LATOC as a springboard?

fubar1977 · Post by **fubar1977** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:03

Just curious...

How many PS members were originally switched on to P.O. by LATOC or another US doomer site before discovering a more balanced view on sites like PS?

The views of people on Powerswitch have really helped me to calm down and look at the whole issue in a much more considered way and I am very grateful for that.

I`m a fairly recent PO convert and LATOC really put the wind up me, perhaps thats a good thing...?

OrraLoon · Post by **OrraLoon** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:16

Konverted by Kunstler.

The entry in the "Wee Intellectual Buik" reads 2/9/05.

After that I obviously headed straight for sites like

http://www.crank.net/

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:25

I found LATOC in about March 2005 - scared the bejesus out of me. You could say it almost blew my mind - the implications just flooded my head within minutes..... never read the forum there though.

Found Peakoil.com then PowerSwitch.

But I am very glad I did stumble upon LATOC as it woke me up out of my sleepwalk....... I could only ever take the red pill..... no-brainer for me

Totally_Baffled · Post by **Totally_Baffled** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:36

snow hope wrote:I found LATOC in about March 2005 - scared the bejesus out of me. You could say it almost blew my mind - the implications just flooded my head within minutes..... never read the forum there though.

Found Peakoil.com then PowerSwitch.

But I am very glad I did stumble upon LATOC as it woke me up out of my sleepwalk....... I could only ever take the red pill..... no-brainer for me

Exactly the same for me Snow.

Talk about a shock.

Everything was going so incredibly well, and then I had to stumble upon LATOC and PO.

fubar1977 · Post by **fubar1977** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:39

Forums seem very negative/doomerish compared to PS.

"The Party`s Over" was the next really big step for me, along with "End of Suburbia", "Crude Impact" etc.

Just SO glad to have come across a sensible group of peoploe in this country who are switched on to PO without being totally deranged about it

Vortex · Post by **Vortex** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:45

I thought that PO was a load of b****cks when I first read about it ... but with maybe a germ of truth.

It was clear to me that doomers were running with the ball ... but did they have any sort of reason?

I then decided to talk to - err - 'real people' and so paid £100+ to attend an Oil Depletion conference in London run by the Energy Institute.

I was practically shaking and in shock by the lunchtime ...

This does not mean however that I have any respect for the doomers ... they seem to WANT Mad Max to come a-riding by.

The oil industry professionals I spoke to are much more muted - which in fact is scarier ... they see no way out and are simply waiting to see what happens.

As for LATOC ... poorly structured website & irrational ramblings ... and that's on a good day ...

I was a Peakoil.com fan for a while ... until I realised that the local revered gurus such as RockDick in fact are a waste of space.

TOD is MUCH better ... but their enthusiasm for over-analysis can mask the true story.

Energy Bulletin is however the business ... states the latest news without tons of superfluous comment.

I found peakoil.com first, but left because of their racism, anti-semitism, Nazi moderators, and just general nuttiness.

I then went to TOD but again that seems to be bothered by wackos at times.

PowerSwitch then appeared on the radar, and that suited me fine ... although the latest RGR issues remind me of the cess pits such as peakoil.com ...

fubar1977 · Post by **fubar1977** » 28 Aug 2008, 21:55

Thanks Vortex

Sad thing is, the doomer sites seem to outnumber the sensible sites 10-1, could have easily become a gibbering wreck if I hadn`t found you lot!!

WAAY too much hysteria, not enough common sense.
Glad I can stop digging that bunker now (hopefully)
Still growing the veg and striving to be less grid dependant though...

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 28 Aug 2008, 22:11

I've never read LATOC or peakoil.com . . . always got my news and views from Energy Bulletin and this place.

How worried I am about energy depletion seems to wax and wane in inverse proportion to how worried I am about climate change.

Keela · Post by **Keela** » 28 Aug 2008, 22:23

Long Emergency and The Party's Over were my introduction to the subject in Aug/Sept 2006.

I found here and LATOC at the same time and registered with both. I may also have registered with PO.com but I never quite got on there - seemed to be massive amounts of infighting at the time I first logged in. I've also registered at The Oil Drum and have made a only couple of posts, I do sometimes read there though.

LATOC however is good for making you get your act together NOW! I tend to ignore most of the more "out there" type of threads/posts, but enjoy their Food/Garden forum. There's a good amount of info on food preservation and stuff to be had. So I still post there as well as here.

Okay so my post count is higher here.... and I love the humour here.......

fubar1977 · Post by **fubar1977** » 28 Aug 2008, 22:32

Hi Sally, thanks for your reply.

Just about to start Long Emergency, any good?
Hope it doesnt freak me out all over again!

Kentucky Fried Panda · Post by **Kentucky Fried Panda** » 28 Aug 2008, 23:19

LATOC

Powerswitch

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 28 Aug 2008, 23:21

I think I discovered PO through meeting PaulS and Oobers at eco-village meetings, and joined PowerSwitch to find out more. I've never been on the other sites.

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 29 Aug 2008, 00:55

Sally wrote:
LATOC however is good for making you get your act together NOW! I tend to ignore most of the more "out there" type of threads/posts, but enjoy their Food/Garden forum.

RevdTess · Post by **RevdTess** » 29 Aug 2008, 01:20

I'm another one who had latoc as my introduction to peak oil. I read Matt Savinar's book too. Before that, my view was 'there's hundreds of years of oil remaining at current rates of use, and it'll keep flowing at whatever rate is required until the day it runs dry. Not something I need to be concerned with.'

I confess I was quite pleased to realise it's likely humanity isn't going to be able to continue the consumerist wasteful lifestyle forever. My first reaction was glee. Since then I've become more interested in encouraging redundant and diverse energy supplies than planning for the downfall of this civilisation. Too many people would suffer to take any overt pleasure in its ending. Still, it's created in me an interest in truly sustainable approaches to living, not out of a desire to be one of the survivors but because on some emotional gut level it feels more beautiful than the globalised, specialised, optimised economic system.

Andy_K · Post by **Andy_K** » 29 Aug 2008, 09:29

LATOC was my PO induction too, about 18 months ago now. Whilst their conjectures about what will happen because of the peak are somewhat speculative and doomerish, I did find their financial doom analysis to be pretty accurate and helpful (e.g, house price bubble spot on, credit crunch snowballing from bear sterns announcement, gold prices, etc).

Eventually I came across Powerswitch, which proved to be something of a relief from the "BECOME A 1700's FARMER or DIE!" mantra being relentlessly pushed at LATOC.