Next on His To-Do List: Save the Country

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Grove would like to see energy yield something equivalent to Moore's law, the prediction turned reality of Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that computer-processing power would double about every two years. In the case of energy, that might mean focusing on how efficiently we produce fuel from crops like corn. "Once we drew that line and believed it," Grove says of Moore's law, "we couldn't do anything less."

During the ride to the airport, Grove plays with his camera and talks about his plans for the next few days. He'll fly to D.C. and meet with Senators, members of Congress and a former Energy Secretary to discuss his ideas. All those parties acknowledge the need for energy independence, he says, but the political untenability of the cost stops them. "We are not ready for hydrogen because of this, we are not ready for ethanol because of that," Grove says. "But what is the cost-effectiveness of something that can make you an independent country capable of making your own decisions?" That's the City College--educated engineer talking, applying rigorous Grovian logic to a complex issue. It may never fly in Washington.