MetaFilter posts tagged with gas

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Mitheral — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 22:37:10 -0800

A Primer on the agents of Chemical Warfare part One, Two, Three, Four and Five.

Operation Delirium

homunculus — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:05:00 -0800

Operation Delirium. "The military’s secret Cold War experiment to fight enemies with clouds of psychochemicals. Decades after a risky Cold War experiment, a scientist lives with secrets." [Via]

Gas shortages in wake of Sandy prompt price gouging debate

shivohum — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:03:04 -0800

A massive shortage of gas all over New York and New Jersey is fueling hours-long lines stretching blocks or even miles. A big part of the problem has been power shortages to gas stations and refineries. Nevertheless, some argue that laws preventing gas prices from spiking in response to the disaster ("price gouging") are making things much worse, discouraging businesses from staying open in tough conditions and preventing entrepreneurs from profiting from any clever ways of increasing supply. Others admit gouging has some advantages, but still consider it ethically dubious. Gouging seems to be happening informally regardless.

Brighten up the landscape with... a gas storage tank

asok — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 07:55:59 -0800

The artistic gas storage tanks of Japan. Some explanation Includes a NSFW image, strangely enough. I couldn't find a gallery of British gas storage tanks to compare, but this gives you gist.

David versus Goliath... again...

nickrussell — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:58:39 -0800

Big oil companies make more than $300 million every day. "Why should Americans prop up these companies with tax dollars and have to pay ridiculous fuel prices?" Self-described 'Democratic socialist' Bernie Sanders (Vermont) introduces a bill to cut $113B of fossil fuel subsidies. Activist Bill McKibben notes that these companies receive $59 back for every $1 spent lobbying whilst other citizens groups find further insult in that many of the largest recipients of subsidies do not pay Federal taxes. A 2012 Yale study found that 70% of Americans across political party lines oppose Federal subsidies for oil, coal, and natural gas. However, this is not a new battle. As early as 1986, fossil fuel subsidies were attacked by Ronald Reagan and pared back as part of the Tax Reform Act (TRA) of 1986.

"Sound matters more than smell in terms of politeness"

empath — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:51:25 -0800

On The Social Psychology of Flatulence

fancy fart art

madamjujujive — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:40:18 -0800

He-Gassen - aka The Japanese Fart Scrolls. More at the Waseda University Library. (Alert: some ribald artsy nudity within)

The Energy Landscape of 2041

adamvasco — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:15:24 -0800

Energy: the new thirty years' war; we are heading for a global succeed-or-perish contest among the energy big hitters – but who will be the winners and losers? Michael Klare; (via )

"The date of depletion of fossil fuels has been pushed back into the future by centuries -- or millennia."

andoatnp — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:56:47 -0800

"Everything you've heard about fossil fuels may be wrong: The future of energy is not what you think it is"
Previously: fracking

The crack is out of whack

schmod — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:41:45 -0800

Unusually for a spring season, gasoline prices have been steadily climbing in the US since the beginning of 2011, and have surpassed $4/gallon in many US states, largely due to political instability in many oil-producing African and Middle-Eastern nations. "Not so fast," says the Department of Energy. Although the price of crude oil has climbed steadily throughout the year, the price of gasoline has climbed much faster -- a disparity known as the crack spread, which has remained at its highest level in 32 months, even in light of a sharp decline in the price of crude oil at the beginning of the month. The DoE speculates that although crude oil is cheap and plentiful enough, the 2011 Misssissippi River Floods are currently more to blame for $4 gas than the uprisings in the Middle East.

ending corporate welfare

kliuless — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:49:08 -0800

Get the Energy Sector off the Dole - Why ending all government subsidies for fuel production will lead to a cleaner energy future—and why Obama has a rare chance to make it happen.

We're cooking with gas - Gobar Gas

Happy Dave — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:23:44 -0800

Conflict-blogger Michael Yon with a fascinating piece about Nepal, Afghanistan, the Gurkhas and the incredible technology of "Gobar Gas". "Gobar is the Nepali word for cow dung. The “Gas” refers to biogas derived from the natural decay of dung, other waste products, and any biomass. The gas is easily collected and stored for lighting, cooking and other household uses. After bacteria digest the dung, the by-product is a rich organic fertilizer, sometimes called slurry, or bioslurry. That fertilizer is more effective than raw dung, with important benefits for hands-on farmers. For instance, it doesn’t smell bad, and almost all the pathogens and weed seeds have been destroyed. There is no downside. No waste. No poisonous residues or batteries. Few moving parts. Gobar Gas is an astonishingly elegant tap into “the circle of life” which environmentalists, economists, development people and humanitarians can all admire." Dutch NGO SNV, which has been instrumental in bringing Biogas to developing countries in South East Asia and Africa, is now looking at developing biogas in Afghanistan. Michael Yon - "It’s important to consider the less easily monetized yet real benefits from using Gobar Gas. Saving 2,500 kilograms of trees per family each year has long-term economic value, and it keeps the birds and squirrels happy. Improved health from better sanitation and the absence of constant wood smoke in the home has clear economic benefits, as does the ability to send children, freed from the labor of searching for fuel, to school. These items, and many others, don’t fit on a balance sheet, but they improve conditions for real, long-term economic and social development. Health and education are the foundations of human capital needed to sustain a wealthier, more advanced society."

IT'S ALL (natural gas) PIPES!

Sys Rq — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:43:45 -0800

Does your tap water taste funny? Have you tried lighting it on fire? (previously)

The Sun Is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma

Upton O'Good — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:49:59 -0800

...the lyrics to that last song were basically taken from an encyclopedia written in the 50s, and since the 50s, some remarkable things have happened...

In 1959, a number of songs about science were released on an album called Space Songs. One of these was later covered by the band They Might Be Giants: Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass of Incandescent Gas). Only one problem: it isn't--the song was based on an incorrect text from 1951. So they wrote an answer song to themselves: Why Does The Sun Really Shine? (The Sun Is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma). Bonus link: see for yourself! (previously)

Yesterday's Energy of Tomorrow...and more

Miko — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:05:33 -0800

Peak Oil, 1925. In 2000, 20% of new buildings will be solar equipped. By the late 1990s, 90% of the world's energy will be nuclear-generated. These and other erroneous projections are being collected as part of the Forecast Project on the website Inventing Green: The Lost History of Alternative Energy in America.

The Gazprom Song

Mayor Curley — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:36:48 -0800

Gazprom is the greatest corporation in the world/All other companies are run by little girls. This is the most moving corporate anthem I've ever heard (and I include Devo's "Corporate Anthem" in that assessment.)

New US Fuel Economy Plan: Win, Lose, or Draw?

filthy light thief — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:31:05 -0800

Car companies were facing a variety of efficiency and emission standards throughout the United States, from the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, On May 19th, and then an even stricter emission standard from California and 13 other states (plus DC). On May 19th, President Obama announced nation-wide new vehicle fuel efficiency standards for new cars and trucks through 2016. The goal is to rapidly increase fuel efficiency,without compromising safety, by an average of 5, culminating in 39 MPG for cars and 30 MPG for light trucks. Currently, no auto makers are meet the final standards, though some are closer than others. Car enthusiasts say this is the end of "fun cars," and point out air conditioning improvement short-cuts that would achieve the required goals. Environmentalists say this won't change enough. The EPA says the unified standard is welcomed by the auto manufacturers because it provides regulatory certainty and predictability and includes flexibilities that will significantly reduce the cost of compliance (partially due to the fuel efficiency score covering an automaker’s entire fleet). Other people point out though the new standards are better than the old ones, the auto fuel economy goal was reachable a decade ago, and still SUVs are classified as light trucks. Then again, why wait for new standards when you can start hypermiling today? It's not limited to hybrids.

Russia stops all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine

b. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:13:11 -0800

Newsfilter: It's that time of the year again, though now it seems to be more serious. Russia stopped all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. The EU depends on Russia for about a quarter of its total gas supplies, some 80% of which is pumped through Ukraine. At least seventeen countries are affected, many of them severely as Russia is their primary or only source of gas. While similar disputes between Russia and Ukraine already happened before, this is the first time it starts to directly affect people in other countries. In Bulgaria central heating shuts down in several towns, many schools are closed. Some factories had to stop production in Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. Bulgaria and Slovakia are considering restarting their old nuclear power plants to get the extra energy. EU has called in the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian gas companies for emergency talks in Brussels.

The Economist: The World in 2009

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:30 -0800

In 2009, a remarkably gifted politician, confronting a remarkably difficult set of challenges, will have to learn to say "No we can't", Guantánamo will prove a moral minefield, economic recovery will be invisible to the naked eye, governments must prepare for the day they stop financial guarantees, we will judge our commitment to sustainability, scientists should research the causes of religion, we will all be potential online paparazzi, English will have more words than any other language (but it's meaningless), Afghanistan will see a surge of Western (read: American) troops, Iran will continue its nuclear quest while diplomacy lies in shambles, the sea floor is the new frontier, we should rethink aging, (non-)voters will continue to thwart the European project -- but cheap travel will continue to buoy it -- though it has some unfinished business to attend to, and a Nordic defence bond will blossom.

The Economist: The World in 2009. Previously: 2008, 2007. How did we do last time around? And what will we probably be wrong about this time? Guest contributions: President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeks greater international cooperation and sees a growing global role for the larger emerging economies. Queen of Jordan Rania calls for education reform. Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd calls upon mid-size powers to be creative and effective with their influence. Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero emphasizes the importance of transparency and solidarity in Europe. Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, wedged between Russia and the EU, cites historical precedent. Former Secretary of State of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Henry Kissinger argues America will be less powerful, but will still be the essential nation in creating a new world order. Mayor Boris Johnson of London argues against over-regulation. Elections to watch: Brazil, Chile, European Parliament, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan. Also: Russia will enter its first real difficult years under Putin, Brown might not make it, we won't ban nukes but we can pretend, Ontario will receive economic help from other provinces, Australians will grow ever more thirsty, and Britain needs to make stuff again. World in 2009 blog.

Gas Free

mygothlaundry — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:52:55 -0800

Gas Shortages Throughout the Southeast More than a week after Hurricane Ike, there's little or no gas around much of the American Southeast. Here in Asheville, you can check online to see if there's gas at any given station. But then when you get there, you'll wait for an hour or more, often only to find that they've just run out. Which leads to fights. Programs are being canceled, traffic is light and we hear that Atlanta and Nashville are just as bad.

Fuelly tracks your gas mileage.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:26:58 -0800

Fuelly tracks your gas mileage over time, helping you save fuel and expenses as you drive.

Give us this day our daily unleaded

ericbop — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:10:24 -0800

St. Louis group Pray at the Pump is trying to lower gas prices the old fashioned way - by praying for them.

Wheels on fire, rolling down the road...

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:12:40 -0800

From New York City to Seattle, Critical Mass cyclists are not having a good week. In Seattle, some question the motivations of Critical Mass, some report conflicting stories, while others suggest foul play.

$4 gas, not that bad

dov3 — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:46:12 -0800

According to TIME, there are at least 10 things good about high gas prices. Such as four-day work weeks, less pollution, and fewer traffic deaths.

Anger Management Gas Station

msamye — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:36:28 -0800

"Your anger just earned you a car wash, ma'am." Gas prices in California are hovering around an upsetting $4.58 per gallon. One gas station in the Bay Area is offering stress relief: a chance to dunk a Shell employee and an Express Rant for an Express car wash. The owner, Bobak Bakhtiari, tells NPR: “Cashiers are trained to really encourage all forms of expression during the rant. Well, except for throwing a chair through the window.”