1 (edited by Econ 20-Apr-2009 22:49:11)

Topic: End of Suburbia

Who disagrees with the general conclusions that the makers of this film (soft liberals probably)  have come to - probably before they even started doing any research for the film?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHr8OzaloLM

I would like someone who disagrees with the findings - maybe a Republican (?) - to provide  specific reasons why they think the stuff contained within this clip is untrue.

(edit: cleared that last line up a bit)

Gondor: wtf, im not even mentioned. I was the glue to this family. Thats BS!
Econ: Gondor, if you were the glue, then I was the glue sticky thing that applies the glue.
(edit: I believe that's called the brush).
Torqez: Econ you forgot the part where you say "and I made Torqez delete!"

Re: End of Suburbia

They're right in the sense that America consumes more than the Earth's resources can sustain, and America will need to monopolize those resources to extend the time it can continue that consumption.

But, I sense an assumption that there needs to be an equal standard of living world wide, and that technology will not provide us with viable alternatives in the future. In that sense, I will say they're either wrong or assuming too much.

3 (edited by Econ 20-Apr-2009 22:53:01)

Re: End of Suburbia

There doesn't need to be an equal standard of living world-wide, but there isn't anyway I know of to prevent China, India and Africa from wanting it. They will claim they are allowed to reach the same per-capita use as the US and everyone else.

I'm hopeful on new technology as well. There is a new low-impact tidal power plant planned for near where I live.

Gondor: wtf, im not even mentioned. I was the glue to this family. Thats BS!
Econ: Gondor, if you were the glue, then I was the glue sticky thing that applies the glue.
(edit: I believe that's called the brush).
Torqez: Econ you forgot the part where you say "and I made Torqez delete!"

Re: End of Suburbia

Rape the earth. Build our way out.

The core joke of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is that of course no civilization would develop personal computers with instant remote database recovery, and then waste this technology to find good drinks.
Steve Jobs has ruined this joke.

Re: End of Suburbia

Or just nuke the planet into oblivion and go live on the moon...

Morbo: Morbo can't understand his teleprompter. He forgot how you say that letter that looks like a man with a hat.
Linda: It's a 't'. It goes "tuh".
Morbo: Hello, little man. I will destroy you!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP7b2lUxVE

Re: End of Suburbia

They have been saying we are going to hit peak oil soon for 50 years. It will happen someday but these assholes don't know when and nobody calls them on it when they are wrong and they have predicted it every single year. They probably advocate some policies that only further their ideas about social justice. Do we need nuclear power and electric cars sure someday but the free markets are perfectly capable of adapting to this need if we let them. If for some reason electric cars have appeal to people than somebody will step in and build one and if they make money another person will step in to compete with them so there is plenty incentive to make the best and cheapest product and if people don't want them than it wouldn't be right to force them on people. You won't need the government to spend anything on this. All that is is left wing alarmist tripe.

I think it will be funny what liberals have to say when the most evil things in the world, corporations comes up with the solutions to all these problems.

Re: End of Suburbia

I try not to lose too much sleep every time some millionaire leaves one of his 4 mansions, flies in on a private jet, takes an SUV limo, and tells me I need to stop using oil and creating so much trash.

Most people produce a lot more garbage than we can sustain indefinitely, but the only people claiming to care about the problem are complete nutcases/retards who refuse to accept the reality of oil reserves and the condition of the planet. They'd probably only do more damage to humanity than the evil owners of production who pollute the most now. Live responsibly and shrug and say "told you so" when in a few generations humanity has to change its habbits to avoid trashing the planet.

[I wish I could obey forum rules]

Re: End of Suburbia

> sad sKoE )= wrote:
> Or just nuke the planet into oblivion and go live on the moon... <

I call Titan!
__________

I know what will go some way to solving the problem: People in general growing a brain and realising that buying a TV, Hi-Fi, PS Wii60 and Segtendo Gamestation, DVD or Blu-Ray player is an idiotic watse of money when you have a PC.

No, I don't have a lot of furniture.

"So, it's defeat for you, is it? Someday I must meet a similar fate..."

9 (edited by Vampman14 24-Apr-2009 14:00:54)

Re: End of Suburbia

> &#9773; Fokker wrote:

> > sad sKoE )= wrote:
> Or just nuke the planet into oblivion and go live on the moon... <


Dibs on Mars!

"Oh Kent, anyone can make up statistics to support their point of view.  92% of people know that"

Homer Simpson

Re: End of Suburbia

"Dibs on Mars!"

Sorry, mars is already taken by aliens.

Re: End of Suburbia

> Han wrote:

> "Dibs on Mars!"

Sorry, mars is already taken by aliens.



Way to screw over our plans!

Not many people know this, but I own the first radio in Springfield. Not much on the air then, just Edison reciting the alphabet over and over. "A" he'd say; then "B." "C" would usually follow...

12 (edited by Acolyte 24-Apr-2009 15:59:36)

Re: End of Suburbia

Phssthpok: "They have been saying we are going to hit peak oil soon for 50 years. It will happen someday but these assholes don't know when and nobody calls them on it when they are wrong and they have predicted it every single year."

The problem with peak oil is its application to the real world. On paper, it's a beautiful mathematical formula, and the plots on the graph are all very convincing. Yet it does not account for the /unknowns/. It assumes constant production at a constant rate as far into the future as they intend to predict, and oil production simply does not follow such a curve. Indeed, individual oil fields do not even adhere to the curve. In fact, the production of /any/ limited resource never yields such a curve. There are many factors at stake which the peak oil theorists do not account for; such as the geopolitical, or changes in the supply of oil, or its demand, or the fact that field outputs change at a variable rate.

It's the perfect example of what modern day economists attempt to do when making policy recommendations on the economy. They /think/ they have it all figured out, with their amateur formulaes and questionable research, but they simply do not understand the nature of chaotic systems, to include economies. Meteorologists will readily admit the impossibility of predicting weather. You can understand the mechanics of it, how weather /works/, but you can't /predict/ it with any degree of accuracy beyond a few days. There are too many variables -- known and unknown -- to consider.

Perhaps mainstream economics should include a primer on nonlinear dynamics.

Caution Wake Turbulence

Re: End of Suburbia

Surely getting off oil dependence is desirable as it would limit the leverage of oil producing countries (of which ALMOST all seems to be crazy, anti-West nations)?

Re: End of Suburbia

Probably has something to do with the notion that if you have Oil the US will meddle with your internal affairs.

Re: End of Suburbia

> [RPA] Arocalex wrote:

> > Han wrote:

> "Dibs on Mars!"

"Sorry, mars is already taken by aliens.



Way to screw over our plans!"

Don't worry about Han, we'll just use the Hadron Collider to fire things at Mars until the aliens leave or surrender.  If that doesn't work, we could always challenge them to a game of basketball and set the Globetrotters on them.

"Oh Kent, anyone can make up statistics to support their point of view.  92% of people know that"

Homer Simpson

Re: End of Suburbia

> [TI] ARFeh zee Frenchie wrote:

> Surely getting off oil dependence is desirable as it would limit the leverage of oil producing countries (of which ALMOST all seems to be crazy, anti-West nations)?



Especially that "Canada" place!  I'll be soooooooo glad when our economy isn't dependent on them, so we can nuke the bastards once and for all!  tongue

Make Eyes Great Again!

The Great Eye is watching you... when there's nothing good on TV...

Re: End of Suburbia

Emphasis on the almost Zarfy.

But yeah, eff those Canucks X(

Re: End of Suburbia

abunch of people scared of change. oil will be replaced, there are lots of solutions, and most of them are only failing because they dont have the infrastructure in place because they cant compete with Oil. once oil becomes scarce enough, we will have something to take its place, at first it will be more then oil, eventually when we get the methods down and do it on a mass scale, it will probably be cheaper then oil is atm.