Drew Dowdell

I'm not saying it's impossible. It's just not your standard drain and fill.

We're not going anywhere for a while. GDP falls 6.1% • Consensus estimates were way too high — Wall Street economists forecast a drop of -4.6% versus -6.1% actual data; • GDP has fallen three consecutive Qs, something that hasn't happened in since Q3 1974 through Q1 1975; (WSJ) • These 2 consecutive quarters of minus 6% contraction is the worst 6 month span for the economy since 1957-58; (Bloomberg) • All investment-related segments of the economy showed significant weakness; we surmise that lot of this weakness is credit crisis related; • Real exports of goods and services decreased 30%; • Residential building declined 38% — the deepest drop in the cycle so far. • Commercial construction fell 44.2% in 1Q –the largest quarterly decline ever recorded (data goes back to the 1940s). Recessions Follow Oil Price Increases A recession has followed every significant oil price increase. Although our current economic malaise is blamed on the credit crisis, people forget what happened to the price of oil. In 2008 the average price of oil was $99 per barrel (per the Energy Information Administration). The year before it was $72 per barrel. Year Oil Price (WTI) Total Spent on Oil: 2007 $72 $2.160 trillion 2008 $99 $2.970 trillion In just one year, that price difference sucked an additional $810 billion from the world economy. The same level of increase happened from 2006 to 2007. Simply put, we were going to have a global recession even if the credit crisis hadn't occurred. By the way, did you notice that the price increase is roughly the same as the current stimulus package? Do you think any future stimulus package will have any effect when oil goes back up in price? The End of the Car Age In other words, the recent high price of oil has destroyed much of the capacity for us to move off of oil. When you pull together these items: the date of peak oil (most likely 2008 since so many oil projects are being canceled) the still-increasing fleet turnover rate a collapsing economy Most Americans have bought their last car. I don't mean their last "gasoline powered" car, I mean any car. Unfortunately, the same mechanism is playing out in the renewable energy sector. Investment is down by almost half. Enlightened government could have put a floor under oil prices for the previous three decades, thus moving us completely off oil while we had the economy to do it. Now it's too late.

I just realize how much of a shame it is that the PC isn't a quad core..... because it has 2 gig of ram and dual monitors.....

I may have some around the house. None of the machines I'm rebuilding are that old. This is just a software rebuilt, not hardware. They're all Core2Duos about a year old.

I wish, but no.

it's not just production... it's the sale of also. The Chinese market will be closed to any company who won't disclose the IP.

Your post was way out of line into tinfoil hat territory. If you have an issue with it, take it up with me over PM.

Wasn't an available number It's a limited list of numbers to pick from. Normally they're just issued in order.... I skipped ahead a few and put my name down for the ones I wanted.

So we're in the midst of this huge PC migration project at work. Three of us are rebuilding 350 PCs in 6 weeks. One part of the conversion is moving all assets from username based ID to a Prefix+asset# based ID. Today I got around to migrating my own assets. My desktop is now PC05442 My Laptop is now LP05442 My VPN Security id is now 105 307 442 No it's not by chance and no the numbers don't have to match :AH-HA_wink: There is something to be said for

But GM doesn't need someone to hand them platforms.

Not everything can be a sport sedan. Sometimes it's still just an economy car with a big engine. Edit: And if there ever was a face that could handle the return of the Neon.... that's the one.

You think? The $4,700 in incentives Toyota has on the Pruis here in Pittsburgh lead me to believe it's not the environmental shade of green people will be prioritizing about. It'll be Greenback green. We're moving away from a private car ownership society not for reasons of oil but for lack of money. Oil prices are way down yet public transit ridership is still up. Demand destruction.

BTW, yesterday was the first day it was officially legal for gays to get married in Iowa. There were a couple legislators running around trying to encourage county clerks to refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. *shakes head* An elected official trying to tell public employees to break the law. I know it'll never happen, but I hope they get impeached.

Texas is not freer then California just because they only ban the things you don't care about anyway.

Oh don't tease Camino.

If you'd like. You can check out where we are moving to. VPS.net They are a sister company of our current host so we're changing servers but not changing companies. We are too big for the current plan we are on but to move up to VPS.net requires an involved move.

Rather redundant no?

Postponed.

Try to do an oil change on a BMW.

I didn't get to see one when I was in Germany in November, but my point stands, I'll still put a Malibu and Lacrosse up against an Insignia.

PM me later this evening and I'll help you

Whenever I have a tenant I don't like and don't want I give them great references. References that they'd hang up on the fridge.

That's a good way to help them survive.

And where would I be if I would only buy Oldsmobiles? You don't see me stomping off the site because Olds is gone. I've been a member here since before the Olds announcement.... and look.. I'm an admin now.

Camaro, Duramax, Silverado