Talking about Bludisian noir? We are? Okay, works for me. But I still don't buy your energy argument. The part about problems with oil etc., okay, though there's still an abundance of coal, but my real point would be that the internet is being accessed by smaller and smaller devices which run on batteries that can be recharged with a relatively small solar panel, only slightly bigger than the one that runs hand-held calculators. Maybe we'll have to give up on 50+ inch screen displays, but the hand held? Printing presses and logging equipment however run on pretty significant amounts of petroleum products. The books we have may survive, but publishing new ones is a high-energy activity.
You're right that the internet will cease to exist, or at least change into something less recognizeable but if you've grown up relating to the world through devices such as cell phones and smart pads you won't give up on these things easily. From this point of view, books simply do not do what these devices and the internet do. On the other hand, folks like you and me will die much sooner. In fact, I believe one of the contributing factors to the recent economic recession was that boomers are entering their retirement years and beginning to shed automobiles, going from 2 or 3 per household to 1 or 2. Many are downsizing their houses too, looking for 2 bedroom condos in stead of 3, 4, 5 bedroom breeding facilities. These sorts of circumstances contribute to financial bubbles that leave recessions when they burst.
There are a host of existing technologies that will mitigate and even work as alternatives to oil. Solar energy may be only a mitigating factor, for instance, but it's amazing what really thick rock-wool insulation can do for your heating bill. Stuff like that. There are no guarantees for the future of course, and most people are slow to adopt these technologies until the shortages really hit home, but much as I enjoyed McCarthy's "Road" I'm not rushing to build my suvival shelter just yet. I have been looking on the internet for good ideas for a low-cost retirement home, however.
Best,
Kerry
----- Original Message -----
From: jacquesdebierue
To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 12:20 AM
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Dorchester goes digital and POD
--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Steve Gerlach <stezzariffic@...> wrote:
>
> I stress again:
>
> Argument was generational differences.
>
> Now...back to Noir, please.
>
What we are talking about is pure Bludisian noir... In fact, it has been the subject of many novels -- of a speculative variety but not necessarily unrealistic. A relatively recent notable one is Cormac McCarthy's The Road, discussed here, at least tangentially, some time ago.
Best,
mrt
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