Poll: Will North Dakota's October Daily Production Be More/Less Than The September Daily Production? -- December 7, 2015

North Dakota oil production was down from 1.188 million bopd in August, 2015, to 1.162 million bopd in September, 2015.  We have had at least two reports that suggest the October, 2015, North Dakota production will be about 1.2 million bopd when the December Director's Cut comes out next week.

Great time for a poll.

Will North Dakota oil production in October, 2015, be more or less than what it was in September, 2015? More or less than 1.162 million bopd?

• More?
• Less?

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The Vital Question

I am not a fan of Bill Gates. But I was curious what his "favorite" seven books for 2015 were. I about fell off my chair. Number six on his list was The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life, by Nick Lane. It was also one of the best books I read in 2015. I don't read much contemporary stuff, preferring to stick to the classics or material related to the classics. But this one caught my attention. I've read it once. I am now going back and outlining it, and will end up reading it a third time. It's deceptively simple but very, very difficult to fully understand. Whether one can say it deals with metaphysics or not, I don't know, but I think it does, or comes very, very close. In the process, it is very, very difficult not to think of an intelligent designer.  For someone interested in eradicating diseases from the earth, it's an important book to read, and that's probably why it's on his list.

Many of his other picks reflect his longtime interest in science and the environment. Gates recommends Nancy Ley Stepan's "Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?" but warns that it's "written in a very academic style."

I don't recall if I posted a note on Randall Munroe/xkcd:

Even Gates' pick for a "fun" book is an intelligent one. He praises Randall Munroe's "Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words" for its "laugh-out-loud funny" jokes. Gates has been a fan of Munroe, the artist behind the webcomic xkcd, for a while; he recommended two of the writer's books in his list of summer recommendations this year.

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The First Weekend of Leaves Is Complete

Updates

December 8, 2015: a reader noted that OSHA will get involved if I don't provide Sophia with ...

• safety/reflective vest
• steel-tipped boots
• eye protection (glasses/goggles)
• hard hat
• hearing protection if she uses a leaf blower

She also needs proof of a safety training course. Not required, but highly recommended: sun screen. Nothing has been mentioned, yet, child labor laws, but those will be coming, I'm sure. 

Original Post

For background, see this post.

Twenty-one bags. Sophia did a great job. She is now checking each one for tears or damage to the bags -- she is also in charge of quality assurance.