Peak Blood

Scientists debate when the world will pass the point of "peak oil"--if that has not already occurred. Peak oil refers to the point at which the majority of the world's oil has been discovered, after which we begin the slow (or not so slow) process that will end with the earth running out of oil completely.

Whether or not peak oil has been reached, most everyone agrees that most of the world's easily accessible oil has already been found. From this point on, oil companies will have to look harder, dig deeper, and squeeze rocks harder to find the fuel to power the world economy. The problem has been exacerbated by the steady rise of countries like India and China: As previously "backward" countries join the 21st-century economy, their need for steady energy supplies increases and their need for oil grows, as well. Ultimately, the supply of oil is finite, and as more and more people thirst for it, the supply will necessarily dwindle.

We watched a fascinating movie about peak oil last night. Instead of "oil," though, think "blood." And instead of oil-hungry nations, think "vampires."

The concept of "Daybreakers" is that a plague of vampirism has infected the vast majority of the world's population. As more and more people become vampires, though, the food supply--humans--decreases. What is to be done? Synthetic blood is one possibility (ethanol, anyone?), but development is tricky. What about animal blood? No good. If modern vampire doesn't get his fix of human hemoglobin, he quickly deteriorates to a savage state. Turns out, in fact, that (SPOILER ALERT) the one thing that can cure the vampires' oil--uh, blood--addiction is a healthy dose of sunlight (followed immediately by intense fire-extinguishing). Solar energy! Renewables!

We hear that Al Gore is working on a "re-visioning" of "An Inconvenient Truth." With zombies.

Hard Core

Disturbed, folks. Yesterday, we read an article in the Times about the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan. In what we assume was an effort to provide greater clarity on the situation, the article featured a diagram of the reactor. It. . .It was, um. . . well, that is. . . .Uh, well. here


You see it, too, right? Of course, this does give us a somewhat clearer idea of what goes on during a meltdown. The reactor gets hotter. . . and hotter. . .and hotter. . . until it just EXPLODES and spews things willy-nilly all over the place.

Who knew nuclear physics could be so. . . steamy?

Solipsistography
U.S. Sees Array of New Threats at Japan's Nuclear Plant"

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

From today's paper:

"Until this weekend, President Obama, mainstream environmental groups and large numbers of Republicans and Democrats in Congress agreed that nuclear power offered a steady energy source and part of the solution to climate change, even as they disagreed on virtually every other aspect of energy policy."

Then, of course, this weekend happened and Japan melted into the sea.


About three weeks before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the President proposed the authorization of increased offshore oil exploration.


Note to President Obama: Sir, stop talking about energy!


Seriously, we're all in favor of solar, but if Obama endorses it, we'll probably be engulfed by a supernova before Memorial Day.


Also, when did Republicans decide that if something doesn't happen to Americans, it doesn't happen? Last week, Representative Peter King said the Irish Republican Army shouldn't be considered a terrorist organization because "the I.R.A. never attacked the United States." Today, in defense of the continued development of nuclear power, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said, "we ought not to make American and domestic policy based upon an event that happened in Japan."


Is Senator McConnell under the impression that the laws of nuclear physics are somehow different in Asia? Granted, Japan does have more Godzilla-related incidents than the United States, but we think the scientific fundamentals are generally the same.


Solipsistography:
"For Lawmaker Examining Terror, a Pro-I.R.A. Past"
"Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time"
"U.S. Nuclear Industry Faces New Uncertainty"

Warning Signs

"So, this is it, we're all going to die."

--Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Did you see where North Korea apparently threatened to "wipe the United States off the map."  That's kind of adorable, don't you think?

Know your enemy, folks.  North Korea is nothing.  The real threat to our future?  Alternative energy!

As part of the effort to wean ourselves off ever-diminishing fossil fuels, the United States and other countries are exploring geothermal energy as a virtually unlimited power source ("Deep in Bedrock, Clean Energy and Quake Fears").  According to an Energy Department report, geothermal power could, in theory, produce 60,000 (that's not a typoe. . . but THAT is) times as much energy as the United States uses every year.  Sounds good.  And unlike those lesser contenders wind and solar, geothermal energy provides the undeniable frisson produced by the knowledge that IT CAN CAUSE MASSIVE EARTHQUAKES!

This is a particular perk for those of us living near the epicenter of the newest proposed project, which straddles Lake and Sonoma Counties in northern California.

Yeah, THAT California.  The one with the San Andreas, Hayward, and other smaller fault lines all over the place.

This is not just empty fearmongering.  We have no objection to empty fearmongering, but this isn't it.  The technique, to be developed by AltaRock, a Google-funded startup, is nearly identical to one that has already caused problems.  In Basel, Switzerland, a fairly large earthquake that struck on December 8, 2006, was blamed on geothermal-energy "mining."

On the other hand, the earthquake apparently struck on the 650th anniversary of another catastrophic earthquake to hit Basel.  So, y'know, maybe it's just something about the date that causes Swiss temblors.  On the other other hand (wait, how many hands is that?), after the main earthquake, there were aftershocks for about a year, about 3,500 (that's not a typo, either) altogether.

A major earthquake and thousands of aftershocks, huh?  On the bright side, the reconstruction work should stimulate California's economy.

If you need the Solipsist, he'll be in the bunker.