What's the deal here?

I've been pushing this TEAC5 conference pretty hard, huh?  So, what's the point?  Well, someone may also ask, why don't you go yourself?

Two things off the top:

1. I've been battling health issues lately.  Although I may be able to swing it healthwise, I may actually be in some trouble if I get sick while out there on the road.  Also, driving all that distance would be costly and frankly a bit ridiculous.
2. Flying out there may be more sensible, but it would still cost money that frankly I had better not spend.  It's bad enough that I'm missing as much work as I'm missing.  Spending a grand on this conference is money that I just should not be spending in my circumstances.
3. Also, to fly out there would require me to give some info to priceline that I'm not going to give.  Yeah, I actually looked into going.  

No trip for me.

Now another thing.   I've been pushing TEAC5, but that doesn't mean that I'm minimizing any other solutions.  It's just that Thorium was proven as a concept in the lab.  Other concepts haven't reached that point yet.  If Thorium can prove itself in the lab and still not get implemented, where does that leave the other concepts?  Thorium must be implemented or we have a situation on our hands whereby anything new will be shot down before it gets a chance.