Category — About MasterResource

The free-market energy blog MasterResource turns three years old today. On December 26, 2008, the blog started on the strength of several noted free market scholars buying into a ‘movement’ blog instead of an institution-specific one. A thank you at this reflective time goes to Ken Green (AEI), Marlo Lewis (CEI), and Jerry Taylor (Cato), in particular.

MasterResource views stand at 1.1 million. While not a megablog, ours is a high-quality contribution to the current energy debate–and a resource for the historical record (our extensive index categories number 380).

We have published approximately 914 posts from approximately 115 authors. Some are widely published; others are talented amateurs who have chosen to do what the ‘experts’ choose not to do: uncover the problems of politically correct energies. Comments from our loyal, sophisticated readership add substance to many of the in-depth posts.

And we have achieved critical mass; Google an energy-policy-related term with ‘MasterResource,’ and there we usually are! [Read more →]

MasterResource, the free market energy blog, surpassed a million views last month. While not a megablog by any means, ours is a high quality, in-depth, one-post-per-day contribution to the current energy debate–and a resource for the historical record (our extensive index stands at 365).

Since its beginning in late 2008, MasterResource has published approximately 875 posts from 110 different authors. Comments from our loyal, sophisticated readership add substance to many of the in-depth posts. And we have achieved critical mass; Google an energy-policy-related term and MasterResource, and usually something will come up.

MasterResource has covered a variety of energy issues on the state, federal, and even international level. But our most active area has been the growing backlash against industrial wind turbines. MasterResource is a leading voice for citizens, environmentalists, and small-government  advocates who have united against this intrusive, wildly uneconomic, government-enabled energy form.

Our content is for the future, not only the present. We are not shrill and are wed to energy reality, not energy postmodernism (wish-it-and-it-can-happen). Future scholars will access MasterResource to understand the intellectual arguments and political discourse of the great energy debates of our time.

Major Themes

MasterResource has become the ‘go-to’ blog in a number of key areas: [Read more →]

MasterResource, a premier free-market energy blog, is two-and-a-half years old. Since beginning in late 2008, we have published approximately eight hundred posts from 100 authors. Our total views will exceed the magical one million mark in the current quarter. Comments from our loyal, sophisticated readership add substance to many of the in-depth posts.

This site has covered a variety of energy issues on the state, national, and even international level. But our most active area has been the growing backlash against industrial wind turbines. MasterResource is pleased to have become a leading voice for citizens, environmentalists, and small-government  advocates who have united against this intrusive, wildly uneconomic, and government-enabled energy form.

Our concept is different from most blogs. With one in-depth post per day, we have created an open book of mini-chapters, creating a scholarly resource and a historical record for the energy and energy/environmental debates. We now have more than 300 categories–the index of our ever expanding book. And we have achieved critical mass. Just Google an energy policy term and MasterResource–I bet something will come up!

Our content is for the future, not only the present. We are not shrill and are wed to energy reality, not energy postmodernism (this it, think it and it will happen). Future scholars will undoubtedly review MasterResource to understand the intellectual arguments and political discourse of the great energy debates of our time.

Major Themes

MasterResource has become the ‘go-to’ blog in a number of key areas: [Read more →]

MasterResource is nine quarters old, having started at year-end 2008. Our total views have surpassed 825,000. We have a loyal, sophisticated readership whose comments add substance to many of the posts.

Our “free market energy blog” has attracted talent from across the nation and across disciplines–nearly a hundred bloggers in all. In particular, the growing national movement against industrial wind turbines includes a number of very informed citizens who choose MasterResource to publicize their issues and research.

Our concept is different from most blogs. With one in-depth post per day, we have created an open book of mini-chapters, creating a scholarly resource and a historical record for the energy and energy/environmental debates. We now have more than 300 categories–the index of our ever expanding book.

Most of all, our content will most assuredly meet the test of time as future scholars review MasterResource to understand the intellectual arguments and political discourse. Just Google the energy term and “MasterResource” to get to the posts of interest.

Major Themes

MasterResource has become the ‘go-to’ blog in a number of key areas:

• • Resourceship, not “Peak Oil“. Our bloggers explain how and why the ultimate resource of human ingenuity in market settings allows the supply of ‘depletable’ resources to expand, not contract, even in the face of record usage.
  • Sustainability. Our bloggers explain why government intervention in the name of ‘sustainability’ is the real threat to energy affordability, availability, and reliability.
  • Subsoil Privatization. Our bloggers explain why expanded reliance on capitalist institutions of private property, voluntary exchange, and the rule of law is the key to a better energy future for all, and particularly for the 1.4 billion who do not have access to modern forms of energy.
  • Energy Density. As scholars from Vaclav Smil to Robert Bryce have documented, the best energies are the ones that can produce the most power at the least resource cost. The future belongs to the efficient, and oil, gas, and coal are the prime-time consumer-driven choices. [Read more →]

It has been a good two years at MasterResource!

So here’s to our loyal readers (712,000 views and counting) from us (70 souls and counting) for a happy, prosperous, peace, and free enterprise 2011!

Principals

• Robert L. Bradley, Jr.
• Kent Hawkins
• Donald Hertzmark
• Paul C. “Chip” Knappenberger
• Marlo Lewis
• Michael C. Lynch
• Robert P. Murphy
• Robert Peltier
• Jerry Taylor

Editor

• Roger Donway

Contributors

• Jon Boone
• Indur Goklany
• Ben Lieberman
• Robert Michaels
• Glenn Schleede
• Vaclav Smil
• Tom Tanton

Guest BLOGGERS

• Gerry Angevine
• J. Scott Armstrong
• Daren Bakst
• Patrick Barron
• Charles Battig
• David Bergeron [Read more →]

Two years ago yesterday, MasterResource was launched by a group of free-market energy scholars.

Our concept was different from most blogs. With one in-depth blog per day, the idea was to create an open book of small mini-chapters, creating a scholarly resource and a historical record for the energy and energy/environmental debates. We now have 275 categories–the index of our ever expanding book.

Our total views have surpassed 700,000. Our rank at Technorati is #25 out of 6,369 “green blogs” (as of 12/26/10). We have a loyal, sophisticated readership. The comments add meat to the posts.

Most of all, our content will most assuredly meet the test of time as future scholars review MasterResource to understand the intellectual arguments and political discourse.

Here is the opening blog from December 26, 2008: [Read more →]

The free-market energy blog MasterResource is nearing its second anniversary (first post: December 26, 2008).  Our viewership has steadily grown, and we have reached as high as #7 on the “green blog” list of Technorati (as of 11/24: #32 out of 6,246).

The strength of MasterResource is the quality of our bloggers, some well-known names in the free market movement and others new names with now uncovered expertise. In particular, we have tapped into a talent base of individuals who are critics of industrial windpower, many of whom come from an environmental background and now appreciate the free market perspective.

We also appreciate the hundreds of comments that our blogs are generating, which is more talent bubbling to the top. In addition to supportive comments, we post critical comments that are in good taste. We are not afraid to debate the issues so long as the critic is sincere and avoids attacks at the person.

Philosophy

MasterResource is grounded on energy realism (versus energy hype and alarmism). Our preference is for free energy markets over energy statism. We prefer voluntary solutions to private and social problems wherever possible and believe that the intellectual case is strong against government coercion from an intellectual elite (the smartest guys in the room, to use the Enron vernacular).

Our worldview can be summarized as follows: [Read more →]

MasterResource, a free-market energy blog, continues to attract new talent and a growing audience. We have had approximately 45 authors to date, and our cumulative views have exceeded one-half million.

We are not a mega-blog, but we are an important addition to the energy literature that will, like a good book, be accessed and referenced for years to come.

At Technorati, MasterResource has consistently been in the top 25 (out of 1,550) “green” blogs and has reached as high as #7. But more importantly, serious students of energy policy are regulars at our site, reading our once-a-day, in-depth post or tracking down material on what Enron/Ken Lay really did, what Jim Hansen or John Holdren really said, or what BP was doing under John Browne. We preserve the excesses of the smartest-guys-in-the-energy-room for posterity.

New Talent

MasterResource has proven adept at discovering important new voices for the energy history, reality, and policy debate.

Ph.D. economist and leading industry consultant Donald Hertzmark was one early find. Robert Peltier, editor of POWER magazine, was another. Kent Hawkins has brought his engineering expertise to MasterResource on the all-important question of wind intermittency and related emissions from fossil-fuel backup.

More recently, solar practitioner and expert David Bergeron has posted with us and plans to cover the the solar field for MasterResource. Bill Griesinger, a financial expert, is another new name that you will hear about more at this site.

Grassroots opposition to industrial wind turbines has brought some experts our way such as Jon Boone and John Droz. Their environmental credentials and in-the-trenches knowledge about wind turbines makes them more than just ‘talented amateurs’ in the energy debate.

And California, California. Robert Michaels and Tom Tanton are covering that state (as well as it can be done) for MasterResource. [Read more →]

MasterResource’s growth and influence continues. First quarter visits of 115,000 were the highest in our five quarters of existence, and our total visits will exceed a half-million this quarter.

MasterResource is a top 25 “green blog” according to Technorati. We are currently #21 out of 2,172 qualifying blogs as of 4/10/2010, and we have reached as high as #14.

Our one-per-day posts are now regularly picked up by other blogs such as Tom Nelson and Junk Science, but also from time-to-time by the megablogs WattsUpWithThat? and Climate Depot.

MasterResource, the free market energy blog, is now a very top energy blog. Our scholarly and well categorized posts will remain relevant for many years to come. Each of us writes for the day but also for the record.

New Principal: Kent Hawkins

MasterResource is ‘owned’ by its principals, not any individual or organization. All contributions are in-kind, and no one has been paid for their efforts. (We are trying to raise some funds so that we can have the first annual MR retreat where some of the principals can meet face-to-face for the first time.)

Our principals have diverse backgrounds.  Some are salaried by an organization. Others take time from their consulting practice by writing for MasterResource. And others are retired and working on a labor of love.

Effective April 1, Kent Hawkins became the tenth principal of MasterResource. Mr. Hawkins has regularly posted since February on technical issues relating to windpower. [Read more →]

Master Resource turned one year old on December 26th. We have gone from a few hundred daily views to more than a thousand per day on average, and the quality and variety of our energy-related fare continues to improve.

Of the 4,100 ‘green blogs’ listed by Technorati, MasterResource consistently ranks in the top 50 and has broken into the top twenty. MasterResource is the top free-market energy blog with an All-Star list of nine principals and distinguished guest bloggers, including Robert Bryce, Indur Goklany, Mary Hutzler, Jim Manzi, Randall O’Toole, and Vaclav Smil.

Suffice it to say that we have exceeded expectations, and 2010 should see continued high quality and expanded reach and influence. We hope to increase our international presence and invite new voices into the energy and energy-related climate debates.

Worldview

MasterResource has documented the superior intellectual and practical case for free energy markets, which rests on these foundations:

1. Energy, the master resource, is indispensable for modern society. Abundance, affordability, and reliability are necessary for the developed world to advance and paramount for the developing world to develop and prosper.
2. The master resource depends on the ultimate resource of human ingenuity, which thrives under conditions of economic and political freedom. [Read more →]