Crazy how unimaginable an existence without a phone line was. It was a given of existence. Makes me wonder just which "must always exist" elements of today's society are next to fall. If it were not for the desire of man to turn everything into a bomb to destroy opposing viewpoints I'd bet money on powerlines. Household RTGs are doable nearterm. Think about it -- aside from the aesthetic improvement there would never need to be the power loss due to hurricanes or ice storms again.