Electric Menorahs

Many people when asked if an electric menorah is allowed to be used to fulfill the mitzva of hadlkas neros chanukah instinctively reply with an adamant no. Yet, when asked why, they give one of those akward "I dunno" shrugs (you know the one when your mom says if Timmy jumped off a bridge would you???) Furthermore, we know turning on the lights on shabbas is assur because one of the 39 melachos is ma'aver (kindling a fire). But if lights are considered fire on shabbas why not consider them fire on chanukah?? Rav Josh Flug brings down that there are generally two paths to answer this question. The first is quoted in the name of Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach and the Maharal of Prague. Rav Shlomo says that while electric lights are considered fire, by chanukah there is a requriment to light the menorah like they lit it in the beis hamikdash.The obvious problem with this answer is the 67% of us (and rapidly declining due to those neat-o keep you hand clean oil contraptions) that use wax candles, might as well take the candles and build a kite with them because you aren't accomplishing anything with your lighting. So thankfully, the Tzitz Eliezer (Rav Eliezer Waldenberg) brings a second answer based on a gemara in shabbas (where all the chanukah gemaras are) which says one cannot fulfill his responsibility of lighting with a bonfire. This is due to the fact that people will see the bonfire and not realize it was lit for the purpose of Chanukah. Thus being the case if one were to use electric lights people might not realize the purpose either. This answer also has its obvious flaws, for the electric lights we want to use are only used on chanukah and are attached to a menorah. However, if you thought it was OK to flick on some lamp and fulfill your chiyuv you are wrong. So whats the answer? HalachaBoy and his staff have no real good answers, but assume since our grandfathers didn't have electricity the minhag became to light without using it. Thus said if you are in a super super serious bind (I would ask your local orthodox competent rabbi, first) it seems you could rely on an electric menorah. Obviously, none of us should ever need to use one, but if you are confined to a hospital room, or on a plane and for some reason think lighting a match and oil is a problem there is what for you to rely on. Last weeks Q- We all know the miracle of Chanukah lasted for eight days because that's how long it took to get kosher oil. (Four days each way). But since at least one of those days must have been Shabbas, and you are not allowed to travel, how did the trip only take eight days? Some answers received - g-d shortened the distance (kifitzas derech), they carried with a shinui which is allowed for a mitzva (like by bris milah) and maybe miracle was really 9 days and first day doesn't count because that oil wasn't a miracle(this one I admit is a little weak). This weeks Q- The famous question of the Beis Yosef : The miracle of chanukah was that the oil lasted 8 days- but naturally the oil should've lasted one. So why do we celebrate for 8 days; shouldn't it be seven? (Note: there is a sefer out there that gives 100 answers to this question but ill settle for 1 from anyone[Editor's note: There is a sefer that just came out with 500 answers]).