Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with peakoil

Which guns should I get?

ZaneJ. — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:54:54 -0800

What, or where could I find out, are the most common guns and ergo the most common types of ammunition in the United States? If I were to procure firearms I'd be curious to know which ones would I have the easiest time finding ammunition for say, in the instance of infrastructure collapse. Or, interchangeably, which guns have ammunition that the price isn't prohibitively expensive. I'd be talking about shotguns, rifles, and handguns.

Oil is dwindling. Right now it happens to also be cheap. I should "buy" it, right?

snortlebort — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:18:20 -0800

So the price of oil is ridiculously low right now. But since we're running out of the stuff in the mid-to-long-term, can you explain to me why i shouldn't pour a nice big chunk of my investment egg into oil futures? It would be nice to hear it in finance one oh one terms, although if i get the wonky stuff, i'll figure that out too.

Faster Than a Speeding Gas Pump

Xurando — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:46:17 -0800

Does it take longer to fill up a gas tank when the price goes up by 25%? And..... if the price of gas goes up by X, is there an equal increase in the speed at which the digital price is displayed? Lastly is there a limit to how fast the digital price can be displayed?

How to spot creative hydrocarbon accounting

falcon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:56:04 -0800

I'd like to understand the difference between "equity-accounted entities" and "subsidiaries" in oil company reserves replacement reports, and how to spot if the distinction is being used to mask underperformance in hydrocarbon replacement. If the oil companies can't replace what they find, their production can't be sustained. Neither can their share price - which presumably accounts for how fiendishly hard it is to figure out from company reports what should be a fairly simple statistic.

Their reports all make a lot out of the difference between "equity-accounted entities" and "subsidiaries". I've got a feeling it is to do with disguising (self evidently) unsustainable acquisition based reserve growth from (allegedly) more sustainable exploration based growth (so called "drilling for oil on Wall Street").

Can anyone tell me the difference between an "equity-accounted entity" and a "subsidiary" in oil company reserves reports, and how that distinction can be used to present artificial reserves growth as real growth?

(While I appreciate all answers, I can guess as well as anyone else - I'd prefer an answer from someone qualified in hydrocarbon accounting, or at least for you to flag if you are guessing).

(Sorry - couldn't find a "Finance and Economics" category)

Looking for a book on leadership during times of great change

salvia — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:18:55 -0800

I'm looking for a fairly recent book about leadership during times of major change written by a female author. It was recommended to me by someone in the peak oil / localization / community self-sufficiency movement, so word about it might be being spread through Bioneers or one of those forums.

The book basically says "no one knows where we are going. It is very hard to figure out what is coming next. That's why it's difficult to figure out what to do or how to lead." Then it offered some suggestions.

Ring a bell for anyone?

Seeking sustainability

greggish — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:14:23 -0800

As a "peak aware" twenty something with parents within range of retirement, I've been persuading my family over the last five years to plan for a future with dramatically reduced energy supply. I want us to start a long-term transition to green -- and more importantly, I want us to live in a community that's green or at least capable of making a similar transition. (We currently live in hot pink Miami.) I don't just mean I want to feel good about recycling, but I don't quite mean an intentional community like Earthaven, which would be a step too far for my family. How can I find a community that has the elements necessary for localized, self-sufficient living? Search advice and specific endorsements are both welcome. This question is an extension of last week's, in which I asked advice on planning a trip to Asheville, NC to scope it out as a possible relocation destination. From my experience, Asheville has both a green sensibility and plenty of appeal for my parents as a place to retire. But the response from MeFites was discouraging: most insisted that Asheville is overdeveloped, far from viable agriculture, and nourished largely by wealth that comes from outside of the community. People seemed to agree that we shouldn't look there for sustainability.

So help me out: what are the elements of a community that is better prepared to adapt to a "post-peak" energy scenario? I can name the basics: a place where food can be grown within 10 miles; where the important things in life are all within walking distance; where the community itself is robust and accustomed to deliberative democratic civic engagement. Does such a place exist? How do I look for it? Is it possible to find a suitable nook within a larger, less suitable area?

Some more info about us (copied from the last question): My parents are in their 50s/early 60s, father's a lawyer and mom is a school teacher, and my siblings (2) and I are in our late teens to mid twenties. We are well-off, though shy of wealthy. We'd like to make the move with our aunt and uncle (late 40s, with two kids, 9 and 17) who are all sold on the idea, though less well-off. They'd like to be near a good school for their young son. Both sets of parents would want a good synagogue nearby.

Asheville apparently has a dead job market - which wouldn't be an issue for my parents but would be for my brother and sister and cousins. But outside of a big city, aren't all job markets tough?

There are other questions begging to be unpacked in here: like, when one is planning such a relocation in preparation for post-peak, is it better to look for a good chunk of land to build a new energy independent home and plan out some modest food production, or is it better to live right within a community where everything is in walking distance? That's probably next week's question.

Who wants to ship by sail?

quite unimportant — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:42:20 -0800

In reading Jim Kunstler's latest column, one of his claims piqued my interest. While discussing the shipping industry's metamorphosis after Peak Oil, Kunstler claims, "Right now, programs are underway to restore maritime shipping based on wind -- yes, sailing ships. It's for real." I call bullshit. My Google-fu returns nothing. However, if such a program exists, I want to know about it. Has the Hivemind heard of anything?

Peak oil what?

aeighty — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:07:55 -0800

Why have the gas prices fallen rapidly in the last few weeks? So, all the apocalypse, left-wing(?) type blogs earlier this year claimed that we're at the peak of 'Peak oil' and sht is about to hit the fan. The gas prices rose sky-high here in Canada. I started going across the border to the US to fuel up to save $10/tank. Well, couple of weeks ago I noticed that gas prices have fallen to late 2004/early 2005 prices (to low $0.90s/liter, down from high $1.20 earlier in the summer).

What is the reason for this and how does it relate to the "peak oil" claims?

Couple of guesses:

1. There's usually a seasonal drop in prices (but certainly not 25% like this time).

2. Refineries off the Gulf of Mexico are back in action.

3. Big Oil Cos have never had a shortage of gas, they artificially inflated prices through some sort of financial machinations.

Where does this leave us? If we are at the peak, the prices should continue rising steadily (unless this rapid hike over the last year was speculation by Big Oil, OPEC and so on). If we are not at the peak, why are we allowing this price gouging to go on? Bottom line, what is the per barrel cost of gas going forward in a year, 5, 10?

The Last V8?

tomierna — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 11:52:01 -0800

In the late 70s or early 80s, I watched a movie, probably on network television, which was called something like, "The Last V8" or "The Last of the V8s". Help me find it! The premise of the movie was that all of the oil had run out, and cars were illegal. A Real American™ had entombed his V8, in pieces, under the floor of his garage.

Some prompting causes him to want to re-build the vehicle, and drive cross-country, using the dregs of gasoline pumped from the bottom of abandoned gas station tanks.

The movie is a grand chase.

One memorable scene involved a decrepit Coca-Cola truck being hauled across the road to block his way, and the Coke (still carbonated, natch) fizzing all over the highway when the blockade was breached.

This movie had nothing to do with the vehicle in the Mad Max movies, as far as I can remember. There appears to be a C=64 game that may have been related to the movie, but I can't verify that.

I've combed Google and IMDB, but not found this movie. Can ask.mefi find more information on this movie? Can ask.mefi tell me where to get a copy of it?

walking sux

thirteenkiller — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:05:25 -0800

How do I get my bike lock open? My bike lock is stuck. It's a U-lock, holding my bike (frame) to a post on my house. Sawing through my bike frame or dismantling the house are not options for me, so I need to get the lock open. I think the inside mechanism is rusted; the bike has been sitting out in the weather, where it is now, since last fall. The key fits into the slot and turns slightly, but not enough to open the lock. I've tried soaking it in Liquid Wrench overnight and tapping it with a hammer to loosen up the insides. This has not worked. What else should I try? If I have to cut it off, what's the best way to do this? I don't have any good cutting tools on hand and I can't afford to buy anything major.

Environmetally friendly coal?

insomnus — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 12:22:34 -0800

Are there any environmentally friendly ways to use coal as an energy source? Bonus points if these methods are economically plausible. If none exist currently, is there any interesting research being done?

Peak oil, oil shale and tar sands.

bystander — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 03:27:17 -0800

Peak oil, oil shale and tar sands. Is peak oil a concern? I have heard that the extractable oil in oil shale and tar sands is massive. I believe there is an oil shale deposit in Colorado that has a middle east size oil deposit, and there are vast tar sands in Canada.
In the past I was lead to believe that the cost of extracting this oil was such that it could not compete with $25 a barrel oil, but at $50 a barrel it would be a different story.
Is this true? Are there massive, accessible oil fields out there waiting to take the place of crude?

Peak Oil? nah...

phrontist — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 06:15:51 -0800

I'm looking for a good refutation of "Peak Oil". Articles about the certainty/validity of Peak Oil are not hard to come by, but I have yet to find a decent opposing view. I'm open to the possibility that these claims have basis, but I feel as though my reading on the topic is skewed heavily in favor of it.

The world of Mad Max 2

mikeanegus — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 10:59:47 -0800

Can anyone enlighten me as to a more detailed account of the premise behind Mad Max 2? I'm looking maybe for an interview with the writers or something indepth on how the world as it is presented in the movies came to be. Had a look but couldn't find much...thought i'd throw it to the metafilter crowd