“The recent fall in cryptocurrency (crypto) and non-fungible token (NFT) values has led to anxiety, finger wagging, and calls for regulation. This is not surprising; bitcoin prices have fallen by one-third in the last 30 days. The largest crypto exchange,
Public Utility Research Center Articles: page 1
Federal gas tax holiday: Biden says it will provide ‘a little bit of relief’ – but experts say even that may be a stretch
President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax to “bring families just a little bit of relief” as average gasoline prices exceed US$5 a gallon. The tax is 18.4 cents on regular gasoline and 24.4 cents
What is curtailment? An electricity market expert explains
Curtailment has a special meaning in electric power systems. It describes any action that reduces the amount of electricity generated to maintain the balance between supply and demand – which is critical for avoiding blackouts. Recently, curtailment has made news
Podcast: Elon Musk’s Twitter Isn’t a Threat to Democracy
Will Twitter become a better place for regular people to have more open and honest discussions online once Elon Musk takes over? While some worry about what changes the billionaire will make to the site if he follows through with
Metaverse markets are blurring the lines between ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’
Seemingly every week there’s another blockbuster transaction in the metaverse, like the Yuga Labs “land” grab from a few weeks ago that saw users spend the equivalent of more than $300 million on virtual real estate, nearly crashing the Ethereum
A New Twitter Is a Threat to Meta, Not to Democracy
With Elon Musk’s recent purchase of Twitter, many are worried about what that could mean for speech on the platform. Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Mark Jamison says they shouldn’t be worried, unless they are Mark Zuckerberg.
Mark Jamison: Exploring the Metaverse
Last year, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, signaling its shift from traditional social media to a big bet on the so-called metaverse. This network of 3D, online spaces is accessed through virtual reality headsets like Meta’s Oculus and promises to
Elon Musk Should Create a New Kind of Common Carrier
“Elon Musk created a stir by becoming Twitter’s largest shareholder and then offering to buy the company outright,” writes Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Mark Jamison. “He says he wants to create a public platform that is
Fact check: False claim that a 1997 boycott lowered gas prices by 30 cents a gallon in one day
Public Utility Research Center Director of Energy Studies Ted Kury shares his insights to help debunk a recent Facebook post claiming that a ‘gas out’ in April 1997 caused gas prices to dip by 30 cents a gallon overnight. Read
Would gas tax breaks make a big difference when prices are skyrocketing? We asked 4 experts
With gasoline prices trending over US$4 per gallon nationwide, politicians are feeling the heat. In response, Maryland and Georgia have temporarily waived their state gasoline taxes to reduce the burden on consumers. Other states are considering similar actions, and some