Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Oil Surges -- Evening March 11, 2026 -- After Two Iraqi Tankers Struck In Iraqi Waters -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50197EPICFURY.

For a country that has no more targets to be hit by the allies, it certainly seems that country still has a lot of fight. Link here.


 At March 11, 2026, 9:14 p.m. CT

Not Only Do Macs Look Like "THE" Value Option, But It Appears Apple Has Broken Moore's Law -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50196APPLE.

Updates

March 17, 2026: link here -- and now, sold out .... 

Original Post 

Link here

The data shows, that for the toughest multi-core tasks, Apple has more than tripled computational performance in just five years
It is also relevant to note Apple’s statement that the M5 Pro/Mac systems deliver over six times the peak AI compute we got from the original M1 systems
That’s faster progress than Moore’s Law, which says computational performance should double every 18-24 months, and that trajectory shows how quickly Apple’s Macs have become highly competitive at the highest reaches of the PC industry. 
Gone are the thermal throttling limitations that plagued Intel Macs during high-end tasks, in comes the capacity to use Apple’s computers when sustained performance is required.

This is really, really cool. I spotted this -- and predicted this -- back in June, 2024

AI prompt: apple tim cook presentation youtube silicon neural 

AI reply:

Not recognized now, and probably not recognized since, this may be the crowing achievement of Tim Cook, perhaps even measuring up to Steve Jobs' famous / amazing introduction of the iPhone.

The iPhone made Apple the $4 trillion company it has become, but Tim Cook's team has moved the entire "compute" so much farther, so much faster than anyone could imagine / has imagined.

Apple didn't just break Moore's Law, the company shattered it. And they did it smartly.

I'll quit here but much more could be said.  

I can't believe how good this post was -- interestingly, it is one of the most frequentd sites on the blog -- back in June, 2024. Linked above.  

Geek Data:


MacBook Neo: for routine tasks, which only require single-core -- beats the incredible M3 Mac single core -- 3,467 to 3,135. By 10%. Single core is what we used to call a "CPU." 

Another Small Example Of The Halo Effect In The Bakken -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50195B.

From today's daily activity report, two DUCs reported as completed, link here:

  • 41414, 785, Slawson, Atlas 3-21-16H, McKenzie County;
  • 41415, 775, Slawson, Atlas 2-21-16H, McKenzie County;

Well of interest:

  • 22331, AL/A, Slawson, Atlas 1-16-2H, Ellsworth, t7/12; cum 248K 1/26; tested 6/20/12; 32 stages; 247155 pounds proppant; 49,243 bbls fluid; recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
BAKKEN1-2026313646380518607746949142400
BAKKEN12-2025313973400920258813654282553
BAKKEN11-2025303453326717998698329243910
BAKKEN10-20251229022485101425829195751
BAKKEN9-20251008990
BAKKEN8-20250000000
BAKKEN7-20250000000
BAKKEN6-202515360487447997764158
BAKKEN5-202518584488927138912929
BAKKEN4-202530659729785203618808
BAKKEN3-20253177110338782308209459

 A little farther east, another well of some interest: #29141.

Three New Permits; Three DUCs Reported As Completed -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50194B.

WTI: $94.27; up 8.05% today; up $7.02 / bbl today;

  • status of war unknown;
  • US unable to stop Iran from laying mines in the strait;
  • at least one cargo ship was "hit" trying to go through the strait today;

Active rigs: 26.

Three new permits, #42757 - #42759, inclusive:

  • Operator: EOG
  • Field: Spotted Horn (McKenzie County)
  • Comments:
    • EOG has permits for three Bear Den wells, SESE 31-150-94, 
      • to be sited 645 FSL and 372 / 452 FEL 

Three producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

  • 41146, 579, BR, Devils Backbone 5C, McKenzie County;
  • 41414, 785, Slawson, Atlas 3-21-16H, McKenzie County;
  • 41415, 775, Slawson, Atlas 2-21-16H, McKenzie County;

META Accquires Moltbook -- A Social Network For Bots -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50193META. 

Tag: META Moltbook social netbook for bots

If one wants to know what this is all about, one may want to start with the article by Gideon Lewis-Kraus, "I, Claudius," in the February 9, 2026, issue of The New Yorker. Link here. Not at the link but in the article itself which I photocopied back in February and sent to extended family members highly versed in "such things." Things continue to move at warp speed.

This Was Announced In February By The Company -- For Some Reason, It's Now Being Reported Everywhere -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50192YAMAHA. 

Relocations are tracked here.  And here. And here.

Yamaha, after 50 years in California, is moving to Kennesaw, Georgia. 

Press release here

Is Starbucks' Plan B To Move To Nashville, TN? March 11, 2026

Locator: 50191STARBUCKS. 
Locator: 50191WEALTHTAX. 

From the blog, May 12, 2025:

Coffee shops: 

  • the US now has a new coffee shop chain to take on Starbucks; The Black Sheep -- 100 locations, mostly in London, northern England; only three in the US: two in Dallas; one in Grapevine, TX (suburb of Dallas where we live); "coming": Miami.
  • not to be outdone, the White Bison is even more select and more American; a Nashville, TN-based operation about to go nationwide
  • 21 locations: Newbern, TN; Athens, TN; throughout Nashville, TN-area; several in Huntsville, AL-area; and that's it 

I'm not sure why I posted that, but it incredibly coincidental -- I know all three, the White Bison, Nashville, TN; and Starbucks, and The Black Sheep here in Grapevine, Sophia's favorite coffee shop for the frappes.

Now this: Starbucks news --

  • first, the state of Washington just passed a "wealth tax"; 
  • immediately, the former CEO departs the state and heads for Florida; and, 
  • Starbucks -- in the middle of its move ..

Starbucks:

  • will establish a new Starbucks corporate office in Nashville, TN!
  • no, the report says Starbucks is not moving to Florida or Tennessee yet, 
  • but it certainly sounds like the company (headquarters) is getting ready to move somewhere.

It's being reported here: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/03/11/nolte-hours-after-democrat-run-wa-passes-wealth-tax-former-starbucks-ceo-flees-to-fl/.  

The big question is: what will happen to Microsoft?

The "millionaires tax" (9.9% on "high" annual income) is set to take effect on January 1, 2028, with payments starting in 2029. Therefore, Microsoft's actions in the short term (2026-2027) will likely focus on overturning the law before it takes effect. 

Plan A: overturn the law. 

Plan B

  • California;
  • Texas; 
  • Nashville; or
  • Florida 

USAA has two national operations centers, for security reasons after "9/11" terrorism, one in Texas (San Antonio / HQ) and Arizona (Phoenix). 

It looks like Starbucks is considering something similar.

Unless things have changed, the current Starbucks CEO lives in San Diego and commutes to work in Seattle. 

Off The Net For Awhile -- Going Biking -- Tired Of All The Smoke And Mirrors -- This Morning -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50190BIKING.

Smoke and mirrors:

  • that new Texas refinery;
  • the Iran war;
  • ethanol / E15 debate.
  • US running out of oil; need to tap into the SPR that Biden drained; now this: 

There's so much oil and refined products sloshing around in tankers (along the coast; international waters); in pipelines; in automobiles, etc., etc. There's no shortage, no need to tap into the SPR. 

Second week of a four- to six-week war. 


Except for all those missiles, drones, and now mines being placed in the Strait of Hormuz by the completely destroyed Iranian navy. And Israel is now telling its neighbors to the north to evacuate because the nation with no more targets to hit is now beginning a new onslaught on Israel (and apparently its neighbor to the north).

It gets tedious. Me? Playing the long game and going biking, although it's freezing out there right now. Hyperbole. 

 

PSA: Highly Recommend Folks Interested In How Canadian Production / Pipelines Affect American Refineries -- RBN's Article On Same Is Now Available -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50189CANADA.
Locator: 50189PIPELINES.  

There is so much in this article.

Note: TC Energy / South Bow. Did TC Energy change its name to "South Bow" as the article implies?

RBN Energy: how Canadian crude oil export capacity has struggled to keep upwith production. Link here. Archived.

Canadian crude oil production has nearly doubled over the past decade, with nearly all of those gains coming from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). With those volumes continuing to grow, producers, pipeline companies and politicians are discussing options to add export capacity out of the region. In today’s RBN blog, the second of a series, we review the major pipeline projects that have expanded markets for WCSB barrels since 2010 and how the timing of those pipeline capacity additions lined up with WCSB supply growth. 

As we said in Part 1, Canadian production recently hit 5.6 MMb/d, and all but 4% of that output comes from the WCSB. The near doubling of production since 2010 is largely attributable to Alberta’s oil sands, as producers invested heavily in both newbuild and expansion projects, especially from the late 2000s through the mid-2010s. So far this decade, Canadian production growth has been driven more by improved capacity utilization at oil-sands projects and growing conventional heavy oil and condensate production than by major oil-sands capacity expansion projects.

Let’s start by looking at the WCSB’s current export pipeline capacity. Figure 1 below shows the six pipeline systems that transport WCSB crude oil to outside markets, along with other key pipeline systems moving Canadian crude within the U.S. The 3.2-MMb/d Enbridge Mainline system (light-pink lines) moves roughly two-thirds of all WCSB export volumes, transporting an average of nearly 3.1 MMb/d across the North Dakota border in H1 2025. The recently expanded, now 890-Mb/d Trans Mountain system (dark-purple line) is the second-largest system; it moved an average of 730 Mb/d to Pacific markets in H1 2025, while South Bow’s 610-Mb/d Keystone Pipeline (medium-blue line) moved 576 Mb/d across the North Dakota border in the same six months. The remaining three pipelines — Enbridge’s 310-Mb/d Express (medium-pink line), Plains Midstream Canada’s 100-Mb/d Rangeland (dark-green line) and Inter Pipeline’s 20-Mb/d Milk River (light-green line) — together moved around 340 Mb/d across the Montana border in H1 2025.

Western Canada’s three largest outbound pipeline systems, the Enbridge Mainline, Keystone and Trans Mountain pipeline systems, have all provided major capacity increases over the past 16 years. Unfortunately for Canadian crude producers, some of these capacity expansions started up much later than originally expected, largely because of permitting delays. These delays have played a key role in persistently steep price discounts for WCSB crude, as production in excess of demand sometimes outpaced export pipeline capacity. 

E15 -- Does Little To Boost Ethanol Demand -- More Smoke And Mirrors -- Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Locator: 50188B. 

WTI: $87.56. Up $4.11 overnight; up 4.93% overnight. 

On news that after almost two weeks of heaviest bombing ever, and 90% destruction of the Iranian navy, that same navy is able to completely close the strait by laying mines. 
On top of this, Iran is shipping more oil than before the war -- by letting its ships get through the strait but not ships from other countries. At least that's what I'm reading. 

New wells reporting:

  • Friday, March 13, 2026: 13 for the month, 119 for the quarter, 119 for the year, 
  • 42237, conf, BR, Sandie 2C MBH-R,
  • 41821, conf, BR, Rolla 6I, 
  • 41603, conf, BR, Sivertson 6F, 
  • Thursday, March 12, 2026: 10 for the month, 116 for the quarter, 116 for the year, 
  • None.
  • Wednesday, March 11, 2026: 10 for the month, 116 for the quarter, 116 for the year,
  • None.

RBN Energy: reality sucks. E15 plays role in summer gasoline debate, but does little to boost ethanol demand. Link here. Archived.

There’s no shortage of debate around ethanol and gasoline with the summer driving season just around the corner. Farm and biofuels groups are pushing hard for policies favoring expanded ethanol use, while refiners are lobbying for changes to improve the workings of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With winter winding down and summer gasoline planning already underway, fuel industry groups are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to repeat the last-minute fuel rule changes it issued last year again in 2026. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll dive into the debate about ethanol blending and gasoline regulations.

Let’s start with the basics. Most gasoline available at U.S. pumps today is E10, or gasoline blended with up to 10% ethanol, an alcohol typically produced from corn. E15 is gasoline blended with up to15% ethanol. It is approved by the EPA for use in flexible-fuel vehicles and all vehicles in model year 2001 and newer, although its consumer availability is far more limited. (Just 2%-3% of U.S. gasoline stations sell E15 today.) But E15’s use is prohibited in motorcycles, vehicles with heavy-duty engines (i.e., school buses and delivery trucks), off-road vehicles (boats and snowmobiles), equipment engines (chain saws and lawnmowers) and conventional vehicles older than model year 2001.

That Indian-Backed Proposed Texas Refinery -- The Numbers Don't Add Up -- It's All Smoke And Mirrors -- March 11, 2026

Locator: 50187SMOKEANDMIRRORS. 

This is incredibly disappointing that the American public is being deceived on this one. Remember, this was being touted as a "$300-billion refinery" by some on social medai and then closer reading of what Trump actually said as a $300-billion "deal" and no one ever spelled out how that we arrived at "a $300-billion deal." 

To put that $3 billion to $4 billion in perspective, Elon Musk's new LDC in Vicksburg, Mississippi is projected to cost $20 billion. And there will be lot more LDCs built than new refineries.  

From AI/wiki:

Texas refinery: Trump's announcement yesterday -- "that $300 billion refinery" as reported by some on social media -- there's no way that refinery will cost $300 billion -- Mr Trump, in his usual abbreviated tweet -- implied it was a $300-billion refinery (he clearly said $300 billion deal) and those on social media that commented on it clearly stated it was a $300 billion refinery. The numbers simply don't add up. At most the refinery will cost at most $7 billion. The $300 billion must include the products that India will buy from that refinery over decades. It's a 168,000-bod refinery -- run the numbers yourself. In addition, the article at the link says projected cost for a new refinery these days is running $40,000 / refined bbl which in this case, 168,000 bbls x $40,00 / bbl = $6.7 billion. Link here to Reuters. Link here to earlier post. Archived

In addition, if you check wiki, you can see how incredibly small this refinery is compared to the other refineries in the, particularly along the Texas / Louisiana coast. This refinery will be about the same size as the refinery that is supposedly going up in Trenton, ND. 

I may have some facts and figures wrong, $4 billion vs $7 billion, but I'm pretty sure this refinery is not costing $300 billion as some on social media have suggested. This would be like Amazon valuing a new fulfillment center as the cost of the center itself plus the entire inventory it sells over the next 50 years.

And, as Mr Trump said, this only offsets the huge trade deficit we have with India. This is all smoke and mirrors.  

******************************************
The Fold


Re-posting from yesterday:

Locator: 50184B. 

Compare the projected prices of the North Dakota and the Texas projects below. 

From today, March 10, 2026, president Trump alerted me to this today -- see below the fold -- archived

Meanwhile, in North Dakota:

***********************************
The Fold

Link here. Archived

President Trump refers to this as  $300-billion project. I'm not sure where the "$300-billion figure" is coming from!?

Has any refinery anywhere ever cost $300 billion?