Booms, Busts, and Recoveries Message Board

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next

To: Haim R. Branisteanu who wrote (72527)	2/14/2010 3:15:04 AM
From: Maurice Winn	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) of 74559

The obsession people have with oil is strange. I think it's to do with envy, seeing so much money sloshing around. Oil doesn't even form a large part of GDP per person these days [it has shrunk in economic importance over the decades in the USA]. Oil as a fuel is not even particularly interesting. It's just one of a vast number of methods of getting energy. Energy is not particularly interesting either in its garden variety thermal form. The universe is made of the stuff. In its E = mc2 relativity theory black hole form it's more interesting and completely bewildering. But that's not what people are talking about. They are just interested in heat and movement. There are many ways of getting some thermal energy and it's just a matter of economics which one to choose. Submarines are a special case because in military applications, economics is just part of the equation. If it costs $billions to stay underwater longer, that makes it economic. For regular humans trying to earn a buck, such underwater nuclear reactors are a waste of money and the fact that underwater nuclear reactors work says nothing about whether little nuclear reactors downtown are a good idea or not. Iran won't run out of money - somebody will buy their oil and gas. China intends to do so for example. And dependency on middle east oil is not a particularly bad thing. Energy independence is a pointless slogan, of no more value than shoe-making independence. Japan for umpty decades has had rice independence which has been pointless and induced expensive rice-growing activity. Mqurice

Report TOU Violation

Share This Post

Public Reply Prvt Reply Mark as Last Read File

Previous 10 Next 10 Previous Next