Tracy R Reed wrote:
DJA wrote:
<snip>
Holy cow, David! How do you resist the urge to hang yourself every morning?
That's rather a specious response. Point out reality to someone and they
think you're chicken little. If I'm wrong about any of what I said, then
point out my errors rather wishing the messenger would go away.
I think the situation is far brighter than you paint it, at least on the
Internet front.
Well hopefully you're right and I'm wrong. Show me some indications that
that is true. Looking at headlines everyday obviously leads me to have
doubts.
The energy thing is a more challenging problem but I am hopeful that
technology will prevail there also. I think the big problem is not the
Evil Oil Companies. The problem is US. Lan is the only person I know who
seems to care enough to try something different even at inconvenience to
himself.
Sorry, I'm not familiar with with Lan's solution. Maybe someone can
enlighten me. Don't point me to the current crop of hybrid cars either,
because at least two recent university studies have shown the cost of
ownership of a hybrid is higher than its equivalent gas or diesel
counterpart. Personally, I'd go bio-diesel instead. The additional fuel
tank and minor engine adaptation will still cost less than having to
replace deep cycle batteries every five to seven years at about $200 a
piece. Apparently the all electric cars were more coveted by their
drivers. Unfortunately, the economics were favorable to anyone other
than the drivers.
The rest of us like to bitch and make excuses but don't yet
care enough to stop paying the oil companies.
I expect "the rest of us" are still waiting for /practical/ alternatives.
I need a new vehicle and I
am seriously considering my options. I live pretty close to work and
don't have to take the freeway to get there. I would like to bike to
work but don't want to get all sweaty on the way in with no way to
shower. They might build in a shower soon so perhaps that will be an
option in the future.
Seems like lots of "like to" and "they might" in there. But so far you
seem pretty much in the same situation as the rest of us. You need
something from someone whose business model is to funnel a largely
available resource into a tightly controlled scarcity sold to the end
user at an obscene profit.
I am also considering a motorcycle.
I have a motorcycle. But it's not a cure, it's a salve.
I put over
2000km on a scooter in Vietnam and quite enjoyed it. Maybe it's time to
make more use of bikes in the US. Failing that I will probably get a
small car like a Scion TC.
As long as it's not a TA "Clown Car". ;)
In fact I might get both and ride the
motorcyle to work and use the car for longer trips with passengers.
...as long as none of those passengers are kids. Have a family -> meet
reality.
Increased fuel efficiency in cars has not kept up with increases in the
price of fuel. While your miles-per-gallon numbers go up, fuel is still
an increasing percentage of your gross income. Better fuel efficiency
only feels good when you compare it to the other guy getting less.
In the seventies I was paying 25 cents for a gallon of gasoline. My
truck was getting about 15 miles per gallon. Today a car getting twice
that efficiency is now paying about *14* times as much for gas. So tell
me, how is that better again?
And you did neglect to mention that we can now cross the Coronado bay
bridge for free (so someone did manage to find some way to say it is
paid off) and it is a heck of a lot better than driving all the way down
to IB and back up the strand.
I remember having to ride the ferry to Coronado. A much more pleasant
experience, and with today's traffic even a shorter one. Do you remember
when that bridge was built? I do. Do you remember the politics it took
to get that bridge built? I do. Almost nobody wanted it. Like my friend
says, instead of blue if ought to be painted brown for one of the people
who shoved it down our throats.
The truth is someone ran out of reasons to explain why we were still
paying tolls on a bridge which had been paid off decades ago. If I
remember correctly, the toll was removed as a pre-election move by a
politician struggling to stay in office.
But whether it was a good idea or not (it seems to be) was not my point.
My point was that value and cost are separate issues. In today's
consumer-driven economy (where your watch duties are to consume) the
ability to extract cost is more important than the ability to produce
value. We can hope that such a greedy business model will someday die,
but it doesn't look like the Telcos are going to help it along any.
Any replies about oil/energy/politics/religion or the bay bridge should
probably go to -kooler.
Those example were given to show that expectations that new technology
is, all by and of itself, somehow going to solve all the world's woes
(one presumption in the instant thread being that IPv6 will be cheaper
than IPv4 just because it's better - heck, that's reason enough to
charge /more/ ) is fantasy unless one accounts for various factors,
including those oil, energy, political, and yes, even religious
influences you'd may like to ignore. Technology does not exist in a
vacuum. It's controlled by people - and there's the rub.
It really doesn't take an intelligent, informed geek long to use that
marvelous tool - the Internet - to learn that the cool IT technology,
alternative fuel sources, and buzzwords are just as much on the radar
screens of the people who have been controlling existing conventional
technology for tens of decades, as they are on us geeks' screens.
I personally think that the only way to make any headway is to become as
self-sufficient as possible in as many ways as possible. You've already
been to parts of the world which are actually, in most areas of life,
more self-sufficient than most of the First World. My guess is you are
probably not really interested in living the lifestyle that level (or
more) of self-sufficiency presently requires.
--
Best Regards,
~DJA.
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