Event countdown has to go!

by **Antimatter** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 04:56:24

Please get rid of that little event countdown thing saying 'ASPO says there are 660 days untill peak oil'! It really gives off a doomsday cult image. Only 660 days untill the world ends and all beleivers are taken off to heaven!

by **Ayoob_Reloaded** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 04:57:51

You do realize that this is probably a doomsday cult, right?

To exit, please click here.

by **Aaron** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 07:34:34

ASPO currently estimates peak in 2007

We report

Where did you get the "cult" thing?

Or "doomsday"

Would you feel better if we put "But everything gonna be ok sweetie" after the countdown?

by **marek** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 08:05:13

I think what is at issue here is how the number of DAYS can be estimated when even Colin Campbell himself claims that given the reliability of the data, the year is a guesstimate. Of course, whether peaking occurs in 600 days or 1,000 days does not make a difference. What does make a difference is the credibility of this website. When Deffeyes talks about Thanksgiving Day 2005, he does not literally mean that the peak will happen on that day (read his new book, Beyond Oil). Similarly, when Campbell talks about 2007, he doesn't say that peak oil will happen on January 1 or December 31.

by **stu** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 08:13:23

Have to agree with the majority here.

When I first saw it I thought that we were counting down to the end of the world.

Colin Campbell has been wrong before.

Imagine having that countdown going for another 660 days, only for the Peak to occur in 2008. :lol:

by MJ » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 08:21:18

I also agree with most. It affects the seriousness of the site.

by **Aaron** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 08:35:13

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hen Deffeyes talks about Thanksgiving Day 2005, he does not literally mean that the peak will happen on that day

by **spear** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 14:47:43

If anything it should put things in the proper perspective and give people a bit of motivation as to planning their lives accordingly.

by **khebab** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 15:17:38

Instead of a specific date which always implies that something is supposed to happen right away when the countdown expires, why not put the current quantity of oil that have been consumed (~1850Mb) and the one estimated to be left with a live update. The current price of oil could be nice too. It's more informative and less dramatic.

by **threadbear** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 15:33:58

Anyone interested in peak oil should appreciate that the countdown is a device, like the atomic war clock, measuring the approximate distance in time of nuclear war by incremental moves of the hands of a clock.

Why are the moderate left so fixated on form, and what is with the focus group approach to life? I'm drawing a parallel here that might not be completely accurate, but just can't help it. The emphasis on appearance that shellacs everything the politically correct crowd touches, carries with it a great danger that they will render themselves immobile, paralyzed by their own brittle veneer. Why should peak oil forums cater to this attitude?

by **nero** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 15:38:08

Oh I ike Khebab's idea. I agree with the others the countdown clock has gotta go. I think "we will only know we have peaked by looking in the rear-view mirror" is a common sentiment around here but a casual visitor might think we take that count down seriously and write-off peak oil as a doomsday cult. A running total of the number of barrels consumed (like a debt clock) would be pretty easy to implement and would give the same sense of urgency that we are rushing headlong to the peak.

by **eastbay** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 16:45:53

Two thumbs up for what Nero said.

The 'peak' isn't a day and most likely not even a month. We're most likely riding across the top of the peak right now and will be for quite some time.

EastBay

by **Liamj** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 19:33:01

i think keep the countdown and add a tiny link to footnote saying something like "The actual date is nearly impossible to predict but is without doubt soon and will result in a qualitative change in life as we know it." Think my wording poor but hope youse get the point.
Whatever, don't ditch it altogether. We're way to good at making tomorrow=never(mind).

by **TrueKaiser** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 19:38:43

congratulations, by putting up the counter you all but killed this site.
peak oil will happen but when cannot be predicted accurately, the numbers you base this counter on are good educated guess but it is a guess none the less.
you have successfully labeled peak oil as y2k redux, and now even more people are not going to take any information seriously here.
plus to top it all off your counting down to nothing. nothing is going to explode when the counter reaches 0, people are not going to crack like a egg shell the second it hits zero, chaos will not suddenly break out.
the only thing that will happen the day we officially hit peak is the knowledge that the only way to go is down. that oil and everything dependent on oil will not get cheaper once this day is passed.
so please take the counter off and save what little creditability this site has left for peak oil.

by **maverickdoc** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:13:43

Keep the Counter, but add a disclaimer like Liamj said. But add other Peak oil related event to it too. Like ASPO meeting coming up.

Hey how about a ticker with the price of OIL. And the Dollar exchange rate. And relevant news like the OPEC meeting coming up or Gawar collapsing. That would be great.

Good job Aaron

by **JohnDenver** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:15:30

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'A')SPO currently estimates peak in 2007

We report

by **Aaron** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:25:27

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hat would be objective reporting.

by **JohnDenver** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:35:50

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marek', 'W')hen Deffeyes talks about Thanksgiving Day 2005, he does not literally mean that the peak will happen on that day

by **JohnDenver** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:48:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hat would be objective reporting.

by **JohnDenver** » Sat 12 Mar 2005, 20:54:32

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'D')effreys, Pickens, Duncan, & Hubbert have no statistical model to support these predictions.

Event countdown has to go!

Event countdown has to go!

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