it took gas prices to go to 5 dollars before

[lgb]

- Walk everywhere/ride a bike. Crisis averted.

OR

- Get one of those mopeds; they get like... 60 miles a gallon. Crisis slightly less of a problem.

[Specineff]

Boy am I glad I take the bus. That my company subsidizes. And that doesn't run on gas or diesel.

[Ganelon]

They ought to sell gas in bottled form at vending and charge a 20% fee to cover the costs. Then everyone will buy them and thank the gas companies for keeping things affordable.

[Twiddle]

molotov cocktails from vending machines, brilliant

[Davey]

In Europe, 1 gallon (3.8 liters) costs around 8.82 USD. Americans complaining about high gas prices make me laugh.

We should be complaining about our "innovative" auto makers instead, who couldn't be bothered to give people more efficient vehicles, and decided instead to pretend that gas would be cheap forever and flood the market with fuel-guzzling behemoths (and, granted, it's shameful how many people were dumb enough to fall for it).

They were just meeting market demand. Up until recently, few Americans cared about fuel economy. It's not like there weren't any small cars available, people just opted for SUVs.

Somebody on Slashdot made a good point: demolition derbies are going to be awesome in the next few years. Used car lots will have an overabundance of unsellable SUVs.

Well they can piss off becuase the only reason why they dont feel safe in a small car is becuase they cant drive and they dont have the confidence so they would rather be the bigger veichell in the accident. Image is image I can understand that but I would not want that type of car speaking for who i am.

If people were really concerned about safety (as opposed to image), they'd be buying minivans, not SUVs. They just use the safety argument to justify buying something that makes them feel like a badass.

[Twiddle]

SUVs adapted from trucks are pretty much the opposite of safe actually

[Lordstar]

I agree davey. in my opinion if you dont feel safe while driving you should not be driving you should not need more metal around you just to reasure yourself that if you hit something or someone you will come out of it in a better shape than the person/object you crashed in to.

Dont get me started on bull/roo bars there designed to take on large animals in a way as they dont come flying through at wind screen. they increase impact surface and do a shit lot of dammage to anyhting they touch and you see poxy little bitches riding up in these 4X4s with these fucking huge animal deflectors wanged on the front and the only off road they have seen is the fucking car park of the local super market

[BulletMagnet]

Whadya think?

What we should be doing is running and screaming away from our oil dependency as fast as possible, rather than trying to get ahold of more of it, because no matter how much we manage to find on the home front we're still going to have to import most of it...and most of that from less-than-friendly (or at least forthcoming) nations. And that's if you completely ignore the environmental impact and whatnot. As for price concerns and "change takes time" and all that...

They were just meeting market demand. Up until recently, few Americans cared about fuel economy.

I believe there was a time in the 1970's when people cared a good deal about it...and still haven't forgiven the President at the time for letting things get to the point that they did. Of course, not much ever came of it thanks to "market innovation" once again, and we're right back where we started...except that we seem more hesitant, for some unfathomable reason, to try to hold anyone at the top accountable (and if we do the drilling in Alaska we'll actually be giving him and his compatriots exactly what they've been after for years already).

[Damocles]

Consumable oil will dry up (largely) within my lifetime. Eventually, there will be panic, rioting, and death. Not just due to gas, but everything else oil produces. Of course, a fundamental change in society will only be started at the last possible moment...in a do-or-die situation. Fun times ahead.

[JoshF]

They were just meeting market demand.

Lol.

I guess there should be a market for child porn too.

[Twiddle]

Hostel taught me that the invisible hand of the market can solve everything.

[Ed Oscuro]

They were just meeting market demand. Up until recently, few Americans cared about fuel economy. It's not like there weren't any small cars available, people just opted for SUVs.

Bollocks, at least as late as last year (August '07) Detroit companies were actively resisting calls to get with the program which had been ongoing for years, either out of stupidity or so they could pretend that Toyota, Honda, etc. programs to improve fuel efficiency were taking advantage of the American taxpayer (an argument they made sure to wring dry).

[ED-057]

I think you're laying too much blame on the automakers. Fuel prices have increased here in a relatively short time (I remember getting it for $.99/gal on the Indian reservation back in 2001). It takes a few years for new vehicles to go through design/engineering/testing and make it to market. Naturally they were working on larger vehicles because they were profitable and they were selling. Short-sighted at the worst. The Japanese manufacturers probably already had more invested in small, highly efficient vehicles as per their home market. Plus, US crash test regs end up causing a significant weight penalty.

I would agree that the whining and the "outrage" here are really getting old. And the "gas tax holiday" was an offensively stupid idea.

[trivial]

US crash test regs are also offensively stupid. We're committed to semis, but getting tall, heavy vehicles for consumers off the highways should have been a priority. Not encouraging survivable crashes with other trucks hauling nothing but one idiot's ass around.

[doodude]

InfoBank: How long will the world’s oil last?


Oil took millions of years to form and the oil supplies in the ground won't last for ever.

The oil fields already discovered hold over 1 million million barrels of oil (1,000,000,000,000).

Although we are using oil quite quickly, the reserves go up every year. This is because more oil is discovered and new ways are found of extracting oil that couldn't be got out before.

Even so, our oil won't last for ever. At the moment, the world uses about 26,000,000,000 barrels every year. At this rate, there should be enough oil for at least another 40 years.

It is likely that more oil will be discovered in that time.

Oil companies are always searching for new oil fields and there are still lots more deep sea areas to explore.



Other views on the worlds oil supplies...


http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2 ... l-age-last

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5945678/


I dont think were gonna run out in anyone heres lifetime but Id still like to see the 'world' spend as much time & effort on alternative energy.

[JoshF]

invisible hand of the market can solve everything.

Luffa mits.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think you're laying too much blame on the automakers.

It's my own state, but if foreign automakers saw the need for this, domestic automakers should have too. Now everybody here is paying the price.

Even without fuel cost worries, the benefits to the environment and the manufacturing benefits of improved newer technology should've been enough to push them forwards. By August '07 it was really a mystery why Detroit automakers stubbornly refused to improve on efficiency when it was clear they'd eventually need to - and that was, as you say, before the current spike in pricing.

[Davey]

They were just meeting market demand. Up until recently, few Americans cared about fuel economy. It's not like there weren't any small cars available, people just opted for SUVs.

Bollocks, at least as late as last year (August '07) Detroit companies were actively resisting calls to get with the program which had been ongoing for years, either out of stupidity or so they could pretend that Toyota, Honda, etc. programs to improve fuel efficiency were taking advantage of the American taxpayer (an argument they made sure to wring dry).

That's the government pushing for better fuel economy, though, not consumers. You can blame the Big Three for weaseling their way around CAFE standards, but it's not their fault that people flocked towards 4000 lb tanks that get 14 MPG. They were just giving the people what they wanted.

[Davey]

I think you're laying too much blame on the automakers.

It's my own state, but if foreign automakers saw the need for this, domestic automakers should have too. Now everybody here is paying the price.

Foreign automakers made more efficient cars because gas has always cost more in other countries. They weren't visionaries, they just had to deal with reality far sooner than US companies.

I don't blame the Big Three for focusing on SUVs in the short term. They had high profit margins and were in high demand in their home market. But I do blame them for acting like those days would last forever.

Even without fuel cost worries, the benefits to the environment and the manufacturing benefits of improved newer technology should've been enough to push them forwards.

Unfortunately, those aren't reflected in next quarter's profits, so people don't care as much as they should.

[doodude]

It seems no one is really taking into account that China & India etc are using vast amounts of oil/fuel AND are willing to pay whatever the going rate to get it while speculators are adding the problem.

Before you start hyperventilating about Chinas right to fuel & growth I agree with that right too.
But that dosent change the fact that the lack of supply ( intentional? ) & demand from countries that are growing are whats causing this oil problem. Not the USAs SUVs which have an impact but no where near the impact that its been credited with.

The US enjoyed a great fuel price for a long time while the world was paying top dollar. Its tough to have to make that worldwide adjustment, which aint done yet, so quickly.

If the US had started dilling domestically in 1998 instead of vetoing that bill we would be only slightly better off with the 10 years preparation but still better off.

IMO the extreme enviornmental problems from oil the US has had has come not from domestic production because there hasnt been any, but from transporting oil to the US.

And now China is soon to begin drilling for oil just 50 miles off the US coast. While the US is prohibited from doing the same. I wonder how much concern China will have for the US coast line while they are pumping out all that oil?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Consumable oil will dry up (largely) within my lifetime. Eventually, there will be panic, rioting, and death. Not just due to gas, but everything else oil produces. Of course, a fundamental change in society will only be started at the last possible moment...in a do-or-die situation. Fun times ahead.

That sounds like a very possible situation in the nearby future. It would be interesting to see what exotic alternative fuel technoligies exist forty years down the road. Or it could be that nothing has changed and we'll still apt to making the same mistakes all over again... ^_~

The Japanese are looking into making better and improved batteries that can outperform the latest Li-Ion batteries being made today...whether or not that can be successfully applied to transportation is another matter. We shall see what the future brings... ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Davey]

It seems no one is really taking into account that China & India etc are using vast amounts of oil/fuel AND are willing to pay whatever the going rate to get it while speculators are adding the problem.

Before you start hyperventilating about Chinas right to fuel & growth I agree with that right too.
But that dosent change the fact that the lack of supply ( intentional? ) & demand from countries that are growing are whats causing this oil problem. Not the USAs SUVs which have an impact but no where near the impact that its been credited with.

Internationally, yes, China is the biggest reason for rising oil prices (especially because of government subsidies). However, SUVs are still a problem domestically if we're serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil (not to mention environmental and safety concerns).

The Japanese are looking into making better and improved batteries that can outperform the latest Li-Ion batteries being made today...whether or not that can be successfully applied to transportation is another matter. We shall see what the future brings... ^_~

The future... today!

That article is light on details and it sounds like it's nowhere near becoming a production vehicle. Sounds too good to be true, so I'm not expecting much (if anything) to come out of it.

[innerpattern]

The time of Oil is coming to a close in the next few decades. It will either run out or the price will be so high only the rich can afford it on any regular basis. You can be sure big oil will bring every one of us down with them in the name of power & profit.

Did a business trip on my motorcycle this week, 600 miles for about $45 in gas. I love my moto!

[doodude]

The time of Oil is coming to a close in the next few decades. It will either run out or the price will be so high only the rich can afford it on any regular basis. You can be sure big oil will bring every one of us down with them in the name of power & profit.

This is an excerpt from an article in CNNMoney.com.
-------------
"Oil companies aren't as profitable as you think,

I sometimes get the impression that people think oil executives hold clandestine meetings where they unilaterally decide to set the price of oil and gas in order to maximize their profits. After maniacally laughing about how they are gouging the American public, they then go swimming in pools of gold ala Scrooge McDuck.

But there's a problem with that theory. Even though many oil companies are reporting record profits, many people forget just how expensive it is for energy companies to engage in the oil business.

The average net profit margin for the S&P Energy sector, according to figures from Thomson Baseline, is 9.7%. The average for the S&P 500 is 8.5%. So yes, energy companies are more profitable than many others...but not by an inordinate amount.

Google, for example, reported a net profit margin of 25% in its most recent quarter. Should we have an online advertising windfall profit tax?"
---------------

A link to the entire article:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/29/markets/thebuzz/

Another view of BIG OILs profit margins:
http://www.techvat.com/5-tech-companies ... mobil.html

Oil will not run out in our lifetimes. (IMO)

Per Ray Kurzweil, nano technology alone will reach a point in 5 years or so where solar panels can be produced to create energy to run so much more for so much less.

More on Technology from Ray Kurzweil:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/view/id/42

My point? The end aint as near & the future as bleak as we might think.
Although it isnt difficult to think so...

[SAM]

I agree davey. in my opinion if you dont feel safe while driving you should not be driving you should not need more metal around you just to reasure yourself that if you hit something or someone you will come out of it in a better shape than the person/object you crashed in to.

People have this thinking should drive an Armor Car Or Tank instead. They could run over trees, through walls, drive over other cars, plus they are bullets prove. Used old models are usually fairly cheap, if you need air condition you would have to get a modern models.

IIRC some days ago, someone in US went rampage driving Tank in the street, and the police could stop him till his fuel run out....

Dont get me started on bull/roo bars there designed to take on large animals in a way as they dont come flying through at wind screen. they increase impact surface and do a shit lot of dammage to anyhting they touch and you see poxy little bitches riding up in these 4X4s with these fucking huge animal deflectors wanged on the front and the only off road they have seen is the fucking car park of the local super market

I don't know about this animal deflectors thing... I used to thought people want a SUV because they need a mini truck but they only got a car lieance

[SAM]

The time of Oil is coming to a close in the next few decades. It will either run out or the price will be so high only the rich can afford it on any regular basis. You can be sure big oil will bring every one of us down with them in the name of power & profit.

This is an excerpt from an article in CNNMoney.com.
-------------
"Oil companies aren't as profitable as you think,

I sometimes get the impression that people think oil executives hold clandestine meetings where they unilaterally decide to set the price of oil and gas in order to maximize their profits. After maniacally laughing about how they are gouging the American public, they then go swimming in pools of gold ala Scrooge McDuck.

But there's a problem with that theory. Even though many oil companies are reporting record profits, many people forget just how expensive it is for energy companies to engage in the oil business.

The average net profit margin for the S&P Energy sector, according to figures from Thomson Baseline, is 9.7%. The average for the S&P 500 is 8.5%. So yes, energy companies are more profitable than many others...but not by an inordinate amount.

Google, for example, reported a net profit margin of 25% in its most recent quarter. Should we have an online advertising windfall profit tax?"
---------------

Well, Oil companies is not the best buy right now, since their share prices had already went up with the oil price. Besides just as doodude had said, the ROE of Oil Companies are not very good anyways.

May be it is a good time to buy some air liners shares. I see a good one went down to 8 P/E and 1.2 P/B with a dividend yield of 5.51% p.a. net tax... She just acquire one of her competitor a few years ago and the other one just fold a few months ago... Look like she is the one to survive I think it's time to put down my bet.

[Ceph]

The future... today!

That article is light on details and it sounds like it's nowhere near becoming a production vehicle. Sounds too good to be true, so I'm not expecting much (if anything) to come out of it.

That's a hoax, of course. Water is the result of an oxidation process: Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen requires energy. Someone at Reuter's must have screwed up badly for this to be reported.

[trivial]

Do you think the average reporter assigned to science duty can keep thermodynamic laws in mind when confronted by things like catalysts/chelators/enzymes/symphoria? Naw.

[Davey]

Yeah they didn't say how it "works." What other people have done is just use a battery to perform electrolysis, and magically, you have a car that runs on water. Of course there are minor details such as having to recharge the battery, or more specifically, having to recharge the battery more often than if the car was powered directly from the battery.

[neorichieb1971]

The COA to take is stop people moving the fuck around. In the UK where I live, there is supermarket being built around 2 mins walk from my house. That means in theory that apart from work I have no need to travel. I'm already in the state of mind where moving around doesn't interest me much.

Give me a credit card, a supermarket and blu ray HD and I can see the world through different means.

If towns and cities are self sufficient, you shouldn't need to travel far to get anything you want.