I store clothes at the gym at work ( I work at a university). The day before I take a change of clothes. If I only had to go 5 miles, I probably would not think of taking a shower since I'd just ride a lot slower.

This one drives me nuts. People act like driving is about comfort and entertainment. I personally believe that people should pass their driving test in a manual tranny and then buy whatever they want. That few percent in savings would make a huge difference. Not to mention the chance that it might actually be safer because you need to pay just a little bit of attention.

Of course. But it is still magnitudes better than what we're doing now.
Yes but we're focusing more on the U.S. and Canada since they are almost primitive by comparison or at best just ultra stubborn to change.
That's why we need many choices depending on conditions. In some places (I'm thinking Iceland here) hydrogen is easy and cheap to produce at the pump. While just a tiny insignificant fraction of the world market they are the test bed for solving many of hydrogen's issues. And then millions can use it where it makes sense. You can buy a hydrogen car now in Iceland but is really expensive right now. You can also buy a natural gas powered car that is fed by the town dump. They've been fueling the garbage trucks from that gas for a long time, now they have enough to power the taxis and personal cars.
Not more than I think, I know quite a bit about it and yes it is increasing. I'm thrilled by it and hope for a lot more. In fact the largest single geothermal plant is in the U.S. Too bad there aren't a lot more of them in places that could use them.
And also the norm in Iceland where the vast majority of the whole country including industry is run by district systems. Hot water and heat is just another utility like cold water and electricity. One of the dirtiest coal plants in the old eastern block is being converted to geothermal and then will power the already existing district heating system.

Yes, the technologies are available. That is my point, we can do a lot more than we're doing but choose to argue over doing anything different. And I'm pointing more at the U.S., Canada, and the emerging economies that don't want to buy enough clues to the mistakes of the past and present.
you got it brotha. We've been paying over $5 too for a while now on the other side of Canuckistan. Kudos to Vancouver and Seattle for being a few steps ahead of that other big city...... In Toronto they brought back the overhead electric trolly/bus which thrilled me if only because of the quiet and clean but somehow the lobby groups killed it once again. The "Red Rocket" trams are getting the pressure now. The irony of that while spouting the green theme out the other side of their mouths doesn't give me much hope.

Well I for one find it comfortable and very entertaining to drive a manual tranny.

Although it probably does make people think twice before buying any SUV type car, at least you don't see as many here in the Netherlands as in the US and A, I don't think it makes anyone drive less. So I think there might be a hard landing when oil price reaches a critical limit.

well i now in some areas there have been a sharp increase in drive offs...among other bad things...a freind of mine works in dc (district of columbia)still and has told me that most of the stations in town have people working the pumps...

That's happening in the Netherlands as well. Also some are now filling their tanks with cheap vegetable oil from the supermarket.

I drove a car with a manual transmission for 3 years in stop-and-go Dallas traffic. By the time I arrived home from my typically 2 hour commute from work in the evening my left leg was like jello due to the constant clutching.

Never again.

Yes. Far too many of them.

My family and I once took a road trip from Cleveland to Texas by car. This was when gas prices were around a $1.00. It only costed us $50 for gas, but if we were to take this trip today, it would cost around $200.

Grasshopper! Have you learned nothing?!

What does not kill you, makes you stronger.