JF, > But if you classify it broader as a "technology boom" then my guess is Gore would have done a better job of sustaining it.
I'd say that the current boom can be classified more as an "information technology boom" than a general technology boom. Even now, we see PCs being replaced by laptops, PDAs, Blackberries, and of course cell phones. CRTs are being replaced by flat panels. Wires are going away, replaced by wireless technologies. And of course, we're developing "Internet 2.0," such as Google and YouTube.
The hope is that this IT boom can spill over and spark breakthroughs in alternative energy, biotech (including stem cells), materials for batteries, etc. But I haven't seen anything which has sparked into a new boom.
As for the transition to alternative energy, the problem with that is that without some real breakthroughs in research, the "transition" would be mostly artificial and heavy supported by the public. Government can fund the research to help speed along the discovery of such breakthroughs, but that's about all I would expect a guy like Al Gore to do. Beyond that, it's just a matter of conservation and controlling the excesses, which itself has benefits but would pretty much require a lot more sacrifice from Americans too used to their SUVs and having only one occupant per vehicle.
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