28thavenue.net

This is just sick. Sick as in cool. Cyberhomes.

The song “Forest Maiden” on Karelia Visa is just fantastic. I don’t know one word of Finnish, but I love it.

Page two of today’s Wall Street Journal: “Energy Demand Will Outstrip Supply, Oil Industry Says.”

World oil and gas supplies from conventional sources are unlikely to keep up with rising global demand over the next 25 years, the U.S. petroleum industry says in a draft report of a study commissioned by the government.

In the draft report, oil-industry leaders acknowledge the world will need to develop all the supplemental sources of energy it can — ranging from biofuels to nuclear power to oil extracted by unconventional means from the oil sands of Canada — to meet soaring demand. The surge in demand is expected to arise from rapid economic growth in such fast-developing countries as China and India, as well as mounting consumption in the U.S., the world’s biggest energy market.

The findings suggest that, far from being temporary, high energy prices are likely for decades to come.

“It is a hard truth that the global supply of oil and natural gas from the conventional sources relied upon historically is unlikely to meet projected 50% to 60% growth in demand over the next 25 years,” says the draft report, titled “Facing the Hard Truths About Energy.”

What’s important to remember is that the advent of alternative fuels is unlikely to lower fuel prices back to levels we enjoyed in the 90’s. The issue is, alternative fuels like Ethanol and biodiesel are not economical until fuel prices in general reach a certain level. Dollars per gallon of gasoline is as good a measure as any, but when you really think about it, what we’re after is how much fuel do we need to do the things we need to do.

Ways to combat rising fuel prices: energy efficient cars: yes. Alternative fuels: sorta. Better land use including major improvements in mass transit infrastructure: big time. We need to rebuild our built environment and change the way we move around in it. That’s the best hope for us into the future.

The weather’s been just beautiful lately, and this morning was no exception. On my ride in I daydreamed about riding to the cabin, stopping at Lake Mille Lacs for a swim and falling asleep on the beach.

I did the Costco run yesterday — went off without a hitch. Didn’t get a picture though — sorry. The Xtracycle is just a great invention.

I sold the Honda today. Yes, the Honda I just bought in December. I’m a horse trader. It’s in my blood. However, I’m not going to buy another car.

But I am going to Costco tomorrow. Should be a good ride.

I was frankly shocked to learn China executed its shamed former food and drug head earlier this week. I first saw the story on Reddit. The next most alarming thing that day was all of the comments on Reddit to the tune of:

Thats what we need right here in the good old USA public beheading of government officials who can get their shit together, or at least public flogging.

and

I’ll bet the next guy does a better job.

Who said death penality does not work?

and on the question of “what form of execution did they use?”:

The old method was a tap in the back of the head, with mouth open so as to make a presentable cadaver at the funeral. Word on the street has it that the current method is to go on a bus and have sleepy and lethal gas administered. I’d imagine a firing squad is always an option, too.

Obviously from an expert on regional methods of execution and probably World of Warcraft, too.

Anyway, what a disgusting recourse by the Chinese government (brutal indeed) and then to follow what a disgusting response from the fork and spoon operators commenting at Reddit. Also, was there any response from the US government? I mean, if 30 months in the slammer was too harsh for Scooter Libby what do we have to say about an execution?

From a BASF ad in the WSJ today:

How much ethanol can a company extract from corn? Today, BASF helps increase both the quality and quantity of corn that farmers can grow. So it is now possible to improve corn supplies for ethanol production without reducing the crops intended for the kitchen table. And with more BASF agricultural innovations on the way, there’s no telling how much mileage our efforts may yield down the road. Learn more at basf.com/stories

Free ponies for everybody!

I love that the section of their website is actually called “stories.”

If you’re lost, I should say I’m not part of the camp that thinks biofuels are going to save the day and keep us living our happy motoring lifestyle. We’re going to have to make significant changes to how we design our built environment, and stop putting things so far apart.

Project #1:

• High speed interstate rail

Formerly of Wonkette… she knows how to make me swoon…

This year, I switched from using my debit card for regular purchases to using a Visa card issued by my credit union. It’s a reward card, so I earn points for using it which can be redeemed for various things. Jenny and I will probably put it towards travel.

One of the reasons for making this switch was the knowledge that credit cards usually have built in fraud protection, while debit cards do not. Indeed, an article I noticed today confirms that:

Users frequently assume that debit and credit cards are the same, but they are regulated by different laws. A credit-card transaction is similar to a loan. When a credit card is lost or stolen, holders are responsible for only $50 of any fraudulent use, a charge that is often waived.

With a debit card, the liability varies. The loss could be limited to $50 if a cardholder notifies the financial institution within two business days after learning of the loss or the theft of the card or PIN number. Beyond the 48 hours, the cardholder could lose as much as $500. The loss could be even higher if the cardholder doesn’t report it within 60 days after receiving a financial statement listing the fraudulent transactions.

If you use a check card regularly, you should find out from your bank what your liability could be if it’s used fraudulently.