The nature of infinity is opportunity. While browsing on Craigslist for freelance writing queries, Helium.com was presented as an opportunity to make money while posting and evaluating articles. The Helium business model is fairly simple - users post articles and rate the articles of their peers, and in turn the site promises to share a portion of their advertising revenue with their most active and most highly rated contributors.
But The Matter is not about money. In this case, Helium is simply about the syndication and the reflection back to the experiment at hand here at The Matter. Helium may represent an interesting foray into viral approaches as well. At a minimum, it is another vein.
The Corzine story and the oil reserve story have both been released on Helium, and all future pieces will be included there as well.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Corzine's Pedestrian Safety Story Accepted by Courier News
The Courier News has accepted the Corzine Pedestrian Safey Initiative story. It is slated to run in their Community Voices section - with a bio and a head shot. So, the phone work paid off and the syndicate is born.
The challenge remains in stories of national interest. Newspaper editorial staff have varied approaches with regard to freelance submissions, but national stories do not find an immediate home - particularly among local newspapers that rely on AP feeds for their national coverage. The opportunity for distribution clearly lies with large newspapers that regularly cover stories of a national flavor.
While this is a challenge, it is one that must be overcome - and The Matter will continue to feature national stories. However, in order to foster the distribution needs of the syndicate regional and local stories will have to continue.
The intention is to get closer to the Courier News editorial team - and any of their colleagues at sister Gannett properties. This is a good first step toward an interesting pursuit.
The challenge remains in stories of national interest. Newspaper editorial staff have varied approaches with regard to freelance submissions, but national stories do not find an immediate home - particularly among local newspapers that rely on AP feeds for their national coverage. The opportunity for distribution clearly lies with large newspapers that regularly cover stories of a national flavor.
While this is a challenge, it is one that must be overcome - and The Matter will continue to feature national stories. However, in order to foster the distribution needs of the syndicate regional and local stories will have to continue.
The intention is to get closer to the Courier News editorial team - and any of their colleagues at sister Gannett properties. This is a good first step toward an interesting pursuit.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Governor Corzine's Pedestrian Safety Initiative Not Enough
New Jersey’s roads are among the most deadly for pedestrians and bicyclists in the country – a blemish that the New Jersey Department of Transportation would like us to believe is being erased.
In early June, the NJDOT published its first newsletter on bicycle and pedestrian safety, celebrating Governor Corzine’s $74 million Pedestrian Safety Initiative and offering an assortment of safety tips to community planners and to commuters. New Jersey has been identified as one of 13 “pedestrian focus states” by the Federal Highway Administration, and the NJDOT newsletter claims New Jersey to be “the first of the 13 focus states to have a plan ready for implementation.”
2006 represented an 8% increase in New Jersey pedestrian fatalities – 168 deaths, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (www.tstc.org). While New Jersey may be the first to complete the task of setting a plan, Governor Corzine’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative may not be the most thorough or robust. For fiscal year 2006, the state transportation planning budget was $2.74 billion – bringing Governor Corzine’s plan to a mere .5% of total annual capital commitment.
“That won’t buy a whole lot,” said Andy Clarke, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. He explained that anything less than 1% of state DOT budget is not considered significant. The spending offered in Governor Corzine’s plan “does not represent the percentage of pedestrian accidents in the state. It also does not represent the percentage of bicycle and pedestrian trips made in the state.” New Jersey is not serious about tackling the problem of its dangerous roads, Mr. Clarke concluded.
But how can New Jersey’s motorist community absorb the necessary infrastructure changes needed for bicycle and pedestrian safety, and can local municipalities realistically implement the changes? While the NJDOT newsletter claims the plan “won accolades throughout the state,” Governor Corzine’s plan does not intricately explore the specifics. The plan extends a few vague guideposts, such as the assembly of a “pedestrian impact team” and “small-scale engineering treatments” and an effort to “emphasize and clearly explain the roles and responsibilities of drivers and pedestrians.”
Mr. Clarke is more specific. “When states and counties routinely rebuild roads, they need to incorporate bicycle and pedestrian safety into the design. Most four-lane roads can be converted to three lanes – with bike lanes of proper width on both sides. Traffic patterns need to be studied, but in the vast majority of cases the three-lane conversion has no impact on traffic flow.”
The problem centers also on excessive motor vehicle usage. “People make short trips in their cars for simple errands and to get to mass transit. Most trips are two miles or less,” he said. “The education portion of any state plan should encourage people to incorporate bicycles more regularly into their trips.”
Mr. Clarke has seen communities around the nation benefit from these programs. “Making these changes has a significant impact on economic development. Cities and municipalities that have implemented these programs have become attractive destinations for families.” Bicycles are zero-emission vehicles, and increased bicycle usage decreases air, water, and noise pollution in the community. But before New Jersey can become an eco-friendly utopia, this issue of bicycle and pedestrian safety has to be settled.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey experienced a 3.7% growth in population from 2000 to 2006 – more than 300,000 new residents. Traffic congestion certainly mirrors this growth. For the state to have a realistic chance of being removed from the federal government’s dubious list of 13 most deadly states for pedestrians and bicyclists, it appears that Governor Corzine will need to break out the calculator again.
In early June, the NJDOT published its first newsletter on bicycle and pedestrian safety, celebrating Governor Corzine’s $74 million Pedestrian Safety Initiative and offering an assortment of safety tips to community planners and to commuters. New Jersey has been identified as one of 13 “pedestrian focus states” by the Federal Highway Administration, and the NJDOT newsletter claims New Jersey to be “the first of the 13 focus states to have a plan ready for implementation.”
2006 represented an 8% increase in New Jersey pedestrian fatalities – 168 deaths, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign (www.tstc.org). While New Jersey may be the first to complete the task of setting a plan, Governor Corzine’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative may not be the most thorough or robust. For fiscal year 2006, the state transportation planning budget was $2.74 billion – bringing Governor Corzine’s plan to a mere .5% of total annual capital commitment.
“That won’t buy a whole lot,” said Andy Clarke, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. He explained that anything less than 1% of state DOT budget is not considered significant. The spending offered in Governor Corzine’s plan “does not represent the percentage of pedestrian accidents in the state. It also does not represent the percentage of bicycle and pedestrian trips made in the state.” New Jersey is not serious about tackling the problem of its dangerous roads, Mr. Clarke concluded.
But how can New Jersey’s motorist community absorb the necessary infrastructure changes needed for bicycle and pedestrian safety, and can local municipalities realistically implement the changes? While the NJDOT newsletter claims the plan “won accolades throughout the state,” Governor Corzine’s plan does not intricately explore the specifics. The plan extends a few vague guideposts, such as the assembly of a “pedestrian impact team” and “small-scale engineering treatments” and an effort to “emphasize and clearly explain the roles and responsibilities of drivers and pedestrians.”
Mr. Clarke is more specific. “When states and counties routinely rebuild roads, they need to incorporate bicycle and pedestrian safety into the design. Most four-lane roads can be converted to three lanes – with bike lanes of proper width on both sides. Traffic patterns need to be studied, but in the vast majority of cases the three-lane conversion has no impact on traffic flow.”
The problem centers also on excessive motor vehicle usage. “People make short trips in their cars for simple errands and to get to mass transit. Most trips are two miles or less,” he said. “The education portion of any state plan should encourage people to incorporate bicycles more regularly into their trips.”
Mr. Clarke has seen communities around the nation benefit from these programs. “Making these changes has a significant impact on economic development. Cities and municipalities that have implemented these programs have become attractive destinations for families.” Bicycles are zero-emission vehicles, and increased bicycle usage decreases air, water, and noise pollution in the community. But before New Jersey can become an eco-friendly utopia, this issue of bicycle and pedestrian safety has to be settled.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey experienced a 3.7% growth in population from 2000 to 2006 – more than 300,000 new residents. Traffic congestion certainly mirrors this growth. For the state to have a realistic chance of being removed from the federal government’s dubious list of 13 most deadly states for pedestrians and bicyclists, it appears that Governor Corzine will need to break out the calculator again.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Anatomy of a Submission: Oil Reserve Story
The oil reserve story, posted on June 1, has since been submitted to editors at nine newspapers: two in the Pacific Northwest, one in Southern California, four in the Midwest, and two in the Northeast. In general terms, the Pacific Northwest was chosen for the more progressive green views of its readership; Southern California for its heavy vehicle usage; the Midwest for its cornfields/Ethanol potential and for the top-of-mind concerns in Detroit; and the Northeast for its propensity to publish stories of national importance.
None of the editors at any of the newspapers responded to the original unsolicited email submission. In follow up telephone work, two news editors in the Midwest referred me to the business news editor - and I have received one rejection one the grounds that the story was not regional enough in focus. In addition, the business news editor said that it is unusual for the daily to work with freelancers.
The learnings to date on the oil reserve story center on the regional vs. national content needs. The plan is to continue circulating the piece to other editors and to establish the underpinnings of a network with the editorial community. The next posting on The Matter will feature a story of importance to the state of New Jersey.
None of the editors at any of the newspapers responded to the original unsolicited email submission. In follow up telephone work, two news editors in the Midwest referred me to the business news editor - and I have received one rejection one the grounds that the story was not regional enough in focus. In addition, the business news editor said that it is unusual for the daily to work with freelancers.
The learnings to date on the oil reserve story center on the regional vs. national content needs. The plan is to continue circulating the piece to other editors and to establish the underpinnings of a network with the editorial community. The next posting on The Matter will feature a story of importance to the state of New Jersey.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Current Oil Prices and Alternative Fuel Research Not an Indication of World Oil Reserves
Pull up to any gas station anywhere in America and you are likely to experience some degree of sticker shock. At a glance, prices can be explained away by geo-political factors – crisis in the Middle East and America’s deteriorating relationships with oil-exporting nations, such as Russia, Venezuela, Iran, and Sudan. These delicacies are certainly contributors to global oil prices. The world’s major oil companies are also quick to pair the inflation in retail gasoline prices with the parade of research initiatives in alternative fuel options – ethanol, liquefied coal, hydrogen, nuclear energy, windmills, etc.
But are oil prices and the push toward innovations in alternative fuels an indication that we are in the beginning stages of a global oil supply crisis? This question has far-reaching implications on a wide range of economies and yet the answers are not that diverse.
According to British Petroleum, global oil output rose by 900,000 barrels per day in 2005 – led by Saudi Arabia with 22% of total reserve, followed most closely by Iran (12%) and Iraq (10%). Sourcing BP’s 2006 Statistical Review of World Energy, “the tendency has been for proved reserves at the aggregate level to increase over time as reported discoveries, extensions, and improved recovery have exceeded production. Proved oil reserves at the end of 2005 are estimated to have been 1200.7 billion barrels…an increase of around 17% over the end-1995 figure.” Our advances in technology are increasing our abilities to find new fields and our efficiencies and collections at existing fields. The net effect has been a substantial increase in global oil supply.
But new technologies – such as deep horizontal drilling into adjacent wells – do not guarantee infinite supply, and prominent geologists maintain that we have already reached a peak. On May 10, 2006, Dr. Kenneth Deffeyes – a preeminent expert on the oil supply question – told Daily Wealth “the actual peak occurred sometime in mid-January 2006.” If the peak did occur in January 2006, we are clearly in a period of decline.
David Morehouse of the National Energy Information Center disagrees. “It depends on what you call oil,” he said in a telephone interview. “People who say that we are running out are talking about crude.” Mr. Morehouse went on to explain that there are different kinds of oil sources – crude, heavy crude, extra-heavy crude, and oil shale. Heavy and extra-heavy oils are types of crude that are dense in nature – like molasses – and contain impurities that must be removed in order to be refined. Heavy crude oils were long considered to be unprofitable because they were difficult to produce, process, and transport. There are vast worldwide reserves of heavy crude. Oil shale is a precursor of oils, a rock that contains enough organic material – called kerogen – to yield oil and gas when it is cooked. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists conservatively estimates total world resources of oil shale at 2.6 trillion barrels.
“Heavy oils and oil shale are not considered in the analysis of world oil reserves,” Mr. Morehouse said. But he is reluctant to provide his own estimate on when reserves will peak since there are too many uncertainties with regard to technological advancements. A June 2005 presentation from the National Energy Information Center offered a production peak in the year 2065 – but oil shale was excluded from the presentation.
The high price of a barrel of oil is clearly not influenced by a pending depletion in world oil reserves, and where we mark the oil production peak is a debate among academics, governments, and the private sector. It appears that we have a few more generations to figure it out. In the meantime, carpools and bicycles can provide some financial relief.
But are oil prices and the push toward innovations in alternative fuels an indication that we are in the beginning stages of a global oil supply crisis? This question has far-reaching implications on a wide range of economies and yet the answers are not that diverse.
According to British Petroleum, global oil output rose by 900,000 barrels per day in 2005 – led by Saudi Arabia with 22% of total reserve, followed most closely by Iran (12%) and Iraq (10%). Sourcing BP’s 2006 Statistical Review of World Energy, “the tendency has been for proved reserves at the aggregate level to increase over time as reported discoveries, extensions, and improved recovery have exceeded production. Proved oil reserves at the end of 2005 are estimated to have been 1200.7 billion barrels…an increase of around 17% over the end-1995 figure.” Our advances in technology are increasing our abilities to find new fields and our efficiencies and collections at existing fields. The net effect has been a substantial increase in global oil supply.
But new technologies – such as deep horizontal drilling into adjacent wells – do not guarantee infinite supply, and prominent geologists maintain that we have already reached a peak. On May 10, 2006, Dr. Kenneth Deffeyes – a preeminent expert on the oil supply question – told Daily Wealth “the actual peak occurred sometime in mid-January 2006.” If the peak did occur in January 2006, we are clearly in a period of decline.
David Morehouse of the National Energy Information Center disagrees. “It depends on what you call oil,” he said in a telephone interview. “People who say that we are running out are talking about crude.” Mr. Morehouse went on to explain that there are different kinds of oil sources – crude, heavy crude, extra-heavy crude, and oil shale. Heavy and extra-heavy oils are types of crude that are dense in nature – like molasses – and contain impurities that must be removed in order to be refined. Heavy crude oils were long considered to be unprofitable because they were difficult to produce, process, and transport. There are vast worldwide reserves of heavy crude. Oil shale is a precursor of oils, a rock that contains enough organic material – called kerogen – to yield oil and gas when it is cooked. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists conservatively estimates total world resources of oil shale at 2.6 trillion barrels.
“Heavy oils and oil shale are not considered in the analysis of world oil reserves,” Mr. Morehouse said. But he is reluctant to provide his own estimate on when reserves will peak since there are too many uncertainties with regard to technological advancements. A June 2005 presentation from the National Energy Information Center offered a production peak in the year 2065 – but oil shale was excluded from the presentation.
The high price of a barrel of oil is clearly not influenced by a pending depletion in world oil reserves, and where we mark the oil production peak is a debate among academics, governments, and the private sector. It appears that we have a few more generations to figure it out. In the meantime, carpools and bicycles can provide some financial relief.
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