That's a lot of cider. Charles and I went to the Middle Farm and got a few pints of each of the local brews.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Meanwhile
Somewhere on the 141st meridian East, Steve powers on into South Australia. Fueled by oil.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
An open letter to Jim Taylor
Dear Jim,
Further to our argument that there are no good-looking women in the world of professional golf, I give you this:
Further to our argument that there are no good-looking women in the world of professional golf, I give you this:
Anna Rawson, Australia
Crystal Fanning, Australia
Nuria Clau, Spain
Sarah Heath, UK
Yours truly,
Dave
Sunday, June 20, 2010
20,000 Cowboys under the sea
USA imports about 13 million barrels of oil per day, and exports about 2 million barrels per day.
So the cause of the explosion on the rig was a gas bubble that transferred great pressure to the surface equipment. The rig on the surface exploded, April 20th 2010. According to Wikipedia the Deepwater Horizon rig had drilled in deeper waters in the Gulf of Mexico than where it was positioned that day. So the drilling equipment could handle the pressures associated with drilling 10,000 feet below sea level.
The Coast Guard came along to put the fire out. Some people were saying that the Coast Guard should have left the rig alone, in order to let the oil burn off rather than have the oil spread on the surface. This seems like a good idea if you assume that the Blow-out preventer at the sea floor has properly worked.
So why drill there in the first place? 13 million barrels in import and 2 million in export? It seems like the risks of deep off-shore drilling outweigh the benefits. But why is a rig like Deepwater Horizon different to any other rig? The rig that leaked in the Timor Sea is a jack-up rig, it rests on the sea floor on supporting legs. This is possible due to it being positioned in water that is not so deep. Apparently BP are closely watching some legal decisions being made in regards to this incident. The Deepwater Horizon rig was not anchored, but kept in place by motors guided by SatNav. This system is pretty accurate, it can keep the rig positioned over the well to within an accuracy of seven metres, which is pretty straight on top of it when you consider that the riser is 3km under the sea. Blow-out preventers can fail if the pipe that the clamps are trying to squash is leaning over to one side. Was the blow-out preventer hindered from actually working properly because the SatNav system was destroyed, thus allowing the rig to drift and skew the pipe? Don't know. It's unlikely.
'We want to reduce USA's dependence on foreign oil.'
'Also, we're plain running out of places to drill. And we're not allowed to drill much in Alaska.'
'Paying the price of oil coming from Canadian tar sands has made the Deepwater option more attractive. And look at Alberta now: It's like a moonscape!'
Biodiesel isn't the magic answer to all of this. Growing the crops takes up a farmland, and in Indonesia a lot of rain forest is being cut down to make way for Palm oil plantations. Higher prices for beef, anyone? What it does provide is a reasonably priced source of fuel for vital goods transport that might come under jeopardy if OPEC decides to mess with the US dollar and make it very hard for the US economy to keep ticking over enough to pay the pensioners (AND FOR VUVZELAS). That and less chance of a big fuel tanker leaking oil everywhere, like Exxon Valdez in 1989. Biodiesel might get shipped around in large tankers too, but if there ever was a spill it'd have a slightly smaller impact on the environment because biodiesel is more readily biodegradable than crude oil.
The world of fossil fuel production is dirty, immense, and fascinating. The world's safe and easily tapped oilfields have already been found. Technology is getting pushed harder and harder to find more oilfields and bring them online. Compare 'crude oil bursting out of the ground in Texas' to 'sending a pair of robots 1km underwater to try to activate a 400 tonne blow-out valve.'
theoildrum.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_drilling_rig_explosion
treesfullofmoney.com
So the cause of the explosion on the rig was a gas bubble that transferred great pressure to the surface equipment. The rig on the surface exploded, April 20th 2010. According to Wikipedia the Deepwater Horizon rig had drilled in deeper waters in the Gulf of Mexico than where it was positioned that day. So the drilling equipment could handle the pressures associated with drilling 10,000 feet below sea level.
The Coast Guard came along to put the fire out. Some people were saying that the Coast Guard should have left the rig alone, in order to let the oil burn off rather than have the oil spread on the surface. This seems like a good idea if you assume that the Blow-out preventer at the sea floor has properly worked.
So why drill there in the first place? 13 million barrels in import and 2 million in export? It seems like the risks of deep off-shore drilling outweigh the benefits. But why is a rig like Deepwater Horizon different to any other rig? The rig that leaked in the Timor Sea is a jack-up rig, it rests on the sea floor on supporting legs. This is possible due to it being positioned in water that is not so deep. Apparently BP are closely watching some legal decisions being made in regards to this incident. The Deepwater Horizon rig was not anchored, but kept in place by motors guided by SatNav. This system is pretty accurate, it can keep the rig positioned over the well to within an accuracy of seven metres, which is pretty straight on top of it when you consider that the riser is 3km under the sea. Blow-out preventers can fail if the pipe that the clamps are trying to squash is leaning over to one side. Was the blow-out preventer hindered from actually working properly because the SatNav system was destroyed, thus allowing the rig to drift and skew the pipe? Don't know. It's unlikely.
Robot rescuing a marlin form out of the blow-out preventer. Completely unrelated.
'We want to reduce USA's dependence on foreign oil.'
'Also, we're plain running out of places to drill. And we're not allowed to drill much in Alaska.'
'Paying the price of oil coming from Canadian tar sands has made the Deepwater option more attractive. And look at Alberta now: It's like a moonscape!'
Biodiesel isn't the magic answer to all of this. Growing the crops takes up a farmland, and in Indonesia a lot of rain forest is being cut down to make way for Palm oil plantations. Higher prices for beef, anyone? What it does provide is a reasonably priced source of fuel for vital goods transport that might come under jeopardy if OPEC decides to mess with the US dollar and make it very hard for the US economy to keep ticking over enough to pay the pensioners (AND FOR VUVZELAS). That and less chance of a big fuel tanker leaking oil everywhere, like Exxon Valdez in 1989. Biodiesel might get shipped around in large tankers too, but if there ever was a spill it'd have a slightly smaller impact on the environment because biodiesel is more readily biodegradable than crude oil.
The world of fossil fuel production is dirty, immense, and fascinating. The world's safe and easily tapped oilfields have already been found. Technology is getting pushed harder and harder to find more oilfields and bring them online. Compare 'crude oil bursting out of the ground in Texas' to 'sending a pair of robots 1km underwater to try to activate a 400 tonne blow-out valve.'
theoildrum.com
wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_drilling_rig_explosion
treesfullofmoney.com
Kaka just got sent off for.. what?
Video ref had been used for ages in rugby league. Try or no try? Go to the video ref.
Scenario 1: Striker tussles with defender, striker goes down clutching his ankle.
Striker: 'Ow ow ow.'
Defender: 'Yeah, I stepped on his toes.'
Free kick, penalty, yellow card, red card, whatever.
Scenario 2: Striker tussles with defender, striker goes down clutching his ankle.
Striker: 'Ow ow ow.'
Defender: 'I didn't touch him.'
Ref spends forty seconds going to the video referee, checks from three different angles. Presents yellow card to the striker for being a nuisance. Do it again and you're off to your country's media to explain why you though it would be a good idea to FAKE A GENUINE INJURY rather than actually having a go at scoring a goal. I mean, you're a pretty well paid striker, right? EVERYONE SAW IT ON REPLAY. FIVE TIMES. Sod the 'flow of the match', or whatever the hell that is supposed to mean. You're a liability.
PROBLEM FIXED
It stops strikers acting like idiots, and stops refs looking like idiots for being duped.
Unless the idea is to push Soccer away from field sport and into the realm of performance art. Your call, FIFA.
Scenario 1: Striker tussles with defender, striker goes down clutching his ankle.
Striker: 'Ow ow ow.'
Defender: 'Yeah, I stepped on his toes.'
Free kick, penalty, yellow card, red card, whatever.
Scenario 2: Striker tussles with defender, striker goes down clutching his ankle.
Striker: 'Ow ow ow.'
Defender: 'I didn't touch him.'
Ref spends forty seconds going to the video referee, checks from three different angles. Presents yellow card to the striker for being a nuisance. Do it again and you're off to your country's media to explain why you though it would be a good idea to FAKE A GENUINE INJURY rather than actually having a go at scoring a goal. I mean, you're a pretty well paid striker, right? EVERYONE SAW IT ON REPLAY. FIVE TIMES. Sod the 'flow of the match', or whatever the hell that is supposed to mean. You're a liability.
PROBLEM FIXED
It stops strikers acting like idiots, and stops refs looking like idiots for being duped.
Unless the idea is to push Soccer away from field sport and into the realm of performance art. Your call, FIFA.
from maxtechoil.com
'Some feel the risks that are associated with offshore drilling are worth it because it reduces the dependency on foreign oil.'
'The current offshore drilling precautions would be more effective if they were enforced and followed.'
'The current offshore drilling precautions would be more effective if they were enforced and followed.'
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Rouen
Some fighting broke out in the middle of the 20th century.. Some buildings got dinged up a bit.. In all honesty, a bit of stonework torn off by some German 88s isn't much compared to the effects of the Allied bombing.
Apparently Joan of Arc was kept in this tower during her trial. This photo seems at on odd perspective. See the buildings to the right of the tower to get an idea of its size.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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