[ExI] Dollar a gallon gasoline

[hkhenson]

At 07:04 PM 10/4/2007, Mike Dougherty wrote:
>On 10/4/07, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> > The secret to high fuel prices is to have slow but steady increases.
> > People don't really notice the water getting hotter if it is gradual
> > enough.
>
>Nice, but I don't want to be a boiled frog.  You do have a point
>though about the effort needed to get cheaper energy is what prevents
>us from doing so.

Until the idea of combining space elevators and solar power 
satellites came along, there really wasn't a known way to get cheaper 
energy.  Well, actually there is, but you probably consider gigadeath 
undesirable.  Perhaps I should post a screed on that.

>I'm surprised Keith would suggest we would even consider doing real
>work to get cheaper power.  As long as the "haves" retain enough
>influence to squeeze small amounts of energy from increasingly larger
>amounts of the "have not," then there is no motivation to risk the
>status quo.

I am not adverse to your basic thesis, but I don't see your 
point.  How about some examples?

>I wonder; even if the metaphorical increase in temperature remains
>linear will we build the replacement power source before we've
>exhausted the resources to do so?  What will it take to motivate us to
>make the investment?

Well, the very first thing is to get widespread agreement that space 
elevators building solar power satellites are even *possible.*  I 
think they are, but is that just wishful thinking?  If they are 
possible, can we make a case for them providing a reasonable (or 
better an unreasonable) return on investment.  Again, that's going to 
take serious work, far more than what one person can do.

There are many ways this could turn out.  For example, 
nanotechnology/uploading could massively reduce the need for energy 
as could live, power producing roof plants.  But if you stick to the 
sources we are using today, then we are going to be in dire straights 
as we slide down the back half of peak oil.

Keith Henson