[Buggy]

I got to thinking about the size of the world's population. Like 6 billion. I am not sure how many live in the countries dependent on oil. But percentage wise, there are like two of us who believe we are hitting oil's demise as a supporter of the world's economy. We are condsidered cultists. Loons. Wackos. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind. But somehow, shouldn't we be doing more? Or are there too few of us. I watch the traffic on these boards and it is sloooooow compared to my old haunts. As few as we are, when it all comes crashing down, if we have prepared, won't the sheeple just trample over us to get to our goods? What can we do?

[Cloud9]

Hide and watch!

[TheDude]

"peakoil.com"

[kpeavey]

Being such a few, we have the opportunity to discuss matters in depth. A larger forum audience might tend to dilute the subject matter with disorganized and superfluous interjections. While it is true that there are a great many forum topics, those with merit stand out, while the minor subjects get washed away. It is the depth of discussion that brings fine detail and intense clarity to the questions before us.

When the world goes Hobbes, being few does not mean we have to stand out in the crowd. It means we can hide within it. Being able to make projections concerning future events, we are able to plan ahead, giving us a survival advantage. While it is true we may need to hide some of our preps, we are able to foresee this need and act accordingly.

[Mack12345]

Personaly , I have one outher close friend whom is very PO aware . Like me he only pretty recently "got it" but hes got it now for sure .

Both of us are hopeing things drag out a bit so we can make longterm preperations . However we are also discussing a "If TSHTF tomorrow , what do we do ?" type things and we plan on being "in it" together if things suddenly go way south, real fast .

If I were you , id say try to make a few close friends . That are smart , good hearted people . That you truely feel you could trust with your life " you may have to" and start working twords things you can do together . I think a small, like-minded group of true friends/family that are truely doing there best to make preps together is a way to help detract from the fact that there are so few making preps at all .

[Ludi]

I suppose you could post flyers on local bulletin boards (like at the feed store or the equivalent in your part of the country), or start a Peak Oil Meet-up in your town. So there's a couple suggestions.

[doodlebug2]

I have mentioned it to others like co workers and family, but I get the WTF look. Or better ye I get "there is plenty of oil" I am just starting to prepare myself.

[Bas]

OTOH, this week I saw the chairman of peakoil Netherlands being quoted, this time on the front page of one of the largest quality papers in this country. And it's not the first time I saw him being quoted in a newspaper either, and he was on one of the prime newsshows in this country a couple of months ago; I'd say peakoil and it's possible consequences are making the break to the big public at least in this country.

[Buggy]

Being such a few, we have the opportunity to discuss matters in depth. A larger forum audience might tend to dilute the subject matter with disorganized and superfluous interjections. While it is true that there are a great many forum topics, those with merit stand out, while the minor subjects get washed away. It is the depth of discussion that brings fine detail and intense clarity to the questions before us.

When the world goes Hobbes, being few does not mean we have to stand out in the crowd. It means we can hide within it. Being able to make projections concerning future events, we are able to plan ahead, giving us a survival advantage. While it is true we may need to hide some of our preps, we are able to foresee this need and act accordingly.

I do appreciate that. As one of the newbies that is sticking around after the surge in May that clogged up the boards, I always look to the left to see how long, and how many posts the person I am responding to has. The common thread with the lifers here is that PO is coming, if not here already, and the effects are being felt today and will continue to grow in severity, albeit on a seesaw scale upward. And the charts just don't lie about that.

[allenwrench]

I'm not smart enough with tech to run my own website. But wherever I go I discuss Peak Oil and what it will mean to us down the road.

What do I get out of my efforts at educating the sheeple?

Besides an honest interest helping others, I do it in the hopes that the sheeple will start preparing for the new world and plant some fruit trees or other edibles. Or maybe take up cheese making or soap making or other useful skills. And if by chance they move away or die I may be able to adopt some of the fruits of their labor.

This summer I have added many new fruit tree to my 'adopted orchard' that others planted then abandoned.

I got 3 mulberry trees, 3 apple trees. 4 big juicy Europeans and seckel pear trees, an apricot tree, 2 peach trees, a cherry tree, 3 black walnut trees, 3 pawpaw trees, brambles, herbs and possibly some wild grapes.

Now these abandoned tress did not come from peak oilers. But I do not discriminate with any of my adoptions - if the produce tastes good I will be happy to harvest it.

So, as my neighbors prepare and plant food I hope they are successful in their efforts. It will keep them away from knocking on my door for my food if and when TEOTWAK arrives. And if they go away, die or otherwise abandon their trees I will make good use of them.

BTW, buy yourself a few of these harvesters and put them on collapsible poles. I picked almost 14 pounds of apricots just from this one abandoned tree.

[BigTex]

The fact that it's a small community right now is in many ways a blessing.

This board contains a lot of cool, smart, sincere and friendly people. It has been a pleasure to get to know many of them. That kind of thing is almost impossible to do when you have 10 times as many people and a lot more drop-in trouble makers and packs of marauding trolls to deal with.

[allenwrench]

The fact that it's a small community right now is in many ways a blessing.

This board contains a lot of cool, smart, sincere and friendly people. It has been a pleasure to get to know many of them. That kind of thing is almost impossible to do when you have 10 times as many people and a lot more drop-in trouble makers and packs of marauding trolls to deal with.

Well, as of late, I've taken a lot of my forum biz elsewhere.

I found this board has tendency to micromanage people and their posts into nice, neat files at the expense of fostering discussion.

They tend to move my threads into existing gargantuan threads and I get no replies at the end of 30 something pages of old posts. I don't have time to waste like that any more.

Now, there is nothing wrong with combining threads of very similar topics. But other times threads need to be left on their own, for at least a time to gather replies before combining into the larger thread...if that is your predisposition to file things nice and neat.

Personally I would let every thread stand on it own. I have no interest in Martha Stewart anal retentiveness or micromanagement.

[Bytesmiths]

BTW, buy yourself a few of these harvesters and put them on collapsible poles.

Nice! Where'd you get yours?

[allenwrench]

BTW, buy yourself a few of these harvesters and put them on collapsible poles.

Nice! Where'd you get yours?

Hardware stores True Value, Do It, Coop, etc. they may have to order one...just a few $$.

[BigTex]

allenwrench, thanks for the suggestion. I will see what we can do about addressing it.

[allenwrench]

allenwrench, thanks for the suggestion. I will see what we can do about addressing it.

Thanks.

My complaint is mainly in the Planning section. The rest of the board is not too bad.

[jbeckton]

OTOH, this week I saw the chairman of peakoil Netherlands being quoted, this time on the front page of one of the largest quality papers in this country. And it's not the first time I saw him being quoted in a newspaper either, and he was on one of the prime newsshows in this country a couple of months ago; I'd say peakoil and it's possible consequences are making the break to the big public at least in this country.

Agreed, and remember that we are still at war but the hot topic seems to be gas prices (not that they are completely unrelated).

I think people are starting to wake up to the reality that a transition has begun. Just look at the Hummer, the hottest status symbol just 2 years ago, now being discontinued. SUV’s and pick-up trucks rot on the lot while the fuel efficient cars replace them. For the first time the consumer is beginning to demand more efficient products because they NEED more efficient products.

This will do much to drive change. How much and how fast?

Only time will tell.

[patience]

Fruit harvester is available at Harbor Freight. I got one there.

On topic, we few are getting the word out as time goes by, aided greatly by higher gas prices. I find people much more receptive to the idea lately.

[Buggy]

Fruit harvester is available at Harbor Freight. I got one there.

On topic, we few are getting the word out as time goes by, aided greatly by higher gas prices. I find people much more receptive to the idea lately.

But they are so easily lulled back into complacancy. "Gas prices are going down! Everything is good again!" Really? $125 a barrel is a bargain? We are still awaiting the impact of $100 a barrel.

[Bytesmiths]

Fruit harvester is available at Harbor Freight.

Cool! Next trip south...

On topic, we few are getting the word out as time goes by, aided greatly by higher gas prices. I find people much more receptive to the idea lately.

I just led an intensive two-week Permaculture Design Certificate course. Few in the 30+ students were totally unaware, but few were fully aware, either. In the session titled "Energy Decline," we brainstormed solutions. The first item called out was "suicide," and I let it run for about ten minutes before wrenching the class back.

So I think awareness is growing, but one has to go through the proverbial stages of grief before one finally arrives at "taking action."