Southwestern Energy to cut 44% of workforce.

Did not intend to Pee in your Cheerios , but change is a comin In many industries .

Scariest part is the reliability and affordability of today's automated assembly robots.

What was 500 thousand 10 years ago is now 50 thousand. Soon lower.

General Motors had over half of their leading light truck plant in Grand Rapids Michigan having robots doing the assembly back in 1995.

The Union made them remove them. The union days are done in automotive assembly.
The pensions and entitlements are killing the big 3.

I get a kick out of watching all these shows of people setting up survivalist camps underground defending them with huge arsenals while eating canned food.

Me. if it gets that bad I will be sailing around in circles in my sailboat offshore with my fish lines dragging behind it.

Solar panels keeping the batteries up for the water maker to water the greens. If the power is lost the hand desalinator will suffice.

Probably head for some 3 rd world island that wouldn't feel the difference between economic boom or bust.

 

I like the idea of electric. Where does all the electricity come from. Oil, gas, nuclear some solar/wind.
Some day renewables might play a bigger roll.
I would like to see all buildings have solar panels roof top and on the walls.

 

I live in SW Florida. The Sun is here . Electric would thrive.

Solar panels have become soo efficeicient and cost so much less than they did just 5 years ago .

Once Solar City gets their program together the demand required by charging the vehicles would be more than met , not to mention all the excess power that would go back into the grid.

Just the electric compressor that provides air conditioning in the Tesla is a model of efficiency that could be utilized in battery powered climate control.

Imagine battery electric semi tractors.
2000 hp with no transmission, clutch , universals and driveshafts.

No differentials ,cooling systems or oil and fuel systems.

Eliminate all that weight plus the weight of fuel and you could have a whole lot of battery power on board.

Heck look at diesel electric locomotives .

Eliminate the diesel generator and all the fuel and you have a whole lot of room for low maintenance lithium batteries.

Good article about Tesla and the acquisition of Solar City.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3062415/why-elon-musk-called-teslas-solarcity-acquisition-a-no-brainer

 

I am not saying it won't happen, but I doubt it will in the next 40 years and I will be pretty much done by then. In 1974 they told us in school the US would be completely using the Metric system by 1982. Need I say more?

I still can't name 1 person or company that even has an electric car. Can you? Maybe a golf cart and they put a lot of them on gas.

As far as doom and gloom, come on people we live in the greatest country in the world regardless of what is going on. Where else would you want to live and if so why don't you go there?

We are truly fortunate!

My real issue is the US DEBT went from around 11 Trillion when the current president started 7 1/2 years ago and its like 18 Trillion now. Nobody can run a business like that so why do they try to run the US that way?

 

Cal me collect brother if you want a 1st mate!!.
Being in the parts business ( auto & truck/eqpt ) for years, I SHUDDER to think what these poor fools will do when their hybrid, or electric car needs a set of batteries or generator. Can you even imagine the cost for little miss tree-hugger? Now they have a $40-60K flowerpot.

 

Nope .

That's the Economic Hurdle that this gentleman Elon Musk is currently addressing with his new Lithium battery plant.

They already have a car that is sleeker looking than 98 percent of the cars out there with unmatched acceleration and reliability .

They have had the cars running autonomously Around their track for years . Reliability and quality of the auto is not a factor anymore.

The last hindrance has been supply and affordability of the lithium batteries.

He has addressed this by building one of thee largest automated production plants in the US .

And sealed the deal by buying the solar company Solar City to provide power to run the company and charge the batteries.

Solar city being able to provide this service to Tesla is just a side benefit to the full potential of what Solar City will produce once Elon Musk gets it going in the direction he feels it must go

There is no lack of funds and no lack of Vision.

Read the articles I posted

They are producing a 6500 watt lithium battery that will sell for 3000 dollars.

That will change Everything.

Lithium is so efficient and long lasting that in 5 years you will never see another lead acid battery again.

 

Not doom and gloom, unless we are talking about the debt.

Talking progress, change , and unbelievable leaps in technology and efficiency.

Aviation was and has been one of the most progressive and technically advanced industries out there for years.

Think how far we came from 1903 of the first flight of man to a b29 bomber dropping the bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

14 more years we are sending a man to the moon.

Just a few years later we have a aircraft that is rocketed to space and can glide back and land safely.

It is when and where the technological hurdles can justifiably be overcome to reap the reward of advancement.

 

Because.....we buy offshore oil before we use our own.

Economy bad where you are? It's #### good in other places. People have been known to move. My grandparents did, from Oklahoma to California in 1933.

It worked out fine.

 

Oil is done. The death throughs echo throughout the western world. So ia coal. Why bet your life, and the life of your family in a dying industry? Open your mind to the future. Those manipulating society to cling to carbon based fuels only want to suck your wallet dry until you have nothing for yourself or your loved ones. The technology exists. Let's go!