[oowolf]

here we go...
http://www.dogworks.com/

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'A')nd the New World didn't have any domesticable animals large enough to pull a plough, until Europeans brought horses and cattle over.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('oowolf', 'h')ere we go...
http://www.dogworks.com/

[Overlyhonest]

I live in the state of Queensland in Australia. They say the horse to human ratio is the highest in the world here. I do not know if it is true but there sure are a heck of a lot of the suckers in my area. The thing is a horse is no cheap endeavor. I have 3 acres and I feel that I would be hard pressed to keep a horse fed.

[Overlyhonest]

now it we are talking about real human/dog transportation check this out because the harnesses with the polls on each side is not so good for a dog.


dial up dog sulky
Broadband dog sulky
Source

[oowolf]

Fido-powered scooter, really:
http://hometown.aol.com/mschue5938/dogp ... ooter.html

[heyhoser]

oowolf:

that is so amazingly funny and enjoyable! my god, people can be so creative!
but i'm a cat-lover...maybe all a cat could pull would be my rollerblades????

[NeoPeasant]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BiGG', 'W')hy am I thinking all the “We’re Screwed” people are already screwed peak or no peak?

They kinda remind me of the classic doomsayer horseless carriage crowd who can’t see the viable alternatives right in front of their eyes.

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Permanently_Baffled', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')We will be forced to decentralize our energy use and production. We will be forced to downscale and localize all activities.

[CalgaryEng]

I had the good fortune of spending a few weeks in Kauai in January. One thing I noticed were signs reminding motorists that it is illegal to pick up hitchhikers. When I got back to Canada I read a really interesting presentation on energybulletin.net about Cuba. If I remember correctly, it said that it is illegal in Cuba not to pick up hitchhikers. Something in me looks forward to the day when we can no longer afford to be so insular, frightened, and wasteful.

There are still billions of barrels of oil to be produced. I think it will be a long time before we are unable to maintain bicycles.

When I purchased my last house, I did so with the requirement that it be within walking distance of work. I loathe driving in slow, heavy traffic. I enjoy walking or biking every day. During my travels to various parts of the USA I have noticed that in many of the cities there are no sidewalks in residential areas and the roads are narrow and far from inviting to pedestrians or cyclists. The think the USA is going to have to do a lot of adjusting to future reality.

viable = able to be done
alternative = something else
(MSN Encarta dictionary)

Yes, there are viable alternatives to driving to work. Move within walking distance and walk. This will likely solve a number of health problems as well.

I have done a bit of travelling in Ukraine. The city where I stayed had running water for only six hours per day. I did all my travelling by train, bus, or foot. The average income was less than one tenth of what I am accustomed. Yet, people seemed no less happy and satisfied with life. The trains were packed with children going out to the countryside every weekend. I think that peak oil is likely going to cause a real disaster. Not because it is inevitable, but because we will desperately try to avoid the necessary adaptations.

[Grimnir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('heyhoser', 'b')ut i'm a cat-lover...maybe all a cat could pull would be my rollerblades????

[heyhoser]

Thanks to all who responded to this poll.
I personally am not TRYING to be a doomer or to instigate others into being so, but I have to say that the threads on Energy Technology have left me unconvinced that we have an affordable solution to ever-increasing PRICES of gasoline and oil.

I seem to have been ridled with plenty of bullets for being ignorant, and in truth, I'm more into Liberal Arts (I can read Anna Karenina more quickly than I would be able to set up my computer), so I'm kind of surprised that I wasn't even MORE of a 50-yard target at Fort Jackson's rifle range. But I was hoping that more people who believe in viable alternatives (viable meaning still cheap as well as 'able to do' -thanks CalgaryEng) would be able to point to some spcific threads.

As for BiGG, he/she has written a considerable amount on alternatives and offered some very interesting solutions, and yet I remain skeptical to their ability (and ours) to make the transition QUICK enough while overcoming the problem of EROI (thanks to the practical use of terms and arguments by MQ, NevadaGhost and others). Also, some of these alterantives make me cringe when thinking how much worse they would be for our ecosystem than straight out using coal to burn rubber tires.
I beleive that alternative fuels could assist us, but, when it comes to replacing gasoline on a large enough scale to avoid an economic fallout, I lose faith.

As for a lot of the posters that believe the market will direct our salvation through means such as massive public transportation structures and 'moving closer to work', I think you are unattached to the reality of the urban sprawl of North America. Get out, 'take a drive ', and see America.

And horses? Come on, people. Have you ever even seen a horse? Much less raised one? "They's pretty expensive to upkeep," as the hillbillies around here would say.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Grimnir', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('heyhoser', 'b')ut i'm a cat-lover...maybe all a cat could pull would be my rollerblades????

[Doly]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('heyhoser', '
')As for a lot of the posters that believe the market will direct our salvation through means such as massive public transportation structures and 'moving closer to work', I think you are unattached to the reality of the urban sprawl of North America. Get out, 'take a drive ', and see America.

[Leanan]

Nope, no draft llamas. Llamas are actually pretty small creatures. (I lived in Peru for awhile, so I've seen them - and been spit at by them - up close and personal.) They are used to carry cargo, but can't really be ridden or used to pull a wagon.

The American Indians did use dogs to pull sleds/sledges. But like llamas, they really aren't strong enough to pull a plow or wagon.

As for horses...I did say only the wealthy would have them. In the old days, the wealthy had horses, the poor walked. I think it will be that way again.

Bicycles will be valuable for a time. I plan to buy a folding electric bike, with a solar charger. But I'm not expecting it to be a long term solution for the future.

[heyhoser]

Llamas taste pretty good, though...and can be raised free-range without all the care that horses and even cows take. Growing up in NC, all we used to see were horses and cows. Now, it seems like everyone's getting llamas.

[Leanan]

Llamas are useful for their wool, as well as transportation and meat. (Not sure if they can be milked.)

Archaeological research in Peru has turned up some amazing information on llamas. The Inca and other South American tribes were apparently master llama breeders. They've found mummified llamas that were sacrificed to the gods, that seemed to have been bred for color and fineness of fiber. The hair on those llamas was as fine as cashmere. And they were likely not the best of the herd. They were probably the "culls."

When the Europeans came over, they started buying llama wool by the pound. Suddenly, fine wool was a disadvantage; since it was lighter, you got less money for it. As a result, today's llamas are heavily interbred with coarser-furred alpacas.

Scientists are currently trying to re-created the ancient, fine-wooled llama. They are doing DNA analysis, weeding out the animals with alpaca genes and selectively breeding them for fineness of coat.

[heyhoser]

Note of interest:

Alpacas are much more 'delicate' in that they need more care than llamas do (eg. they get sick more often and need better food). But yeah, the wool is spectacular (much more profitable than sheep).

Wow! Start a poll on private transportation, and talk about llamas! Not what I had in mind...but...
Any of you still interested in a serious thread on the future of private transportation????

[Leanan]

I don't think it will be much of an issue. We will "devolve" back to the small, local societies of the pre-industrial age. Most of us will never travel 50 or 100 miles from where we were born, nor use anything that comes from farther away than that. In short, there will be much less need for transportation.

[heyhoser]

So much pessimism! Must...not...cut...wrists...!

I like the scooter thingy! Unfortunately, I live in the mountains...Ah well, back to stocking up on gasoline and decorating the 'bunker' -wink-.

[Leanan]

Llamas are great for mountains. They'll go places cars and bikes could never go.

I don't think my view is pessimistic. It's a different way of life, but it's not necessarily worse.

I do think planes are doomed, though. At least for ordinary folks' use. As it is, the airlines are in trouble. If you always wanted to visit Bali or walk atop the Great Wall of China or go monster-hunting in Loch Ness, now's probably the time to do it.