Adam Curry's Daily Source Code DSC-773-2008-06-30

The more things change, the more they stay the same, cross-reference with this Hunter S. Thompson SF Examiner Column from 1986 ("Two More Years") from his book "Generation of Swine" (1988): [ Hunter S. Thompson SF Examiner column for 12 May 1986 made mention of George H. W. Bush's chances of being elected as President in 1988 US Elections ]

"George [H. W.] Bush will not be that lucky. Nobody is going to default in 1988: [...] These are fast times in politics, and front-runners are swiftly discredited. [...] George Bush will not last much longer.
He will be gone by June, according to oil industry analysts, when the price of gasoline is up by 15 cents a gallon over May, and people are full of hate.
That will not be a good time for any front-runner to be publicly identified as The Man Who Killed Cheap Gas in America - but Bush is going to be stuck with it.
The electorate will tolerate almost anything except a sudden unexplained jump of 15 cents a gallon at the pump, in a time of world glut on the oil market.
That will not be politically acceptable in a year when Americans are suddenly afraid to travel anywhere in the world except in their own country. Between the menace of terrorism and the promise of cheap gas on the highways, a lot of people figured it was better to drive to Vancouver, or even St. Louis, instead of flying off to someplace like Cairo or Greece and risk getting blown sideways out of a TWA jet at 30,000 feet above the sea of Sardinia.
It was humiliating, but it was not a bad deal at the price. There were rumours that it might fall below 50 cents a gallon by midsummer, if the Arabs kept flooding the market.
It was at that point that George Bush bit the bullet, on behalf of his neighbours in Houston. It was not what he wanted, but it was a thing that had to be done, for political reasons... he took a night flight to Jidda and leaned publicly on King Fahd of Saudi Arabia to go along with an emergency price-fixing scam that would stop the slide and "stabilize the price of oil".
It had fallen to $9.70 a barrel on April 1, and at that point the joke was over. Texas was going bankrupt and his people were on the line. They had not sent him to Washington all this time for nothing.
And George understood, like a champion. By the time he got back from Jidda, the price of oil was rising sharply. It was up another 53 cents a barrel on Thursday, and the chairman of Mobil Corp. said it could stabilize at $20 very soon, 'if OPEC finally agrees to a new production policy this year.'
King Fahd shrugged it off, but he let George get out of the country before he denounced him as a dumb brute... and by the time Bush got back to the White House he was looking at a personal tragedy. Texas was saved, but he was not. At 15 cents a gallon, he was doomed to a fate like the Ancient Mariner. The albatross was on him, and he will be better off out of the race. [...] - May 12, 1986". Res Ipsa Loquitor... Derek Bolli, North Sydney, Australia.

Just getting round to listening to this DSC now... oh Adam, surely you're not falling for one of those hydrogen scams?

You know how in economics they say "follow the money"? In chemistry, it's "follow the energy", in this case the energy it takes to split water in to hydrogen and oxygen. It's a well-known amount, and there's no getting around it. (No, a catalyst doesn't change it.) The device attaches to the electrical system, which puts more load on the alternator (directly, or indirectly via the battery), which makes the engine work a little harder, which uses more fuel.

Well, I suppose you can afford to experiment. Or you could watch the "Mythbusters" episode where they tested several of these gizmos, but then your correspondents would say that they are also part of the Conspiracy. Considering that an internal combustion engine has an efficiency of less than 20%, I'd say that looking for incremental improvements there is flogging a dead horse. 8-/

Adam, I haven't heard but is the EU government officials appointed or elected....or is the elected officials a small body that then appoints some of or all of the ministerial offices ala Britain? Just trying to get a feel for how accountable the larger governmental mechanism is to the governed. TWFU i hope

Very good show. Probably your best ever. (I'm only 3/4 thru.)

Huge News about the 9/11 Pentagon Flight Data Recorder: http://blip.tv/file/1035459

Adam, you lazy boy, start working harder so you will be able to afford that

regular private jet for 40-50 millions! instead of this shitty substitutes/ersatz! Note: you must think of new business because next year when you will be selling mevio, you will not get enough for it!

interesting podcast today and your talk about prices of oil etc but I despise fossil fuels and we should invent something drastically new and not try to "digg deeper" in old tech...


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