The Hirsch Report

The Hirsch report, the commonly referred to name for the report Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management, was created by request for the US Department of Energy and published in February 2005. It examined the time frame for the occurrence of peak oil, the necessary mitigating actions, and the likely impacts based on the timeliness of those actions.

The Lead Author, Robert Hirsch, published a brief summary of this report in October 2005 for the Atlantic Council.

A number of industry petroleum geologists, scientists, and economists were listed with their global peak production projection. Later, in 2010, Hirsch developed a projection for global peak production by 2015.

See above. And then after you faint, write your congressman.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Thinker

My boy is a pensive and contemplative boy...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Overload.

It occurred to me that I've got a ton of stuff on my phone.

I wish that made me more interesting. But, uh.... You know...

So, okay...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Georgia on my Mind

Congratulations, Georgia.

Slowly, but surely...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Under the Weather

Feeling really bad today. Some kind of crazy headache.

I have the least helpful of nurses standing by in a vigil that says: "If there's a real problem, the most I will do is sleep elsewhere."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Science!

From the Union of Concerned Scientists -- a very good news blog with a hilarious name.

Last night, President Obama called for the United States to produce 80 percent of its electricity from “clean” energy sources by 2035. A White House fact sheet estimates that current U.S. “clean energy” use stands at 40 percent. That figure is based on output from renewable energy sources and other low-carbon energy sources such as nuclear power, and also includes a partial credit for natural gas. According to a 2009 UCS Clean Energy Blueprint, doubling this target to 80 percent could be achieved primarily with new investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, which would dramatically reduce the need to burn coal and save consumers billions of dollars annually on their energy bills.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Customer Service

How important is it to please the customer?

Today, I was engaged in the liveliest debate about this very point with a business owner out of Washington State. He's a vendor of coffee products, and the crux of the issue was that he felt that he couldn't give me measurements for an item we'd recess into the quartz countertop, because he'd be held responsible were it to ultimately be wrong.

This particular piece is a specialty knockbox that only he has. I couldn't convince him that I would hold him harmless. No measurements, no way, no how, even though we needed them for construction.

Ultimately, (though we both probably threw out some unproductive sarcasm), we had to agree to disagree on the issue, and -- somewhat sadly -- we'll be buying our knockbox from someone else. I clearly couldn't see the harm, and he could see nothing but. It was, at times, an ugly stalemate. I think he implied I was impetuous and surly, and I may have insinuated somehow that he wasn't business-minded on this issue.

[Editor's Note: This wasn't as bad as the open letter I wrote to Chuck Norris, or my spirited exchange with Steve Jobs.]

The issue led me to think about whether or not the customer's needs are the end-all in this particular situation. I don't have an answer today, but I'll work on it.

And TZ, if you're out there, I respect your position even though you weren't very friendly.

Cheers

Snowtastrophe

Good morning from Maryland.

Snow has rendered social order moot.

Stay safe.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

QCC

Some of you know I've been working with a start up retail venture called Q Chocolate and Coffee.

Construction has started and the inaugural location should open in Annapolis Maryland on the 7th of February.

Great team of partners -- including Beautiful Wife -- and a great concept.

I'll keep you all informed. Maybe even send chocolate!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mind. Blown.

What? Energy from solar rays and the metal they make self-cleaning ovens with. Seriously.

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/New_Reactor_Paves_The_Way_For_Efficiently_Producing_Fuel_From_Sunlight_999.html

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Defining Moment

Some of you may know I'm studying for my MBA.  It's obviously a ton of work, and obviously great information, butI've gotten a few things out of it that I didn't expect.  For one, I've come to realize how important it is -- particularly in the hyper-competitive, instant information world of ours -- to constantly create.

Constantly design, constantly refine, constantly create, constantly solicit ideas for new stuff and old stuff.

I'm looking over some Alt Energy blogs right now and it keeps popping into my head, so I thought I'd jot that down.

Thought for today, L&G's, is to constantly create.  One of those creations will be the defining moment of your career.

Pow!

Bags of Money

Well, if you read anything on venture capital into clean energy, you'll get a case of the blues reading about the lag-time between investment and payoff and the capital intensiveness of this (very young) industry.  David Anthony has a great piece on this over at CleanTechBlog.com.

He says it's important to note that there are still billions to be made in cracking the code on things like carbon capture and utility-scale storage.  Obviously, we've got to stay positive on the bags of money that are there to be made if we can make some key technological breakthroughs.

Everybody breathe with me.  Out with the bad air, in with the good....

Ah, that's better.

My first mobile post...

So, here's baby number one: the inimitable Finnegan Kelly.

It's clear that my wife has a talent for growing handsome babies in her inner baby box.

Hopefully, the only trait of mine that my daughter will inherit are blue eyes.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Our First Clarification...

It has come to our attention that some readers could not discern the features of BGK (Baby Girl Kelly) from the last post.  I have added some features for reference.  I hope this offers some clarity.

Thanks for coming!

I thought I'd start out with a little news about the family.  Today, beautiful wife and I found out that child #2 will be a girl.

I think that anyone who knows me has heard me bet my car, both of our dogs, two mortgage payments and anything else I could think of, that we were having a girl.  I just knew it.  So now, I consider myself justified.

As promised, here is the first picture of Baby Girl Kelly.