[venky]

I alway knew oil was finite and that supplies would get scarce in my lifetime. I remember as an undergrad (late 90's) I would tell my friends about how oil would be rationed for more essential purposes like transport of essential goods and fertilizers. This was before I had ever heard of Hubbert or the Peak Oil theory. My grandad a geologist told me that oil supplies would run out in 30 years. Although thats a long time, my first thought was, what are we going to do once that happens.

I ran across Jay Hanson's site sometime in 2003, dont remember how. Knew then that Peak Oil would be a serious issue, but I didn't think then that it was imminent, thought somewhere 20 or so years down. Put it out of my mind for a year or so. Then when oil prices began their climb in 04; I did some serious research in the summer. And here I am.

[lowem]

Lemme see, for me, it went something like this :
gold-eagle.com -> dieoff.org -> energyresources -> lifeaftertheoilcrash.net -> peakoil.com

That was back in 2003 or thereabouts. I'm not quite sure how I stumbled onto the first one. Something about being in debt and being real unhappy about it and wanting to find out how the whole damned system worked. You bet I've figured out quite a bit since then ...

[MonteQuest]

In 1972, I read Limits to Growth. Over the past 30 years, I have been concerned about global warming and the environmental destruction that burning fossil fuels causes, not so much their depletion--although I knew that day would come soon.

While researching my book, I came across peakoil.com.

[PenultimateManStanding]

How we deal with it, Monte, that's the question. Perhaps it won't matter in the long run. I may as well say that when you e-mailed your book to me and I read about 40 pages I concluded that your writing style sucks. Then my computer crashed and I never read the rest of it. If you want to write a book, you gotta get a terse style. The beat-around-the-bush thing doesn't make it. I could have written what you wrote in 40 pages in 5 or less.

[jboogy]

first heard about po on mike ruppert's site maybe 2 years ago , copvcia.com . right off the the bat knew what he was saying had a ring of truth so hear i is , am totally convinced U.S. is in serious trouble without po and po is just gonna be the proverbial straw . by the by , i havn't read monty's book but i gotta say i look forward to his posts as much if not more than anyone else's

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'H')ow we deal with it, Monte, that's the question. Perhaps it won't matter in the long run. I may as well say that when you e-mailed your book to me and I read about 40 pages I concluded that your writing style sucks. Then my computer crashed and I never read the rest of it. If you want to write a book, you gotta get a terse style. The beat-around-the-bush thing doesn't make it. I could have written what you wrote in 40 pages in 5 or less.

[Sonny]

One of my friends was pretty heavily into his Socialist politics and he invited me onto a forum where some people he knew talked about Communism/Socialism etc. and how they were going to overthrow the oppressive regime blah blah blah .

I took a look at it out of curiosity, and was surprised to find that half the posts weren't about politics at all but instead these people were talking about grouping up, buying some land and hiding away in some sort of commune until all the 'trouble' blew over.

Confused and slightly disturbed, a short browse through the older posts in the forum revealed the cause of this seemingly crazy idea. There was a link to Life After the Oil Crash. I clicked it. Oh shit...


It took me a about a week to read through the entire front page and all the recommended articles that Matt Savinar linked to. It was pretty tough for me accepting that my entire future will most likely be completely different from what I have assumed it would befor the past 19 years.

Oh yeah, and I can safely say that about 95% of students my age have absolutely no idea that Peak Oil exists as a problem, let alone the enormous extent of its consequences. The only other students I know who are aware of it are people I've told myself lol.

[tokyo_to_motueka]

George Monbiot in the Guardian, December 2, 2003

but what made me look at it much more seriously were:

1. Stan Goff on Counterpunch, August 13, 2004 (please read this)
2. ASPO web site
3. The Oil We Eat by Richard Manning, originally in the February 2004 issue of Harpers.
4. LATOC
5. Energy Bulletin
6. PO.com

[katkinkate]

While visiting my brother and his SO, my attention was drawn to a book on her extensive bookshelves called "The last days of ancient sunlight" by Thom Hartmann. He pointed out the inevitable end of oil and thus the end of the current civilization that depends on the energy, then segued off into the superiority of the tribal model of society (mature society) over the central government model (juvenile society).

When I got home I search on 'oil' to see if there was anything behind his initial premise (shortage of oil) and eventually got hooked on PO.com. The other sites are too gloomy, this site seems more ... balanced because of the many different views and discussions around all the topics affected by oil and energy. More intellectually satisfying while also supportive of change necessary in our lifestyles.

[stu]

I'm one of many who came in through Savinars site.

Saw record oil prices on the news. My curious journalistic nature got the better of me and lo and behold there was a link to lifeaftertheoilcrash.net.

If if hadn't been for the slightly sensationalist approach that Matt took then I never would have been interested in the topic. I would have seen it as some intellectual debate going on between a bunch of geeks.

Fortunately Matt's approach worked perfectly. It may sound weird or cheesy but Matt Savinar played a big part in changing my life.

Thanks Matt.

[Reality_Conference]

I'm not sure exactly how I ended up here. It was a gradual thing until I read Matt Savinar's book. I had been linked to the From The Wilderness site and had heard the term Peak Oil, but I didn't really fathom what that meant. I bought Savinar's book, and like Stu alluded to, it probably changed my life. It hasn't so much yet as I am very new to the awareness of this deal, but I at least LOOK at the world much differently now.

I'm trying to think what my next move should be and I am strongly considering giving back the truck my parents have let me use for the last couple years and going back to just a bicycle. I got around on a bike before then because of neccesity. I wrecked my car in an alcoholic haze. But now, damn, it seems like by going back to the bicycle I will be a leg up when the time comes.

Like some others on here I believe a fast collapse would fuck me up real good, as well as a lot of other people. I only hope that this whole thing is gradual. I can make some plans starting about now, but I am woefully unprepared at the present. If I wake up one morning and find out there has already been a Black day on the stockmarket heralding a New Depression, then I don't know what would happen. I guess I would suck it up and try to survive like the rest of the people.

I'm glad this place is here though. It might make the difference in the long run.