<Australia: What to do, what to do about our energy situation? The Oil Drum Biofuels and the Rise of Nationalistic Environmentalism>
<DrumBeat: May 15, 2008 DrumBeat DrumBeat: May 17, 2008>

302 comments on DrumBeat: May 16, 2008

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version

NeverLNG on May 16, 2008 - 9:56am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

It's really hard to tell whether this is one of those Pentagon Post fluff articles to shield us from what is really going on in the world, and direct our attention elsewhere, or whether Kafka was right after all, and every bureaucracy, no matter what the underlying political paradigm, has its own mindlessly stupid dynamic.

Apparently it is illegal to simply multiply the number of gallons (available even in the old technology) by the current price with a $2.99 calculator? Merchants do that with cabbage and bulk olive oil -- so why not gasoline?

To me, it's not the "news" that's disturbing. It's that this is "news".

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
earldaily on May 16, 2008 - 10:40am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

exactly
How can we expect our youth to navigate this BS?

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
hardhat on May 16, 2008 - 6:48pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I wish they would go after the folks who design our tax forms with the same fervor for simplicity they want to hold gas stations to.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Consumer on May 16, 2008 - 11:51am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

How is the government going to figure out how to convert us to to an electrified non-oil transit system, when they can't even seem to figure out how to let people pump gas when the price part of the pump is broken. If you know how many gallons you pump, and what the price is, you can charge people correctly.

I think I just became a doomer.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
GreyZone on May 16, 2008 - 11:58am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The problem is that this manual recalculation would require disabling pay at the pump mechanics for those stations unable to mark above $4. These stations would then lose business to stations with newer pumps and eventually go out of business.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
jokuhl on May 16, 2008 - 1:36pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Sounds like some new contracts for the Y2K programmers!

I just have to wonder what the conversations are going to be like around where to set the new bar? Or will they just let it have 'floating point' and be able to multiply like any of those $2.99 calculators?

It's kind of astonishing we have these issues. It's like the 'Paper Trail' for your voting machines. Heaven forbid an ATM system was as challenged about printing out reciepts. (For a ONE-DAY event)

Time to climb up on the roof and measure out some PV racks.. get some air.

Bob

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
costa rica Johns on May 16, 2008 - 4:06pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

They need to convert the pumps to sell in liters like most of the rest of the world. That would probably solve the problem for 10 years or so.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
puhkawn on May 16, 2008 - 4:57pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I was a fuel & lube distributor during the Arab Oil Embargo and the problem with pumps not being able to reflect current prices happened then, too. Frankly is was a problem, an extra expense, but not the end of the world. I don't recall this putting anybody out of business in my part of the world. First of all the majors own a lot of stations and I am sure they are already ordering and updating stations with older pumps as they did then. Many pumps will not have to be changed. If a station was marginal then they might close it and remove the pumps and put the property for sale, in lieu of a complete renovation that also includes new pumps. Often these get sold or leased to a convenience store chain that they make a deal with to provide the gas. Many convenience stores own their own pumps and I am sure they are scrambling to replace older pumps, too. If they can't do it timely I am sure they will do what they did years before.For example gas @$4.00/gal. the pump price will reflect 1/2 of the retail price and all gas will be prepay. Want $40 worth of gas you pay the cashier $40 and they set the pump for $20. The pumps have a sign that says double pump price for your cost. It's not perfect, and will cost the store some business for the extra inconvenience but most customers hang in there till their favorite spot gets new pumps. Gas is the #1 money maker for these stores and new pumps last a long time so independents will grumble, spend the money, and try to markup gas a penny or two more when they install their new pumps.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
joemichaels on May 16, 2008 - 3:38pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Consumer - "I think I just became a doomer."

Oil Drum Watch Alert: Saturday and Sunday on CNN at 8 P.M. "We Were Warned: Out Of Gas"

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/CNN/Programs/siu/images/2008/siu.banner.warn...

Well...Doomers are about to get a big recruitment drive.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Leanan on May 16, 2008 - 3:44pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

That's an old show. Made in 2005, I believe.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
joemichaels on May 16, 2008 - 7:39pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I guess so, but CNN is rushing it into prime time with a big advertizing blitz to take advantage of the hysteria over gas prices.

It might get an audience this time!

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Leanan on May 16, 2008 - 7:54pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

They do that every time there's a spike in gas prices.

Might be worth watching to see if they've edited it, though. They added new footage critical of ethanol about a year after it first aired.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Boldtswagon on May 16, 2008 - 12:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Just price a factor of 10 lower and paint a 0 behind the price counter, changing the background color of the 1/10 dollar reel. Gas at 40.1 cents/gallon indicated is 4.01 per gallon. 10 gallon rings up as 4.01 old reels and is 40.10 with the added 0 on the pump.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.
hardhat on May 16, 2008 - 7:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I believe you have the most logical approach.

At this point, I do not intend to quibble over the funny 0.1 cent short of the next penny thats been traditional on gas pumps for ever since I can remember.

<painful memory>
Do I need to be reminded every time I fill up at one of these pumps that I actually used to buy this same gas with an order of magnitude less price? God forbid, it might even be the same physical pump!
</painful memory>

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

302 comments on DrumBeat: May 16, 2008

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Show without comments | PDF version