Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Non-Bakken Links: All Bakken All The Time? Skip This Post; Scroll Down; Sidebar At The Right

Active rigs in North Dakota: 188 (steady overnight)

All Bakken All The Time at the sidebar at the right

WSJ Links

Section D (personal journal)
Walter Mossberg on "sometimes they're tablets, sometimes they're not." That's how I felt about the new Microsoft Surface, but I don't think that's what Mossberg is talking about today. We'll see. These are the three hardware devices he reviews: HP Envy x2 (weak processor; 5-hour battery); Asus Taichi 21 (complicated; a "heavy" tablet); and, Toshiba's Satellite U925t (4-hour battery). Bottom line: "None of these three convertibles is optimal and different people will have different tastes. But as someone who values tablets partly for their sleekness, I'd pick the HP, which includes a real tablet, if I had to choose. I only wish that, as a laptop, it had more storage and a snappier processor."

Section C (Money & Investing): Nothing. At most, "soybean futures up 1.6%."

Section B (Marketplace):
Great article: why lithium batteries are prized. The science behind the Dreamliner batteries.
The challenge for battery makers has been to boost the amount of energy that can be stored in a given volume—and that is where lithium-ion technology shines. A lithium-ion power-pack can deliver more energy than a similar-size battery based on another metal, a measure known as energy density.
That is why lithium batteries were compelling to the 787's designers. The Dreamliner was crafted to allow for big fuel savings and weight reductions, some of which are enabled by the small but powerful lithium-ion batteries Boeing is using.
Lithium is the least dense of all metals and highly electropositive, which means it delivers a high voltage. Lithium-ion batteries pack twice as much energy density as nickel-metal-hydride versions, and four to six times as much energy density of the lead-acid battery found in many cars, according to Stanley Whittingham, a professor of chemistry and expert on lithium-ion batteries at Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y.
Lithium also is the third-smallest element after hydrogen and helium. "Because it is small, you can pull it in and out of materials easily" compared with other elements that are bigger and can't be moved so easily, said Clare Grey, professor of materials chemistry at the University of Cambridge, England.
Front page:
Can a whole city stick to a diet? Fat chance. Boston resolved to drop a million pounds: 74,597 pounds later, a gut check.
In June, a mere two months after the challenge began, the city kicked off "Fitness on the Plaza," a series of free exercise classes for the citizenry to work off its blubber. But the same week in the same place—City Hall Plaza—Boston tempted the sweet tooth by hosting the annual "Scooper Bowl," billed as the nation's largest all-you-can-eat ice-cream festival, offering delicacies from Rockin' Poppin' Cotton Candy to Hunka Chunka PB Fudge.
Whatever. Boston is also home to some of the biggest beer-tasting and beer craft shows throughout the year. And we haven't even mentioned the huge "hot dogs" in the stands across from the Green Monster.

And that's about it. There was an op-ed on Phil's comments. It appears, based on comments I received, there are a few people, at least, all things being equal, if given the opportunity, would move to a high-tax state. Most folks, however, all things being equal, if given the same opportunity, would move to a no-tax state.  I was thinking of doing a poll, but common sense prevailed. But you can do your own poll: ask your friends -- "All things being equal, if you had the opportunity, would you like to live in a high-tax state or a no-tax state." Interestingly, this is not as easy as it sounds. Remember, you can't qualify it by saying that with higher taxes, one would have better schools, or better roads, or better health care, the critical phase is "all things being equal." The only thing different: high taxes or no taxes.

And with that, back to the Bakken. I hear it's five degrees colder than the norm in Chicago today. Brrr! Watch natural gas prices.

2 comments:

  1. "high tax"

    High tax on you, or me?

    Most may assume that someone else will pay the tax.

    Anon 1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As usual, insightful.

      Yes, about 47% of Americans would not be affected by a "high tax" stage. Smile.

      Delete