Tech Talk
Columnist: Michael E. Duffy
Sep, 2008 Issue
As I write this, oil is selling at somewhere in the neighborhood of $140 a barrel. According to the CIA Factbook (available online at www.cia.gov), the United States consumes 21 million barrels of that $140-a-barrel oil each day. Multiply that by 365 and you can see that, as a nation, we’re spending more than $1 trillion on oil each year (probably more now, since that 21 million barrel estimate is from 2005).
What does that oil get used for? Interestingly, only 1 percent is used to generate electricity. Electricity is generated primarily by coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and hydroelectric generators.
Read more
Columnist: Michael E. Duffy
Aug, 2008 Issue
As I write this, the country is fretting about $5-a-gallon gasoline. There are lots of implications for higher oil prices, some of which we’ve already begun to see: People will drive less. People will drive more fuel-efficient cars, or switch to alternative means of transportation. And taking the bus, a train or a plane will get more expensive. Almost every physical thing we buy will become more expensive due to the increased cost of transporting it.
Read more
Columnist: Michael E. Duffy
Jul, 2008 Issue
It’s July, and wouldn’t you’d really rather be reading this by the pool? Go ahead. I promise nothing but summertime fun in this edition of TechTalk!
Read more
Columnist: Michael E. Duffy
Jun, 2008 Issue
It’s much too nice out to put together a reasoned treatise this month. So take your June issue of NorthBay biz outside, and enjoy reading these three short musings on technology in the cool shade of a tree.
Read more
Top of page |
.jpg)
