September TWIP and July VMT

One of the metrics of the economy that serves as a marker to me on how we are doing relates to the use of vehicles, and as a consequence the...

Wind Energy Makes Progress, but will it be enough?

Over the last few days there have been several stories of wind energy, none in themselves remarkable, but which, put together show the progr...

Faster drilling in Chile

Someone recently told me that after you had been retired a while, you wondered how you ever found time for work. Given that this is the wee...

Ohio's historic temperatures, TOBS and USHCN averages

I have reached Ohio, in checking on how the temperatures of the states have varied over the last hundred or more years. Given that this is ...

The technology of grouting

For the last two technical talks I have been explaining how, by bolting rock layers around an opening, spraying concrete on the walls of t...

Does the fossil fuel industry need innovation?

Most of the posts that I write tend to deal with the technical side of energy production, rather than more philosophical discussions. Howev...

The TWIP and changes in regulations

There has been some talk recently of the current Administration raising taxes on oil and natural gas companies. Specifically the suggestion...

Indigenous Energy - Pakistan, India and Bangladesh

Yesterday and this morning I spent my time helping clear up the damage from a storm that hit our town over the summer. We were away, and se...

Deepwater Oil Spill - closing the well and the series

The operations to seal the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf have now succeeded in putting cement plugs into the well that have effectivel...

The Indiana TOBS temperatures

Back in June I reached the State of Indiana in my survey of how time had affected the state temperatures around the country, and whether t...

Flexible roof support systems

(Note this is part of the series that usually appears on Sundays). In the last Tech Talk , I discussed the use of rock bolts as a way of bui...

The Gulf and Chile - two quick updates

A couple of quick updates. Firstly Admiral Allen has now announced that the relief well intersected the original well late last night: Th...

Deepwater Oil Spill - patiently waiting, Chilean drilling, and coal in Europe

Well, although the Admiral said that the intersection of the relief well with the Deepwater Horizon well would occur within 24-hours of his ...

Deepwater Oil Spill - nearing intersection, hurricanes, the TWIP and gold

Progress on the Deepwater Horizon well is going well enough that the Admiral considers it likely that the remaining work (other than plug a...