Oil strike of enormous proportions

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This isn't anything new. (broken link removed to http://discovermagazine.com/2003/may/featoil/article_print) was featured in Discover Magazine back in 2003. I was initially amazed as well but they (broken link removed) or (broken link removed to http://discovermagazine.com/2008/nov/25-anything-into-oil/article_print).

For a more wonky look at the process you might want to check out these links below:

When hype meets reality

or this reply from a chemical engineer who looked at the process

TDP: What went wrong

Someone must like the idea enough. Their IPO is forthcoming.
 
Yeah, well anything that sounds too good to be true, almost always is.

I was thinking this would draw out the nay sayers, which can offer a different perspective.

None the less, people thought flight was impossible or would never happen.

If they're offering their IPO, they have a really good scam or maybe something of promise. Who knows for sure?
 
Having been on the periphery of a couple of similiar technologys with similiar hype, there really isnt a linkage between what will work and how much venture capital will chase it. As long as there is a plausible concept with an incredible rate of return, folks will throw money at it. I expect when people first saw the You tube video they already were searching to see how they could buy into it.

Folks dont realize that typically the people who are pushing the technology could care less about the long run, their eyes are on the payout when the stock goes public. The average investor doesnt realize that the owners, usually have a pile of preferred shares that are worhtless until a certain trigger point, which usually is when the common stock goes public. At that point these worthless preferred shares become convertible into commom shares which sometimes can total more than 50% of the value of the company. WIth a little bit of "pumping" using the media, the stock stays high enough that the preferred shareholders cash out and hang around until reality comes crashing down and the company goes bust.

As long as the Saudis cost of pumping crude out of the ground is less than $1, its hard to find much than compete with it.
 
From Burn-1's link:

The turkey oil is much more expensive to produce than projected — the cost of a barrel is double what it sells for.

It looks like they've run into problems with cost and odor, but I wonder about the product itself and whether or not it works as advertised.

They got government grants. That always sits poorly with me. IMHO, grants are the antithesis of Free Enterprise.

So it likely will fail and be abandoned. There is the possibility that some genius engineer will solve their issues over time.
 
It's a good article and I must say the blogger hit it spot on. Supports my personal belief that the "green" shift (I call it the self reliance shift) will take place with folks like me, you and your brother Tom down the road deciding to use what we have available (sun, wind, wood and an acre or two of sugar beats etc) in order to enjoy a reasonable living with fair to moderate energy independance.

When you involve big business they rapidly find their source of supply of raw material, transportation and labor costs eating them alive long before they get to the crtical mass required to make a profit. On the flip side, I can distill or gassify anything I can get my hands on and test it in an internal combustion engine/boiler or drink it, measure my costs and effort and decide if it's worth it or not and only be out of pocket a thousand bucks or less. If it's a failure, I'll walk away with no regrets and no investors to appease.

My chief shareholder won't even blink at the R&D;expense since it's a small price to pay to keep me out of the house while American Midol is on the tube.

I figure we should solve our own problems.
 
Ugly said:
It's a good article and I must say the blogger hit it spot on. Supports my personal belief that the "green" shift (I call it the self reliance shift) will take place with folks like me, you and your brother Tom down the road deciding to use what we have available (sun, wind, wood and an acre or two of sugar beats etc) in order to enjoy a reasonable living with fair to moderate energy independance.

When you involve big business they rapidly find their source of supply of raw material, transportation and labor costs eating them alive long before they get to the crtical mass required to make a profit. On the flip side, I can distill or gassify anything I can get my hands on and test it in an internal combustion engine/boiler or drink it, measure my costs and effort and decide if it's worth it or not and only be out of pocket a thousand bucks or less. If it's a failure, I'll walk away with no regrets and no investors to appease.

My chief shareholder won't even blink at the R&D;expense since it's a small price to pay to keep me out of the house while American Midol is on the tube.

I figure we should solve our own problems.

Another problem these days with involving big business is that you automatically involve big government. They're joined at the hip in an unholy marriage, and at this point, they're both picking our bones.

The only way to get them to change is to cut off their supply of money and power. A peaceful withdrawal, such as you suggest, from the mainstream of consumerism is my tact.

I'm in Bantario, too.

And yeah, I agree, we must solve our own problems. Government will not and big business is unlikely to as long as they are in bed with government. They must have their dependence on us, and protected status by government kicked out from under them. Money talks. Hit them in the pocket book, remove the bailouts or let it crash. That will pave the way for a new class of kulaks in Bantario that hold real power.
 
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