Oil! Yay! Oil! Yay!

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by Blake
Don't give me hypocrisy.

I live in the frigid south of New Zealand. I DO NOT USE HOME HEATING IN WINTER, nothing beyond the waste heat of my computer. It should go without saying that I don't use airconditioning in the summer - it doesn't get hot enough anyway.

I do have a car, but I use it as little as possible (telecommuter). I'd use it even less but my family likes to see me sometimes. I'm not sure what to do about that. (hah that reads wrong)

I'm a practicing vegetarian - it's better for the environment.

And of course I do all that non-sacrificing stuff like low energy lightbulbs, turning off standby devices etc etc.

My main point of guilt is that I live alone, that is wasteful. When I was younger I used to find people maddening (Asperger's Syndrome ), I'm sure I could cope with people now but I haven't got around to changing my circumstances.

But anyway hypocrisy sucks so I don't bother with it, I just do whatever I can. I am not above making sacrifices.

As long as our society is dependent on energy, we will need to find more sources of it -- for everything, including (in no particular order

1.) the plastic in your computer,
2.) the gasoline/diesel fuel used by the people who commuted to the factory that made the parts for your computer,
3.) the energy used to power that factory where the parts and/or the computer was manufactured,
4.) the energy used by the people who made the software on your computer,
5.) the energy used to ship all of the same to YOU,
6.) the energy you use when you drive your car, the energy used by the company that manufactured and assembled your bicycle
7.) the energy used in growing the food that keeps you alive,
8.) the energy used to make your clothes,
9.) the energy used to ship those clothes to you
10.) the energy used to get your water to you,
11.) the petroleum-based products used as a lubricant in your automobile, bicycle, and any other engine/motorized device that you use,
12.) (I'm also sure some energy is used in all the computers that keep the Internets going....)

...and so on.

As long as you live a life dependent on petroleum, and show no signs of getting away from it, then yes, it is fatuous to bemoan the efforts of one company to search for additional sources of that energy.

Indeed, at least this oil company is LOOKING for new energy sources. This solution, perhaps, is a medium-term fix at best; there are probably other alternatives that MIGHT be better long-term solutions. Nuclear is definitely one. Hydro might be another in certain locations. Solar and wind are possibilities, but right now, none of those (other than nuclear) can provide the scale of power that is necessary. But, again, as long as we live on a society that requires energy to function (and, indeed, has a number of other uses for petroleum products,) I still think it's hypocrisy to wring your hands and make a show about how "guilty" you feel about it.

For what it's worth, I use energy-saving light bulbs, try to walk wherever I go (something made easier after I moved to the city,) fight with my fiancee to turn down the A/C, not use heat unless it's necessary. But I feel no guilt for what I use. I pay for everything I get. Whenever it's feasible, I argue in favor of alternative fuels. And I think that if you REALLY feel guilty about something, it's because you're not doing something you think you ought to be doing it. So quit posting here and go do it!

And "frigid south" of New Zealand? Come on... Does it even get to freezing there?

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Blake
Don't give me hypocrisy.

I live in the frigid south of New Zealand. I DO NOT USE HOME HEATING IN WINTER, nothing beyond the waste heat of my computer. It should go without saying that I don't use airconditioning in the summer - it doesn't get hot enough anyway.

I do have a car, but I use it as little as possible (telecommuter). I'd use it even less but my family likes to see me sometimes. I'm not sure what to do about that. (hah that reads wrong)

I'm a practicing vegetarian - it's better for the environment.

And of course I do all that non-sacrificing stuff like low energy lightbulbs, turning off standby devices etc etc.

My main point of guilt is that I live alone, that is wasteful. When I was younger I used to find people maddening (Asperger's Syndrome ), I'm sure I could cope with people now but I haven't got around to changing my circumstances.

But anyway hypocrisy sucks so I don't bother with it, I just do whatever I can. I am not above making sacrifices.

Political correctness gone mad.

Solar is lousy in the fact that the waste generated in creating solar cells is staggering, and solar is relatively unreliable. Wind/tidal the same. I do like to use power, mainly because it saves money

[Arrian]

Yes, it gets cold in Southern NZ. That's the bit close (ok, closer) to Antartica, you know.

-Arrian

[MOBIUS]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison

Wind/tidal the same.

Plenty of hot air in this thread...

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by Arrian
Yes, it gets cold in Southern NZ. That's the bit close (ok, closer) to Antartica, you know.

-Arrian

Cold is a contextual thing, I suppose. Still, I'm not sure I'd call an average temperature of 5*C a "cold" winter temperature. Gosh, I'd love that....

http://www.niwascience.co.nz/edu/resources/climate/overview/map_invercargill

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by MOBIUS


Plenty of hot air in this thread...

That's just the global warming you're feeling.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by jkp1187

Cold is a contextual thing, I suppose. Still, I'm not sure I'd call an average temperature of 5*C a "cold" winter temperature. Gosh, I'd love that....

http://www.niwascience.co.nz/edu/res...p_invercargill

Three things:

1) 5 Celcius is roughly 40 F. Most of us who use home heating set the thermostat somewhere in the 60s. Me personally, I tend to go for 65-66F.

2) That's the average. Which means sometimes it's less.

3) I'm not sure exactly where Blake lives, but they do have some serious mountains down there on the South Island. Maybe he's up in elevation and thus it's colder than 5C average.

-Arrian

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by jkp1187


As long as our society is dependent on energy, we will need to find more sources of it -- for everything, including (in no particular order

1.) the plastic in your computer,
2.) the gasoline/diesel fuel used by the people who commuted to the factory that made the parts for your computer,
3.) the energy used to power that factory where the parts and/or the computer was manufactured,
4.) the energy used by the people who made the software on your computer,
5.) the energy used to ship all of the same to YOU,
6.) the energy you use when you drive your car, the energy used by the company that manufactured and assembled your bicycle
7.) the energy used in growing the food that keeps you alive,
8.) the energy used to make your clothes,
9.) the energy used to ship those clothes to you
10.) the energy used to get your water to you,
11.) the petroleum-based products used as a lubricant in your automobile, bicycle, and any other engine/motorized device that you use,
12.) (I'm also sure some energy is used in all the computers that keep the Internets going....)

...and so on.

As long as you live a life dependent on petroleum, and show no signs of getting away from it, then yes, it is fatuous to bemoan the efforts of one company to search for additional sources of that energy.

Oil as a form of energy tends to be predominantly used for transport because it is highly convenient. It is not generally used for electricity generation or for other energy needs as it is more expensive than other fossil fuels.