[Newfie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('obixman', 'W')ell, I'm still here... although not as often,. The last year I've had to battle c diff, a massive pulmanary embolism, and colon cancer (simultaneously) followed by chemotherapy (ugh). Now that I am getting better, I'm paying more attention to things.

In the last two decades we've gotten improved extraction techniques, which has pushed back doomsday 2 decades or so. With hybrids and electric cars, we've maybe gained another 5 years or so......

What we haven't done is produced any more hydrocarbons.

Meanwhile, CO2 seems to be inducing climate modification. This will not cause the extinction of our species, but will cause severe stress on and may eliminate advanced civilization. Solar and wind will help with this but probably not prevent it.

It looks as if the climate change issues will occur faster then peak oil. Peak oil is still there, but we probably won't reach it before we have more reading issues. Just based on my recent medical history, you deal with what kills you quickest first.

[bromius]

I decided to dust off my profile after a good 7 year hiatus or so. I spent a lot of time reading here from 2008 to about 2012, so I'm glad to see many of the names I remember from back then. At that time, I was convinced the wheels would come off a lot more quickly, but here we are still rolling along on fracked gas (to the detriment of the climate.) I think Peak Oil is still as relevant as ever, and spent some of my time in the past decade since finding this place making adjustments and preparations to better manage the decline. Like I said, I thought things were going down the tubes fast, so that decade to adjust has been a bonus.

[frankthetank]

I'm still around. I sort of fell away from it all/had kids/did some stuff/etc...but i've always kept a watch on oil prices/and checked in every now and then. I read mostly ZH and reddit...watch way too much Y outube. Tesla and EVs really caught me by surprise about 2015 or so--starting following Youtubers that had them and was really shocked how they *might* be able to replace petrol vehicles --although even today they still hardly make a dent in total car ownership. They still require massive amounts of raw materials and infrastructure to operate===

I think i've learned more about how evil and dark the world is in the last few years then in the first 35+ years of my life.

I still believe the whole system is going to crash but just have no idea when and if it happens overnight or over decades (i think it's in process now..just not sure if it speeds up and when).

I also gained about 40lbs since i started posting here (muscle not fat---well mostly).

[jedrider]

It doesn't matter what peaks as long as it is something essential for civilization to persist.

paraphrased from | William R. Catton, Jr. | Overshoot

[Newfie]

In one sense this thread was questioning the validity of Peak Oil as a site. There is no doubt that participation is down. But then again I see the same thing at a couple of sailboat cruising sites I visit. Participation is down. Not a clue about what that says about me or my cohort or people in general.

HOWEVER what I do notice at the other forums is that the threads which ask for help get a lot of activity. Folks new to sailing, new to cruising, considering retirement all come to the site to ask questions. What is this gizmo? How do you do this? Whats the best boat? How do you finance your dream? Where should I retire?

I think those kind of posts generate participation because they give the forum members a chance to feel like they are helping one another It makes them feel good to help.

And that is some thing that is missing from this forum. We mostly come here to spout off and discharge our views.

Now I don't know if this is a useful observation or if Peak Oil could possibly adapt itself to encourage more positive interaction. But it might be something to keep in mind.

[asg70]

Anybody remember Greer's Green Wizardry movement? It was intended to be a secret-society version of the Transition Town movement. But that was probably the most constructive thing for doomers to be involved with online. I see the site is still up but it's probably also a ghost-town.

http://www.greenwizards.com/

I used to be heavily mentally invested in preps, learning gardening/permaculture concepts, renewable energy, etc... It's hard to maintain that level of interest when your survival doesn't depend on it, though. Your time is your most valuable commodity so you steer it towards what gives you the highest ROI.

I still do some gardening but on a very limited scale, plus I have the EV which is more of a latte liberal luxury item than a get-out-of-peak-oil-free card.

I think if the situation at ground level were really deteriorating the way some posters here insist that the discussion would naturally gravitate towards preps (and no, Armageddon, hawking precious metals is not enough).

Instead the discussion seems to be permanently stuck in the binary question of whether the end is nigh or more safely distant, something that was all but answered to my satisfaction after the fracking boom and the recovery. So we're continuing to adjudicate a case that's been closed for about a decade. Might as well be the 911 or JFK assassination as far as topicality. And stale issues tend to only lead to repetitive whack-a-mole arguments which is why so few people check in here anymore.



But I can just say for myself as far as what I stand to glean from truly cooperative online discussions is about preps. How much prep discussion is therefore my litmus test on how close we are to doom.

[Newfie]

That's true if you take a narrow view of Peak Oil. A somewhat broader view is that the essence of Peak Oil is to explore Resource Depletion. A still broader sense is to examine resource usage in our current culture. Take my FIVE BIG THINGS.
Resource Depletion
Anti-biotic resistance
Global Financial instability
Climate Change
Over Population

Of those only Anti-biotic resistance is not very directly related to Resource Depletion and even that may be argued. When you draw back and start looking at the world as a system, when you start analyzing the system inputs and outputs, you realize it is very complex and most things are related. So it may be that Peak Oil is not an imminent threat, but that is not to say that we are no where reaching resource limits or limits to growth. And all those lessons we have sort of learned in discussing Peak Oil now re~emerge as important.

[asg70]

"That's true if you take a narrow view of Peak Oil."

And I do. Peakers are subset of doomers but not all doomers are peakers (at least not hardcore peakers).

I don't know if there's another hangout out there with a broader focus. If there is I would expect the discussion to be more vibrant there as over here it's attempting to gather round the campfire of a dead/dormant movement to discuss OTHER (albeit related) issues.

I mean, pound for pound this is little more of a zerohedge aggregator site now by virtue of the links people see fit to post.

[Newfie]

Your positive suggestions are.......?

[asg70]

You expect positivity? From doomers?

I know the mods will be the last to concede this but there comes a time when maybe the right thing to do is turn out the lights and let the domain expire.

[Ibon]

Learn to take distance like the greatest American prophet of the late 20th century. I miss his inputs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERFBg2Uh1c

[Newfie]

EXCELLENT! I’ve watched most everything on him and had not seen that.

Good stuff! (And not the kind you put in storage either).

[Grifter]

I’m still here. Not obsessed like I was and only pop in now and again to browse topics, but I had to stop being involved in the discussions here as they were interfering in my daily life. I am convinced that much of what we see happening now is all about peak oil, it was predicted here in many ways way back in the day. I’m a doomer, I was back then and I am now, all we can do is watch it play out.

[SeaGypsy]

Still here. Not very often. Things are about to get interesting again.


Hey Newfie, i quit my job, living on the boat now, getting used to sailing in all sorts of conditions.

[Newfie]

Sea gypsy,

Cool. Do you use Cruisers Forum? Quite a few Auzzies there.

[SeaGypsy]

Hi Newfie, not often, as I'm in the small/ cheap/ micro end of the spectrum & don't enjoy toffy. If ya know what i mean?