Energy's Prophet of Doom

Leanan · **Joined:** Thu May 20, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 4673

Fascinating article on peak oil in Fortune magazine, of all places. It's about a billionaire who fears peak oil is at hand. He apparently spends five hours a day reading peak oil blogs and Web sites. I wonder if it's someone we know?

Eli · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:07 pm

Ok my doom meter just went up a little.

Very interesting times indeed when a guy such as this is featured in fortune magazine. This guy is every bit as nuts as the rest of us here.

thuja · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:19 pm

Yeah, except he's got billions to back up his peakoil madness...maybe he'll hire a few of us to guard his gated mansions after the riots begin...

dub_scratch · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:35 pm

Imagine if these doomer super rich people try to build their own eco-village retreat-- perhaps on an island. That would be a good opportunity for some of those with the know-how to design and put one of those together.

Eli · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:40 pm

Jee do think he is hiring?

Yeah that is what worries me, this guy has got billions behind him and seems worried about keeping it. Also I guarantee you his money has bought research and info we have not seen.

I bet most of the super rich are too far involved in the whole machine to do as this guy is doing. A lot of them are going to go down with the ship but look out for the ones that remain because I bet they will do anything and everything to keep their seats at number one.

bob_loblaw · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:53 pm

Eli wrote:

Ok my doom meter just went up a little.

Very interesting times indeed when a guy such as this is featured in fortune magazine. This guy is every bit as nuts as the rest of us here.

ditto on the doom meter ticking up.

I read the article to my girlfreind, and as recent PO'ers seeing it in mainstream news sources helps her to see as well.

Almost reasuring in that I'm making plans in the right direction..

MattSavinar · **Joined:** Sun May 09, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 1984

Strange, I don't see any mention that the guy's concerns are being assuaged by clean coal, plug in hybrids, and nuclear plants.

Of course, he's made 2 billion dollars from accurately predicting crisis so why should his opinion be of any concern to the rest of us?

Best,

Matt

parainwater · **Joined:** Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 69

I wonder if I could convince him that we are related?

Free · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 2:58 pm

A little caveat: Don't forget that this guy is heavily invested in oil, so he has every interest in talking about PO.

But then again, if I read something like this:

Quote:

"It's not raving," he says. "I promise I am not a kook."

Quote:

And then, returning to the debate in his head, he gets a serious look on his face and says: "This is going to get a little religious. I ask why I was blessed with this insightfulness. Everyone who has achieved something, scientists, ballplayers, thinks they were given their talent for a reason. Why me? Was I given this insightfulness at this particular time? Or was I just given this insightfulness?" He pauses. "I just want people to look out. 'Cause it could be bad."

It's almost touching, because we all know the feeling - you just can see that he is "one of us"...

I wonder if he is the only one of the elite who knows about PO, or if the others are just keeping quiet because they, unlike him, have more to lose than to win if it gets mainstream...

Eli · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 2:58 pm

Exactly the guy is obviously completely full of shit and he has 2 billion dollars to prove it.

Everything is just fine, just fine, I says. Anybody want to go to the mall and buy something? All of sudden I am feeling a little blue.

He is new money my bet is the inner circle of super rich know exactly what is going on they just do not know what the hell to do about it. And they unlike this guy are dead set against the masses hearing about it.

OneLoneClone · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 3:24 pm

Whatch'a been reading, Eli? Nobody uses the term 'the masses' any longer, you radical!

No but seriously I want to be a serf on that guy's manor someday. Dare to dream.

orz · **Joined:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 1:00 am **Posts:** 129

Quote:

The next blowup, however, looms so large that it scares and confuses him. For the past few months he's been holed up in hard-core research mode—reading books, academic studies, and, yes, blogs. Every morning he rises before dawn at one of his houses in Texas or South Carolina or California (he actually owns a piece of Pebble Beach Resorts) and spends four or five hours reading sites like LifeAftertheOilCrash.net or DieOff.org, obsessively following links and sifting through data. How worried is he? He has some $500 million of his $2.5 billion fortune in cash, more than ever before. "I'm long oil and I'm liquid," he says. "I've put myself in a position that if the end of the world came tomorrow I'd kind of be prepared." He's also ready to move fast if he spots an opening.

So this guy reads LATOC and since he is so rich, his voice gets publish, which thuss allows Matt to turn around and point out that the rich belive the site so it must be real. Am I the only one who finds this to be a doomeristic cycle?

Quote:

"Most people invest and then sit around worrying what the next blowup will be," he says. "I do the opposite. I wait for the blowup, then invest."

This guy hasn't made his money predicting catastrophes, he profits from them when they happen.

Now it's possible that there is a conspiracy and that he has secret information that people don't have access to and that this is the most he can say without getting censored, but is it likely? Then again, I may be asking the wrong forum....

Leanan · **Joined:** Thu May 20, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 4673

I'm still wondering if it's someone who posts here. Maybe one of those who is always talking about stocks and trading?

If I had that kind of money, I'd buy my own island. And outfit it to be sustainable, of course.

But I don't, so I, too, am brushing up my skills as a serf. I don't think I'd be very good at guarding the gate, but I come from a long line of peasant farmers. And I've got fish/pondkeeping skills. Richard, if you're here, keep me in mind. :wink:

Eli · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 4:04 pm

orz

obviously yes that is a possibility.

But there are many times where the guy is pensive and is just honestly worried.

You can tell he is just a rich guy who started to see what is going on right now.

Free · **Posted:** Tue Dec 13, 2005 4:15 pm

Lol with so many serfs offering themselves here it is like at some of those places where you can pick up mexicans to help you on the farm :-D

But somebody who is browsing PO-blogs for 5 hours a day certainly stopped by here at some point, he either thought the forum was crap, became addicted and is still among us, or got banned...

Funny, it's a bit like in one of those Agatha Christy crime stories were somebody gets killed on a party and suddenly everybody is under suspicion...

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