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Strategies & Market Trends : Gorilla and King Portfolio Candidates -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/22/2000 5:24:00 PM
From: Magic212	Respond to of 54805

Scott, This GGame beginner found your post interesting and very informative. Thanks, Leslie

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/22/2000 6:35:00 PM
From: chaz	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

To the Thread: We're straying away from the computer/communication focus of our thread when we branch out into the fuel cell area. It may be new technology, it may be fascinating, it may be the future (doubtful anytime soon, IMO) but in the context of what we do best here is way OT. For the same reason, we have chased off those folks who want to talk with us about drugs, biotech, bioag, and medical stocks...as a group they're fraught with great portfolio danger, require mostly huge investments, are subject to government jaw boneing...etc, etc. etc. Let's keep our focus on what we know and do best, and let those other topics find their own threads rather than adding to the clutter here. Chaz/Thucydidies

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/22/2000 7:47:00 PM
From: Uncle Frank	Respond to of 54805

Thanks for coming out of cover and introducing yourself, Scott. Your first post was a doozie and not presumptuous at all. The topic of fuel cells has been introduced here on several occasions, and each time we've come to the conclusion that it was not appropriate for this board. Our focus, expertise, and metrics revolve around computers, software, telecom, and semiconductors, if we try to stretch ourselves too far, we will be in the position of being a pool of knowledge that is a mile wide and an inch deep. My personal vote is that we leave the fuel cells to discussion groups specializing in energy issues. Welcome to G&K, uf

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/22/2000 9:17:00 PM
From: DownSouth	Respond to of 54805

Scott, thank you for your very balanced post. Fuel cells keep popping up here, but no one has mad the case for Gorilla, King, Chimp, or Prince for any competitor, that I recall.

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/23/2000 1:38:00 AM
From: FLSTF97	Respond to of 54805

Fuel Cells Scott you are probably more correct on this point than we will ever know. First let me begin by saying that although I've made several posts previously denigrating the near term chances for fuel cells, I do believe that someday they may proliferate. The problem they will have in the near term will be the machinations of large entrenched businesses together with local governments. This puts them in the category of health care companies in that the efficacy of their products does not necessarily determine their success. Here is a real scenario that is being played out in Germany (and if they succeed will tilt the European playing field). Diamler is pushing a concept that has a fuel cell coupled with an onboard chemical factory to crack methanol to liberate the H2. Their logic is that current gas stations can be converted( the cost will be huge) to deliver methanol . The general public considers pure H2 as too dangerous(I would argue that methanol is more dangerous) so they want to avoid it. Diamler has succeeded in manipulating an independent advisory board that will recommend to the Government this as the long term solution with an LPG alternative fuel intermediate solution. It is likely that the gov. will then enact taxation laws to "enforce" this and will exert pressure on desenting firms to get in line (which they will). Any objective economic, technical, or environmental analysis of this scenario would show it to be virtually the worst choice possible. Clearly Diamler has some ulterior motive than just being ahead in building quasi mobile crackers. Nevertheless I hope somebody does do a project hunt in this area. One question that needs to be addressed to determine when/if a tornado may occur is the fuel source distribution system. Currently other than natural gas and gasoline there are no practical distribution networks. FATBOY

To: tayspop729 who wrote (21034)	3/23/2000 2:39:00 PM
From: the dodger	Respond to of 54805

Good post. My response is a little off-topic, but something that should be kept in mind when considering high energy cost, fuel cells, (and searching for gorillas) etc.. You know the best way to clean your fingernails? -- Wash your hair !!! And you know who benefits the MOST from high oil prices? Nope...it's not OPEC...it's not Exxon...it's the communications industry -- and the reasons are fairly obvious. Now you might look at the current high oil prices and the recently soaring stocks of the communications companies and find it to be coincidental. But I'll offer another example...look back to the Persian Gulf war. There was/is a little company called PictureTel...a pioneer of video-teleconferencing. It's stock skyrocketed as oil prices went thru the roof....from something like 3 to 50 !!! People were afraid to fly, and they didn't want to pay the hefty premium placed on air travel. But as oil prices declined -- so did PicTel's share price. But Cisco was born during that era...and soon after that the internet became a household word. I personally think the entire "new economy" owes at least a partial word of thanks to madman Sadam. "the dodger"