Could the Japanese step into the breach by filling the direct-investment gap in Asia and the dollar gap for the U.S.? Well, Japan has its own economic problems.

FORBES: Asia's Credit Squeeze

What really matters to create a new clean energy economy and stimulate private investment in the near-term are policy regimes that employ direct and targeted public investments to cover the cost gap between higher-cost clean energy and fossil fuels.

FORBES: Cap And Trade Wasn't The Answer

If, for example, the Gap is having a back-to-school sale, it could direct customers to the domain name BackToSchool.

FORBES: What Retail Brands Need To Know About New Top-Level Domains

Yet there is clearly a huge opportunity, given the gap between the quality of Internet access most Americans enjoy at work (through high-speed direct connections) and at home (through a copper telephone wire).

ECONOMIST: Cable television