Mar 8 2012: Heather,
I started riding a van pool about 10 years ago, for my 20 mi commute to work. I regret days that I have to drive and spend the five dollars on gas. So, I know what you mean when you are trying to cut back on driving. Also, it is amazing how much gas has gone up recently. I don't understand the price of oil / gas going up due to concerns about Iran. How long can this go on, and when will the prices come back down?
Mar 8 2012: Peter,
Yes, a lot of things are made from oil. Plus oil enables the food. transportation, and industrial capabilities.
I was interested in signals that the situation is getting close to unsustainable. The plot of price vs production is one indicator. But then I thought I would look at the distribution system in US, and was surprised to read about the planned closing of the Philadelphia refinery. I don't know if it will close, but it is the feed to the pipeline that supplies petroleum products to PA and NY. If it does close, it may result in a temporary supply disruption of oil products. Also, I don't know if this was a unique example, or we will be seeing more occurrences of potential disruption of the oil supply system due to economic reasons.
Thanks for the thoughts. Life will be different without those oil products.
Mar 7 2012: Science is the study of physical phenomena, which may not be present in natural living things. For example, there are no animals that fly exactly the same as hot air balloons or rockets fly. But by experimenting, people have been able to observe trends and relationships. Engineering is the to application of scientific principals to generate solutions that satisfy human needs. So, we "model" nature, or physical phenomena, to better understand the world around us. Then we use these "models" to improve the human living condition. But, it is not necessary to exactly model phenomena in order to get benefit. Approximate models work just fine. It not even necessary to have any model,, the cut and try approach can work sometimes too. I think the important thing is to ask questions like "why does that happen" or "how can we do this better" or "would life be better if...".
Dec 20 2011: I don't believe a monetary system can based on worth. The monetary system is an agreement to trade "money" for goods / services. If the money is based on something, gold, silver, etc, that sets an un-necessary boundary on the upper limit of the value of the services / goods of that economy.
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A comment on Conversation: How will your life change without oil products, gasoline, heating oil, lubricant, or jet fuel?
A reply on Conversation: How will your life change without oil products, gasoline, heating oil, lubricant, or jet fuel?
I started riding a van pool about 10 years ago, for my 20 mi commute to work. I regret days that I have to drive and spend the five dollars on gas. So, I know what you mean when you are trying to cut back on driving. Also, it is amazing how much gas has gone up recently. I don't understand the price of oil / gas going up due to concerns about Iran. How long can this go on, and when will the prices come back down?
John
A reply on Conversation: How will your life change without oil products, gasoline, heating oil, lubricant, or jet fuel?
Yes, a lot of things are made from oil. Plus oil enables the food. transportation, and industrial capabilities.
I was interested in signals that the situation is getting close to unsustainable. The plot of price vs production is one indicator. But then I thought I would look at the distribution system in US, and was surprised to read about the planned closing of the Philadelphia refinery. I don't know if it will close, but it is the feed to the pipeline that supplies petroleum products to PA and NY. If it does close, it may result in a temporary supply disruption of oil products. Also, I don't know if this was a unique example, or we will be seeing more occurrences of potential disruption of the oil supply system due to economic reasons.
Thanks for the thoughts. Life will be different without those oil products.
John
A comment on Conversation: Will we ever truly be able to model nature?
A reply on Conversation: In addition to increasing income, what else should poverty eradication include?