Hello,

is wireless electricity' (short/long distance) forseable in the near
future, and if not, why?

You might find the writings of Nikola Tesla interesting as he was a
pioneer of research in this field, particularly his work on the
Wardenclyffe Tower (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_Tower).  Fascinating stuff. 
Tesla was way ahead of his time.

I have worked and seen other work done on wireless or optical power
transfer, it can be done but it is highly inefficient. Prohibitively
so after even e few hundred feet.

We powered a light weight remote control helecopter through a laser
from the ground.

The inefficiency goes down as frequency goes up (due to less spreading
losses) but price generally goes as fre

I have worked and seen other work done on wireless or optical power
transfer, it can be done but it is highly inefficient. Prohibitively
so after even e few hundred feet.

We powered a light weight remote control helecopter through a laser
from the ground.

The inefficiency goes down as frequency goes up (due to less spreading
losses) but price generally goes as frequency squared, as a simple
rule of thumb.

Not widely applicable anytime soon, but implimentable right now for
limited applications

Wireless electricity is a good way to recharge any electronic devices
that are waterproof. This can be done the same way a transformer
works. You can recharge a battery underwater without the need of using
a plugs. The possibilities are many for this technology.

Here's an article you might find interesting.  The article makes the
point that delivering electricity via high-density "energy beams"
would be quite dangerous: "Despite Promise, Energy-Beam Weapons Still
Missing from Action" by Brian Bergstein, July 14, 2005.

(see http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/07/ap/ap_071405.asp?trk=nl)

Short-range (inches) wireless electricity is a reality.  There are
several devices, such as waterproof electric shavers, that use simple
induction to charge batteries.  A changing magnetic field (AC through
a coil) can induce power in another coil, and a rectifier is used to
turn it back into DC.

So far, wireless energy works like light.  It spreads out, thus
becoming significantly weaker as it gets farther from the source, and
it hits everything wether it was intended to or not.  This may present
some dangers -- I'd rather my laptop absorbing the stray energy than
my brain cells.