Guest srobak Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 There is some weird rice problem going on, though as some of the stores in our area (Sam's?) have limited the amount you can buy. What - one 50 pound burlap sack isn't quite cutting it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Is it New Jersey or New York that still require an attendant to fill your gas? I think Oregon does too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Incomes have risen since 1975 OB. Not nearly at the same rate as everything else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 There is some weird rice problem going on, though as some of the stores in our area (Sam's?) have limited the amount you can buy. What - one 50 pound burlap sack isn't quite cutting it? Maybe Kev has concluded he can, indeed, use Burlap as speaker grill material. [] http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/69073.aspx?PageIndex=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwillwalk Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 costco 93 octaine $ 3.39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 According to the internet, here are at least three ways to reduce the cost of your gas. 1) 40% off, legal, if not a scam: Join a club that sells prepaid gas cards. The one I found says you pay $60 for a $100 card. 2) 90% off, not legal, probably not true: There was a youtube video of this a while back, but it is gone and now various sites are selling the method for about $12. This one is based on a presumed software bug in some modern fuel pumps that does not account for specific operator control actions on the pump that would never need to be done during a normal fillup (changing the gas grade as if to mix grades or as if one started with one grade and decided to use another). The video might have been faked. It showed that a change of grade selection during a fillup caused the accumulated charged price to freeze, but the pump kept going. In the video the guy ran up just over $5 buck of regular, then stopped pumping, selected premium, resumed pumping, and the total price stayed on $5 for the rest of the fillup. If true, this is traceable after the fact if one used a card, and would be risky if one paid cash and the attendent noticed the discrepancy on their pump monitor... clearly stealing, if true. Note: there was a recent official news story about the glitch on some pumps in Mich. that allowed no charge gas to be pumped for a few days by using one's driver's license. About 100 people did this before it was fixed, and the police are contacting them as the pumps stored the DL #s as part of the transaction log. 3) 100% free, legal: many businesses will provide you a gift card for gas to display their advertising on your vehicle. Going rate seems to be $200/month. Now won't it be cool when all the cars on the road are decked out to look like NASCAR racers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Incomes have risen since 1975 OB. Not nearly at the same rate as everything else... I think it is at nearly the same rate +/-, but if you have figures to back it up, then show us. Of course starting at 1975 will include the worst inflation of the last 40 years, so let's see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Kev is right about rice. Prices have gone way up recently, which has been causing problems where they consume a lot of rice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Actually, I believe I have seen comparisons over time of wages vs. CPI. It seems that purchasing power is higher today. There's no reason not to love China.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 My personal economic index: 1965: 1 hour of work at McDonalds after school paid for 4 gallons of regular gas. My car got 32mpg. 2007: 1 hour of work at McDonalds pays for just 2 gallons of regular gas, and cars get around 32mpg. Uh oh. Productivity gains since 1965: 500% Uh oh......where'd the money go? Good points,speaking as an average joe I can tell you working wages have not gone up with everything else.That's not to say many people don't make a good wage,even more now than back in the day.The average joe would be making about $100k per year if wages kept up.My dad paid decent carpenters $10 an hour in 1973,I can hire decent carpenters today for $10 per hr,pitiful. That said,it took a long time to get here and more than enough blame to go around,and things could be worse. As to gas,about 3.60 in southern IN. We need to make speculators put the cash money up,no more gambling without the cash,prices will fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 My personal economic index: 1965: 1 hour of work at McDonalds after school paid for 4 gallons of regular gas. My car got 32mpg. 2007: 1 hour of work at McDonalds pays for just 2 gallons of regular gas, and cars get around 32mpg. Uh oh. Productivity gains since 1965: 500% Uh oh......where'd the money go? That implies you are still working at mcDonalds at the same position for 43 years. Congratulations! And, that you measure your wages by the price of a single commodity. Well, I guess in a "Road Warrior" world that would be valid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Gas is only up 41% in the last year what a bargain. I't's that 300% in the last 5 years that's a killer. Especially when I'm lucky to get a single digit salary increase every couple of years. When things were going better I've avoided plotting my salary against inflation as people said it'd make me sick.... we were disappointed the raises weren't as frequent as we'd like or as large as we'd hoped for ... now we're just thankful we've survived the latest round of outsourcing, that the politicians all say is good for us, and remain employed. Oh, that's the problem, good for us from a pro pol is good for the pro pols, not us as in you and I. On the other hand, I have a vehicle and decent home and don't have to scrounge for rice and bugs to eat and sleep on a dirt floor. Life is good compared to many in the world. But this $3.xx and soon to be $4.xx a gallon for gas is killing me. So maybe it's time to quit whining and find a cheap scooter to ride to work in the summer months or lube up my bicycle and ride it to work but the drivers around here don't treat bicyclists with any respect and I'd likely get run over by a redneck in an oversized 4x4 as he fumbled with his can o chew juice or lighter as can't wait to a stop light to light up ma next smoke. And I'd be all hot and sweaty - no shower facilities though I suppose I could towel off and take a change of clothes.... Have to plan a low traffic route. Of course even at only around a relatively flat 8 miles it'd probably take me at least a half hour or more to begin with. Time to dust off my helmet and dig out my flag... less of an excuse to hit ya with a bright orange flag flag flapping in the breeze. Might need a decent spray bottle for unfriendly dogs as I probably can't outrun 'em anymore. Of course now days I could probably easily sue the owner.... just not willing to suffer bodily pain and potential mauling for a few $. Maybe toss 'em a biscuit like our mail carrier. Isn't running bicyclists off the road part of the redneck olympics? Extra points if you whack 'em with a broom as you drive by. Bonus style points if you do it while standing on top of the side of the bed. Or get a motor cycle though my rhematologist would probably want to talk me out of it.... though they ain't cheap anymore either. Wouldn't need much power for basic transportation though. Anyone remember the Honda 90's? One of my uncles had a couple. Pretty much an adult sized mini bike. That'd be about all I'd need for 8 miles one way into town and back. Probably more than enough power to get into trouble, but not out of trouble so maybe a 125cc or 250cc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Is gasoline really that large a part of your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 My personal economic index: 1965: 1 hour of work at McDonalds after school paid for 4 gallons of regular gas. My car got 32mpg. 2007: 1 hour of work at McDonalds pays for just 2 gallons of regular gas, and cars get around 32mpg. Uh oh. Productivity gains since 1965: 500% Uh oh......where'd the money go? 1 hour of work at McDonalsd around here probably won't buy more than 1 - 1/2 gallons, though I'm assuming teenagers that haven't worked there for 43 years. Over the last 2 to 4 years, maybe 5 to 6, assuming a consistent 40 hour work week, I probably work at least twice as long to buy a gallon of gas. The only way to bring down the cost of gas is to quit buying it. But most of us are slaves to our cars and trucks. Time to find a cheap substitute. Yeah, like that's easy to do. Diesel's even more lately but a diesel engine can run on used cooking oil that hasn't been hydrogenated, if it is strained and can be kept thin enough. I'd seriously investigate that if I had a diesel. Don't put diesel in your gas engine .... tends to really foul things up at least a couple of decades ago, probably even worse and quicker now. Added advantage of burning cooking oil in your diesel is that it doesn't smell as bad and allegedly runs cleaner. I think I read once that a school corporation in Indiana runs there buses off diesel made from recycled chicken fat. I'll have to investigate to see if that's for real or a hoax or I was dreamin'. I've known people that have run gas engines on propane ... what about methane ... some of my cousins are dairy farmers and really bright guys... cows produce quite a bit of methane I've heard now we just need to figure out how to capture it and use it. or maybe I can telecomute more but management has to justify desk space ... also out of sight is out of mind ... if I'm gonna get laid off or outsourced I want to be told in person though my local management does work very hard to keep us all busy but we're just a resource to the upper management ... bottom line's hurting, time to realign the human capitol to the business .... in all too many companies, the short term rules no matter what the long term consequences are... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 "scrounge for rice and bugs to eat and sleep on a dirt floor. So maybe it's time to quit whining and find a cheap scooter to ride to work" Sounds like our future here. Sounds like Wal-Merts labor pool. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Does anyone know of any examples of a station that still operates letting the customer fill up without payment first? I haven't seen one of these places in years. Not very many.... The stations with the old non-electronic pumps are like that. Stopped at one like that out in the middle of nowwhere, maybe along Florida highway 70 to / from GMLA51's compound (compound fits, area 51 has moved to FL) a few weeks ago I think there's at least one or two stations that don't require payment in advance here in Kokotucky. I think I've also seen a couple of signs that say prepay after a certain time around here also but they are getting fewer and fewer. Besides, pay at the pump means we can buy gas 24x7.... no need to have an attendant with self serve pay at the pump. Don't you miss the gas doors from a few years back that had a release in the front and usually a back up in the trunk? I mean at $3 to $4 a gallon I'm expecting siphoning gas out of parked cars is going to become more and more of a problem. Had that on an 86 Sable and it's on our 94 Saturn but not on 96 Dodge Dakota, 97 Chrysler Sebring, or the 2005 Grand Caravan. Wonder why they quit including that feature? May have to get a locking gas cap but then another key to have to mess with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I was wondering if anyone has seen the guy that uses water to weld/power cars etc...4oz goes 100 miles.Askbob sent me a clip from FOX 26 in FL I think it was.It says congress has ask him in for a demo,looked real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 The "burning salt water" thing hasn't been "numbered" yet by the super smart people---how much energy required to burn salt water. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Soon we will be hearing 6 and the 7 dollars a gallon. BTW rice has gone up 122% in the last year, corn 66% while gas is only up 41%. Yeah, I have boycotted both rice and corn! The nerve of those people trying to gouge us like that! its cause of biofuels..... for corn prices going up. Oh btw, that 85/15 ethanol blend has less energy per mol then 100% gasoline so you have to use more gas to get the same amount of energy. Also by using biofuels, we use more energy by transporting the corn, distilling it, and blending it then just refining oil. Oh and if you wanted to fill a 25 gallon gastank full of pure biofuels, you would need more corn and wheat then a person eats in one year for that tank. On top of that, biofuel burns dirtier than standard gasoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Is it New Jersey or New York that still require an attendant to fill your gas? NJ, I haven't filled a tank of gas by myself in a while. OH BTW we have cheaper gas then you [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.