What is Digg?105 Comments
- acid0426, on 06/09/2008, -7/+56R they serious?
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -6/+38Я?
- akkibaba, on 06/09/2008, -9/+41To the people making fun of the title, I tried submitting a story with the "are" instead of R, it doesn't fit. This is one of those rare cases where we're going to have to let it slide.
- filefly, on 06/09/2008, -2/+34The submitter could have removed the word "are" entirely. The title would still be grammatically correct.
- simplenation, on 06/09/2008, -1/+28site is working fine. no mirror is necessary.
- cann3dheat, on 06/09/2008, -4/+26I think they R...
- Brimmy, on 06/09/2008, -3/+23How about you think about this situation. How many people out there can afford a $20k or $30k car? An alright portion of Americans sure, but i live in California and for every person driving a nice new Prius, or Lexus, or mini cooper, you see someone else out there driving an old Civic, Saturn, Hyundai etc... What is my point? The people who can already afford the luxury cars can already afford an expensive car and thus the gas to fuel it. The middle class will very likely switch to a hybrid to make it more cost effective, and the lower income people will.... well what will they do? I'm not sure about everyone else, but I myself can't really afford a brand new $20k car, heck, i have trouble paying for a $8k car. Now toss in gas and it's even less affordable. How am i supposed to be able to buy a brand new car? Should i wait for them to "come down in price" as they become used and 10+ years old? Ok then I'll just go bankrupt paying for exploding gas prices between now and then.
I am not poor by any means, but I also am not part of America that can pay for a car unless it's at least 5 years old. Mass production of alternative vehicles would be a great thing for our environment assuming the "alternatives" aren't polluting more than the fuels they are displacing. However the combined cost of R&D as well as shifts in production lines will keep prices very likely out of the reach of those people in American making less than $30k a year (i pulled this number out of the air because it sounds about right in my opinion). Public transportation is quite bad in our country, and is far from an alternative means of transportation for a lot of us, and thus in it's current incarnation not a solution.
The point I'm trying to make is that in the end some people simply spout off that higher gas prices are a good thing, and although you may think this is a win for the middle class, as well as the environment, it's also causing a lot of people financial hardship. And dangling a very likely unattainable expensive new technology in front of us as the light at the end of the tunnel will do nothing to alleviate the apprehension I'm sure people other than myself are feeling.
To tell you the truth, I'd like the ability to have a plug-and-play conversion kit priced affordable for tried and trusted older model cars. How about a $3-6k kit to retrofit an old 89 civic with an electric plug in system? I know that there are droves of hobbiests out there that do this very thing for sometimes less money than that. However the projects are not very standardized, nor mass produced, and are then limited to the very dedicated. However it seems as if so much of the world's consumers are so focused on the "next big thing" that they're willing to shell out horrific amounts of cash which excites manufacturers which then makes ideas such as a retro fit kit less profitable, and left on the cutting room floor.
FYI, I'm glad that out of this horrible gas situation at least some progresses are being made, and for that i am greatful, however i just wanted to point out that it's not all buttercups and daisies for all of us that will very likely be stuck with horrible gas prices for years to come... at least until i can purchase a 5-year old Toyota fuel cell hybrid "Now with Mr Fusion", with 135k miles on craigslist for a depreciated cost. - sfmman, on 06/09/2008, -1/+19Arrrrrr
- Barackalypse, on 06/09/2008, -3/+16He's a bastard, here's how this helps him rip you off: High fuel prices cause people with gas guzzling cars that are otherwise just fine and normally wouldn't be replaced for years to come to him and buy something more fuel efficient. He then tells you that the fuel efficient hybrid (or electric) vehicle you want is in such high demand that the only way you can get it is to pay sticker price to get on a waiting list for it. Then he rips you off on the value of your trade in by saying how he's got a lot full of SUV's just like yours that he can't move because of the high gas prices, so you $35,000 Explorer at age 2 with 15k miles is worth $9,500. He then turns around and sells this vehicle to someone with more disposable income for 25% more than he paid you for it.
You have to realize, this man makes money selling cars. He doesn't care what kind of cars they are, or what disaster precipitated it (Hurriance Katrina floods the whole city, bummer, but thats 100,000 new cars he gets to sell). - tonicboy, on 06/09/2008, -0/+9Did you even read the article? What about it seems so unbelievable? This guy is right on. In order to force a paradigm shift in our national energy situation, we need two things to occur. The first is, consumers need to fundamentally change their attitudes toward cars and energy consumption. The second, which will naturally happen after the first, is that manufacturers will respond to those new consumer needs.
Consumers will never change what cars they buy or how they use them unless they feel pain. Extreme, overwhelming pain. Trust me, if we had these kinds of gas prices when I was in college, I never would have taken a 12-hr roadtrip to Daytona Beach for spring break. Once consumer patterns change, the industry will follow to fill that need and there will be a huge spur in R&D for alternative energy. In the long run, energy prices will hopefully be a lot lower, but we need to put off that instant gratification in order to achieve that goal. - mtosspot, on 06/09/2008, -0/+8Well said. I think the conversion kit is a great idea. There is an article in the recent Make magazine about converting a motorcycle with a blown engine to run on electric.
Hopefully public transportation will improve. We've had a lot more riders lately here, and that extra ticket money could go to expanding service. - dnasty27, on 06/09/2008, -2/+10A lot of people are saying that high gas prices are good. But it's only good for those who can make it through the expensive transition with little or no damage done to their wallet. For a lot of Americans it will hit them hard and could lead to a new depression. Sure we need new ways to create transportation but just throwing people into a new system will have a lot of repercussions.
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -0/+6Whats wrong with that?
Apple does it every year, or 6 months. - fenris6644, on 06/09/2008, -0/+5Electric cars + nuclear power plants = EPIC WIN
- Zephik, on 06/09/2008, -0/+5Thats not what she said.
- Twenty, on 06/09/2008, -4/+9God, all these comments are stupid. I dugg down all but 10 of them, maybe.
Anyway, interesting article, I definitely didn't think about it that way. At the same time though, I'm not sure if fully electric vehicles are the way to go because they still depend on coal power plants. It's a small step, still. - norman619, on 06/09/2008, -0/+4No the only reason the population has exploded is all the poor nations. Who do you think are having all those babies? If you look at the developed world our populations are pretty stable and have been for quite some time. In the US if it weren't for immigration we'd be on a decline. Oh, and why are so many of these poor nations having food shortages? Their people don't think and keep on having babies they can't support. Has very little to do with the availability of food and everything to do with ignorance.
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -2/+6LOL you guys still use gas powered cars?
I'm using the new semen powered cars, designed specially for diggers. I have to refill the tank often, but it doesnt bother me. - dupeduperson, on 06/09/2008, -0/+3The second page had a window add for electric cars "Zero MPG". Wouldn't it be a little better to say "Infinite MPG"?
- madwaxer, on 06/09/2008, -3/+6no wonder they want to blow up iran. its not because they are legally permited to build plants for electricity. its 'cause their presiddent was exposing the oil price fixing. and the myth there was a shortage of oil. i wonder what is next.
- oatmeals, on 06/09/2008, -6/+9To err is human, to R is pirates.
- DocDEB, on 06/09/2008, -0/+3It has happened before. 1970s oil embargo helped bring the appearance of small more fuel efficient cars and 55 mph speed limits. Price of gas goes down in the 80s and 90s and we get Hummers and 65 mph speed limits. $4/gallon gas has gotten American's attention again forcing Big Auto to make changes to stay in business. If higher prices persist then it will become economical to produce fuel efficient vehicles with the latest technology. Prices for them will fall if the demand is high leading to ramped up mass production. If the price of gas falls to less than $3.50/gallon the incentive will decrease and we will be back in the trap of inefficient transportation.
- Brimmy, on 06/09/2008, -0/+3people who live 20 miles from their job, or in areas with little public transportation can live without an HDTV. They CANT keep their jobs without a car. And the cars that will be in their price range, will cost an arm and a leg for the gasoline upkeep.
- jcsoc, on 06/09/2008, -0/+3I think I'll buy an SUV when gas hits $5 here
- DigitAl56K, on 06/09/2008, -0/+3"Worse" is relative, i.e. "A is worse than B", or "you thought that was bad, but what is worse is...", or "Things can't possibly get any worse [than they are]".
"Worst" is the extreme and is relative only to all other things being compared. "This is the worst comment [of them all]".
"Worst comment ever" is what you were going for - i.e. no comment has ever been worse than this one, which may be true! :) - aladrin, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2Even better: He's hoping they stay high so he doesn't lose his shirt on this eco-friendly cars that he's already put his money on.
As someone else said: There's nothing wrong with wanting to profit.
This article, though, is stupid. - nobelief, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2+1 for effort
- schmick, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2I agree on that point, but even though it's not the focus of the discussion.
Endangered species tend to multiply at a rapid rate, that's not false for humans also.
Poor countries have had the seed of population growth, but not the resources. First world nations have provided those resources as they are in fact economic markets.
I agree they don't think, they just do what they feel is right, but it has been us who have provided what they need for their population expansion.
There are some other reasons of why they don't think such as religious beliefs, but that is for some other discussion.
Either way, it stays the same, even considering only the US and the inland farming land, it will not be sustainable if crops are used to power cars. - inactive, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2is *****
- firebirdx01, on 06/09/2008, -3/+5He's hoping gas prices will stay high so he can sell environmentally-friendly gas efficient cars to consumers that do not have them.
He's basically trying to make a buck off early adopters. - dcshiderly, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2This is just a variation on the Broken Window Fallacy of economics. Sure, if you break the window, the glazer has something to do, the windowsetter has something to do, but what of the previous value that now no longer exists? Instead of the dollars of the window's owner being put to use moving things forward, they're now spent simply treading water.
- flopmouth, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2I like the Porsche 944 in front of the electric car dealer there...
- Drahkar, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2Actually it makes perfect sense. They go on a mad rush to refit for alternative fuel cars and hybrids. Then they go and sell them to all the people who have bought these gas guzzling cars cause it is getting too expensive to drive them.
The worst thing that could happen is to have the gas levels go down again. They would have wasted all the money they've spent getting these alternative vehicle types. - FairDinkumMate, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2The average age of a car in the US is 9 years. This means for every new car there is another about 18 years old, which is the point you were making.
The average MPG of a car in the US is HALF that of a car in Europe. So if all NEW cars sold from today had the same(or better) MPG of European cars, within 9 years demand for gas in the US(excluding population growth) would decrease 25%. That's without taking into account new hybrids, electric cars, etc. So how would this help you with your old car? Old cars would get cheaper(demand drops because they use more gas) but the price of gas would also get cheaper(relative to what they otherwise would be).
But there are some weird things happening with the US government. Ethanol imports from Brazil would be a much cheaper & easier way to reduce oil demand. But the government continues to apply import limits & tariffs on Brazilian ethanol which doesn't make sense. It's not protecting US farmers because every drop of ethanol they produce is being used & it would be easy to arrange for all US ethanol to be sold first. Brazil still has 40% of its arable land empty(about half of which is suitable for sugar) so it could increase production of ethanol quite quickly to satisfy this market(in the short term 2-4 years, after this it will need all the ethanol it can produce for its own use). I guess they'd rather give the money to big oil & the Middle East than South American farmers but it's the US consumers wearing the pain! - duggdowncatisad, on 06/09/2008, -1/+3{o,o}
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O ЯLY? - Zephik, on 06/09/2008, -0/+2By the way, I think I finally figured out the worse/worst deal. Anyone want to confirm or correct me?
Worse is used when your comparing something, such as Digg comments, I suppose?
Worst is... how do you describe it... like, it is THE worst.
I'm not sure about the second one, but I think the first one is right? "Worse" is used when your comparing things, right? If thats true, then couldn't I just go "is it comparing something? yes? then its worse." or "is it comparing something? no? then its worst".
I hope I'm right, I've been trying to figure these two damn words out for a long time. lol - Zephik, on 06/09/2008, -1/+3Worse comments ever.
- mtosspot, on 06/09/2008, -1/+3Apparently anyone who actually read the article and thinks there are some valid points will get dugg down. Anyway, here's my two cents on the way to the bottom...
Predictable pricing of commodities IS important. The spike in oil prices has taken most of us totally off guard, but if we had known this would happen people would have been buying more fuel efficient cars and figuring out ways to use less energy. On the other hand, if the auto makers start investing more in building fuel efficient vehicles and gas goes back to $1 a gallon, people might end up buying SUVs again and leave the auto companies losing more money. - Barackalypse, on 06/09/2008, -1/+3Its the car sales industry, its far more underhanded and devious than just making money on early adoprters. You see, that hybrid you want is in such high demand that the only way he'll sell you one is if you pay sticker price for it to reserve your spot on the waiting list. Then he stiffs you on the trade in value of your old car by saying "oh, I've got a lot full of these gas guzzlers that nobody is buying because of fuel prices".
- norman619, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1We provide what they need to continue growing? Are you serious? If that were true they wouldn't be starving. This says they continue to reproduce regardless of the fact that they do not have the resources to support the existing population level. Thus the amount of available food is not driving the population explosion.
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -1/+2Hybrids, and electronic cars are to the Auto industry what HDTV is to the Television industry.
Whats the problem? - thirteenthcor, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1Remember, the poverty stricken are slowly becoming the major class in this country if they aren't already, and if they are all driving beat to hell crown-Victorias and Tauruses... not to mention hooptie trucks...
All the super-efficient cars and their drivers in this country aren't going to make a bit of difference.
I'm with Brimmy. Although I think MOST Americans can't just "trade-in" their current car or suddenly find the money to finance a brand new or even used high-efficiency vehicle. I certainly can't, but that doesn't mean I love driving my old F-150 one bit. - sporb, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1or we could produced electricity from clean sources like nuclear, hydro, wind, solar.
- rockefeller2, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1Yeah they work great. I've attached a sidecar to mine with your mom laying on her stomach with the gas cap right next to her vagina. I simply give her a few pumps, turn 90 degrees and "fill er up."
- sherbertbones, on 06/09/2008, -1/+2I'm greatful for the discovery of skimming.
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1If you can afford the gas (or are smart enough to live near work), its a great time to get one. Bargins abound.
- Barackalypse, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1Sigh, you're calling a man with a handle "Barackalypse" a communist? Nowhere in any of my 500 comments will you find anything resembling anything like such a faulty collectivist idea. I'm not criticizing free markets here at all, I'm simply making fun of a guy who looks like your stereotypical used car salesman. I posted so people don't read what the man said and attribute his statements to anything like concern for the planet, his agenda is to sell cars, and he'll use whatever talking points he can to sell them.
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -0/+1R is the problem
- inactive, on 06/09/2008, -1/+2So you really think that come next FEB there will be MILLIONS of people sitting at home listening to the radio?
- nydwarf, on 06/10/2008, -0/+1If we knew this would happen? It had to happen sooner or later. People just have their heads in the sand.
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