Here's a question for everybody. Given the high price of gasoline right now, would you rather have a house made of solid gold, or one made of crude oil?
Here are the ground rules.
1. Assume it's a 2 story house, 2200 sq feet.
2. When I say the house is made of this stuff, I mean it. The walls, ceilings, floors, everything are constructed solely of that one material. For the crude oil, it'd probably be packed very tightly into several big bladders.
3. All of the appliances and furniture do not have to be made of this stuff. So, you could have a Kenmore refrigerator and a wooden kitchen table in your crude oil kitchen.
4. You'd be up Poop Creek if a wall or ceiling fell on you, no matter which you chose.
5. Assume the oil bladders are bulletproof. We have to agree on this, otherwise people could shoot at your house and siphon your walls.
6. You can sell the house whenever you want.
7. One cubic foot of gold weighs 1204 pounds (how great is the internet?). I couldn't find how much a cubic foot of oil weighs, but it does equal 5487 cubic feet of natural gas. That certainly helps me.
8. You're not allowed to install carpet or any wall decorations.
9. You can have regular doors or beaded curtains, your choice.
This is a toughie, and I'm not going to weigh in until later. I'm curious to hear what others have to say.
Posted by Cody at May 2, 2006 5:57 PM"You know Darren, if you would have told me twenty-five years ago that some day I'd be standing here about to solve the world's energy problems, I would've said you're crazy. Now let's push this giant ball of oil out the window."
Posted by: at May 2, 2006 6:06 PMi'll take the oil. it'd be one huge, 4 walled, water bed. i think i like that.
Posted by: xyz at May 2, 2006 6:33 PMA gold house... that's just too shiny.
Posted by: Hup at May 2, 2006 7:37 PMI'd choose gold for a number of reasons.
1. Aesthetics. Solid gold could be crafted and molded into shapes and designs to allow for a beautiful, albeit garish house. Detailing would be almost impossible with a bladder of oil.
2. Comfort. I am making assumptions here without any scientific basis, but I would imagine that gold is a much better insulator than oil. I would think that during a hot Texas summer you would want the protection of a solid metal abode.
3. Marketability. Let's say the shit hits the fan. We can't really judge which commodity is better based on their current published market prices because your housing material, be it oil or gold, is so far out of the traditional market that the price is meaningless. On the one hand, oil, while universally needed, requires processing and refinement before you will find a willing purchaser. Even assuming that your house is made of light sweet crude, further processing is needed to make the substances necessary for our modern usage. Add up the costs of containing, transporting, and transaction with a buyer and you've got yourself a headache in the making.
On the contrary gold is immediately marketable. Sure it is not currently accepted at your local Winn Dixie, but we are talking a doomsday scenario here. Fiat currency would be out the window. We would devolve into specie-based economy. Lucky for you your house is made of gold. Just chisel off some of your patio and go by yourself a beer.
Comfort?! What if you slip and fall on the gold??
Posted by: Hup at May 2, 2006 9:25 PMDanza forgot to mention the dental possibiities associated with gold. If your teeth begin to rot, gold can offer you quite a fashionable remedy - just chisle a bit off from behind the fridge or under the sink and you're good to go. You don't see any of the cool kids wearing teeth made of oil.
Posted by: KC at May 3, 2006 1:27 AMbutr if your house is a big waterbed, why do you even need teeth
Posted by: xyz at May 3, 2006 7:15 AM