Tag Archives | oil

Balancing acts

By on April 22, 2012 in General Discussion, Human Behavior

As our cat gets older, I can see that there is an increase in the number of occasions on which he studies a proposed jump to some high spot where something good may be waiting. As near as I can read his thoughts, he is balancing the value of the treat against the penalty of [...]

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Oil production and projected population

By on January 12, 2012 in Economics, General Discussion, Human Behavior, Science

Mish Shedlock cites an interesting article (Chefurka) on oil and population, which is quite alarming, particularly projected excess deaths:   http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/01/population-elephant-in-room-peak-oil.html   Another linked article on the unsustainable meme from his site is one projecting a 60% decline in the S&P 500 over the next decade:   http://advisorperspectives.com/dshort//guest/John-Carlucci-120110-The-Great-Repression-Update.php   Both articles have some very convincing [...]

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What is a sustainable level of energy usage?

By on December 11, 2011 in General Discussion, Human Behavior, Science

If we want to really consider what is a sustainable level of energy usage and not just how long oil will last there is a pretty simple approach to figuring this out. What is sustainable is what energy from the sun strikes the Earth less what we believe should be devoted to the natural ecosystem. After all [...]

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Industrialism is an arbitrage scheme

By on December 8, 2011 in Economics, General Discussion, Science

Arbitrage, as we’re all well aware, is the profit that can be extracted from price differentials. The Japan carry trade of the 90′s is a classic example, since it was possible to borrow money at 1 or 2% interest in Japan and invest it elsewhere for a much higher rate of return and pocket the [...]

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Newt: Dumbass or Demagogue?

By on November 30, 2011 in General Discussion, Politics

At the recent CNN debate Newtie was asked about Europe’s reluctance to impose sanctions on Iran and their nervousness about possible US or Israeli military action in response to Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Gingrich blithely replied that Europe has nothing to fear because the US could make up the 4 mbd shortfall in oil production [...]

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Oil, Black Gold, Texas Tea

By on November 22, 2011 in General Discussion

Our world runs on oil. And by our world I mean the industrialized part of it. Even if much of our electricity is generated by coal, natural gas, nuclear and hydro, even our electicity generation would sputter out if the supply of oil diminished by any appreciable amount. Those monster power shovels that excevate the coal run [...]

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I’m A Believer. You Guys Are All Skeptics.

By on November 14, 2011 in Economics, International affairs, Science

Exclusive: Orbital solar power plants touted for energy needs By Jim WolfPosted 2011/11/13 at 8:16 am EST WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2011 (Reuters) — The sun’s abundant energy, if harvested in space, could provide a cost-effective way to meet global power needs in as little as 30 years with seed money from governments, according to a [...]

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Daniel Yergin and Leibig’s Law

By on October 22, 2011 in Economics, General Discussion, Science

Recently, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, Daniel Yergin came out with the latest of his tomes about the oil industry, The Quest. In this book Yergin seeks to reassure a world anxious about the possibility of peak oil that the concern is overwrought. He asserts that there’s plenty of oil down there — indeed, centuries worth [...]

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Progress, the Python and Plato’s Chariot

By on October 8, 2011 in Human Behavior

Belief in Progress forms the dominant myth of industrial civilization. It infuses our dreams of a world of never-ending growth and a technological cornucopia pouring forth ease and comfort for billions of people. The python, however, represents the limits a finite world imposes on this dream and includes the Laws of Thermodynamics. Plato’s chariot provides an [...]

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