The Next Big Thing

With oil topping $70 a barrel, The Washington Post reports on a surge in venture capital backing the next wave in "disruptive technologies" (a good thing, apparently); namely, alternative energy, green chemistry and sustainable industry. Like the Internet before it, some investors see so-called Greentech as the next big thing and the names the Post drops in connection with it -- Gates, Case, Allen, Doerr, McNealy, et al -- not only recalls the dot.com boom but also gives the idea some weight. Indeed, one can almost hear the cash registers ringing. At the same time, though, the article is light on substance. Aside from ethanol (a controversial technology in terms of sustainability, though not perhaps in terms of $$$, given the soaring price of crude), few specific technologies are addressed. Myself, I just want to know where I can go to get stock options.