Rhinocrisy

Just as we all get used to the idea that Saudi Arabia might not have as much oil as promised, Kuwait announces it’s cutting back its oil production because of water intrusion into the reservoirs. And look forward to revelations on Iraq in the next month or two.

Updated midnight 23 November: The Bloomberg story is here. The basic gist of its implications on peak oil are well spelled out at The Booman Tribune, The Oil Drum, and elsewhere.

In comments, Saheli asked if I was sure this was from water. I passed the question along to Greg Croft, who wrote:

Yes, the problems are due to water incursion. The water cut information is a state secret (!) in Kuwait, so it isn’t good to quote Kuwait Oil Company workers. The Burgan Field has a strong natural water drive in all of the four main sands. The production rates of all the fields in that geologic group are limited by water incursion, but I also have some specific information on Burgan.

I haven’t got a second source or anything, but I tend to believe people who have done geology in the region. He concluded, “This one will decline like a North Sea field - watch.”

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie The Island, which deals with Weighty Issues such as, “Will scientists grow power-mad and create a clutch of clones to use as organ banks for rich people, cynically denying their humanity?” These are, in fact, serious and delicate issues that deserve careful consideration, and director Michael Bay has clearly done extensive reading on the ethics involved from an essay his son wrote for his seventh-grade science class.

As annoying as the obtuse treatment of the issues involved was (I could actually feel my brow-ridge expanding as I watched), what was REALLY goddamn annoying was the product placement.

Here’s a shot of Ewan MacGregor at the bar. There’s some drinks. Oh look, the bartender is setting down a bottle in front of them, with the label turned so we can read it clearly. Wow, they still drink Aquafina in the year 20X6.

Oh! Here is hot blonde actress Scarlett Johansson engaged in some fancy-shmancy virtual kickboxing with Ewan MacGregor. Hey, what’s that familiar logo being not-so-subtly flashed in the background? It’s the X-box logo! Boy, those X-boxes are sure advanced in 20X6!

Here’s director Michael Bay, counting his money. Hey, Michael Bay - do you think we’re fucking baboons, or what? Do you think that sort of shit makes us do anything other than roll our eyes and mutter, “Jesus, that’s some shameless, shameless product placement.”? Did it occur to your advertising geniuses that maybe our disgust would make us less likely to buy those products?

Not that this kind of stuff is new. One of my favorite films from the early eighties, Blade Runner, has some equally glaring product-placement. There’s Coke advertisements all over the dystopian future. Except Ridley Scott had the good taste not to insult us: in Blade Runner, those ads are just another garish, weird feature of the ugly urban landscape. Even in the future, this shit will haunt us.

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Speaking of deep contemplation of ancient history, I challenge you and the rest of the Internets to provide a shorter and/or more diffult tongue-twister in American English than my proud invention:

BLUE GLUE GUN GLUE

It’s easier when you read it on the page, but just try to say it a few times.

If that was too hard, try:

POP-UP TURLOCK TURKEY TIMER