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Oil embargo on the horizon?
Published on 2011-09-20 13:31:00
Could it be déjà vu all over again? It very well could. The big deal right now in the United Nations is the idea of recognizing Palestine as a new member of the UN. This is fast becoming a Big Deal, and it could become a big deal gone bad if the UN votes to admit them and the US vetoes that vote. (Somehow, the US apparently has that power.) The brown and squishy would hit the revolving blades right quick like after that. Be ready to duck. One entirely possible scenario would be a repeat of [..]
It's just a phase we're going through...
Published on 2011-09-13 08:00:00
Saw an article in the newspaper the other day about how we are running out of helium. My sympathy to Simon, Theodore and Alvin. The funny thing was, as I read the surprisingly lengthy article, I could see where you could easily cross out “helium” and pencil in “oil” and the article would be just as valid. It’s always seemed odd to me that the fact that we are running out of oil has never really been big news. No idea why. You’d think it would. It should. The thing is, what was bei [..]
Kids today . . .
Published on 2011-09-06 16:39:00
Kids today. Sheesh. There, I said it. I’m officially a geezer. Still: Kids today. Sheesh. So I’m out in the garage the other day, fussing with bicycles. That’s what I do. Everybody knows it. People bring their bikes by, and I try to fix them. Most times, I do. Hang on a minute, the phone’s ringing… Ok, where was I? Oh, yeah: So the other day, this boy stops by. He’s fourteen, maybe fifteen. In high school. Six feet tall, and riding a bike built for someone shorter than me. Fine. W [..]
Conservation: the next big thing!
Published on 2011-07-21 11:00:00
From time to time, when people talk about the oil crisis we face, and the need for a viable alternative energy resource, the idea is put forth that all we have to do is go at it as we did putting a man on the moon. We did that in less than a decade, so why not this? Here’s why not: There aren’t too many blank spots left on the periodic table of the elements. We’ve found all the obvious stuff here on earth, and these days, if some scientist does manage to find something new to add, it’s [..]
Pick a car . . . .
Published on 2011-07-13 15:05:00
Alas, the Tesla Roadster is no more. Or rather, they’ll stop taking orders for them in a couple of months. And while this is touted as big news in the auto world, I’m not shedding a tear for the loss. Did the world really need a $109,000 electric car? Apparently only 1,650 people thought so. And I was not one of them. The car was based on the Lotus Elise platform, meaning it looked like it was designed by a 14-year-old boy trying to impress his older friend who has a driver’s license. Sur [..]
Remember "Fifty-Five Saves Lives"?
Published on 2011-07-06 11:13:00
That three-syllable word, those three little syllables, are being whispered again in the hallways and conference rooms in Washington, D. C. They are being mentioned in hushed tones with a knowing nod, a wink and a finger aside the nose. They are thinking about it out loud, but you haven’t heard them say them yet. You will. Just three little syllables: “Fifty-five”. Do you remember? Are you old enough to recall? It was the 1970s, an era of disco, big hair and Jimmy Carter, the peanut far [..]
Peak Oil or Peak Oil Production?
Published on 2011-06-03 10:58:00
M. King Hubbert had it easy. He was proven right in just 15 years. As a geologist for Shell Oil, Hubbert predicted in the mid-1950’s that US lower-48 oil production would peak right around 1970. And he was right. Maybe not overly popular, but right
Kill your car?!
Published on 2011-05-05 12:57:00
Well, maybe not quite yet. ABC Radio National host Robyn Williams posed the question the other day: “(Is this) the beginning of the end for cars?” Good question, Robyn. With gas prices going for all-time highs here in the U.S. this summer, I susp
Clean and Green Nuclear Energy ?!
Published on 2011-04-20 17:59:00
“Better to light a candle than curse the radiation.” — Me, about 30 years ago. I haven’t been a fan of nuclear power for a very long time, but it’s still kind of obvious that my opinion on the matter
Believe in the power of the bicycle
Published on 2011-04-08 13:28:00
I found religion on my 60th birthday. Oh, sit back down and let me explain. For my 60th birthday, I decided that I would host a Tweed Ride out to Safety Harbor and have an ever-so-genteel lunch at the Spa. It was delightful. A lovely day all around.
A World With Less Oil: Are you prepared?
Published on 2011-03-29 12:47:00
Sometimes, if I’m paying attention, I get to see small glimpses of our future. They are always fleeting and soon gone, but I see them, sometimes at the outer edge of my vision. And maybe that’s how the future arrives: in bits and pieces, a little
Democracy and Oil: All Eyes on Libya
Published on 2011-03-21 10:12:00
So finally, after I thought it was too late, the good guys got together and decided maybe they wouldn’t let Mummar Q. just go right ahead and kill everyone in Libya anyway. Thanks, guys - but why did it take you so long??? Geesh. Okay, so now Liby
Oil prices up, gas prices up - What can you do?
Published on 2011-03-10 12:29:00
So here we have Libya and Saudi Arabia, two very different countries that both produce enough oil for each to export a fair amount, and both are in the news these days. Libya, the lesser of the two when it comes to oil production, has been run for so
A Test Drive: Nissan Leaf
Published on 2011-02-26 10:38:00
Busy Saturday last weekend. The Lovely JoAnn and I went over to Tampa to check out the all new, all-electric Nissan Leaf car. We got to the International Plaza (mall), and found that Nissan had carved out a chunk of the mall’s north parking lot for
Peak Oil Faithful
Published on 2011-02-15 13:05:00
Some time ago, someone commenting on one of my blogs here made the observation that believing in the theory of peak oil was, to many of the believers, rather like a religion. I thought it was an interesting thing to say, and it stuck with me. It stic
WikiLeaks Exposes Peak Oil Reality
Published on 2011-02-10 08:41:00
Oh, geez, Lousie: Here we go. WikiLeaks just pulled the rug out from under the Saudis by publishing the contents of some cables about their oil production — and the fragility thereof. The potential lack thereof. Where have I heard this before? Let
WikiLeaks Exposes Peak Oil Reality
Published on 2011-02-10 08:41:00
Oh, geez, Lousie: Here we go. WikiLeaks just pulled the rug out from under the Saudis by publishing the contents of some cables about their oil production — and the fragility thereof. The potential lack thereof. Where have I heard this before? Let
The Power of Three
Published on 2011-02-04 10:07:00
I was talking to Carl Etnier the other day on his radio program in Vermont (from the warmth and comfort of my home in Florida), and Carl mentioned my other books, and how they all seemed to tie together with a central theme. And you know, he’s righ
The Power of Three
Published on 2011-02-04 10:07:00
I was talking to Carl Etnier the other day on his radio program in Vermont (from the warmth and comfort of my home in Florida), and Carl mentioned my other books, and how they all seemed to tie together with a central theme. And you know, he’s righ
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Peak Travel
Published on 2011-01-25 14:40:00
Eric Morris, in his “Peak Travel?” article in the January 11, 2011 New York Times, has pointed out that we madcap, drive-crazy Americans are now actually driving less, and have been since 2005. From the end of WWII to about the year 2000, it was
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Peak Travel
Published on 2011-01-25 14:40:00
Eric Morris, in his “Peak Travel?” article in the January 11, 2011 New York Times, has pointed out that we madcap, drive-crazy Americans are now actually driving less, and have been since 2005. From the end of WWII to about the year 2000, it was
Let's go for a ride . . .
Published on 2011-01-13 12:56:00
So here it is mid-January, and I’m planning for a comfy little bicycle ride in late March. Specifically, I’m planning the First Annual Pinellas County Tweed Ride on my 60th birthday, Saturday, March 26, 2011, and I would be absolutely honored to
Let's go for a ride . . .
Published on 2011-01-13 12:56:00
So here it is mid-January, and I’m planning for a comfy little bicycle ride in late March. Specifically, I’m planning the First Annual Pinellas County Tweed Ride on my 60th birthday, Saturday, March 26, 2011, and I would be absolutely honored to
Meatspace redux
Published on 2011-01-05 16:09:00
After my rant about the importance of Meatspace, I have to say that yes, I do spend a fair amount of time in that alternate universe that is Cyberspace. In years past, I have been a regular on a very small number of forums, my all time favorite being
Meatspace redux
Published on 2011-01-05 16:09:00
After my rant about the importance of Meatspace, I have to say that yes, I do spend a fair amount of time in that alternate universe that is Cyberspace. In years past, I have been a regular on a very small number of forums, my all time favorite being
It's the end of the year as we know it . . . .
Published on 2010-12-29 12:35:00
I learned a fun new word this week: Meatspace. Definition: Not cyberspace, where we all seem to be spending more and more time, but that other place — the real place where we are when we’re not totally absorbed by the internet, texting, Facebook,
It's the end of the year as we know it . . . .
Published on 2010-12-29 12:35:00
I learned a fun new word this week: Meatspace. Definition: Not cyberspace, where we all seem to be spending more and more time, but that other place — the real place where we are when we’re not totally absorbed by the internet, texting, Facebook,
Happy holidays . . . .
Published on 2010-12-21 20:32:00
Jingle bells, jingle bells...! It’s Christmas time, and let me say this right up front: I really DO like fruitcake. (I guess that comes as no great surprise.) I also enjoy Christmas cookies, eggnog (non-alcoholic), and everything else that makes us
Happy holidays . . . .
Published on 2010-12-21 20:32:00
Jingle bells, jingle bells...! It’s Christmas time, and let me say this right up front: I really DO like fruitcake. (I guess that comes as no great surprise.) I also enjoy Christmas cookies, eggnog (non-alcoholic), and everything else that makes us
Baby, it's cold outside
Published on 2010-12-14 17:44:00
Ok, so it’s cold here right now. I did not come down here for this. I live in west central Florida (Clearwater), and they’re talking about it being down in the thirties here for a couple of nights. Yeah, I know, compared to, say, Minnesota, this
Baby, it's cold outside
Published on 2010-12-14 17:44:00
Ok, so it’s cold here right now. I did not come down here for this. I live in west central Florida (Clearwater), and they’re talking about it being down in the thirties here for a couple of nights. Yeah, I know, compared to, say, Minnesota, this
What about electric cars?
Published on 2010-12-07 14:01:00
There’s been a lot of interest in electric cars lately, with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt both about to hit the market. Too many people still see them as the answer to our dependency on oil, both foreign and domestic. Sadly, they are not the answ
What about electric cars?
Published on 2010-12-07 14:01:00
There’s been a lot of interest in electric cars lately, with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt both about to hit the market. Too many people still see them as the answer to our dependency on oil, both foreign and domestic. Sadly, they are not the answ
Peak oil and a new generation gap
Published on 2010-12-02 11:59:00
I think we need to talk about the generation gap here for a minute. I say that after doing a couple of book signings and noticing a couple of things. At my first signing, the crowd was mostly older people – people over 40. The young guy in the crow
Green gas (station)? Good Grief!
Published on 2010-11-22 12:37:00
Charlie Brown said it best, and with feeling: “Good grief.” My lovely wife made sure I saw an article in the paper this week about a “green” gas station. And no, I don’t mean that’s the color they painted the building. They do honestly be
So, what's your plan?
Published on 2010-11-11 09:50:00
I had a great kick off last month with my first book signing for Peak of the Devil at the Dunedin (Florida) public library. There was a lively crowd and we had a lot of fun. The event coordinator’s mother (age 93) was there early, stayed late, and