Yes it's very odd that at times when oil is running out, the 4x4 cars are becoming popular with the middle classes. Naturally, any manufacturer worth their salt respond to demand; somehow the goal posts move along as they've always done. Fifty years ago, a tiny 750cc Renault 4CV with a roof rack was an acceptable family car. It may may be that people feel safer in a high and heavy car. But secondary safety is at the expense of primary safety since 4x4s are more likely to roll over and brake distances are longer.
All the complete idiots I know have made their money by their efforts and intelligence, certainly none have gained money the easy ways James mentions. Two of them have built businesses from nothing and are now extremely wealthy. Of course they aren't as clever as we Saab owners who always drive perfectly. My neighbours have 5 bedrooms against my 4 and their houses are worth more than mine, they must be complete idiots too. Similar feelings are felt by some people toward Porsches, Rolls Royces, etc which are often damaged by the envious. To close on an agreeable note to you all may I suggest all BMW owners are complete idiots, that normally goes down well with this group.
That's because they have discovered new reserves using new exploration technology. But the supply is finite and with terrorism on the front burner for now, oil will stay over $40US for the foreseeable future. Just think that 5-7 years ago oil was trading at $20US.
Not too long before bio-fuels are economically feasable for mainstream use. Then, we can give our money to the farmers in our country, rather than people who want to kill us. Yes, it's an oversimplification, but if biofuels were more widespread (biodiesel for diesel engines, more alcohol for gasoline engines), we could benefit in so many ways, without changing _any_ of the infrastructure to get there.
It's a wonderful idea, though I do wonder how many biofuels are really fuels in that they can be produced using less energy than you get by burning them. Same goes for hydrogen, I hear people talking about it as our savior and the fuel of the future but to make hydrogen you need a lot more energy than you get when you burn it. Hopefully some of the alternative fuels prove viable.
I think you misunderstood me, I said people are idiots not because they're wealthy but by the way they drive. It's not the fact that they drive big SUV's that I think makes them idiots, it's the aggressive way so many of them fly around like they're invincible and own the road. Or the ones who buy the big SUV just to show off and *never* take it offroad.
I think all those SUV drivers should be "required" to take their SUV's to South American or Africa for the "Camel Trophy Expeditions" that Land Rover does, to really put their SUV's through the paces, complete with tow kits, driving through mud holes, rivers, etc.
Well, like any other crop, the economical factors determine when it's feasable or not. A biofuel, ultimately, is just an organic solar collector and energy transport. If that land was going to be used for something else, then the loss of that crop (if any) has to be considered as well. Nice thing about dollars, is that it evens all of those variables out.
Hydrogen is _not_ a fuel, it's a battery. You have to expend more energy to make it, than you get when you burn it. Period. It's strictly a way to displace pollution from the areas that consume, to wherever the electricity is made which is then used to produce the hydrogen. That's entirely different from a fuel, which inherently has energy that you didn't explicitly expend to produce that fuel.
Personally, I'd like to see the government subsidize research and production for biofuels. Gets us over the immediate energy shortfall, economies of scale can start kicking in, and it's a hell of a lot better than some of the other stupid stuff our government is wasting our money on, with no long-term gains in sight.
Not always. People who can get their heads extracted from their rectal cavities are able to appreciate the superior ride and performance of any car regardless of the badge on the front grille...
A new one? Yes I would, but I don't consider myself a complete idiot. More of an incomplete one, thanks...
Unfortunately, I get to pay for my 3 children to go through college, so I don't have 40 large laying around collecting dust. But I also don't buy new cars and I do pay cash for the cars I do buy.
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