Suggestions for improvements?

[skier-hughes]

David,

Are you having any trouble opening the PPUK pages?

Because a false opening if logged by the site will mean "you have visited" and therefore have no new posts to see.

I don't have this trouble here, but at the powerswitch site I'm always getting nearly in then it reports a page not found, clicking refresh will open it, but loses all the posts. Closing and trying again will open it, but again all those un-viewed posts have been lost

Graham

 

[biffvernon]

I've been finding PowerSwitch a bit funny like that too but this site seems to work 100% for me

 

[Moo]

What is Powerswitch?

 

[David Dyer]

Graham,
No problems opening pages it just won't do an automatic log on for some reason it loses the tick.
It's not a major problem only takes a few seconds to type in user name and password and then everything's OK.

David.

 

[biffvernon]

What is Powerswitch?

It's a website devoted to issues related to energy and particularly the concept of Peak Oil, the time when we have used up about half the world's stock of oil and after which our ability to deliver oil to market is less than the market demands. The price mechanism that relates supply to demand, and which operates so universally that many people believe it really is universal, ceases to operate. Oil demand cannot be met no matter what the price and we find ourselves in 'interesting times'.
PowerSwitch has grown from a news gathering and reporting website and bulletin board like PPUK in the online world, into a real world organization that hosts meetings and conferences. The core aims are alerting people to the possibility of future energy shortages and developing strategies, from inter-governmental to the household level, to survive the future happily.
PowerSwitch

 

[Moo]

Thanks, Biff.

 

[NT]

the concept of Peak Oil, the time when we have used up about half the world's stock of oil and after which our ability to deliver oil to market is less than the market demands. The price mechanism that relates supply to demand, and which operates so universally that many people believe it really is universal, ceases to operate. Oil demand cannot be met no matter what the price and we find ourselves in 'interesting times'.

How does that work then? I dont see how what you propose could happen.


> The core aims are alerting people to the possibility of future energy shortages

why will there be futur energy shortage? Nuclear, wind and solar can provide what we need, and at reasonable prices, afaik.


NT

 

[NT]

Improvement feedback: the index of topic headings column is very narrow, all of 2 words wide, while the rest of the page is taken up by material of minimal value.

NT

 

[biffvernon]

Improvement feedback: the index of topic headings column is very narrow, all of 2 words wide, while the rest of the page is taken up by material of minimal value.
NT

Not on my screen - the topics column is by far the widest and just fine
:?:

 

[biffvernon]

How does that work then? I dont see how what you propose could happen.

I know you don't see it, NT, and I doubt if I can change your mind.

why will there be futur energy shortage? Nuclear, wind and solar can provide what we need, and at reasonable prices, afaik.

We have a domestic problem in Britain, particularly with electricity supplies. This is an infrastructure problem in as much as gas supplies are within a hairbreadth of not meeting demand, hence last winter's spikes in the daily trade price and the temporary shutting down of some large users. We very narrowly missed having power-cuts and next winter is similarly critical. Soon we become dependant on Russian gas, for which we have to compete on price with the rest of Europe and China. Then our fleet of nuclear power stations close down, removing a fifth of our generation.

But it is the world problem that is more serious. Much hangs on the timing of Peak Oil. No one can tell when oil production will peak and start declining. If it does not happen for a couple of decades we may have time to build the renewable sources in time to avert an energy supply crisis (but not a global warming crisis). An increasing number of people take the view that Peak Oil will be much sooner, possibly about now, with production never getting much above the today output of about 85 million barrels per day. The production of light sweet crude has probably already peaked, last summer. The peak appears to be being smoothed out into a plateau by increased extraction of heavy sour crude, with the refinery bottleneck contributing to the price rises we have seen over the last year.

Price rises have, so far, had little effect on our economies. Demand destruction has been shifted to the dysfunctional economies such as Eritrea, Somalia and Zimbabwe. The rich will be the last to feel the pain. The problem for us comes if demand from the growing economies of China, India and Brazil outstrips the supply that is physically possible no matter what the price. The extreme pessimistic view is outlined by the Olduvai Theory.

Some of us optimists think there is still a chance to avoid Olduvai but it will require much effort in energy saving, the building of a lot of wind turbines on our beautiful countryside, barages across our esturies and the installation of solar panels and double glazing in our period properties. Which is why the topic has a place on this forum.

Making our houses energy efficient while not damaging any historic fabric is a difficult challenge that many of us are facing.

 

[middi]

--------and us, (the human animal specie), will only be remembered by far more intelligent life forms how our parasitic existence on the planet earth lead to shortest animal specie that ever existed.
(That is if a massive meteorite does not get us before then).

We are scheming an deaming of the universe and the future and the role of our specie in all this.The truth is that we cannot see any further than the tip of our noses.

We will only upset mother Earth to the point of self destruction, after our departure it will recover and is business as usual for another set of species.

We are under the illusion that whatever is going to severely disrupt our way of life will not happen in our life time , therefore the " Lasser fair " attitude is adopted.

I feel sorry for the third world countries , they would have missed out on the opportunity to enjoy and " scoff" themselves like the Europeans and Americans of the western world .

As to the shortage of oil, my diesel escort would not start the other day so I thought " YOU B*****D" , there is a shortage of oil and you can rust away like the rest of us will one day.

 

[NT]

How does that work then? I dont see how what you propose could happen.

I know you don't see it, NT, and I doubt if I can change your mind.

I guess youre right there. I see many holes in the argument, and many simple solutions.

NT

 

[NT]

Improvement feedback: the index of topic headings column is very narrow, all of 2 words wide, while the rest of the page is taken up by material of minimal value.
NT

Not on my screen - the topics column is by far the widest and just fine
:?:

This depends on screen resolution. The solution is to use absolute column width for the subject headings, and relative for the others.


NT

 

[biffvernon]

Make sure that your opening BB Code tag has square brackets but no slash and the closing tag does have a slash.

Then your quotes look like this

 

[biffvernon]

I see many holes in the argument, and many simple solutions. NT

Your simple solutions seem to have escaped the notice of the Dti and the Joint Energy Security Supply Working Group (JESS). Here's an analysis of the sixth JESS Report from t'lad.
http://uk.theoildrum.com/story/2006/5/26/20429/8203#more

 

[NT]

I see many holes in the argument, and many simple solutions. NT

Your simple solutions seem to have escaped the notice of the Dti and the Joint Energy Security Supply Working Group (JESS). Here's an analysis of the sixth JESS Report from t'lad.
http://uk.theoildrum.com/story/2006/5/26/20429/8203#more

I read the linked page, which is a 3rd party view on the Jess report. Since the Jess report itslf has 61 pages on just one question, its unfortunately not practical to see exactly what solutions it discusses. So I'm not clear on what basis you say my ideas are not addressed by Jess, especially as I dont think I've mentioned them yet.

The linked page does discuss one of the partial solutions, energy use reduction. But the main thing that strikes me is that the page does not in any way support or even discuss your claim that the capitalist principle of price being determined by supply and demand will break down. Everything I see suggests a rise in energy prices, and nothing more.


NT

 

[Moo]

Two (linked) minor irritations:

1 The little symbols that are coloured red (to indicate, I assume, that the thread contains messages posted since my last visit) are a far from reliable guide. I have to consult the right-hand column to establish the date and time of the last message, and then try to remember precisely when I last left the forum.
And yes, I know I can ask it to go straight to new messages, but when I've done that it comes back with a firm denial that anything has been posted. Which is a lie.

Could we either have symbols that work, or none at all`?

2 If that has something to do with whether or not (and when) I logged in, I would be grateful if the site would take notice of the fact that I've ticked the little "Log me on automatically" box innumerable times.

 

[biffvernon]

Could we either have symbols that work, or none at all`?

It seems to work for me, but don't navigate with the 'Back' button.

 

[biffvernon]

The linked page does discuss one of the partial solutions, energy use reduction. But the main thing that strikes me is that the page does not in any way support or even discuss your claim that the capitalist principle of price being determined by supply and demand will break down.

Of course the government is not admitting that. You'll have to read further articles from TOD-UK

Everything I see suggests a rise in energy prices, and nothing more

When energy prices rise something must happen. In fact two things might happen. The conventional capitalist view, supported by historical experience, is that supply increases and everyone is happy. But when there is a geological constraint because total supply is finite, exacerbated by technical blocks on the rate of production, then a rise in price results in 'demand destruction', which is a polite way of saying the poor do without.

 

[Moo]

Biff, I never navigate with the 'back' button (because this new site is so much quicker than the old one). I use the "jump to" one, at the bottom of the thread.