.com names are like real estate. Some properties get developed and some don't. Maybe the owner is thinking about building a site down the road. I own maybe 20 names. Some have been developed and some are to be developed later. Probably the majority will never get built out, but you never know. As you mentioned Marty, most good names are taken. Buying a .net, .biz or .us name is a waste of time IMHO. If you can't get the .com, you better get more creative with the name of your project. Just my 2 cents.