Gas Buddy!

I, for one, am in total agreement that we extract some oil from our vast, vast strategic reserve storage facilites to goose the gasoline market lower. Soccer Sally in Laguna Vista needs some relief. So does Joe the Plumber out there in Old Town Elk Grove -- his work truck's fuel appetite is really straining his small business. And, they vote.

Rachelle the Elk Grovian Realtor, boy, does she ever drive a lot for business. Suburban-sprawl housal-unit salespersons -- a car dealer's ideal customer. Her white Mercedes isn't sold in a hybrid version, nor would she find it acceptable to show a house to prospective buyers if she arrived in a Smart Car, a Fisher-Price version of a real car. Not very professional. She eagerly awaits our government tapping into our strategic reserves, as this would signal all those on-the-fence exurban buyers that cheap gas is right around the corner again. If they continue to buy in the burbs, well, she'll make healthy commissions on each one. As she spends a large portion of her day inside the carapace of a motorized vehicle, luxury is paramount.

Each story saddening. Each consumer at wit's end. As gasoline and diesel rise due to all those wicked oil companies and their Arab co-conspirators, well, at least we, like, have technology, dude. Gas Buddy! dude, the hot new app on the 4G. Just scroll on down, dude, and you'll instantly find the cheapest gas in all the land.

Gas Buddy! Man, what a fantastic solution to soaring prices! It's like having an invisible concierge riding shotgun! Relief is at hand. In fact, the second lowest price in Sacramento is right here on my blog's namesake, Franklin Boulevard, at the Franklin Gas & Shop. The absolute lowest price is, of course, at the WalMart affiliate Sam's Club.

Without being entirely sure, I would suppose that WalMart consumes more oil than any other American company, even more than, say, United Airlines. They've an awful fuel requirement to keep their warehouse-on-wheels in perpetual motion, delivering junk from Asia to large depots for us consumers to motor to, to consume. As the largest private purchaser of refined oil products I'd suspect they they have a significant pricing advantage over everyone else, thus they can offer it a few cents cheaper...

And of course, in our broad land, Lowest Prices, Always should be our new national motto.

I'm interested to know -- do you think that Gas Buddy! is self defeating? Assume this scenario: a foggy Elk Grovian morning, and you break California law by palming your iPhone in your lap while driving, looking to your favorite new buddy, Gas Buddy! to find the cheapest gas for your commute to the Bay Area to your telemarketing job. You know Gas Buddy! is updated by other purchasers of gasoline, and you discover that a station not six miles out of your way has the cheapest gas, updated less than 30 minutes ago. So you drive the additional six miles to purchase it, but you notice it's a full penny lower than what was posted by your other consumptive buddies. You stop for a second -- you ponder whether it's in your best interests to post the new lower price to Gas Buddy! If you do, then more people will show up there, spoiling your future chances of getting timely access to a pump. Higher demand and the station owner might jack up the price! Do you hold this station a secret? Do you intentionally withhold this economy-saving one cent differential? If this information got out, you know you might have to wait behind three other cars on your next visit, while you idle away all your new-found savings.

Maybe you intentionally post a one cent increase! Yes! That way, other buddy users will flee for even cheaper gasoline, leaving your station high and dry for your next visit.

Man, all these things running through your head as you exit the station, wondering how to post a new price to Gas Buddy! on your iPhone while commuting to Oakland that morning. You smile as you board I-80, realizing that technology = energy. You just saved yourself thirty two cents, after adding the savings but subtracting the additional six miles. You chortle how that imbicile over at Gone Solar has been arguing that technology <> energy for three years yet here's a perfect example of how that dumb blogger doesn't know shit.