A good point

[ydoaPs]

 

I'm pretty sure that's dead on.

[Moontanman]

Yup, pretty much dead on target!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I'd love to see military curses and hexes.

 

An armored vehicle rolls onto the battlefield, covered in small crystal balls, streaming a cloud of incense, and playing soft music. A soft voice is heard, chanting.

 

Suddenly, the enemy tanks transform into Ford Pintos.

[swansont]

You can, of course, make boatloads of money off of the unsuspecting if there's no way to tell if the phenomenon actually works. Which is why e.g. dowsing and homeopathy are still around.

 

I'd love to see military curses and hexes.

 

An armored vehicle rolls onto the battlefield, covered in small crystal balls, streaming a cloud of incense, and playing soft music. A soft voice is heard, chanting.

 

Suddenly, the enemy tanks transform into Ford Pintos.

 

I believe Monty Python has covered this, with the police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY31P7sLJho

 

——

 

The economic argument goes beyond straight pseudoscience. There are conflicting claims, for example, of whether ethanol is a net energy source. We subsidized it ($0.50 a gallon) when oil was at $30 a barrel and gas was $1 a gallon in the US. But a few years later, and gas prices have more than doubled, and it still isn't cost-effective unless it is subsidized. Why not?

[D H]

The economic argument goes beyond straight pseudoscience. There are conflicting claims, for example, of whether ethanol is a net energy source. We subsidized it ($0.50 a gallon) when oil was at $30 a barrel and gas was $1 a gallon in the US. But a few years later, and gas prices have more than doubled, and it still isn't cost-effective unless it is subsidized. Why not?

Because obtaining ethanol from corn arguably is not a net energy source. If that is the case then all that rising oil prices will do is to make ethanol even less competitive with oil rather than more competitive. An EROEI significantly greater than one is needed to make ethanol competitive with oil. Ethanol from sugar cane, with an EROEI of about 9, does the trick quite nicely. Assuming the issues of efficiently getting ethanol from cellulose in volume are resolved, getting ethanol from trash trees such as aspen or even corn stalks would do the trick. It is driving with food that is pseudoscience.

Edited October 20, 2010 by D H

[Moontanman]

You can, of course, make boatloads of money off of the unsuspecting if there's no way to tell if the phenomenon actually works. Which is why e.g. dowsing and homeopathy are still around.

 

 

Hey I happen to be a dowser! Or more accurately a water witch... it's special gift I inherited from my grandpa.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Moontanman

[dragonstar57]

"i predict that if you dig far enough right here you might find something of some value"

"well duh theres bound to be something here"

Edited December 1, 2010 by dragonstar57