"When you have a company that subsidizes each sale with its own cash and the company has significant competition from eMachines and NetZero, enormous losses and little prospect for near-term or intermediate-term profitability, no one should be surprised that the offering didnt do well, " says Charles.

FORBES: PeoplePC Seeks A Greater Fool

The prospect of drilling, digging, and shipping hydrocarbons is not chimerical, but a realistic near-term solution to the economic woes of both Ireland and America.

FORBES: America Take Note: Technology Unleashes Black Gold to Rescue Ireland's Economy