larry borsato

Who knew that peak helium would become a problem before peak oil did? It seems that the world is experiencing a shortage of helium:

A global scarcity of a highly valued commodity has driven prices higher, forced suppliers to ration available resources and sparked calls for conservation.

As the shortage enters its tenth month, the warnings are dire: Unless new sources can be found, the bright, helium-filled balloons that now populate birthday parties could soon be extinct.

And who knew that New Year’s is the biggest balloon day of the year?