 15 minutes (or 15 years) of "fame".

As demonstrated by the constant (and respectful) attention given to "global warming" and "global cooling" theorists, the "peak oil movement" will probably be getting a good deal more than their "15 minutes" of fame.

I predict the media will be only too happy to let a new group of environmentalist Chicken Littles rant to their heart's content, the same way they've let the other groups cluck and cackle unchallenged.

The media will be denying the possibility of inorganic petroleum production right up to the moment the barrels start rolling out of some production plant.

Then they'll inevitably focus on a new Chicken Little complaining about how "environmentally damaging" the production itself is.

%%% EXPERIMENTAL %%%

This should be fairly easy to do, unless you hit lava or some compressed gas pocket. What they need to do is drill a hole at least 12 miles deep, preferably, on the seawater portion of a beach, or on the freshwater portion of a lake or river.

When you reach 12,000 feet deep, you will have at the bottom of the hole, fresh water from the river/lake which fills up the hole or saltwater, if such also works and the hole is drilled in a beach, sea, or ocean, or gulf. You will also have heat because down there, it is naturally hot because of the lava, and you will also have the gigantic pressure because water will perfectly seal the hole, and pressure in a tube such as this hole is simply dependent upon the height of the water above it.

IF DOWN THERE 12 miles or more is a CAVITY, YOU HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT METHANE GENERATOR. Water can fill up the hole by gravity, and fill up that cavity 12 miles beneath. Any methane produced will bubble upwards to the surface where the methane gas can be collected.

The deepest trenches in the world are in the Marianas, about 300 miles Southwest of Guam, the Philippine deep, just North East off Mindanao, the largest island in Southern Philippines, and plus another deep I don't know where. But these trenches are only35,000 to 36,200 feet deep or about 6 miles deep.

BUT IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE WHERE SHIPS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE JUST SUDDENLY SUNK, A SCIENTIST YEARS BACK CAME UP WITH THE THEORY THAT IN THE OCEANS, SUCH AS IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE AREA, MAYBE, HUGE POCKETS OF GAS SUDDENLY BUBBLE UP FROM THEIR CONTAINERS OR CAVES ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, AND AS THE BUBBLES MIX UP WITH THE SEAWATER ABOVE IT, THE NET DENSITY OF THE SEAWATER, GAS BUBBLE MIXTURE DROPS CONSIDERABLY SO MUCH SO THAT THE SHIP OR BOAT OR YATCH CANNOT FLOAT BUT WILL SINK DOWN THE OCEAN.

The scientist did an experiment and floated a toy ship on a container, maybe a bath tub or a swimming pool. The he got compressed gas and released the gas at the bottom of the swimming pool floor beneath the toy ship. As the bubble, struck the floating toy ship, the toyship sank!!!!! Just as he suspected and predicted!!! I wonder whether these gases that this scientist suspects is the reason for those Bermuda Triangle Ship disappearances ---- MIGHT BE THE METHANE GASES DESCRIBED IN YOUR POST BUT FORMED AT DEPTHS OF ONLY SOMETHING LIKE 4-5 MILES. If so, to produce methane, all they will need to get the necessary pressure and a way to collect the methane gas from below is to drop a very long tube connecting the surface to the bottom of the ocean floor. You will have the pressure, if 4-6 miles is all that is necessary, you will have the tube to guide the methane bubbles exactly where you can collect it from the surface instead of the bubble scattering all over the ocean, you will have the water, because everywhere is water, BUT YOU WILL ONLY HAVE HOT WATER IF THE BOTTOM OF THE TUBE OR PIPE IS IN A LAVA LOCATION OR HOT WATER LOCATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN FLOOR. Eric, how much would you like if this ends up successful???

Eurasian, I think there's a flaw in your experimental approach, and a pretty large one at that. A thin column of water 12 miles deep cannot even begin to provide the kind of bottomhole pressue that arises from the millions (billions?) of tons of rock at the same depth.

But your description of the possible explanation of disappearing ships in the Bermuda Triangle is interesting, and sounds vaguely familiar. Methane seeps (and crude oil seeps for that matter) are fairly common throughout the ocean floor. In the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California, there are large inverted metal cones designed to capture the product of such seeps, and they've been in place for many years.

%%% EXPERIMENTAL %%% ATTENTION: PRES. BUSH, SEC DON EVANS, CONGRESSMEN LAMAR SMITH, HENRY BONILLA, RANDY NEUGHEBAUER, SENATOR KERRY, SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN

Prof. Eric:

It is a good thing that you only "THINK" there is a flaw. Not that you are "SURE" there is a flaw.

If you look at the disclosure of the experimental, 1st paragraph, it says, "AT LEAST" 12 miles. THAT WAS JUST IN CASE DECEASED SCIENTIST THOMAS GOLD MEANT 12 MILES BENEATH ROCK OR SOIL.

Rocks are not liquid, like mercury, so, they won't really exert that much pressure on water 12 miles deep. It will be like you on the ground floor of the very heavy Empire State building Building. But you bear no weight of the building because the columns and walls are the ones carrying the building.

But even if the 12 miles of rocks, and soil above the compressed water were acting like a liquid, if the density of such rocks and soils are let's say 6 times the density of water, the solution is to drill a hole (12 milesX 6) = 72 MILES DEEP. Although this will be a very very deep hole, one good thing about it is that the material inside the hole will just be water and the methane bubbling up. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE HOLE IS THIN AND THE CAVITY MILES AND MILES BELOW IS BIG. PRESSURE IS DEPENDENT ONLY ON THE HEIGHT OF THE WATER AND NOT ON THE CROSSECTIONAL AREA OF THE HOLE. The SAVINGS ALONE FROM DRILLING A SMALL DIAMETER HOLE CAN AMOUNT TO TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SAVINGS COMPARED TO DRILLING A LARGE OR VERY LARGE DIAMETER HOLE. Also, because the hole is deeper, the hotter it will be because of the lava within the earth. So you got the monstrous pressure, you got the high temperature, and you have the water, and according to the theory, water will be transformed into methane!!!

If you want the same pressure at the bottom but the hole closer or even shorter than 12 miles, the solution is to mix the water inside the hole or tube or pipe with dirt/soil, etc to produce MUD, and IN THE MUD, or ON TOP OF THE MUD CAN BE SUSPENDED HEAVY MATERIALS LIKE ROCK FRAGMENTS, SAND, OR EVEN HEAVY SOLID MATERIALS DENSER THAN ROCKS SUCH AS LEAD, preverably LEAD SPHERICAL BEARINGS. In this method, you will need a second pipe or tube within or beside the main pipe or tube as a conduit through which the methane bubbles can float to the surface. THE MUD OR SAND AT THE VERY VERY BOTTOM WILL ACT LIKE A PISTON OR A RUBBER MEMBRANE BUT WHICH WILL ALLOW WATER AND METHANE GAS TO GO THROUGH, especially if a tube is provided. On top of this mud or sand piston can be miles and miles of a mixture of water or some liquid with as many solid lead solid balls as can be packed in.

Can you imagine the UNCONSTITUTIONALITY of Congress and the patent office how they implement Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution which mandates congress to encourage people to invent. ANY LAW, BE IT FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL OR WHATEVER, CONTRARY TO THE FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF THE LAND, THE CONSTITUTION IS ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Here I am, for all you know, putting into reality this process of transforming water into methane using extreme pressures and high temperatures.

And then, Congressmen LAMAR SMITH, RANDY NEUGHEBAUER, HENRY BONILLA AND THEIR SOME OVER 200 CONGRESSMEN COLLEAGES wants me to raise some $10,000 dollars in cash and use it to pay the patent office and the patent attorney (AND I WON"T NEED JUST ONE PATENT TO PROTECT THIS INVENTION!!!!). Otherwise, they won't give me ownership for my process and apparatus, and method of producing the very very monstrous pressures which have defied Professor THOMAS GOLD AND COLLEAGES. AND THEY HAVE STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS.

Unless filed by such and such a time, any patent granted will be void. If government money is used, it has to be declared in the patent application or the patent is void. If the patent fees are not paid on time, the patent is void. The Eurasian may have a workable solution. But it will be voided for reasons such as any of the above. SO LET ME TELL THIS TO THE NATION. IN MY SINCERE OPINION, THIS IS NO ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PEOPLE OR INVENTORS TO INVENT. IN MY VIEW, THIS IS SIMPLY LEGALIZED ROBBERY, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES SIMPLY CONFISCATING THE INVENTIONS OF POOR PEOPLE AND UNDER COLOR OF LAW MAKING THE INVENTION THE PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC BY PUTTING IT UNDER THE PUBLIC DOMAIN!!!!! THAT"S WHY I"D LIKE TO TELL OR I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO TELL CONGRESS, THAT IF THE PATENT OFFICE IS SIMPLY BEING MISUSED, NOT TO REWARD BUT TO DEPRIVE POOR INVENTORS OF OWNERSHIP OF THEIR INVENTIONS, THE BEST THING TO DO IS SIMPLY TO ABOLISH THE PATENT OFFICE. THAT WAY, NOBODY CAN GET A PATENT FOR THE INVENTION. I DON"T CARE IF I DON"T GET A PATENT FOR ANY OF MY INVENTIONS, SO LONG AS NOBODY ELSE UNJUSTLY GETS A PATENT FOR MY WORK. BUT IF I MAKE AN INVENTION, AND THE GOVERNMENT INSTEAD OF GIVING THE PATENT TO ME, GIVES THE PATENT TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHO EITHER JUST STOLE IT FROM ME, OR INDEPENDENTLY "INVENTED IT" AS A "JOHNNY COME LATELY, AFTER I INVENTED IT, THAT"S BAD!!!! EVEN THE GOVERNMENT, JUST USING MY WORK WITHOUT PAYING A SINGLE CENT AS COMPENSATION IS IN CONSCIENCE, ROBERRY under color of law!!!! PATENT BOOKS ARE FULL OF WRITINGS THAT SAY HOW EASY IT IS FOR LAWYERS TO STEAL THE WORK OF INVENTORS THEN CLAIM THAT THEY INDEPENDENTLY INVENTED THE INVENTION ON THEIR OWN. That's why to prevent this and keep patent lawyers honest, the patent office forbids patent lawyers from applying patents for themselves and from practicing any other law besides the patent law, so that they will lose their means of livelihood if they steal inventions from their clients. WELL, GOVERNMENT IS ALSO DOING THAT SAME THING TO INVENTORS. THEY GOT THE TAXES. THEY GOT THE HUGE FEES. THEY GOT THE POWER, THE AUTHORITY, AND THE OFFICES. THEY GOT THE LAWYERS. THEY GOT THE CONGRESSMEN WHO MAKE THE LAWS. THE MAJORITY OF INVENTORS WHO ARE POVERTY STRICKEN BECAUSE ' POVERTY IS THE MOTHER OF BOTH NECESSITY AND INVENTIONS, HAVE NONE. WHO IS THE PATENT OFFICE AND CONGRESS REWARDING AND GIVING EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THESE INVENTIONS? ARE THEY GIVING THESE EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THE TRUE INVENTORS WHO FIRST DID THE INVENTIONS, OR ARE THEY GIVING IT TO THE MONEYED, THE WRONG PEOPLE, THE FALSE INVENTORS, THE LATE JOHNNY COME LATELIES, OR EVEN TO THIEVES?

Invention is supposed to be a process where inventors should be competing with each other in a race where each tries to be the first. AND HERE IS CONGRESS PUTTING IMPEDIMENTS SUCH AS EXORBITANT UNNECESARY PATENT FEES SO THAT IF
A POVERTY STRICKEN INVENTOR IS AHEAD OF ALL THE OTHERS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, SUCH POVERTY STRICKEN INVENTOR WON'T BE ABLE TO SUBMIT HIS WORK TO THE PATENT OFFICE BECAUSE OF THE UNNECESSARY HIGH PATENT FEES IMPOSED AND THE UNNECESSARY PATENT RULES THAT MAKE COSTLY PATENT LAWYERS NECESSARY. THIS WAY, THOSE THAT ARE LATE JOHNNY COME LATELIES BUT HAVE THE MONEY WILL END UP FIRST IN THE RECORDS OF THE PATENT OFFICE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT THE FIRST AND TRUE INVENTORS. I SAY ABOLISH THE PATENT OFFICE. ALLOW THE UTILITY OF INVENTIONS, not their artistic features TO BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. These inventions were not made for beauty, BUT FOR UTILITY. THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE WAS ESTABLISHED NOT FOR BEAUTY BUT FOR UTILITY. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 8 which is the SOLE reason why Congress established the Copyright Office says that it wants "USEFUL, USEFUL, USEFUL, USEFUL arts." Nowhere does it say that it wants "USELESS NOR BEAUTIFUL art." THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE IS MISREADING THE CONSTITUTION ART 1 SEC 8 CLAUSE 8. WHAT THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE IS DOING IS UNCONTITUTIONAL!!! It is WRONGLY, routinely granting copyrights to USELESS ARTS and WRONGLY, routinely DENYING copyrights to USEFUL ARTS!!!!! SEE WHAT LAWYERS AND MONEY DO TO MANDATES OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT ARE CLEAR AND WHICH YOU DON"T EVEN NEED A LAWYER TO UNDERSTAND????? WHAT A MESS!!!!
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CONGRESSMEN LAMAR SMITH, RANDY NEUGHEBAUER, HENRY BONILLA, PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, SEC. OF COMMERCE IN CHARGE OF THE COPYRIGHT AND PATENT OFFICES DON EVANS, SENATOR KERRY, SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN:

YOUR GOD, IN THE BIBLE SAYS: WOE TO YOU WHO MAKE BAD LAWS!!!!!
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the-eurasian@earthlink.net

Every time there's a spike in oil prices, the Hubbert Peak people are everywhere selling their message. I think they get a little more than 15 minutes. :) But they always go away, because, as you say, the oil industry is pretty darn good at proving them wrong.