Ray, re Peak Oil. I'm with my old mate, Sheik Yamani, who pointed out that the stone age didn't end for lack of stones and the oil age won't end for lack of oil.
It's an odd feeling, but as I reflect on my oily background and how important oil was for decades, and compare it with the current situation, I feel like an anachronism.
Sure, there is actually now more oily stuff used than ever, but it goes a long way further per litre, is cleaner, consumes less of a person's pay and occupies less of their brain space.
Blokes don't spend the weekend disassembling their engines, cleaning out the carburetor, advancing their spark and filing their points, while discussing the merits of this or that engine oil, research octane number and compression ratio. A car is a disposable consumer item. People hardly know how to inflate a tyre these days and hardly need to.
Oil might be approaching a peak. It doesn't matter. It was fun burning oil and building fast cars. But there are other ways to live life than burning oil. Oil and I will simply fade quietly into the background - relics of a time gone by. As always, young ones look forwards to life, the old look back on life, and the middle-aged look worried.
Peak oil? Bring it on!
Mqurice |
