[ExI] FW: How Electricity Became a Luxury Good

[Kelly Anderson]

On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 6:07 AM, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 04:02:01PM -0700, spike wrote:
>


> Don't look right now, but that giant sucking sound you hear... yes, it
> is what you think it is.
>

Yes, it's the sound of me being dragged into this discussion AGAIN.


> Any progress is a function of available free energy. Historically,
> there have been no deviations.
>

Free energy? There never has been any energy source that was free. You have
to go out into the forest and chop down a tree.


> The optimistic energy resource projections do not have a good track
> record, even looking back a decade. The apparent pessimists turned
> out realists, after all.
>

That may be the case, but we're still doing OK. There won't be any real
changes until people experience the REAL cost of gasoline AT THE PUMP.
Getting rid of oil subsidies and paying the full cost at the pump is the
only realistic solution. It would get the capitalistic system engaged,
whereas now the capitalistic system is being undercut by meddling in
Washington to get votes and power. Pay for Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria with
a gasoline tax, and then see how fast alternatives are developed. It's more
a matter of economics and government stupidity than EROI.


> Ain't gonna happen. In fact, these SUVs you see are going to get a lot
> more rare. If you grew up with affordable air flight, well, you know
> the drill. So batten down the hatches. The storm is coming, and it's
> the Big One.
>

The leading winds of the coming storm will be felt (if it is coming) as
higher prices. Once we experience those, people will start building
shelters. Will the shelters hold everyone? They rarely do. But there will
be survivors of the storm. There always have been.


> > Then a billion more middle easterners get tired of being poor?
>
> Their real problem is that their future is going to get a lot crappier
> than their already sucky present. When you can't feed your family,
> people get desperate. Desperate people have nukes, too.
>

You aren't desperate when you hope for the return of the madi. They'll be
on their prayer rugs at the beach when the tsunami comes in, and I say good
riddance to that memeplex.

Now you've gotten me all wound up again... just as I was getting complacent
in my day. Grumph!

-Kelly
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