Gas Tops $4 A Gallon

[Zathras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl We've been discussing "Peak Oil" for a few years, and making predictions of high oil prices and volatility, but you don't hear people say "well, it's come to pass." Do you think that we are seeing the effects of peak oil?

I think we are seeing effects of peak oil. Although currently, I feel, it is more of political peak rather than geological.

The problem right now is that we are in a plateu with very little spare capacity. So any disruption or even threat of disruption in supplies sends the oil market spinning.

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl We've been discussing "Peak Oil" for a few years, and making predictions of high oil prices and volatility, but you don't hear people say "well, it's come to pass." Do you think that we are seeing the effects of peak oil?

We are probably seeing the beginning. I suspect that it will be a gradual process that will take years, and will not be obvious until after the fact (it's not like there will be a specific moment in time where we will all have some sort of epiphany).

[maddythebeagle]

Gas went down a nickle a gallon at the local station...now a bargain at 3.60/gallon....stronger dollar and less demand...I hear the oil bubble popping already...

[RetiredGypsy]

That's been switched to "Hey, Bubba, hold my beer and film this!"

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredGypsy That's been switched to "Hey, Bubba, hold my beer and film this!"

Cf. all those stupid 'ghost rider' videos.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Yeah, I got some spam from an ex-cow-orker, stating how things had gone to heck since the Dems took over Con-gress.

Bet she's happy about the price of milk, though

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Bet she's happy about the price of milk, though

Udder disaster...

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR Udder disaster...

That was a prime grade A comment you made sir.

[Wags]

I guess this calls for a PRIME GRADE A SONG by the GREAT Merle Haggard - Are the Good Times Really Over

YouTube - MERLE HAGGARD CLASSIC!!!!!

GOD BLESS US ALL

[Notmuchlonger]

This is how they roll in Texas..cows that is

YouTube - Cows With Guns (music by Dana Lyons, www.cowswithguns.com)

[RetiredGypsy]

Have they decided whether crude oil is a renewable-ish source or not? That whole "our cars sip from the powdered bones of dinosaurs" thing was always hard to swallow.

[mb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredGypsy Have they decided whether crude oil is a renewable-ish source or not? That whole "our cars sip from the powdered bones of dinosaurs" thing was always hard to swallow.

How would it be renewable?

"Peak oil" is based on a material balance on a reservor in which oil is removed but not replaced or replaced at such a slow rate as to be negligible and it seems to fit the data pretty well.

The Soviets had an official state theory that oil is continuously produced deep in the earth (by reduction of carbonate minerals I suppose) and then seeps into the reserviors that we access and that therefore there is an infinite supply but like their theories on evolution I think that it was based more on compatibility with communist theory than with agreement with data.

I have also heard that some fundamentalist religious groups do not accept even the possibility of "peak oil" because they refuse to believe that god would make the world that way.

IMHO two instances of poweful dogmas over whelming observations/facts/science.

MB

[RetiredGypsy]

Worst short sci-fi story ever.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

I think this thread is likely at the "Let's all moan" stage

Haha's just in a bad moood.

[Marquette]

Funny that oil and ethanol and food prices were the topic of conversation at lunch today... beats baseball and the upcoming fishing opener I guess.

[ERD50]

If the price of gas guzzlers goes low enough, I will need to do the math to see if that is a good deal for me. I try to keep the miles down, so maybe it would work for me.

And if I bought used, it could still be a net positive for the environment. Instead of the old owner racing up to red lights and slamming on his brakes for 18,000 miles a year, I could drive it rationally and only put on 7,000 miles a year.

-ERD50

[laurence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 If the price of gas guzzlers goes low enough, I will need to do the math to see if that is a good deal for me. I try to keep the miles down, so maybe it would work for me. And if I bought used, it could still be a net positive for the environment. Instead of the old owner racing up to red lights and slamming on his brakes for 18,000 miles a year, I could drive it rationally and only put on 7,000 miles a year. -ERD50

A friend did that, the price of the expedition he wanted dropped several $$$, and the difference in gas per year was only a couple hundred for his short commute, made sense to pull the trigger.

[chinaco]

Yup... Big gas guzzler owners and manufacturers are going through their own sub-prime crisis. Selling them is going to be difficult and at a loss.

Detroit amazes me. They have been caught sleeping for the uptenth time. Put all of their cards on massive sized vehicles with a poor diversification strategy regarding fuel economy. Toyota is ahead of the pack in the application of hybrid technology.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinaco Yup... Big gas guzzler owners and manufacturers are going through their own sub-prime crisis. Selling them is going to be difficult and at a loss. Detroit amazes me. They have been caught sleeping for the uptenth time. Put all of their cards on massive sized vehicles with a poor diversification strategy regarding fuel economy. Toyota is ahead of the pack in the application of hybrid technology.

Well, I agree that they are slow to react, and put too many eggs in one basket, but....

according to Fortune's records, from 95-2005 they typically made between 2 BILLION and 7 BILLION $ in profit, just two years (2002 ,2003) that were less (0.6B, 1.7B). Maybe you could just say they were making hay while the sun shined?

FORTUNE 500: 2004 Archive Full List 1-100

-ERD50

[chinaco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Well, I agree that they are slow to react, and put too many eggs in one basket, but.... according to Fortune's records, from 95-2005 they typically made between 2 BILLION and 7 BILLION $ in profit, just two years (2002 ,2003) that were less (0.6B, 1.7B). Maybe you could just say they were making hay while the sun shined? FORTUNE 500: 2004 Archive Full List 1-100 -ERD50

Yes you could look at it that way... but not having a strategy for tomorrow based on a known critical dependency that has gotten them into troubles in the recent past is kinda dumb! So yes, they made some $ in the Push massive vehicle years... they will likely give much of it back in losses over the next several years.