heh..hehe...haHAHAHAHA

omg, i'm about dying of laughter a bit. this is just a little too much.

So, as of this morning, the RNC launched a vaguely clever anti-Barack site called BarackBook.com, which is meant to function as a Facebook app. Go ahead and click. Its a little funny, if a bit banal and asinine.

Here's the thing though. The story was up almost immediately on major news websites (i saw the story on Politico), and the youth of the internet descended upon the Facebook app's main page. Starting such topics as "Leaders Lead, this just sucks," "This site is lame," etc

and i even started one of my own. "By adding this application...." and my first post was something like "you're more tech-savy and computer litterate than McCain." Got a fair amount of comments as i argued with people. And i posted a few other places as well.

ok, but here's where it gets good. Remember, that site was launched this morning! As of this evening...well, not so much. They basically took it down!! HAHAHAHA....They disabled all sorts of non-RNC controlled posting. No threads, no wall posts, nada. Just an ability to review, and those ain't so pretty.

when i realised, i started laughing so hard, i was crying. The One that lives with me and his Girlfriend had no clue what was going on.

funny, funny stuff =)

~M

About that whole "liberal-bias" in the MSM...

Per Politico, regarding a story from the LA Times.

'graph:

The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the first six weeks of the general-election campaign.

...

when network news people ventured opinions in recent weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative.

More coverage most certainly doesn't mean better coverage. Food for thought.

p to the s, anyone know how to do the LJ break thing in Blogspot? i've been looking all morning...I have several really, really long, fun things to post, and would like to put them under a post link...

Anyways...

~M

This is what i get for going away for a while....

I don't end up checking my blog. Anyways, someone asked for the relevant studies and articles regarding the effect of oil drilling on the price of gas.

Turns out my 10 cents was actually a bit generous...

First off, here is the abstract from a study, commissioned by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), run thru the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress:

"The recent run-up in the price of crude oil has prompted new calls for the Federal government to increase its petroleum production by allowing exploration and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) along the northern coast of Alaska. While there is a strong incentive to provide much needed relief to American families who are currently struggling with high gasoline prices, analysis of ANWR’s projected contribution to crude oil markets suggests that relief will be neither substantial nor timely in its effect. Based on Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections of the effect of ANWR on crude oil prices, we estimate that opening up ANWR will reduce gasoline prices by just one cent, starting in 2018." (bolding mine)

And HERE is the link to the study itself. Now true, thats just ANWR. So what about the off-shore drilling itself?

That can be found HERE, a study regarding the impact of drilling on the so called "Lower 48 Federal Outer Continental Shelf" (fun name, huh?)
important 'graph:

"Because oil prices are determined on the international market, however, any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant. ... In 2030, the OCS access case projects a decrease of $0.13 in the average wellhead price of natural gas (2005 dollars per thousand cubic feet), a decrease of 250 billion cubic feet in imports of liquefied natural gas, and an increase of 360 billion cubic feet in natural gas consumption relative to the reference case projections. In addition, despite the increase in production from previously restricted areas after 2012, total natural gas production from the lower 48 OCS is projected generally to decline after 2020." (again, bolding mine)

What people miss when talking about drilling is that its not like we get to keep all the oil we drill. it goes into the international market, where it becomes the proverbial drop in the ocean. We're talking 20 years, and around 10 cents difference in the price of gas.

We're in a hole. And when you're in a hole with a shovel, the first thing you do is stop digging. (coincidence, actually, that the metaphor fits so well...)

So whoever you were who commented to my last post...there ya go.

~M

And Now there are 10 things....

I liked this article in Time...it was sort of a Freakenomics, unintended consequences look at the rising price of gas.

From my economic background, the one i found the most interesting was the story told in #2. The article doesn't quite say it in these terms, so let me explain a bit.

Over the past 50-100 years, growth in technology has changed economic models in many ways, put in one particularly important one: the cost of transporting a good became nil, negligible. There used to be expediency costs, or costs of storage on a boat so it could be shipped down river, paying the handler...all those things still exist today, but the efficiency of technology ensures that the price of transportation is so low, we don't factor it into our business and economic models.

But with $4 soon to be $5 probably soon to be $6 gas, this assumption will no longer hold true. It sucks, but its sorta fascinating that we have to regress to an earlier economic model.

oh! and i've been wanting to say this for a while...for all those idiots who say we need to drill in ANWAR or off-shore right now so we can lower gas price, quite whining and SHUT UP! at best, in a generation (the year 2028) if we opened all areas to drilling, the price of gas would be lowered by a whopping...10 cents. Meanwhile, we'd spend billions building the drilling apparatuses, prolong our addiciton to oil, and not do anything for short term relief.

And if you don't believe me, just ask, and i'll find the relavent articles and studies for you.

~M