The big picture and the petroleum interval

[Ralphie ★]

We really do live in an anomalous time!  This little blip of a couple hundred years in the middle of man’s history where everything runs on earl.  It seems unfortunate that we have wound up using that earl to drive to work and sit in traffic jams. Shirley the bike will be a big part of the future, with the great benefit of keeping us healthier.  Maybe we’ll get closer to nature again as we rely on the more gentle nature of solar energy.

 

 

Nahhh!

 

Thank you, Steve Martin.

(This post sponsored by my  current book, “Life Without Earl”.)  The most thoughtful and logical book I’ve read in ages. Sure, I won’t be around for life without earl, but my kids will be easing into the transition, and it is a great philosophical, technical, and sociological subject. I was interested in the whole sustainability thing until it got co-opted into corporate happy talk just like greenness did. 

[Further]

Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future

Book by John Wright and Steve Hallett

 

Is this the book ?

[Ralphie ★]

1 minute ago, Further said:

Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future

Book by John Wright and Steve Hallett

 

Is this the book ?

Yup!

[Ralphie ★]

It is fairly old, 2011, so I wonder how some of its projections of the future have made oot.  No mention of fracking so there is that.  They do mention advanced recovery methods. 

[shootingstar]

28 minutes ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

It is fairly old, 2011, so I wonder how some of its projections of the future have made oot.  No mention of fracking so there is that.  They do mention advanced recovery methods. 

It is interesting to know someone whose whole career was in the oil industry...and someone has both engineering technical knowledge for major methods/technologies of extraction and business management to know how cruel, dirty the politics of the oil industry and how it plays in Canada, with American firms (Exxon) and with the Middle East..which led to wars.  

And that person is dearie....the cycling advocate for past 3 decades and his involvement to advocate locally for urban design that isn't so car dependent/fossil fuel driven/polluting.  His knowledge helped me adjust when I relocated to Calgary and realized over time how deeply influential the oil industry on the municipality. ...it's not exactly pleasant. Brownfields., release of sour gas (which has carcinogens) instead of capping /recycling it for alternative fuel/heating.

For the economic survival of Alberta....we need to abandon that fossif fuels is no.1 for our economy. Too many locals pining for the boom of the past and overly rich salaries. Unfortunately new provincial elected premier is drumming the old tired drumbeat of the past.  Waste of time.  It's been quite tough on local economy for past 4 years.  Over 35,000 people have left the province....which probably counter-balanced by others moving to province for other jobs, education and reunite with family locally.

[Further]

"Cargo Cults" sucked me in, gotta read it.

Thank You Ralph   

[Ralphie ★]

The nuclear section doesn’t include Fukishima since that happened at aboot the time it was written. 

[Further]

It doesn't seem to be available online.

I've only read the sample, but does he consider the advances made in batteries, and the multitude of ways we're generating electricity now ?

Oil running out may be a nonissue.

[Ralphie ★]

13 minutes ago, Further said:

It doesn't seem to be available online.

I've only read the sample, but does he consider the advances made in batteries, and the multitude of ways we're generating electricity now ?

Oil running out may be a nonissue.

They said that stationary power for household electricity won't be that hard, but the toughest nuts to crack are air travel and trucks.  Ekectric generation now is pretty dependent on oil and gas - nuclear sucks and solar/wind are only like 3% at best and hydroelectric is aboot tapped oot, except that Canada is in great shape for hydroelectric.  NJ does pretty well with household rooftop solar collectors - they are quite common here because of the incentives, and we do get pretty good sun.

Your library might have it.

[Further]

What I'm becoming worried about is a shortage of competent people.

There seems to be plenty of really smart people to make the discoveries, and design the new machines.

But who is going to operate and maintain them ?

I notice when a gas station clerk or a fast food worker knows WTF they are doing, because it is so rare.

Who is going to keep the gears spinning long enough for me to ride retirement for a while ?

[MickinMD ★]

Speaking of Earl, it had two hotties. Blonde Jaime Pressly plays a rich bitch on "Mom" now, but whatever happened to Nadine Valazquez, who played Catalina?  imbd.com lists her credits as having appeared on over 30 different TV series since Earl ended and starred in a short-lived couple, but I haven't seen her in anything big.

[MickinMD ★]

There is much scientific debate now as to how much oil is made from the remains of living matter and how much comes from processes where CO2 contained in rain water trickles into the earth and is trapped there.

If it's more the latter, it changes that dynamics as to how long it will take to replenish the oil supplies we are doing our best to use up.

I remember, as a child, when I would visit relatives in Wilkes-Barre, PA, one uncle would take me to the mine slag heaps to look for fossils and quartz crystals. I still have some excellent ones found there.  So a significant percentage of fossil fuels surely are made from the remains of living matter.