Nobrainer’s Think Tank

Seventeen days have elapsed since my last phone call was made to OnRebate. If I count correctly, this was the third phone call I’ve made in about the last month.

This time I talked to “Shawn” who assured me again that my check for $5.50 would be processed and sent within the next 7 to 10 business days. (Although I didn’t get any explanation — nor did I ask — why it wasn’t sent within the last 10 business days.)

If I have to call again, they swear I’ll get to talk to a manager, my issue will be “escalated” and then I’ll… probably have to wait another 7 to 10 business days for a check.

Then it’s off to the BBB and state AG, or whoever else.

You know what’s annoying? Getting a tiny product shipped to you in a grossly oversized box that is filled with those damned Styrofoam peanuts. You know what I just learned, those things are damned expensive.

Last I was at Staples pricing some shipping materials. Two cubic feet of packing peanuts — or roughly 2 ounces — costs $9.99. The little biodegradable ones are like $6.99 for one cubic foot.

I had no idea that I’ve thrown away that much cash. Unbelievable.

The Saudis are key player in the OPEC cartel. They’re the biggest and lowest cost producer. And they are usually the ones expected to significantly alter their output. When the Chavezes of the world stamp their feet and throw temper tantrums complaining that the oil price is too low, they are very reluctant to give up major capacity (and when they do give up major capacity it’s usually an inadvertent result of mismanagement). OPEC is great for oil producers, but not so great for the average customer. So why not bribe/subsidize the Saudis to leave OPEC?

I propose we promise them a long term price guarantee. That may not be a bribe, but bribe just sounds sexier and more dangerous. We’ll give them them difference between $55 (just a number I picked) a barrel and the market price on the condition that they run at peak output and turn a deaf ear to OPEC production quotas. Maybe even ramp up the price fifty cents for every dollar oil goes below $35. Let’s get the Saudis to overproduce.

What does this accomplish?

The worst case scenario is that someone else steps up to limit oil supply. The prices stay the same and we owe the Saudis nothing.

A better case, is that world oil prices decline. This is great for consumers all over the world. It also seriously affects the revenues going to Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. (Exxon and the oil companies would also probably return to where they spend the most of their time: making only modest profits.)

And what’s the cost? We’d be overpaying, maybe by a lot, for something like 10 million barrels of oil per day. But since we use roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day in America, we gain every time oil is below the $55 price floor.

This may not exactly be free trade or fair trade or legal. But it would be awesome if it worked.

Louis LaPointe has a secret. And he’s sharing it with the world, for folks like you, out of the goodness of his heart.

By adding a tiny amount of acetone to your gasoline you can increase your mileage by up to 35%! He even has a chart to prove it!

And it has big oil shaking in its boots.

They’re totally going to lose a ton of money.

You see, acetone is an organic solvent. It comes from various sources, but the most common source is cumene hydroperoxide.

Cumene hydroperoxide comes from isopropylbenzene.

And isopropylbenzene, is also known as cumene.

And cumene comes from… Crude oil?

Yup.

Acetone is an oil derivate. Shell Chemical LP makes acetone. Shell is probably the 2nd biggest producer of acetone in America. It’s led by Sunoco. Combined they own 49% of the acetone market. And Citgo is 48% owner of another venture that accounts for 11% of the market.

So show those greedy corporate oil bastards by buying their product!

I’ve previously cast my thoughts on the acetone improves mileage concept. I still think it’s a myth, but like the good little scientist I am, I’m always up for being proven wrong. It turns out that the main propagator of the idea, Lou LaPointe (who also goes by C. L. LaPointe, and Louis LaPointe), updated his files sometime in 2006.

There is a lot of stuff to read, but not very much useful information; it’s rather long winded, ill organized, and full of entirely too much conspiracy theory. To avoid being long winded myself, there are 4 main points I want to hit on today.

1.) Have you read the finer details of his testing?
2.) Did you notice he says that it’s not just acetone that works as a mileage enhancing additive? Let’s look more at xylene, and some of the others.
3.) There’s a researcher at Clemson University who has confirmed positive results?
4.) If it’s a surface tension problem, let’s study that.

To some extent this is incomplete and ongoing research. This is the presentation of what I’ve found thus far.

(more…)

Today we’ll combine a lesson in physics/dynamics with one in how to be a bad parent.

You see, if you are going to attach a small rocket to your son’s skateboard, you have to explain to him that he has to keep his weight forward to prevent being thrown off.