Fuel prices...

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

I just bought some end of season Tulips for $2 a packet rare, double yellow. How do I get them into the gas tank?

Get a still! They're an excellent--albeit expensive--biofuel! Just like corn!

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

The half -life of many oil fields is fast approaching

Has passed in many cases, but all that peak oil stuff points out that its not going to all of a sudden one day go from a huge number to zero. its a slow decline over time past "peak", and that aggregate peak might be close, but it has not shown up yet.

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

The Canadian tar fields are new to me. Isn't the price already over $40 a barrel?

That's the point, with oil at $70, there is an oil rush on in Canada right now. Total boomtown. See the thread on Saudi-sized oil field claim, and it has been much talked about in the press. Just google "canadian tar sand"...

For a very long time people have underestimated climate changes, and as a result there are areas (like the polar regions) that really haven't been explored because it goes against the conventional wisdom to look in some of these places.

It also really needs to be noted that oil companies actually don't like to find "huge new supplies" because it instantly lowers prices in the market as the lemmings all say "oh no! oversupply! sell! sell! sell!".

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

I can't understand why everyone is not more into bio-fuels.??

Same problem as tar sand: it costs too much! In fact there are environmentalists who rage against corn-based ethanol because it uses more energy than it produces! However there are some very innovative technologies coming on line like from E3 Biofuels that are promising...

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Leadership from Governments....

Oxymoron! Not possible!

Save a dinosaur--burn corn,
Buffy

[jamongo]

If the gasoline consumers would put their brains to use, they would declare specific days to not to purchase gasoline.
After a few of these "no gas days" the prices would start to drop.
That's that. Economics run the world and the people should run the economics.

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by jamongo

If the gasoline consumers would put their brains to use, they would declare specific days to not to purchase gasoline.

Tee hee! Unfortunately it does not require a large brain, just a thin pocketbook!

There's already been a huge (well, huge for accountants) change in gas consumption here in the states, and its resulted in about a 0.20-0.40 decline in prices over the last couple of months.

Boycotts of gas rarely work because there's no way to coordinate them and its not a very "optional" commodity. The oil companies are feeling some pain this summer, but its ameliorated by the still high prices...

Uh oh, better take that refinery off line,
Buffy

[jamongo]

Any national organization could put together a plan to reduce gas consumption.
Does anyone remember the last digit in the license plate scheme?
Odd numbers gas up on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, Even numbers on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays.
It worked pretty well back in the early 70's, and it would work again. Sundays? Nobody buys gas.
I maintain that the people can control it if they've a will to do so.
The fact of the matter is, not many really care.
Example:
Say gas is selling at $3.00 a gallon.
Daddy wants to take his family on a 500 mile vacation. His car gets 20 miles to the gallon. Means he is going to burn 50 gallons of gasoline. (Round trip).
That comes down to $150.00. Say gas cost goes up to $3.25 a gallon. Now the cost is $162.50. That's $12.50 more. Daddy isn't going to call off the vacation for $12.50.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by jamongo

That's $12.50 more. Daddy isn't going to call off the vacation for $12.50.

It's not just personal use. Rising gas prices are inflationary.
It used to cost truck drivers about $800 in diesel to drive from Sydney to Brisbane now it costs about $2000. The cost of this goes on everything we use and wear and eat.
Many owner-driver truckies are going broke as they are locked into delivery contracts with big companies like Woolworths, Coles, etc

Some people are calling off trips.
Day tripping Tourism areas are suffering badly.
So badly that some are offering petrol vouchers if you stay in their area overnight

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Get a still! They're an excellent--albeit expensive--biofuel! Just like corn!
Save a dinosaur--burn corn,
Buffy

Love too, apart from the fact that they are illegal, my liver would not cope!

[KickAssClown]

I said it before, and I'll say it again.

Fuel consumption is currently selfishly decided. Originally Cars were introduced wide spread to justify the cost of building and maintaining the Interstate roads, for freight.

We are killing that industry with the small time consumers. (which now make up the majority.), in my humble opinion, cars are not a right. they are a responsibility, one which few hold in proper respect.

I think that, like food, and (basic needs, not fashion designer) clothes. should be made into a public concern. Collect into a single system.

Screw letting each person own a resource intensive tool. The road, and transportation, is a major public concearn.

Transportation should be supplanted with a new system, one in which combines the best of Cars, Trains, Buses and Freight. Payed for by tax dollars. Admittedly this system that I purpose would kill off many current jobs and companies, so obviously it should be implemented in half decade steps.

Our current Transportation solution will dry up QUICK. Cars can not sustain, not at the rate we are irresponsibly using them, and the fuel reserves up.

I envision a Pod type system. Implemented Federally, like the Interstate Highways, in fact I think that it should start from top down, first replacing the Interstate systems, and reallocate the current workforce (truckers, and interstate freight) to this system, then it should be implemented intrastate, then down to the IntraCounty, and finally to the Intracity.

The system I envision would get me from San Francisco to Las Angeles in under an hour. Would have a near 100% crash free rate, as the controls for the system would be integrated, computer controlled, and human supervised. The power needs would be minimal comparatively to that of a single person car delivery system, aka current system.

Halbatch Array
Halbatch Array, Alternative Site
Maglev, General
Maglev, Germany
Maglev, Japan
Maglev, California purposed

[Jay-qu]

or we use more sustainable fuels for our vehicles.. In Linkoping, Sweden the whole town runs on methane-rich clean fuel created by animal waste. Most of the town’s buses, taxis, even the train run this biogas. They hope to be completely fuel free by 2020.

[KickAssClown]

Question: Is this sustainable for 1 billion-6 billion people? What are the effects on the atmosphere, using this bio-gas. How much do the vehicals themselves cost to produce, what is the advantages and disadvatages of having independent human delivery systems?

How about the processes that lead to the construction of these vehicals? Can they be switched over to this biogas, and can we sustain a worldwide industry powered on just that?

Just some quiestions to think about, cause I see that the world needs a major change, and we have to be ready. Planning in the short term is good for now, but is a quick fix, planning in the long term will benefit us, as a society, more.

Oil is our power reserve as of now. Oil will run out. Biogas, is likewise, perhaps a better choice but still lacking.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by KickAssClown

Originally Cars were introduced wide spread to justify the cost of building and maintaining the Interstate roads, for freight.

The official title of "interstates" is The National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. The purpose was (is?) national defense. The interstate system was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 far far after cars were widely introduced. Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908.

Trivia Extra: Henry Ford is also responsible for the charcoal briquet as we know it today; it was a means to get rid of all the wood scraps from making Model T frames as well as provide fuel for picknickers going out to picinic in their Model T's.