CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Mark_A_W]

[benareeno]

we're at about $1.06 a litre now...which is as high as I can ever recall.

Try to tell an American that they shouldn't drive a hummer...good luck!

[GREG1292]

My suburban 5.7litre has no problem sucking the gas. 87.00 yesterday to fill up But I need it for a family of 6

[Curt Palme]

Well, from what I've read, a lot of the 'alternate' fuels are a crock, as it takes more to produce a liter of oil made from grain than one from petroleum.

I haven't researched it a lot, but my belief is that the hydrogen fuel cells are the way to go. There's a local company that's involved in that.

[Curt Palme]

Well, from what I've read, a lot of the 'alternate' fuels are a crock, as it takes more to produce a liter of oil made from grain than one from petroleum.

I haven't researched it a lot, but my belief is that the hydrogen fuel cells are the way to go. There's a local company that's involved in that.

[Belcherwm]

[garyfritz]

Well, "making" hydrogen is like charging a battery. All you're doing is pumping energy into a black box, and later you can take the energy out again. Hydrogen is an energy storage medium, not an energy source. Free hydrogen is not available for the taking, like petroleum has been.

As Mark said we're starting to run into supply/demand issues. There are still gazillions of gallons/barrels/etc of oil, gas, tar sands, etc -- but we just can't pull it out of the ground fast enough to meet the demand. Meanwhile the rate of pulling oil out is slowing, as we hit or pass Peak Oil, while the demand is increasing. The resolution of "lots of demand and not enough supply" is higher prices. Mark, I think you're optimistic if you think oil will only hit $120 this year. The energy traders are buying up huge blocks of options betting that oil will hit **$200** by the end of the year.

And it's not clear how this is going to get resolved. There are plenty of alternative energy sources, but NONE of them can come on-line fast enough to satisfy the demand that petroleum isn't going to cover. I think we can count on MUCH higher energy prices (which will fuel inflation in all sectors) and MUCH lower energy usage. The big houses and big cars/trucks are going to become very unattractive when it costs $500 a month for heat or $150-200 per tank of gas. People are going to start to conserve because they won't be able to afford NOT to.

[GEBrown]

[GEBrown]

[Tinman]

[deronmoped]

I have been expecting for the CRT market to make a turn around. It goes like this.

Cheap easy digitals open up the market to more and more people. Out of all these people there will be a few that are looking for something different, more of a hobby, with a different feel to the image they see on the screen... Sure most people are looking for a quick fix, but then there are the weirdo's like us 8)

Watch out if you suddenly see someone buying up all the CRT's, besides Curt of course.

Deron.

[deronmoped]

[AnalogRocks]

[AnalogRocks]

[garyfritz]

You sound like me. I ran a Sony 19" TV for over 20 years until it died, and replaced it with a 32" CRT that I got used for 1/10th of retail. I completely built and outfitted my HT, from equipment to built-in cabinets, for less than $2500, with mostly used or refurb equipment. Only *new* equipment I've bought for my HT was the Momitsu DVD player (because it had RGB out and was network capable) and my $99 HD-DVD player. Oh, and a Kimcoder (since sold) and a Moome box. I rent most of the DVDs I watch for $1 each -- very few of them are worth watching more than once anyway. The computer monitor I'm using right now is 8 years old, though the computer is only a year old -- because the old one died. We're on our 2nd digicam -- the 1st one died. We have nice cars -- but my wife's Porsche (bought used) is 23 yrs old and my Saab is 6 yrs old, and we have no plans to replace them any time soon. (Unless my almost-teenager can't fit in the back seat any longer! I'm 6'4" and my seat is set waaay back. )

So yeah, I'm a skinflint when it comes to blowing money on toys. (And I don't like contributing to the throwaway economy.) On the other hand we'll pay off our house this winter. Given the way the economy looks these days, I like reducing my exposure.

[draganm]

[ecrabb]

Congrats on having your house paid off, Gary. That's great.

Dragan, having your house paid off is great, and I'd like to also, but it isn't quite the panacea of security that some make it out to be. People always think of a home as an asset, when it's as much a liability as it is an asset. Sure, you can buy insurance protect you from most kinds of loss, but not for market value loss, or a few other things that could go wrong. Of course, if you're not selling, market value doesn't mean much. Owning a home is almost more of a symbolic or psychological value than it is any real value.

While we're all over the off-topic map, I know one thing: I need to move to Colorado. My mortgage payment is pretty close to yours - about $1300, actually - but almost $300 of that is county property taxes. My homeowners' is another $75 or so. Basically, I could damn near go to a 15-year note (from my 30-year note) for what I spend in property taxes ever month - almost $3000 annually. I was comparing my taxes to my brother-in-law's in Highlands Ranch. His assessed value is 150% of mine, and his taxes are a fraction of what I pay. I could save several thousand dollars per year moving to Colorado. I'd save some more money on income tax because it's a little lower in CO, too. No inheritance tax in CO, either and there is on everybody but the spouse in IA.

I need to start making plans. Arggh... I'm not even done with my theater!!!

SC

[garyfritz]

Yeah, the house you live in is not really an asset in the investment sense, unless you plan to sell it and move into an apartment or something. But the monthly mortgage cost is a very real liability. Paying off your mortgage should be looked at as a guaranteed 6% (or whatever) return on your money, minus some for the tax benefits you get when paying interest. With the brown thumb I have when investing, that's not a bad return. Seriously, I tend to do some fairly aggressive/risky investing. Balancing it with a 6% investment is sensible portfolio management.

Moving to CO, eh? Highlands Ranch, or elsewhere? GEBrown lives down there, paw is somewhere near, Dragan is about 45mi north, I'm about 90mi north.

[unkyjoesa]

Thats why I live in a manufactured home.

4bed 3bath - 2x6 exterior walls - t&g plywood floors - regular walls very well built has stood up well.

Cost me $65,000 new, paid it off last year.

What more do I need, I bought the biggest I could find and had a foundation laid to bolt it down to.

I have no children, just me and the wife and it is enough for us.

Cant take it with you when you go.

All of our friends kind of turned their noses into the air when we spoke of buying it, but here we are 10 years later, my house is paid for, some of them have lost their homes and jobs unfortunately, the others are now renting and really throwing their money into the trash. They all have brand new cars though. Our are 5+ and paid of as well.

Its a matter of how much stuff is enough.

But to those that have more money than sense more power to ya!

[Mark_A_W]

[Mark_A_W]

[Person99]