The record of the oil industry at predicting the course of its own future is so patchy that any invitation to map out what conmes next, as we approach the millennium, needs to be handled with care. It is a salutary thought that, only a little over a decade ago, respected observers were still firmly punting on a $50 oil price and the industry, normally pretty smart at hedging its bets, seemed almost ready to concur in naming the year, if not the day, when the world's wells would start to run dry.