[KevO]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristjan', '2') million barrels of oil is peanuts compared to daily consumption. 2 million barrels is just 2.35% out of the daily 85 million barrels (I used 85 as a convention number, it may actually deviate somewhat, but not much) and it should be fairly easy to replace that oil. The effect of this on the price of oil is probably negligible, if at all evident. Besides, it's not like the pirates are going to drink the oil - it will stay where it is until a navy ship comes around a fire a few rounds at them after which point the oil will re-enter the market.

But as time goes by, events like this could start to have more effect on the price of oil, especially if demand keeps on rising at the same pace that it has the previous few decades. Since we're at or past peak oil, there will be no additional supply to make up for supply constraints such as this.

[Kristjan]

It won't get to that. If oil becomes valuable enough to hijack 42 oil tankers then it will be valuable enough to protect (think BlackWater or US Navy).

[basil_hayden]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristjan', 'I')t won't get to that. If oil becomes valuable enough to hijack 42 oil tankers then it will be valuable enough to protect (think BlackWater or US Navy).

[Kristjan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('basil_hayden', 'W')e all realize it's not the 2 million barrels of oil.It's the new insurance premiums on those 2 million barrels of oil, and every other barrel of oil shipped by sea.Now pipe down, behave, and assume we all know more than you and your Euro high horse.Basil.

[dsula]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristjan', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('basil_hayden', 'W')e all realize it's not the 2 million barrels of oil.It's the new insurance premiums on those 2 million barrels of oil, and every other barrel of oil shipped by sea.Now pipe down, behave, and assume we all know more than you and your Euro high horse.Basil.

[truecougarblue]

I must say I have to question the strategy employed by these pirates. If I were overlord there I'd turn the ship directly west after taking control and head for ground. They want millions in ransom? How much is that oil worth? How much is the steel in that tanker worth?

Disclaimer: All Somali pirates should disregard the above, it's a bad idea.

[mcgowanjm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('truecougarblue', 'I') must say I have to question the strategy employed by these pirates. If I were overlord there I'd turn the ship directly west after taking control and head for ground. They want millions in ransom? How much is that oil worth? How much is the steel in that tanker worth?

Disclaimer: All Somali pirates should disregard the above, it's a bad idea.

[frankthetank]

Interesting in that supertanker can hold over 2x as much ethanol as this country can produce in a year. I hope they get it back.

I wonder what would happen if you rolled a grenade down into the oil...big boom? !

[truecougarblue]

I wouldn't call taking a .50 caliber sniper bullet through the head minimum effort. jpg (not for the squeamish)

[Kristjan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('truecougarblue', 'I') wouldn't call taking a .50 caliber sniper bullet through the head minimum effort: jpg (not for the squeamish)

[eXpat]

Read on, this is really something the shape of things to come?
Somali sea gangs lure investors at pirate lair
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ARADHEERE, Somalia (Reuters) - In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate.

Heavily armed pirates from the lawless Horn of Africa nation have terrorized shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and strategic Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia through the Red Sea.

The gangs have made tens of millions of dollars from ransoms and a deployment by foreign navies in the area has only appeared to drive the attackers to hunt further from shore.

It is a lucrative business that has drawn financiers from the Somali diaspora and other nations -- and now the gangs in Haradheere have set up an exchange to manage their investments.

One wealthy former pirate named Mohammed took Reuters around the small facility and said it had proved to be an important way for the pirates to win support from the local community for their operations, despite the dangers involved.

"Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 'maritime companies' and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking," Mohammed said.

"The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity."

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eXpat', 'R')ead on, this is really something the shape of things to come?Somali sea gangs lure investors at pirate lair
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ARADHEERE, Somalia (Reuters) - In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate.
--snip--
"Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 'maritime companies' and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking," Mohammed said. "The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity."

[Kristjan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rangerone314', 'I')s there much of a difference between a syndicate and a financial corporation?

[bratticus]

The issues are
1) "Ylmf Windows XP" was a real pirated Microsoft product prior to the arrival of "Ylmf OS" which is Ubuntu Linux. The Ylmf team has been frightened away from distributing real Microsoft products by the arrest of the distributor of "Tomato Garden" which was also a real pirated Microsoft Windows XP.

See
link

link

2) link points to Ylmf OS
This attracts a lot of people who are looking for XP to the Ylmf OS site.

3) Google trends shows that Ylmf OS has become a very popular search target in a short time:
link

So will there be massive increase in Chinese Linux users? Will they adopt it or go on flouting the law using pirated Microsoft software and ending up in Chinese jails (which can't be pleasant.)

[bratticus]

The saga continues with this great article:

Desktop Linux Market Share Will Rise, Thanks to Microsoft link

I love these quotes from it:$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '�')��About 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don’t pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal [Windows]. They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.”

[2cher]

Linux will never be a competitor for windows until Adobe bothers to port their software over and until games run without hacks or wine on Linux.

Another problem for Linux, to many distro's. Just look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_distributions

If all of these people would write quality software for Linux instead of just re-branding it, then linux might actually accomplish something, but I am not holding my breath for that day to arrive.

[bratticus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', '4') floors of counterfeit.

[bratticus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('2cher', 'L')inux will never be a competitor for windows until Adobe bothers to port their software over and until games run without hacks or wine on Linux.

[MarkJ]

Back in the late 90s, some vendors at the computer shows were still selling counterfeit software. Luckily my wife is Russian, so she could read the installation menu which was in Russian.

Broadband, usenet, torrents, filesharing sites, CD/DVD burners, cracks, serials, loaders, patchers, volume license keys, OEM CDs/DVDs, OEM license keys, RC releases, trial resets etc killed the demand for physical media. Even $5 to $10 was too expensive when you could download, or copy the software, operating systems, movies, music and games for free.

10 years ago, I'd estimate that 20 percent of the computers I serviced, repaired or recovered data from had illegal copies of Windows installed since there were so many custom built machines and upgraded machines at the time.

Now that so many people have purchased dirt cheap OEM computers with Windows XP, Vista or 7 pre-installed, there's little need to install a hacked version, or install a free alternative.

I've installed Linux for quite a few people, but none of them have continued to use it.

When I've helped people build Hackintosh machines, they continue to use them and many have ended up buying a Macbook.


I currently use Linux, but primarily a customized BackTrack Windows/VMware installation for penetration testing. I use Windows and OS X for everything else.