[IslandCrow]

"I'm looking forward to eating my neighbours in TEOTWAWKI"

Great! The way the area is being depopulated as people move to the urban areas means that most of the neighbours left would be old, and so not so good for eating. Chicken is nicer than tough old hen to eat

[Byron100]

I came across this forum about a week ago after reading the "Long Emergency'...and I'm amazed (and a bit overwelmed..lol) at the wealth of information and opinion on this board, and I look forward to chipping in whenever I can.

I've been aware of P.O. for about a year, but the reality of the coming energy shortage really didn't hit home for me until Katrina, which I'm sure is true for a lot of people. I live in Atlanta, GA in a single-family house at the NE corner of the city, having moved up from Ft. Lauderdale earlier this year. While Atlanta is a darned sight better than living in South Florida, I've been bummed out by how car-dependent this city is, and how *far* everything is from everything else...people around here think nothing of driving 20-30 miles one way to work, not to mention shopping, visiting friends, etc. I do consider myself fortunate in that I live within 1 mile of a decent shopping center, within easy walking distance of a bus stop, and 3.2 miles to the nearest MARTA station (train). So if push comes to shove, I'd be able to get by without the use of a car (although I'd probably ride a scooter to get around locally.)

Although I'm not a classic "doomer", I have become increasingly pessimistic as of late of what this country is facing in the not-so-distant future...even if P.O. happens to be further off in the future than is predicted, due to the utter unsustainability of our socio-economic system...and when it all comes crashing down, it sure ain't gonna be pretty. The big question I'm attemping to answer for myself at the moment is whether or not being near a large city is better than being in a rural area during depressionary times, and whether or not housing values will keep in relative balance with land prices (specifically in upstate NY, which is where I'd like to live someday). Hopefully I'll be able to figure some of this stuff out (and take appropiate action) before things become too unglued...lol.

Byron

[azreal60]

Welcome to the board byron. This is indeed a great place to both pick up info and argue and debate the specifics of this event in human history.

I don't know many cities in the US that Aren't pretty damn car dependant. Really the only ones that have an outside option are the ones that where simply forced to go away from the car cause they are too damn dense.

Look forward to seeing your posts.

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('azreal60', 'I') don't know many cities in the US that Aren't pretty damn car dependant. Really the only ones that have an outside option are the ones that where simply forced to go away from the car cause they are too damn dense.

[Byron100]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he cities you are alluding to (Boston, NYC, Chicago) weren't 'forced' away from the car so much as newer cities were 'forced', by collusive government intervention, to the car. Big difference.

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Byron100', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he cities you are alluding to (Boston, NYC, Chicago) weren't 'forced' away from the car so much as newer cities were 'forced', by collusive government intervention, to the car. Big difference.

[Dusk]

Hi, I've been lurking around peak oil sites for around a year now. I had just returned from a tour in Iraq and bought a Lincoln Navigator (used, pristine, with a too good to be true price....haha, peak oil, I get the price now) when I found a link to dieoff.org on one of the major news sites. MSNBC I think. Now hold on before you berate me over the Navigator. I'm not a complete idiot. I knew oil isn't going to last forever even before I went to dieoff.org, but I believed the hype of the media... no problem, plenty for years to come. PLUS, I have probably pumped more fuel into military aircraft than most of the readership of this forum have put into their combined autos in their lifetimes. Since I was 17 years old I have pumped millions and millions of gallons of jet and ground fuels. I'm 36 by the way. And one thing bothered me. All that fuel. I mean, an absoulute assload of it. My mind has a hard time understanding 'where' it all comes from. All of the fuel I have helped to transport and store and issue, came from the ground. And then I mentally multiply that every time I have traveled the globe and seen a commercial airport or a 10 lane highway in California or the East Coast. Or traffic jams in Central America, Germany, the Middle East. I knew there was a catch. I felt it in my bones, sometimes the hair on my arms would stand up when I thought about it. So, ya, I got the Navigator, thinking wtf? What can I possibly do to stop what I could feel was happening, but thought I felt that way alone? And so what if my Navigator got 14 mpg? I could still drive it for a lifetime with the same amount of fuel I pumped at a couple of nights at work. (I'm not kidding, aircraft suck fuel like astmatics suck air.) But then I read dieoff.org and said to myself....wow, I'm not crazy. We are going to run out, so I should maybe get used to the idea. I looked at my situation and felt really depressed. I've tried to tell a few of my co-workers what I think about oil (the peak oil, we're running out side), but they don't belive. Some of them might have inklings I might be right, but are not at all happy with thinking they might have to walk somewhere, so they won't listen. Hey, this is getting way long. I got a motorcycle now, (50 mpg) and gave the lincon to the wife, (short distances only, and let's not even talk about her reactions to all this). And have begun to prepare for the inevitable, kid got a shotgun for his birthday (12), food stored up and some barter goods on the side. Luckily dad lives in a great big nothing state (NE) with nothing but good crop land. Him and my Uncle have more land than my entire extended family could farm without fuel so I figure I'll always have a job working the land like my great grandpa did, without fuel. I love the midwest. Back when I was 17 and getting trained how to pump fuel I never thought I would say that. Thanks for reading, I hope I have some nice discussions with you all. I don't read each and every day though, so please understand thats why I might not answer a direct question immidiately. -Dusk

[Jack]

Welcome to Peak Oil!

You might find some of the threads in the planning forum to be of particular interest.


Regards,

Jack

[knightrd]

When I was in the industry, I wasn't very interested in it. A lot of my interest developed post-911. That was when I came of age and started learning about geopolitics. The more I learned, the more I was aghast at how I had been blind to geopolitics. I am in a fiercely Republican state (Texas) and found that about 90% of people were totally misinformed about major issues.

From what I saw during my time in the industry, the vast majority of employees knew very little. It was all about the paycheck and value of the stock. I've actually learned more since I've been out of the industry than I learned while I was in the industry.

I was at a job fair the other day here in Houston. Most of the technical businesses were petrochemical or petroservice firms looking for engineers of various types. There were so many people there is was mindboggling. When I asked people what they thought about peak oil they would say they had never heard of it. Some asked if that was the name of a company. It reinforced my notions of how little people "in industry" really know.

Rest (un)assured that those at the top are thinking of these things. Don't think the big oil companies aren't thinking about peak oil. They've been getting ready for it for the past 20 years. Look at who owns or is buying up a lot of the solar and wind technology. The ones who haven't invested in alternative forms of energy will not be in business. They will get sliced up or bought out, but they will not be players in the new market. The government won't be able to come to their rescue like they always do with the airlines.

I am sad to think that greed and lust for power drives humans to destroy the world in which we live. What is happening is a wake up call and warning to all of humanity. I don't think the next revolution is energy, the next revolution is the evolution of human society. It society doesn't evolve, then all the energy in the world will not save us.

[insurgent]

Welcome!

[kardea]

I've been learning about all of this for about a year. I'm the peak oil 'nut' in my family. My family agrees that it's a fact but doesn't spend most of their time preparing and learning like I do.
We are picking up from south western Ontario next summer and moving to Newfoundland. I don't want to be in such a densely populated area when it hits the fan.
Anyways, hi all.

[MD]

Hi, welcome!
Good luck on your move

[Cool Hand Linc]

Helloooo

[insurgent]

hmmm...how did my post get posted at that time? Before the first one...too much weirdness around here lately

[stu]

Maybe your psychic insurgent.

Welcome to the discussion kardea!!

[dragonfly]

Not sure what to say, but I guess I'll start with myself. I'm a 20 year old college student, and I first started really thinking about peak oil after reading "The Long Emergency".

How's it going you all?

[backstop]

Dragonfly -

welcome to the site - doubly so for choosing a fine name to adorn it.

As to how its going, as usual its about working with a fraction of the info needed for any sort of definitive overview, from which to develop and test ideas as to where we're headed and what we'd best do about it.

The core questions (over which there's as yet little consensus) are just what rate of decline we'll see & how soon, and whether a growth-based economic system that has known about Hubbert's Peak for 49 years and Global Warming for 29 years, can be made to achieve anything significant in the next 7 years, given the converging escalations of oil-price & climate impacts.

My two pennorth . . .

regards,

Backstop

[Trindelm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dragonfly', 'N')ot sure what to say, but I guess I'll start with myself. I'm a 20 year old college student, and I first started really thinking about peak oil after reading "The Long Emergency".

How's it going you all?

[NEOPO]

We have yet to find the bottom of this rabbit hole.
Perhaps you can help us?

[OilsNotWell]

Welcome to the (end of the) party!