“Fracking: Helping You Catch Them All”
August 4, 2016 12:02 PM Subscribe
I don't get it.
posted by miguelcervantes at 12:04 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by miguelcervantes at 12:04 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's a case of /r/fellowkids taken to the extreme
posted by msbutah at 12:08 PM on August 4, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by msbutah at 12:08 PM on August 4, 2016 [13 favorites]
There's nothing to get. The natural gas industry is doing milenial outreach with memes, and irony is dead.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
Anyway, how much longer until Friends of Coal starts posting their Steven Universe Gemsonas?
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
Brought to you by people who pronounce the word as "meemees."
posted by C'est la D.C. at 12:10 PM on August 4, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by C'est la D.C. at 12:10 PM on August 4, 2016 [13 favorites]
I feel like these need more guys wearing shirts that say "Hard Working Americans" and "Honest Citizens."
posted by ernielundquist at 12:13 PM on August 4, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by ernielundquist at 12:13 PM on August 4, 2016 [6 favorites]
Just taking a pause from the lulz to remind everyone that fugitive emissions from tight/shale gas production are hard to estimate, but are somewhere in the range of making it almost as bad as coal for the climate, to the worst case of way, way worse for the climate. This is rarely mentioned, even by anti-fracking activists, and I have no idea why.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:45 PM on August 4, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:45 PM on August 4, 2016 [12 favorites]
The weirdest part is that at least half of these read as against fracking if you have even the slightest capacity to appreciate sarcasm.
posted by fifthrider at 1:04 PM on August 4, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by fifthrider at 1:04 PM on August 4, 2016 [9 favorites]
You gotta admire the guy at the NTNG office who gets paid to browse imgur all day.
posted by Etrigan at 1:09 PM on August 4, 2016
posted by Etrigan at 1:09 PM on August 4, 2016
Bet you can't frack just one!
posted by blue_beetle at 1:13 PM on August 4, 2016
posted by blue_beetle at 1:13 PM on August 4, 2016
[expletive deleted]
I was the lobbyist for an anti-fracking coalition during my state's last legislative session. We actually brought that point up pretty often. But it gets drowned out in a lot of ways. For one thing, the bills we were dealing with were weak fracking regulatory bills that would have opened the door to more fracking in our state. The bills' sponsors lauded them as protecting citizens from the potential risks of fracking. But we don't know if there are any risks, so we're going to do a study. (These were really their talking points. ) The risks from fracking that the coalition tended to get the most mileage with were groundwater contamination, and health-risks from air pollution. The mostly Republican legislator in my state could give a shit about this so-called "climate-change" of which you speak. But a lot of them did care about birth defects and cancer. That's what they voted on. It doesn't help that lots of Democratic politicians in very high places (President Obama) pushed fracking as the beautiful bridge to our clean energy future while pointedly ignoring the fugitive emissions data though.
posted by Cookiebastard at 1:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [7 favorites]
I was the lobbyist for an anti-fracking coalition during my state's last legislative session. We actually brought that point up pretty often. But it gets drowned out in a lot of ways. For one thing, the bills we were dealing with were weak fracking regulatory bills that would have opened the door to more fracking in our state. The bills' sponsors lauded them as protecting citizens from the potential risks of fracking. But we don't know if there are any risks, so we're going to do a study. (These were really their talking points. ) The risks from fracking that the coalition tended to get the most mileage with were groundwater contamination, and health-risks from air pollution. The mostly Republican legislator in my state could give a shit about this so-called "climate-change" of which you speak. But a lot of them did care about birth defects and cancer. That's what they voted on. It doesn't help that lots of Democratic politicians in very high places (President Obama) pushed fracking as the beautiful bridge to our clean energy future while pointedly ignoring the fugitive emissions data though.
posted by Cookiebastard at 1:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [7 favorites]
These are terrible- I could make an anti-fracking meme that works better than these in about 30 seconds.
THIS IS FINE.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:20 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
THIS IS FINE.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:20 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
Low birthweight babies.
Oil and Gas Drilling has been horrendous loser everywhere--it's just that conventional extraction is only been viable in certain areas that the industry has been able to control. No one minds the landscapes of radioactive waste pits in Texas and Louisiana, because it's somebody else's problem.
Now that the industry is so desperate for new sources that we're drilling into formations that used to be the containment, not the oil play, the rest of the country is getting a taste of what it means to live in Texas.
Fracking used to be the thing that a driller would do if the team had a really bad geologist, or no geologist. Did you miss the oil play? just send some explosives downhole to correct your error!
This would never be an economically viable technique if EPA were allowed to regulate drinking water impacts--so they were lifted. This still wouldn't have been viable until Louisiana subsidized the Haynesville. and now Louisiana has no money for the university system.
posted by eustatic at 1:26 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
Oil and Gas Drilling has been horrendous loser everywhere--it's just that conventional extraction is only been viable in certain areas that the industry has been able to control. No one minds the landscapes of radioactive waste pits in Texas and Louisiana, because it's somebody else's problem.
Now that the industry is so desperate for new sources that we're drilling into formations that used to be the containment, not the oil play, the rest of the country is getting a taste of what it means to live in Texas.
Fracking used to be the thing that a driller would do if the team had a really bad geologist, or no geologist. Did you miss the oil play? just send some explosives downhole to correct your error!
This would never be an economically viable technique if EPA were allowed to regulate drinking water impacts--so they were lifted. This still wouldn't have been viable until Louisiana subsidized the Haynesville. and now Louisiana has no money for the university system.
posted by eustatic at 1:26 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
I work in a building with a oil/natural gas industry lobbying organization and let me tell you, if you pictured what the people who work there are like from your laziest stereotype it would be precisely right. They're all clueless old white men in suits who won't hold the elevator. The fact that their similar number in Texas can't produce a good meme is totally unsurprising.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:39 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:39 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
There's nothing to get. The natural gas industry is doing milenial outreach with memes, and irony is dead.
What's "irony"?
posted by coolxcool=rad at 1:40 PM on August 4, 2016
What's "irony"?
posted by coolxcool=rad at 1:40 PM on August 4, 2016
I'm having severe Poe's Law problems with this, but this seems like as good a place as any to point folks towards the very splendid and worthwhile Science Vs. podcast which recently restarted and taught me a thing or two about fracking in their first new episode.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sparklemotion at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh, wait, this explains everything, my mistake!
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:58 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:58 PM on August 4, 2016 [4 favorites]
My favorites (from a standpoint of causing me the hate-rage that it will take to continue fighting on this issue) of these are the ones that point out that fracking helps the ladies get nail polish. SO THEIR NAILS LOOK NICE WHILE HOLDING THEIR UNDERSIZED NEWBORNS CHOKE SPIT GRAR STOMP @#%$#%@#@%$@^!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Cookiebastard at 2:02 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 2:02 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
The thing I find most frustrating about the discourse on fracking is that so few people even consider the impact on celebrity lifestyles.
posted by ernielundquist at 2:04 PM on August 4, 2016
posted by ernielundquist at 2:04 PM on August 4, 2016
What does this even mean?? Some of these aren't even coherent.
posted by adso at 2:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by adso at 2:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
What's "irony"?
In this context, it means the sort of opposite of out-of-touch earnestness, which drives "coolness." It is not clever to repackage already created (and cliche) memes for a corporate fat cat Earth-reaving agenda. Thus, it's anti-"ironic." Though I guess in the original dictionary definition of the term meaning "unexpected for the situation" this kinda is ironic if you think about it
posted by Apocryphon at 2:29 PM on August 4, 2016
In this context, it means the sort of opposite of out-of-touch earnestness, which drives "coolness." It is not clever to repackage already created (and cliche) memes for a corporate fat cat Earth-reaving agenda. Thus, it's anti-"ironic." Though I guess in the original dictionary definition of the term meaning "unexpected for the situation" this kinda is ironic if you think about it
posted by Apocryphon at 2:29 PM on August 4, 2016
I really didn't know if I was supposed to support fracking or not. They go both ways and some make no sense at all. "Because windmills can't grill burgers" just sounds like a hacking challenge to me. I can think of several ways to do windmill powered grilling that should work.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 2:41 PM on August 4, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 2:41 PM on August 4, 2016 [6 favorites]
Sadly there are plenty of people who think it's "edgy" to support corporate messaging, on the theory that they are sticking it to the coast-dwelling taste-making elites.
Dunno if the fracking memes have tapped into that urge tho, as i can't load them on my phone.
posted by subdee at 2:48 PM on August 4, 2016
Dunno if the fracking memes have tapped into that urge tho, as i can't load them on my phone.
posted by subdee at 2:48 PM on August 4, 2016
There may be an element of Trolls for hire at work here. If every mention of fracking sounds like the ravings of a lunatic, many people will shun the whole issue . Poisoning the well, so to speak.
posted by Western Infidels at 2:51 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Western Infidels at 2:51 PM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Hello, fellow millennialists! I too am down with the [squints] damp mines!
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:13 PM on August 4, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:13 PM on August 4, 2016 [10 favorites]
If you want the actual science for and against fracking, in a charming australian lilt, you could do worse than listen to Wendy Zukerman.
posted by signal at 3:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by signal at 3:16 PM on August 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
And BTW, fracking causes earthquakes. Listen to the podcast.
posted by signal at 3:17 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by signal at 3:17 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
But, fracking chemicals don't pollute ground water when they get pumped underground. Seriously, that episode made me pretty embarrassed at how ignorant I was about the fracking process.
posted by sparklemotion at 3:26 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by sparklemotion at 3:26 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
i work with people that measure earthquakes (well, tremors) from fracking. to be honest, they're pretty small things (at least by the standards of "real" earthquakes here in chile or, i guess, california, alaska, japan, etc). but in places that have never had anything like that, they can still knock over old walls, chimneys, etc.
posted by andrewcooke at 3:58 PM on August 4, 2016
posted by andrewcooke at 3:58 PM on August 4, 2016
they're pretty small things (at least by the standards of "real" earthquakes here in chile or, i guess, california, alaska, japan, etc)
One question that I have (and have done zero looking into, and know nothing about geology) is what are the chances that one of (or, just a sufficient number of) the "small" fracking-based tremors ripples to the point where it affects something that then affects a major fault.
Right now, I wouldn't know if this about as likely as nuclear weapons causing an iguana to mutate into Godzilla (i.e. essentially impossible, any money/time/brainpower spend worrying about it is a waste), or is it more like wind farms causing bird extinctions (i.e. unlikely, but the responsible thing to do is study the effects that wind energy has on bird life?)
Because, I feel like, if it's the second thing, I don't for a moment trust the natural gas industry to not do everything in their power to prevent that kind of study (or any ensuing regulations) by pretending that it's more like the first thing.
posted by sparklemotion at 5:07 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
One question that I have (and have done zero looking into, and know nothing about geology) is what are the chances that one of (or, just a sufficient number of) the "small" fracking-based tremors ripples to the point where it affects something that then affects a major fault.
Right now, I wouldn't know if this about as likely as nuclear weapons causing an iguana to mutate into Godzilla (i.e. essentially impossible, any money/time/brainpower spend worrying about it is a waste), or is it more like wind farms causing bird extinctions (i.e. unlikely, but the responsible thing to do is study the effects that wind energy has on bird life?)
Because, I feel like, if it's the second thing, I don't for a moment trust the natural gas industry to not do everything in their power to prevent that kind of study (or any ensuing regulations) by pretending that it's more like the first thing.
posted by sparklemotion at 5:07 PM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
i don't actually know any details (i'm not a geophysicist - i just write their code) but i think they're in different parts of the country - the big dangerous faults are along the west coast, while the fracking is more in the "middle" of the country.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:25 PM on August 4, 2016
posted by andrewcooke at 5:25 PM on August 4, 2016
adso: "What does this even mean?? Some of these aren't even coherent."
Oil and gas extraction in places like North Dakota generates a ton of revenue even at the minimal tax rates a lot of places charge. These taxes in theory can be used to fund education both k-12 and college/university. Certianly for example in Alberta the price of oil was directly related to how much funding the institute I worked for had.
Clinging to the Wreckage: ""Because windmills can't grill burgers" just sounds like a hacking challenge to me. I can think of several ways to do windmill powered grilling that should work."
This is a no brainer because obviously we can grill meat with electric elements. However most people's experience with this is with those crappy 110V counter top grills. Back when I was doing major appliance work I reconfigured a gas grill to use cal rod fridge defrost elements powered by a 40A 240V circuit. That's about 32K BTU equivalent and it was quite serviceable as a grill. Pretty much the ultimate in tasting the meat not the heat. However most people do not have that kind of power available on their decks. Though who knows, maybe with car chargers becoming common for the price of an outlet and transfer switch maybe serious electric grills will become a thing.
posted by Mitheral at 6:01 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
Oil and gas extraction in places like North Dakota generates a ton of revenue even at the minimal tax rates a lot of places charge. These taxes in theory can be used to fund education both k-12 and college/university. Certianly for example in Alberta the price of oil was directly related to how much funding the institute I worked for had.
Clinging to the Wreckage: ""Because windmills can't grill burgers" just sounds like a hacking challenge to me. I can think of several ways to do windmill powered grilling that should work."
This is a no brainer because obviously we can grill meat with electric elements. However most people's experience with this is with those crappy 110V counter top grills. Back when I was doing major appliance work I reconfigured a gas grill to use cal rod fridge defrost elements powered by a 40A 240V circuit. That's about 32K BTU equivalent and it was quite serviceable as a grill. Pretty much the ultimate in tasting the meat not the heat. However most people do not have that kind of power available on their decks. Though who knows, maybe with car chargers becoming common for the price of an outlet and transfer switch maybe serious electric grills will become a thing.
posted by Mitheral at 6:01 PM on August 4, 2016 [5 favorites]
Fracking Memes
They're coming from the frackin' ship!
posted by panama joe at 8:42 PM on August 4, 2016
They're coming from the frackin' ship!
posted by panama joe at 8:42 PM on August 4, 2016
There are definitely outdoor electric grills these days which seem to get perfectly adequate reviews for normal home use. A number of states now have significant wind power installations. This suggests that, unless none of those wind farms in Iowa are actually hooked up to the public grid, there are people on any given night in Iowa and Kansas who are eating windmill-grilled burgers already, weather permitting.
posted by Sequence at 1:57 AM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Sequence at 1:57 AM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's highly unpleasant to admit, but the "natural gas" monicker for gas that has been won through fracking is genius.
posted by Captain Fetid at 3:47 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Captain Fetid at 3:47 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Flashbacks to "Carbon Dioxide: We Call It Life."
posted by Scattercat at 4:00 AM on August 5, 2016
posted by Scattercat at 4:00 AM on August 5, 2016
Every time I look at these, I can't help but think (dare I say hope?) that they just hired a couple of 19-year-old interns to manage their social media outreach, and the hiring manager was just in touch enough to tell them that they should go meme-heavy. In my tidy little fantasy, these kids are all secretly anti-fracking, but see how much money is at play here, so they're doing their best to take the whole thing down from the inside by making it wildly unrelatable to actual snake people, while maintaining plausible deniability.
Guys, if you're reading this, post a "HERE COMES DAT FRACK," OK?
posted by Mayor West at 5:08 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Guys, if you're reading this, post a "HERE COMES DAT FRACK," OK?
posted by Mayor West at 5:08 AM on August 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Because windmills can't grill burgers."
Sure they can.
posted by booth at 12:38 PM on August 5, 2016
Sure they can.
posted by booth at 12:38 PM on August 5, 2016
This whole grilling things with gas is just wrong. You grill things over coal, maybe wood.
posted by signal at 12:49 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by signal at 12:49 PM on August 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, are there any private jets that run on natural gas? I thought jet fuel was mostly kerosene, which is from oil refineries? I mean, Wikipedia says there's experimental gas to liquid fuels, with only a few test commercial flights.
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:12 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:12 PM on August 5, 2016
There s a lot of fracked oil coming out of Eagle Ford and the Bakken. It s not just gas or wet gas, but also crude oil. A lot of gas from these plays is actually just being burnt off at the well. I'm on my phone, or I would find a link to the SkyTruth visualization of the NASA VIIRS data, where you can see all the flaring. West Texas is on fire.
I think Haynesville and Marcellus shales were mostly gas and wet gas, though, and they have gotten more attention, so that may be why people assume fracking produces mostly gas.
posted by eustatic at 9:43 PM on August 6, 2016
I think Haynesville and Marcellus shales were mostly gas and wet gas, though, and they have gotten more attention, so that may be why people assume fracking produces mostly gas.
posted by eustatic at 9:43 PM on August 6, 2016
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posted by Apocryphon at 12:04 PM on August 4, 2016 [15 favorites]