patrick.net

But mostly, I hate how they block my sight line so I don’t know what the hell in happening in front of me.

and the thing is, the salesmen tell potential SUV buyers they will be able to see traffic problems ahead before the next guy, etc, as a selling point - what do you call that in gaming theory, where one person's gain is everyone else's loss? (never mind trying to reverse park one of the tanks or getting stuck in a low ceilinged garage...)

i think it's the same attitude that says you should admire someone with 10 investment properties...

it's zero sum game...escalating into arms race that bad for almost everyone involved.

DS,

That be okay with that person with 10 investment properties if he or she rented most or all of them out.

hybrids don't even make sense in the colder parts of this country, because of battery limitations.

I wish more of those hybrid car drivers would look into diesel engine cars. They deliver similar miles, are much cheaper than hybrids, and the new ones are pretty clean.

"People will buy what they want. Making them use less resources should be the key goal."

Once again, perception and reality are out of alignment. I wonder if there are arbitrage opportunities there...

I wish more of those hybrid car drivers would look into diesel engine cars.

diesel engines are torquier, noiser, and pollute more. what's the advantage?

diesel fuel here is about as expensive as ordinary petrol... some people are looking to get LPG fitted like the taxis - pressurised, liquefied petroleum gas... cheaper, but all still non-renewable fossil fuels...

mercedes or someone have come up with a system that takes in methanol, reduces it to hydrogen then burns it, all in one vehicle (a bus)

gm are doing stuff with hydrogen fuel cells:
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/400_fcv/fc_challenges.html

Why this idea is indeed "moronic", to quote someone great (referring to the OP):

The consumer pricing of gasoline in the US is the textbook example of game-theory in practice. I mean, literally, economics textbooks use case studies of how companies price gasoline to illustrate real-world examples of collaborative pricing that is not illegal in the US system.

In simpler terms: for any given region/area where many gas companies compete (and therefore a consumer can easily substitute buying gas from one establishment if the other prices higher), the companies will use "signaling" techniques to coordinate gas prices. All that happens if people stop going to Mobil and Exxon is that those two companies *raise* prices, not lower them. This gives more room to the lower-priced competitors to raise their prices, so that the high-priced guys can come down a bit and then they're all similarly priced, but *at a higher average price* in the end. If the low-price guys fail to comply, then the high-priced guys "price punish", but dropping their prices just low enough to hurt the other guys. They do this long enough to send a message (we're bigger and can bleed longer than you can), then the game starts all over again.

"Economics of Strategy", Besanko et. al., is a good intro to how this kind of gaming works in the real world.

Robert Cote,

I found you had a comment in moderation this morning (I don't know which thread). I approved it so it is now wherever you tried to post it.

Has the old idea of far-earth orbital solar energy been cost-justification disproved? I seem to recall the idea was to deploy massive solar arrays in far-earth orbit, then focus beams of microwave energy from those arrays to a relay satellite(s), that then return the energy to fixed earth stations. Was the problem that the cost of orbiting materials is still too high? If so, why aren't we investing in space elevators to solve both the energy and eventually the resource problems with a common infrastructure? (and notice I didn't even once invoke the controversial "nuclear" 3rd rail solution)

The debate here about alternative fuels & technology was very informative. Just a couple of questions (for the experts here):

1. Last time I checked, corn production for ethanol (which is pertrochemical-intensive) was a net energy USER, not net energy PRODUCER. In dummy terms: you have to burn more than a gallon of conventional petrol in order to produce a gallon of ethanol. Is this still true?

2. Hydrogen fuel cell technology (which may or may not turn out to be less environmentally destructive than conventional batteries), is still NOT AN ENERGY SOURCE --it's an ENERGY STORAGE MEDIUM. In dummy terms: you still have to expend energy (and lots of it) to produce the liquid compressed hydrogen, which is burned to run the car. At the moment, this means fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, solar, etc.

@Robert Cote,

Next time you paste in text, could you please delete the carriage returns? They make your posts much harder to read. I've already deleted some of them for you --thanks.

I don't think anyone here sleeps, SQT. They may not even be people, just software that's smart enough to grab factoids off the net. (j/k)

I love reading the discussions, but they just keep going. (Not a bad thing; just more used to seeing this level of activity on IRC or Usenet instead of the Web.)

ObHousing: I'll be moving later this summer, and am trying to decide whether the extra cost is worth not having roommates. Don't care too much about gas since I don't have car payments to worry about, but avoiding bridge tolls and cutting commutes would be nice. Damn, that makes me sound like an SUV owner with too much cash. :(

/ Doesn't own an SUV
// Prefers safer smaller cars

I tried biking to work once; we have showers onsite that helps with the sweat situation. (No wardrobes though, so storing work clothes would be an issue.)

Took BART most of the way (crossing SF Bay and through SF) then got to bike over the hills above South City. Would definitely keep me in shape, but took almost an hour to do it. (When you hit 40+mph on the downhill, you know the uphill side is going to hurt.)

I tried biking to work once; we have showers onsite that helps with the sweat situation. (No wardrobes though, so storing work clothes would be an issue.)

Biking is too dangerous in the city.

The main problem I run into w/ public transit is the transfer times. For example, at my current location I would have to take a shuttle to BART, wait for a train, take BART past N number of stops, wait to transfer to a different train, continue, wait for the shuttle to work. That's 35 minutes driving versus 100 minutes for public transit.

(Of course, working in downtown SF would change this significantly.)

astrid- I like the rail idea.

A rail system idea would be interesting, but I'd bump up the speed. If you're on rails, you just need a decent switching AI and there's no reason you could move people at more reasonable speeds like 80 or 100. (I'm imagining people getting onto the rail, punching a destination, and they don't get control beyond feeding destination requests to the system.) Once at the nearest drop-off point they disconnect and drive like normal cars.

(Of course, working in downtown SF would change this significantly.)

Rent one of those apartments at Rincon Center. They have good Dim Sum downstairs. :)

I don’t think all the pieces together. But I think about this just about every time I travel on BART or some other public transportation system.

It works better if most people live more closely together. The subway systems in NY and Tokyo are both very successful. Critical mass is the keyword though.

OT:

I've put up an updated Bubblizer, complete with many of the great suggestions and error fixed posted by you guys.

If only the results weren't so depressing. The primary thing I added was a little analysis which shows what the "next buyer" after you will face. I hope this shows people just how crazy things are in real numbers.

I’m mostly excited about being completely debt free.

SQT, why is being debt free so special? We still have to buy food and pay for other necessities. These are all streams of negative cashflow, just like debt repayment.

Ooooh - you mean Yank Sing - excellent!

Yes. I love their seabass dumplings and lobster dumplings. They have real chunks of meat. :)

Astrid, I like your idea.

How about segways?

Segways might make for an uncomfortable commute.

I tried one in the Tech Museum and I nearly fell off.

For dim sum, my wife and I both much prefer Ton Kiang. The flavors are more delicate and refined. An interesting place is Koi Palace in Serramonte - have you been there?

I love Ton Kiang too. It is true that the flavors are more delicate and refined. Parking is more difficult though.

I like Koi Palace and I go there frequently. For dim sum, you will have to line up before they open, or the wait is an hour. For dinner, it is difficult to make reservations even at 5:30pm on Saturdays. The service could be better.

they have a lot of weird stuff I’ve never seen anywhere else, particulary various shellfish or seafood items

They have Australian lobsters! At 6+ lb, you need a few friends to help out.

Try as much weird stuff as possible. I think they have at least 4 different types of crab.

Those places sound great. I’ve got to try them once I make it to the BA.

Perhaps we can share an 8lb Aussie lobster? ;)

I’d love to. I really liked the lobster sashimi I had in Shanghai.

Koi Palace definitely has lobster sashimi, although they may not have the right kind of soy sauce and wasabi.

SQT, forgot... congrats!

If it is ever sunny again a lobster/clam bake would be a smashing way to celebrate the demise of the real estate bubble.

IF. It is a very big "if".

I hear the BA is even more soggy than we are, and we’ve been raining non-stop for days.

Rain does not bother me too much. But it was pouring the other day in the freeway. Everyone was driving 30mph suddenly.

Oh heck, if that’s the case, we’ll invade NomadToons2’s new place in Tennessee. Who wants country ham, okra, and southern BBQ?

Who wants country ham, okra, and southern BBQ?

I am in!

I don’t know about okra

What's wrong with okra?

I think I had some that was poorly prepared. It can be slimy if not properly cooked.

It is slimy. But the texture is quite unique.

I think you're in the BA, right? I can't imagine how low gym participation rate would be elsewhere in the country.

I can’t believe so few take advantage of it.

Many employees have free gym in or around their home.

I wonder when the american government will get serious against high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.

We’re not so lucky, so I’d looooove it myself. I run in my neighborhood and use weights that we have a home, but a full gym would be lovely.

It is a matter of choice. If you rent (or own) a house, most likely you will not have a "free" gym. But if you are willing to put up with common walls, you may enjoy "free" gym in the apartment complex.

The last apartment complex I lived in didn’t have one, so I haven’t had the enjoyment of a free gym. Though I do have the benefit of a neighborhood with good running trails, so it all evens out in the end.

Honestly, I much prefer a trail with a good view in a safe neighborhood.

These food additives are worse than tobacco products. At least everyone knows why cigarettes are bad. Most people don’t even think about the impact of a piece of cake with hydrogenated oil or the cumulative effect of fructose from soft drinks.

They also impact kids. Most of the foods most attractive to kids have these ingredients. They start getting sick from the food before they are able to know better.

My work comes with a free gym membership, but I prefer to get my exercise outside of the gym (play with the local soccer club, etc.).

A friend told me about the state of things in Kansas. Apparently the only thing to do there is go to the local Hometown Buffet and eat. Then, they go play softball. (Which, you have to admit, isn't overly energetic.) the end result? Almost every block has a Hometown Buffet and a sports medicine clinic, and the people are still.. well... "cornfed".