21 May 2008

Shoveling...




Well I am testing a new feature on the blog today. A number of sites use Digg to consolidate interesting news stories. Most of them appear to be juvenile collections of girls in tight t-shirts.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

However, it would appear that the Digg feature permits visitors to "vote" on the quality of a post without taking the time to submit an adulatory comment. Likewise, I suppose, one could Digg a story only to lambast it free of the potential censoring I might impose.

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Nonentheless, It's an experiment. I have been WAY too busy to do more than populate my Delicious listings.

The political race appears to be focusing in on Senators McCain and Obama. It should be an interesting race. I am concerned about Obama's inexperience, but am not afraid of his ideas. I think either candidate would be a good change for the country - hell, I was even warming up to Hillary!

What is very interesting is the slow, but inevitable, movement away from a petrochemical based energy structure. I think we are in the very beginning stages of the end of oil. There is now enough economic momentum to uncork the necessary electric power industry to shift from fossil fuels to nuclear, hydro, tidal and other sources.

I am already thinking about purchasing the Chevy Volt when it debuts in 2010. That's only two years away!

12 comments:

LTC John said...

I am deeply afraid of those few ideas that Sen Obama (my state's jr. senator) has managed to reveal.

Retreat from the fight, piss all over our allies (ie. Canada, Columbia, Iraq, Israel) tax the crap out of anything or anyone that cannot run away or lobby successfully... ouch.

He was sham in the IL House and Senate, and hasn't done a damned thing in the US Senate. This guy is really the very best that one of the two big parties could put forth as the leader of the Free World?

Bah.

Citizen Deux said...

I have confidence in the nation to keep the future president on task. I think Obama's experience is possibly not a hindrance, although Carter's inexperience proved to be a disaster (despite his service in state government). If nothing else, his rhetorical ability may serve us well on the world stage.

Interestingly, as he has eschewed his Islamic faith (when is it appropriate to use Muslim versus Islamic?), some contend he will be reviled in that portion of the world.

ep417 said...

Wow! No wonder you keep getting banned from Free Republic. Free Thinkers does not compute with Free Republicers.

Interesting being back in the states today and seeing the apoplexy over the gas prices. There were only 81 people on my flight from London...in summer. You are right about moving away from a petrol based soceity, but sadly, as the hearings about the record profits reveal this week, big oil (like big pharm) is not going to go down without a fight. To quote sinclair lewis and a certain movie starring Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood.

Oh. Wait....

Citizen Deux said...

Whoa whoa whoa!!! Big Oil and Bog Pharma in the same sentence earns a one way ticket to DU land. Oil company profist were below 7% of gross revenues. That's worse than my BAC's results. If you sell 150 bn worth of stuff and make 6%, then the profit is (ta da) 9bn! That's a lot of money - but then you've sold a lot of stuff.

It's easy for the public to criticize industry, especially when they don't understand how it works. Are oil companies profiting from exceptionally high proces? Yes, but this is cyclical and in the scheme of things, not going ot last.

Christ, you sound like that pinhead Bill O'Reilly on this topic!

Anonymous said...

So when will it become worthwhile to put solar cells on our roofs? In NOVA it is approaching the break even point. I think it isn't too far in the future when this (and other technologies) is mainstream.

$32 to fill up my Prius! Egad!

Citizen Deux said...

A wind turbine - generating 35kW is about $1000/kW to install. It is, sadly, only feasible in the central portion of the nation. Home installed power units (wind, water, thermal and solar) will be more popular - but not nearly as much as electric cars.

ep417 said...

essex is getting a windfarm! I can't wait! see the pretty windmills......actually, there is a great windfarm right outside of palm springs where the wind whistles through the pass in the san gabriel mountains. It is pretty cool driving past it on your way in from LA....

off to DU land to right about big pharm, bit oil, and big fast food. Oh, wait. off to eat big fast food...not taco hell in england, i am taking advantage of it while i can....

sonicfrog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sonicfrog said...

Individual energy production (solar, wind) is the future. Yes, wind is only really viable for the mid west, and mountain passed of California, but the more people who do adapt that technology, the more power it frees up for everyone else. NOW, the big problem is power transmission. Our power grid is basically a relic of the 1950's with only spotty expansion to accommodate the needs of the 21st Century.

ep417 said...

one word: tesla!

sonicfrog said...

Harvey Korman has passed away :-(

ep417 said...

That's HEDLEY LaMarr....