The original Zeppelins were based on a rigid design in which separate gas-tight compartments were surrounded by a metal frame covered with a non-airtight fabric.

ECONOMIST: Pushing the envelope

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) puts it at around 37tcm of recoverable reserves, two-thirds of which is shale gas and the rest tight gas and coal-bed methane.

ECONOMIST: Shale gas is giving a big boost to America��s economy

Used fuel that has been cooled in a spent fuel pool for at least five years can be put into a container called a cask and surrounded with inert gas, providing leak-tight containment, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

CNN: Nuclear disasters: Is the fear realistic?

Hydraulic fracturing pumps many thousands of gallons of mainly water and sand, with a few chemicals, at high pressure into tight gas-bearing shale deposits (hardened muds), creating cracks that allow gas to flow back up the well to the surface ( Shale Shock).

FORBES: The Fracking Solution Is A Good Cement Job

For example, a car could gently increase the gas-pedal spring pressure when the speed is too high -- the navigation system knows how tight that upcoming curve is, remember -- or apply a light twist to the steering wheel if the car is drifting off course.

CNN: Behold the?all-seeing, self-parking, safety-enforcing, networked car

Still, while rising demand for oil should be a cause of concern long-term, economists say the current spike in U.S. gas prices is just that--a spike caused by unusually tight supply.

FORBES: High Gas Prices Are Here To Stay

In 2009, the El Dorado Task Force, a joint federal and state law enforcement effort focused on money laundering and other financial crimes, built an air-tight case against nearly a dozen Con Edison employees for taking kickbacks from contractors that performed gas line and electrical work for Con Edison on construction projects in New York City and Westchester County.

FORBES: Is Wall Street Wrong About Con Edison? Probably.