[Pops]

It is surprising how fast time goes by and how fast things seem to change. And even more surprising to me is how a person such as myself can become as involved in one fashion or another to folks they will never meet.


Four years ago I was quite the doomer and I posted to several now defunct PO related websites in addition to this one in an effort to jump start conversation. Now oil is almost $100bbl, food is fuel, hybrids are the rage, Green is coming back into fashion and I have heard the term Peak Oil in MSM as well as in advertising - however circumspectly.

The best change in the site has been the creation of specific forums. The ability to view the areas you are interested in without the distraction of stuff you care little about has been a boon. Even when there were only a dozen regular posters, each had a specific interest, whether forecasts, news, industry trends, survivalism or whatever.

There really has been little change in member’s attitudes in my mind aside from a somewhat less courteous attitude overall but I guess that is to be expected. Right from the beginning there were Mad Max’ers, Rambos, Cassandras, Chick-Littles, Pollyannas and left-over Hippies; now there are simply more people with a wider spectrum of stridency.

The one regret I do have is that many folks who have contributed meaningful expertise in a variety of subjects helpful to others looking for those resources feel the site is too slanted towards TEOTW instead of Changing The World and have stopped posting.


Having said that, I do want to thank Dan for his open-mindedness to let this site grow into the open forum it has become even though I know he had misgivings about letting nut-job, run-for-the-hills, Changing The World types like me in the conversation with the more academic analysts. The result of course is a board with a more diverse collection of experts, resources and opinions relating to peak energy (and lots of other things) than any other.

Thanks Dan.


And thanks as well to Aaron, overweight and hairy though he is, for riding herd on a bunch of dedicated and well meaning but opinionated and sometimes unruly volunteers and of course for keeping the bytes flowing.

Or is it bits?

[frankthetank]

I still remember my first post. I had hung around here awhile (summer of 2007) but didn't sign up/post until i got the courage in the fall. Its funny that i've been on here over 3 years now. Time sure does fly.

My wife wasn't too impressed when i told here about $90+ oil yesterday when we were out walking. I then mentioned to here that when i started reading PO.com it was less then half that. People have this tendency to forget history or something. Oh well, she'll just become a zombie sex slave while i'm eating gruel in my forested bunker.

[UncoveringTruths]

Are we there yet? I need the machine to keep working until 2010.

[Grimnir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'D')oes anyone else remember when Savinar gave out free copies of his book before the 2004 election?

[PenultimateManStanding]

yeah, I'm an 04 poster. That's how I got my post count so high. But as the years go by, I'm dreading more and more what's coming down the pike. I know I'm going to have to suffer. But death brings an end to suffering. Life is a curse and I didn't ask for it. But I'll stick it out to the bitter end.

[Evltre]

November 2004 here I did find it a bit earlier but it took me a while to sign up (too busy trying to prove it all wrong LOL).

Back in 2004 everyone I know thought we were nuts. Oil was cheap, and I was a loonie. Now oil is nearly $100 and I'm still a loonie - go figure! Well, actually my family and friends are starting to take it all a little more seriously. They were mostly in the 'bio fuels will save us' camp - that's been crushed out of them in the last few months with UN news reports and rising food prices.

But, now I don't work in advertising any more or have a big mortgage in the suburbs, I live in 'small town, south island' and I have vege's and chickens and good neighbours - I'm pretty happy with where we're at as a family, it's been all good for us.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'T')hat's how I got my post count so high....

But as the years go by, I'm dreading more and more what's coming down the pike. I know I'm going to have to suffer. But death brings an end to suffering. Life is a curse and I didn't ask for it. But I'll stick it out to the bitter end.

[mgibbons19]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('yull', '
')I read obessively from about 2004-2005, got tired of waiting, and put it at the back of my mind while I got back to daily life.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'T')hat's how I got my post count so high....

But as the years go by, I'm dreading more and more what's coming down the pike. I know I'm going to have to suffer. But death brings an end to suffering. Life is a curse and I didn't ask for it. But I'll stick it out to the bitter end.

[oowolf]

A little over a week to the 3rd anniversary of my 1st post. I believe it was Pops who inspired me to attempt to communicate. I remember the bird-flu hysteria in the fall of 05.
Whatever happened to:
KiddieKorral
Baby Peanut
MicroHydro
M K Semler
???

[Carlhole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('oowolf', 'W')hatever happened to:
KiddieKorral
Baby Peanut
MicroHydro
M K Semler
???

[Ludi]

"Life is a curse," ... That's so sad. I find life to be a blessing/gift/thingy and I'm very glad to be here, though it is often difficult.....

[TheDude]

Lurked a bit during 2004/5 but couldn't open an account from the workplace computer I was using. Some sharp minds have flown the coop - wither Devil?

And - this is spooky, for a couple of days I've been meaning to start a post on Where Have All the Cornucopians Gone? How long has it been since we heard about nanotech autofabs powered by fusion supplied by daily shipments of He3 from the moon shipping down one of our space elevators? Did Holmes crush them all? Have they all joined the Singularity?

Figure it's just as well to ask the Class of '04 than make a new topic.

[DomusAlbion]

I've been here since 2004 but haven't posted much in the last year.

I'm too busy preparing and preparing to prepare.

One can only take so much doomer porn without adverse pschological effects.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'I')'ve been here since 2004...

My favorite cornucopian post advocated sending spaceships to Jupiter to extract the methane for consumption on Earth.

I've searched often since then and never found it again. Too bad...

[Armageddon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Carlhole', 'S')pecOp and BiGG were big on the war, boy! And they'd pretty much tell ya to suck a big red, white and blue dick if you weren't on board against the terrists too! George W. Bush was KING!

America was going to kick ass and take no prisoners.

But BiGG got banned for cursing someone out, I think. Damn it! What happened to that oldtime Freeper element we used to have around here? SpecOp_007 hides out in the gun thread. Don't know why... He should poke his little redneck head out more often.

n July 2004, I broke a beer-bottle over my head, named myself "Carlhole" and commenced to arguing the Mike Ruppert position on 911 and Peak Oil. Ruppert had just finished writing "Crossing The Rubicon". And when it was finished, he announced that he would no longer argue the 911 stuff. Instead, he wanted to concentrate on the approaching catastrophe - our impending energy cataclysm. So, I decided to carry on - at least here on PeakOil.com.

I met with a whole lot more hostility to the 911 thing than now - and I miss it - 'cause I like a good argument, being a contrary-minded so-and-so. I would go 'round and 'round with PhilBiker who eventually left PeakOil.com after one such row.

Now, even if I could find someone to tangle with, the arguments have all been made and it's all mostly just repetition. But now, when someone posts a 911 poll the results show that 2/3 of everyone here pretty much smells a rat with regard to 911. Back in 2004, I don't think it was even a third who thought that way - people on these forums regularly trashed Mike Ruppert as a blemish on the Peak Oil crowd's reputation.

I wish FromTheWilderness.com was still churning out all those lovely polemics. They were great. So off the wall and different but such food for thought.

[rostov]

Lurked since end 2004, and decided to join end January 2005 to ask questions.

I just about missed Gogota going into the jungle with his young bride in Borneo, and learning how a fellow linux business owner abandoned all to live off the land (famous rememberance : pee and shit in the crops for fertilizer). Katrina was very memorable. And getting to know both Singaporean and Kiwi folks during my fateful decision to uproot from one island to another.

I kinda miss the really hardcore survivalist folks. The gradual disappearance of the abiotic oil and cornucopian folks is getting a little creepy (you won't believe it, but I kinda miss them -- when they're around, at least you know the world carries on BAU). I also miss the teamspeak mornings/nights we all had, especially during hurricane season in 2005.

Nowadays I'm just preps. Nothing much left to contribute online or IRL. Folks coming to me saying that "hey bud, you were right" just get silence nowadays, and when they ask for more help, I test their corny (cornucopian) minds a little : "What's your prep?". In the past I'm the wierd one. Now I'm the one they want to be friends with.

Ultimately, my journey for post-PO slide is still indebted to all folks here, even those who are no longer with us.

[seahorse]

Hey Rostov,

Hope you found the manual helpful

[jboogy]

Started reading PO in 04' , once I was convinced it was going to happen I registered in order to pick Pop's brain , I remember reading Pops and thinking ; this guy has his shit together and I need to do what he's doing .Didn't Aaron used to post a lot more in those days? My memories hazy but I seem to remember his blue robot everywhere back then. Specop used to post alot too.hoplite/raxozanne/gego?

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Do you guys remember when the Tsunami struck south east asia and we were all very happy when the member we had from there chimed in that he was ok? Man... I am so bad for names.