Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

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.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold Price Monitor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: d:oug who wrote (73057)	7/8/2001 9:36:16 PM
From: ubetcha	Respond to of 116753

I agree, to some a BAD thing is good to others. What this bad thing may do is to lead to higher gold prices. We may hear the big splat of all those who are short the metal. We will see what happens. There are always those that will disagree. OT: On another matter: Energy is a commodity too. We have not had an energy policy for over 10 years. It may now be time to start paying the piker. This will turn into a real threat long term, and oil and natural gas will continue to become harder to find, and more expensive to produce. In the meantime, we continue to bury our heads in the sand. I recently heard that FORD was losing revenue in the sales of their vehicles, but the sale of the Ford Explorer had actually increased over last year. Are people not paying attention. And now to energy and tech!! THE SERVER FARM breathes energy. It is a two-story plant, nearly as wide as a soccer field, in the heart of Silicon Valley. In generations past, such a plant would have turned molten steel into skyscraper girders or battleships. But today the precious commodity is digital information. Unlike steel, digital information is literally weightless. But to produce the commodity with ever-increasing speed and volume, the server farm craves energy in doses previously inconceivable. This plant is packed from subfloor to ceiling with routers, switchers and servers. And there are 120 of these enterprises in Silicon Valley. With a debilitating energy crisis disrupting Californians for the past year and threatening to worsen throughout the summer, the server farms epitomize 21st-century mass consumption. On the plane home, Bellnap struck up a conversation with a well-dressed woman across the aisle. She provided an earful about the crisis. "I can't see why they'd shut me off," she said. "I pay $600 a month for electricity." "Do you have a pool?" Bellnap asked. "Yes," the woman replied. "Do you run the filter system motor all the time," he asked, "even when it's off-peak hours?" "How should I know?" "Do you keep the house running at 70 degrees even when you're away?" "Probably. I never thought about it, really." "Ma'am," Bellnap said, "do you know the reason you're being shut off from power? You use so much of it. There's not enough of it to go around ..." usaweekend.com Here is the full article, and quite a read. Makes you think!! Thanks, Terry