This is an “overflow” page from prior Tips pages as they had gotten so large it was taking a long time to load. Same idea, just a new set of space to put pointers to things of interest. The most immediately preceding page is: https://chiefio.wordpress.com/t4/.
I’ve added a generic “T” parent page where older copies of the various “Tips” pages can be found archived.
While I’m mostly interested in things having to do with:
Making money, usually via trading
Weather and climate
Quakes, Volcanoes, and other Earth Sciences
Current economic and political events
(often as those last three have impact on the first one…)
And just about any ‘way cool’ interesting science or technology
If something else is interesting you put a “tip” here.
You can also look at the list of “Categories” on the right hand side and get an idea of any other broad area of interest.
This ought not to be seen as a “limit” on what is “interesting”, more as a “focus list” with other things that are interesting being fair game as well.
Musings from the Chiefio 
New Supernova found https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_GEyAsaWB4k
Currently reading:
http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Cracks-Earth-Shakes-Earthquake/dp/046501478X
On my kindle.
Indonesians colonized Madagascar http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-indonesian-eves-colonised-madagascar-years.html
A 10,000 year clock. An interesting read.
http://longnow.org/clock/
Was looking at this today:
http://www.space.com/14978-mercury-discoveries-messenger-spacecraft.html
and that huge iron core of Mercury just again reinforces for me the notion that Mercury is possibly the object that struck Earth and created the moon. Most of Mercury’s crust would be divided between Earth and Moon and what is now Mercury is the iron core that got stripped of its crust.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364682612000648
Multi-scale harmonic model for solar and climate cyclical variation throughout the Holocene based on Jupiter–Saturn tidal frequencies plus the 11-year solar dynamo cycle
Is the Sun a Stargate?
I know the video is a bit funny, but seriously we know so little about the sun, like how the surface is cooler then the corona.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/supernova-narrowing.html
Super nova 1a
http://inspirationgreen.org/vertical-farms.html
Vertical farms
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20120319.html
How come orbital resonance on earth is not taking seriously for volcanoes and earthquakes?
If Groundwater is dropping, then the water is going up into the air = warming? http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=215802
Has this groundwater got any connection to earthquakes/volcanoes? http://earthdata.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2007_gravity_colordata.jpg
Cat Parasite causes man’s history
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=2288095&page=1#.T2vKIdkuvCZ
1000 year rains on Titan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17454005
Baking Soda Cancer ? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-17455443
https://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/03/sandia_drone.html Nuclear powered drones
@George –
Ref Mercury hitting Earth making Moon, just a thought, maybe it also messed with Venus and gave her a tummy ache and tilt and that long, long day. No science, just a ‘what if’.
@Scarlet –
Sure would be more tempting to click some of your links if you said “what” was so interesting in these things you list. If you’ve actually read something, give us a hint why we should go look and get some of it too. Don’t be bashful, poor fa vore;-)
@George: Mercury has the higher eccentricity. Just imagine any body vibrating, like a rubber ball, it would be obvious for you that the more it rebounds the more “elasticity” it has, the more “energetic” it is. We use to forget that planets really move along with the Sun to the “apex”, so planets describe a kind of “spring”, and if you were to “project” it, to obtain the “shade” of such “spring” on a screen you would see a flat wavy curve: a sinus curve plus a cosine curve going together, that is the same as seeing the displacement of two charges in space. “Mass”, “solids” are those which are, for a determined time, roughly equilibrated, more or less neutral as to appear like that; this why say two “ions” like OH- and H+, if arranged properly appear before our eyes as a drop of water (H2O) when the moment before just were vapor (HOH) in clouds, floating as such, against that “Holy Law” called “gravity”. You see, everything is charge, and mercury is one of the most “energetic”:
Ηερμε χοσμοχρατορ, ενχαρδιε, χιχλε σελενεσ, στρογγυλε χαι τετραγονε, λογον αρχεγετα
γλοσσεσ, πειτοδιχαιοσινε, χλαμιδεφορε, πτενοπεδιλε, παμφονου γλοσσεσ μεδεον, τνετοισι προφετα.
Hermes, Lord of the World, who lives in our hearts , orbit of the moon, round and square , the inventor of words, language, he who obeys justice, wearing the chlamidę , winged feet, lord of issuing all the sounds of language , prophet of mortals …
Ref: (SarcOn) Chinese Great Tunnel Nearly Finished (SarcOff)
“Local residents have reported late-night disturbances since Sunday, including a shaking ground and loud booms that sound like thunder or fireworks. City officials investigated and ruled out a number of human-related explanations, such as construction, traffic, military exercises and underground work. Clintonville resident Jordan Pfeiler, 21, said she doubted an earthquake caused the noises. She said the booms she experienced were in a series over the course of several hours and not continuous as she might have expected if they were caused by an earthquake.”
LINK
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MYSTERIOUS_BOOMS_WISCONSIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-03-22-19-36-54
PS: This will likely go-away soon, but in case not…
Odd posting at Tom Nelson, but also oddly familiar.
http://tomnelson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bill-mcfibben-on-weirdest-weather.html?showComment=1332474068759#c3606534236157289132
@Pascvaks: PS: This will likely go-away soon, but in case not… BOOM! :-)
Might want to look at this comment on JoNova’s site:
http://joannenova.com.au/2012/03/total-body-scam-taking-your-money-and-freedom-and-coming-to-australia-too/#comment-1021878
Comments information please. My daughter, (just back from Oxford where she was taught not to think, damm, but to a degree true) posted this link on her facebook.
http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/2651-coldest-deepest-ocean-water-disappearing.html
The Coldest, Deepest Ocean Water is Disappearing
“The amount of a specific type of ocean water in the depths around Antarctica is shrinking, according to measurements taken between 1980 and 2011. The rate of loss is about 8 million metric tons per second! This mass of water is called Antarctic Bottom Water,…”
The word disappearing is quite odd. The article actually indicates warming, or that the layer of bottom water is thinning. No details of how exactly the measurements were made, how often, how the locations were done, changes in ocean currents over the decades, how much the Temp changed, what is the slope of the change etc, And yes the oceans are big, but 8 million metric tons per second, that sounds quite high. 480 million metric tons per hr, round to 500 mil. 24 hours = 12 billion metric tons per day; = about 4.2 plus trillion per year, times 30 years, 125 trillion metric tons of water cooled? density is approximately one ton per cubic metre. 125 trillion cubic meters.
How deep is the Bottom water?
Sounds like a data error to me. One of the main contributors to the AABW is brine rejection. What that means is that when seawater freezes the salt works its way out in the form of very cold, very salty water. As this water is much saltier and much colder than the rest of the ocean water, it settles to the bottom. The reason I say this sounds like a data error is because Antarctic sea ice has been increasing. That would indicate more brine rejection and an increase in AABW. Maybe due to the increased ice coverage, they are having trouble getting adequate measurements or there could be changes in deep ocean circulation have moved where the water is located. So the amount of it in the places they have been looking for it might have changed, but that doesn’t mean the total amount is reduced. Because of the increase in Antarctic sea ice, the amount of AABW should be more, not less.
A speeding up of deep ocean circulation *might* be transporting this cold water out of the area faster, though. I would look for an indication of increased cold water upwelling in the Indian Ocean. If that is seen, then it might be pulling more of the AABW out of the Southern Ocean.
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Bottom_Water
Basically, water doesn’t “disappear”, it moves someplace else. And as sea ice in Antarctica is increasing and sea ice is the source of AABW, the AABW should be increasing UNLESS the increased ice coverage is protecting more sea surface from the wind off the Antarctic continent preventing it from chilling as much water OR the wind direction has shifted and isn’t blowing as strongly off Antarctica causing a reduction in cooling of the surface water and therefore production of AABW. Besides, the entire thing assumes that the previous levels of AABW were “normal”. Maybe they weren’t. Maybe they were at very high levels and are now returning to “normal”.
Thanks George, confirms what I wrote, and I included a graphic showing the 2 to 3% per decade increase in SH sea ice, stating maybe ocean currents could have changed.
However, except when doing math in my head as I type, I like to be percise. The wiki article, in describing AABW formation only talks about the wind affect/cause, which it says is “in part” responsible. Do you have a source which further quantifies how much AABW is formed from what sourcea?
BTW, was my math close?
Am I correct that one cubic kilometer is one billion cubic meters? So one thousand cubic Kilometers is one trillion cubic meters? So does this error really state that 125,000 cubic kilometers of AABW has vanished, ie, either moved elsewhere, or warmed? The article implied warming of course.
I would point out that faster circumpolar currents will whack into the Drake Passage and send a cold shiver up the spine of Chile, then turn out into the middle of the Pacific, giving us the cold ocean we’ve seen lately.
In other words, that cold water is WHY I have snow on Mount Hamilton and folks in Washington are stuck in snow on the way home … It didn’t “disappear”, it is redistributed which is why we are now in the COLD PDO phase. Before during the HOT PDO phase, it was backed up in the Southern Ocean… This is the normal cyclical 60 year hot/cold cycling and nothing more. (Well, maybe a bit colder this time, starting about 2018…). Point out the globe is a DYNAMIC system, not suited to a STATIC MODEL view or STATIC ANALYSIS…
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=da3_1331394029
NASA needs to spend more
E.M Smith says,
“I would point out that faster circumpolar currents will whack into the Drake Passage and send a cold shiver up the spine of Chile, then turn out into the middle of the Pacific, giving us the cold ocean we’ve seen lately”
——————————————————————
Yes thanks, I have not cheked yet for a link to see if these two areas, are areas which are cooling.
But my math man, is it even close.??? (-;
.
“but 8 million metric tons per second, that sounds quite high. 480 million metric tons per hr, round to 500 mil. 24 hours = 12 billion metric tons per day; = about 4.2 plus trillion per year, times 30 years, 125 trillion metric tons of water cooled? density is approximately one ton per cubic metre. 125 trillion cubic meters.”
Well He double hockey stick, it looks like that should be 480 million metric tons per minute, not hour.
E.M.
Have you seen that the Greens are lobbying hard for UN style diplomatic immunity for their funds…
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/03/22/mammoth-new-green-climate-fund-wants-un-style-diplomatic-immunity-even-though/
and rehashed here
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/03/24/where-theres-a-need-for-immunity-theres-a-crime-green-climate-fund-looking-to-un-for-diplomatic-immunity-protection-from-lawsuits/#more-60058
Surely these fools have done enough damage without such immunity, with immunity they would be the planets most dangerous organization.
The Wiki article is fairly accurate as the two main sources of the AABW are brine exclusion and when the extremely cold, extremely dry winds blow off the continent they create cold salty water that sinks to the bottom. What happens when it gets there is the thing. Even changes in the North American Deep Water (NADW) can have an impact on the AABW because that is where they collide. Generally the NADW is not as salty or cold so it rides above the AABW and eventually half surfaces around Antarctica and half rides to the Indian ocean where it surfaces there.
So they claim the water has “disappeared” and there can only be two possible explanations for that. 1: Production of AABW has reduced. 2: The flow of the AABW has changed. One thing that could be a factor in #1 is wind. If you look at a 1 year history of sea ice around Antarctica, you will notice that one of the first places to clear of ice just off the end of the Ross ice shelf. What happens is that very strong winds blow off the continent, across the shelf and then blow the sea ice away from the edge of the shelf creating an area of open water surrounded by ice. This water is exposed to howling winds that are both very dry and very cold. Water evaporates chilling the water and increasing the relative salt content. This water then sinks adding to the AABW. If this area of open water is reduced in size either through an increase in ice OR a reduction of wind velocity / direction, then the production of AABW will be reduced. In that case, colder temperatures can reduce production of AABW if the reason for the reduced water surface exposed to the wind is that thicker ice reduces the area of these open. The rest of the AABW forms from brine working out of sea ice. As we have an increase in sea ice, that doesn’t seem to be a likely source of any possible reduction. It could be that it just isn’t enough to make up the difference if there is a reduction in AABW generation from wind.
No, I don’t have exact numbers and besides, it is quite variable from one year to the next. Wind is fickle and is subject to multi-year (decadal) changes that can change wind patterns for a decade or three. So what was “normal” 10 years ago might be completely abnormal today. Attempting to figure what the rates might be could be futile if the annual and decadal changes are as much as I believe they are. A change in dominant wind pattern next year, or a change in predominant wind direction / speed by only a few degrees / kmh could make a large difference in the amount of AABW produced. I suspect there is no “normal” as the deviation might be wide on both the decadal and century scale.
I don’t like the word “disappearing” used in that article, though. “Changing” would be a better choice.
The Labour govt. of Queensland Australia has been positively routed. It looks like Labor will be left with only 6 or 7 seats out of 89 seats in the Queensland state parliament. Yesterday they held a slim majority. Today they don’t have enough seats to qualify as a “party” for office and staff resources unless granted such status by the LNP. The Green Party didn’t even win a single seat.
Apparently there might be a bunch of 400oz gold bars in circulation that have been gutted and filled with tungsten.
http://silverdoctors.blogspot.com/2012/03/tungsten-filled-1-kilo-gold-bar.html
Trees have electrical energy which is connected to atmosphere and release 37% of the Radon in the air http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119147/Completely-menthol-Scientists-claim-trees-electricity–especially-eucalyptus.html
http://youtu.be/qq3U5o4Yblw Interesting how the cosmic rays get sucked into the sun? Is it part of the sun’s energy source?
http://www.teachpeace.com/peacesymbolhistory.htm This same symbol was used by Hitler’s 3rd Panzer Division from 1941 to 1945. The image on the left is the regimental 3rd Panzer Division symbol. Soviet, Polish, and Hungarian citizens, having suffered from the Nazi massacres, undoubtedly struggled with Holtom’s use of the symbol as a thoughtful way to communicate peace. The symbol can also be found on some of Hitler’s SS soldiers’ tombstones.
Obama signs in new Martial law
Laser Hints at How Universe Got Its Magnetism
ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2012) — Scientists have used a laser to create magnetic fields similar to those thought to be involved in the formation of the first galaxies; findings that could help to solve the riddle of how the Universe got its magnetism.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120324144958.htm
Members of a lab at the University of Toronto have been pioneering the computerized life style. They wear their own personalized systems, full time, computer: camera, optical display, all connected to the world wide web. The most sophisticated rig is worn by the head of this unique lab, Steve Mann.
I think it is quite, quite different and quite interesting because people make this world of their own. Gives, it is a very existential principle of being able to create one’s own world mastery over one’s own destiny, and kind of a little bit of a little bit getting back to the idea of a little bit of a self created world.
5% of the ocean has been explored, and 80% of the Volcanoes are underwater. And we know the CO2 budget of them????
New system can detect 36million faces in 1 second https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JiFx39WHYlI
@Scarlet Pumpernickel says:
24 March 2012 at 10:29 pm
They wanna kill us by laughing!, fortunately we do not depend on astrophysicists in our daily life, if that would be the case our world would be like the flintstones´
How to write your wine bill off as a research expense:
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27664/?p1=blogs
@George:
You can get custom made tungsten bars, gold plated, manufactured in China. All legal. Sold as “novelty items”.
FWIW, I think I know how to make a gadget to detect them. Probably patentable (and not needing x-ray diffraction). Don’t know as I’ll ever get around to doing anything with the idea, but not sure I’m ready to ‘let go of it’ yet…
Per “wine bill”:
In my old home town, the local newspaper guy had a neat gimmick. He had a column in his own paper. His opinions of stuff. Always devoted about 2 inches to a ‘restaurant review’, so all his meals out were a business deduction… He was a bit, er, hefty ;-)
This stuff has been known for a very long time. Heck, If I was making any money I’d start a regular Restaurant Review and Wine & Spirits evaluation series 8-)
No need to go to Hogwarts Academy to learn the fine art of reading tea leaves. All one needs to do is go to the NoTricksZone and read up on the latest regarding our dear old friends the Germans –
http://notrickszone.com/2012/03/25/germanys-poorest-say-auf-wiedersehen-to-mobility-its-house-arrest-for-the-poor/#comment-87955
“Germany’s Poorest Say Auf Wiedersehen To Mobility – It’s House Arrest For The Poor”
By P Gosselin on 25. März 2012
“Yesterday we read how EU and German bureaucrats want to force homeowners make costly home renovations, for the sole sake of saving some energy. This of course would seriously drive up rental rates for tenants, hitting the poor especially hard. And if it isn’t difficult enough for the poor to pay for their housing, take a look at the cost for mobility. We learn today that this is already unaffordable for many – thanks to the high price of fuel from government policy.”
Read it and weep America!
Except these weren’t novelty items, these were legitimate gold bars that had been doctored.
Ok guys when are we going to do this? Like go to Mars?
@George –
Wonder how much Chinese “Gold” the US Tresury has purchased in the past three years? You don’t think… naaaaah, NOT THE US MINT!! Bet the Greeks and Italians have some. Bet TJMAX, MACEYS, and a few others have been duped as well. The Chinese love to play “Got Ya!”; more than Ping Pong. (There’s nothing more interesting than watching people wrestle with gremlins;-)
E.M.
Some more on the gold story at Jo Nova
I’m not allowed to paste the link here for some reason
http://joannenova.com.au/2012/03/this-gold-bar-is-worth-its-weight-in-tungsten-corruption-is-everywhere/
[We’ll see if I can insert it into the comment… -E.M.Smith]
http://news.discovery.com/tech/around-world-six-hours-120324.html
http://news.discovery.com/videos/tech-maglev-trains.html
New transport methods
This Tullow oil looks like going to be the mega Africa oil. First Uganda, Ghana and now Kenya
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17513488
How to test gold is not fake http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rh0Mcagio5Q
I see from the discussion at Jo Nova that folks are dancing around my idea, so I guess I’ll share it.
When I was a kid, coins were silver. Dad taught me how to quickly and easily spot a fake. Drop it on the counter. The real stuff had a clear ‘ring’ to it. The fakes were a more dull sound.
So, easy way to test for fakes ought to be a database of sound profiles of given size / composition bars when struck by a calibrated ‘thumper’ in a particular way while suspended on mounts. (Think xylophone). Compare target bar type specs to tested bar response. The sounds ought to be very close for a spec bar and different for a bar with “inclusions”…
There is weather and climate underground, people just think of the above ground effects because they can see them, but there is things going on underground as well. Are we underestimating the effects of particle and magnetic effects from space and just concentrating on the atmosphere ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14678002
An interesting place on earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Atlantic_Anomaly
One of the biggest experiments ever conducted, and who knows about it?
http://archive.org/details/1959-03-19_Project_Argus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Argus
Tests U of the past
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/hane.html
Antiprotons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiproton
Where to find Antiprotons
http://arxiv.org/abs/1107.4882v1
The hottest volcano in the solar system, and all due to orbital resonance (which the climate fools keep discounting as having much to do with anything on earth)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki_Patera
16meg new geological map of Io
Click to access sim3168_sheet.pdf
170 new coal power stations http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=30d_1332815589
http://youtu.be/okPnDZ1Txlo Interesting video on the origins of School (Prussia)
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/23/10831821-mysterious-cloud-spotted-on-mars Volcano eruption on Mars?
http://pecangroup.org/archives/7266 Pole shifts and reversals
http://pecangroup.org/archives/5368 New types of ray weapons
For laughs. (Remember it’s the pic & ‘thought’ that count, not the ‘targets’;-)
NEWS FLASH>>>> The MailOnline discovers Medieval Warm Period. Well, not exactly ‘discovers’, but, even more amazingly, publishs an article about someone else confirming that the MWP was a global event.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2120512/Global-warming-Earth-heated-medieval-times-human-CO2-emissions.html
LOL, one of those cudda, shoulda …..monemts – did not look at WUWT before posting and of course Mr. Watts got it covered. :)
Some more evidence for the electric universe comet theory
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-comet-wild2-evidence-space-weathering.html
More about comets infecting life around the solar system (note they mention them as ice bodies when above discredits that ;P)
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-evidence-comets-deposited-blocks-life.html
http://news.discovery.com/space/most-ancient-impossible-alien-worlds-discovered-120327.html
So far, of the 750 confirmed exoplanet discoveries, there is a better statistical likelihood of a metal-rich star playing host to planets. And from our experience in the solar system, metals are obviously a very important component for planetary evolution. So, to find worlds orbiting a star with such a low metallicity seems to contradict this view.
But there’s another thing. Metal-poor stars formed when the Universe was very young. The heavy elements that are ubiquitous throughout the cosmos today were formed inside the cores of generations of stars and when massive stars popped-off as supernovae. But the presence of metal-poor stars in the modern universe suggest they are very old.
http://www.universetoday.com/736/are-there-oceans-on-neptune/ Could there be life here, comets must have hit many times.
Trace amounts of water is visible in Neptune’s upper atmosphere, but astronomers believe the ratio of water increases as you pass down through the cloud tops. Planetary scientists have theorized that water could exist deep down in Neptune’s solid core, in an ionic state, where temperatures are thousands of degrees Kelvin. But there might be a spot higher up, where temperatures are cooler (less than 800 K) and pressures more reasonable (less than 20 kbar) then vast oceans of liquid water could form.
http://youtu.be/hQthyzSJHVU Nice and warm, hit by comets, could there be life here too?
http://www.terracycles.com/joomla/sections/1-earth/10-elninovolcanism.html El Niño & Volcanism
The El Niño and La Niña are components of Terracycles. El Nino and La Nina are effects linking the ocean to the atmosphere and help drive climate change. As NASA, NOAA and other world science organizations continue to measure the oceans and atmosphere we can expect to see a clear link among solar irradiance, ENSO events, tides, plate tectonics, volcanism, global warming, ice advances, and other Earth cycles.
Using molecules magnetic position as a form of information storage
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-molecular-magnets-long-lived-qubits.html
Some interesting ideas about the atom and universe
http://www.reciprocalsystem.com/dbl/
“Suppressed Science” books
http://www.scribd.com/collections/3113156/Suppressed-Sciences
Gravitational component of magnetic field
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/GSP/SEM0L6OVGJE_0.html
I suggest we stop wasting tens of billions of dollars searching for new particles and forces invented by mathematicians chasing fame and a Nobel Prize and spend one percent of that sum investigating the dense plasma focus. Science used to be about simplification. It is the way of the Electric Universe. It is the way out of science’s black hole.
http://www.holoscience.com/news.php?article=7qqsr17q
Sun electric model
http://www.holoscience.com/news.php?article=ah63dzac
Pioneer problem
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2008/arch08/080828pioneer.htm
Halton Arp
The problem with the Big Bang, Alfvén believed, is similar to that with Chapman’s theories, which the scientific community accepted mistakenly for decades: Astrophysicists have tried too hard to extrapolate the origin of the universe from mathematical theories developed on the blackboard. The appeal of the Big Bang, said Alfvén, has been more ideological than scientific. When men think about the universe, there is always a conflict between the mythical approach and the empirical scientific approach. In myth, one tries to deduce how the gods must have created the world – what perfect principles must have been used.”
To Alfvén, the Big Bang was a myth – a myth devised to explain creation. “I was there when Abbe Georges Lemaitre first proposed this theory,” he recalled. Lemaitre was, at the time, both a member of the Catholic hierarchy and an accomplished scientist. He said in private that this theory was a way to reconcile science with St. Thomas Aquinas’ theological dictum of creatio ex nihilo or creation out of nothing. http://plasmauniverse.info/people/alfven.html
Atomic Feng Shui – Aetheric Diodes and Magnetization
https://www.scribd.com/doc/77264199/Atomic-Feng-Shui-Aetheric-Diodes-and-Magnetization
Antigravity
https://www.scribd.com/doc/26098206/Thomas-J-a-Anti-Gravity-The-Dream-Made-Reality
What is a magnet
Some light reading, interesting development
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/28/thermal_cloak_excellence/
@Chuckles: The most surprising idiocy in the link you give is that of “heat is not a wave”; since when IR WAVES do not propagate as waves?
Adolfo, Yes there’s some MAJOR confusion going on there between temp. heat, heat flux/transfer, etc etc.
Perhaps they’re trying to get a job with the IPCC?
Mercury has a weird core and gravity field
https://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/03/20/science.1218809
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-physicists-lasers-frequencies.html
Scientists mix lasers to make mixed light
E.M. Fallout from our state election last week – with ramifications!
See Jo Nova on “there go those gravy trains – – ”
I still can’t post the link here
Once upon a CONSENSUS dinosaurs were scaly lizards, and anyone who thought they evolved into FEATHERED birds were just considered crazy (regardless of the proof they presented). Also funny how any change to that good ole consensus is gradual and under the radar (you’d think it’d be in our face). http://www.geekologie.com/2010/11/nooooooo-what-the-trex-really.php
JoNova – Gravy Trains –
http://joannenova.com.au/2012/03/there-go-those-gravy-trains-in-queensland-victoria/
E.M.
Paying for climate change, knowing where the tax money went.
U.S. to Fund Vietnam ‘Clean-Energy’ Initiative –
http://www.tradeaidmonitor.com/2012/03/us-fund-vietnam-clean-energy-initiative.html
So we are going to ‘save the world’. Save it from spending money!
Joke:
As we Silver Surfers know,sometimes we have trouble with our computers. I had a problem yesterday, so I called Eric, the 11 year old next door, whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over.
Eric clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.
As he was walking away, I called after him, ‘So, what was wrong ? He replied, ‘It was an ID ten T error.’
I didn’t want to appear stupid, but nonetheless enquired,
‘An, ID ten T error ? What’s that? In case I need to fix it again.’
Eric grinned….
‘Haven’t you ever heard of an ID ten T error before ?
‘No,’ I replied.
‘Write it down,’ he said, ‘and I think you’ll figure it out.’ So I wrote down:
ID10T
I used to like Eric, the little bastard.
This falls under the light “Musing” category –
When all honey was local… bet there was a lot less hayfever. Think about it; it works. My son has an annual bout with the pollen beast. We’ve been going out several years to farmer’s markets and paying for the high price ‘local’ stuff for him to gulp every morning. It works. Then the general thought came to mind, as I was outside killing myself with the heavenly tobacco weed: When all food was local, what else didn’t we have a problem with? This, of course, led to the thought: The Carbon Units infesting planet Earth (always liked that Star Trek line;-) are doing a lot of stupid things that are not conducive to good health and happiness and our global tranportation systems, farming methods, preservatives, canning, and what-nots are a VERY BIG part of the problem. They are all the vectors the Vectors use to invector us; or at least they’re a BIG part of it. Are bananas nice and tasty? How about Kiwi Fruit? Do you like French Wine? How about Greek goat cheese? Do you go off to visit, or have visitors from far places come to your house, for the holidays? People are very nieve. Think we may be approving ‘this’ and ‘that’ for international, interstate transport and/or sale a little too fast for our own good? I’m not suggesting we have to close JFK or DFW or LAX or ATL and reopen Ellis Island tommorow. Monday would be just fine, I think.
(Funny what a short smoke will do to your brain, no wonder they say it’s bad for you;-).
During the course of riding one of my more favorite hobby horses (the possibility of elongated skulls indicating either a separate human race or perhaps a Neanderthanl – Cro-Magnon cross http://hiddenincavideos.com/featured/enormous-cone-head-of-paracas-peru-lost-human-history-returns/) I decided to read up on “occipital buns,” a bump on the back of the skull.
While doing so, I ran across an interesting discussion among Aspies. Seems some of the high functioning Aspie types think they may have Neanderthal genes. Sounds like E.M.! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt108294.html
All the CO2 long term data is now wrong http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21644-age-of-oldest-rocks-off-by-millions-of-years.html
The Snake with a shell? http://karlshuker.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/sachamama-snake-in-shell.html
[ So, using 2 names and 2 different IP Addresses in 3 combinations? Same style though… -E.M.Smith]
New plasma bulb
“They are an amazing phenomenon,” says Sibeck. “Hot flow anomalies release so much energy that the solar wind is deflected, and can even move back toward the Sun. That’s a lot of energy when you consider that the solar wind is supersonic — traveling faster than the speed of sound — and the HFA is strong enough to make it turn around.”
Observing an HFA on Venus will help scientists tease out how space weather is similar and different at this planet so foreign to our own. With no magnetic field to interact with, space weather at Venus is milder than that at Earth, but occurs much closer to the surface.
When discontinuities in the solar wind remain in contact with a planet’s bow shock, they can collect a pool of hot particles that becomes a hot flow anomaly (HFA). An HFA on Venus most likely acts like a vacuum, pulling up parts of the planet’s atmosphere. Credit: NASA/Collinson
“Hot flow anomalies average one a day near Earth,” says Goddard scientist Glyn Collinson and the first author on the new paper. “They’ve been seen at Saturn, they may have been seen at Mars, and now we’re seeing them at Venus. But at Venus, since there’s no protective magnetic field, the explosion happens right above the surface of the planet.” http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4616/solar-wind-explodes-on-venus
The Older I Get The Less Spots I See, I Guess I’m Going Blind (?) –
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/
I usually check the above link as a matter of ritual each day, along with Drudge and a few others. It seems the older I get the less I can see, so I guess I’m going blind. I know I can’t see the spots before my eyes that everyone else can on the Sun, everyone sees so much more than I do, by definition doesn’t that mean I’m going blind? Take the test and see how you do. For more on how to properly count spots you might also want to visit another of my initial haunts and see spots up close and in color too, at –
http://www.solen.info/solar/
http://hint.fm/wind/
I don’t know about accuracy but it’s very cool.
Danger Will Ribinson, Danger!! “something wicked this way comes” and it wants to HELP you, AND save the planet. :).
http://www.infowars.com/climate-change-skepticism-a-sickness-that-must-be-treated-says-professor/
@Jerry: Looking at that professor´s photo it is obvious whence that fanaticism arises: Nothing that a specialist could easily arrange….instead of trying to fix humanity, which is commonly simply a projection of oneself´s difficulties for socialization, it is always better to reflect (a thing that a mirror does) oneself about the causes of our hates.
I too found that sociology professor scary. I doubt deprogramming will work on such a cult follower. pg
@ p.g.-
We can’t afford things like that anymore. As expensive as things are getting, and as the little we have just continues to diminish, we’re going to have to admit it and go back to hangings in the Court House Square; if things really get bad, we’ll eventually have to go back to Drawing and Quartering, cable and sat TV will just be too expensive anymore. Nope! The Quality of Mercy depends on the cost of Entertainment;-)
@all –
FWIW – a couple of Texas funnies re winning the Lottery –
http://bergheimfollies.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunday-funnies-20120401.html
@Pascvaks: It seems that green madness is ramping up, I have seen on TV that the last move is about to disappear all the food industry in the US, by forbidding needed preservatives.
would you let her fix humanity when she clearly cannot fix her teeth?
@Jf: Any way it is not an “ad-hominem” but an “ad-dentum” :-)
Adolfo: ad-dentum. Bravo.
adolfogiurfa says:
2 April 2012 at 2:22 pm
“@Pascvaks: It seems that green madness is ramping up, I have seen on TV that the last move is about to disappear all the food industry in the US, by forbidding needed preservatives.”
Yep, death by starvation and epidemics.
Fifty years ago the Professor would have been arrested and prosecuted as an enemy of the State.
Today the State is subsidizing these morons.
Just like the stopping the UN, and EPA, these idiots have to be de-fundet.
Same goes for WWF, GreenPeace and other brother in arms who are f***ng up the planet.
It’s an absolute minority if we talk numbers kept in the saddle by an ignorant public donating their funding.
Planet under pressure conference London Final Statement
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/02/planet-under-pressure-conference-london-final-statement/
Here we see the shift form climate to environment.
Be sure WWF will do anything, including the destruction of entire biosphere’s to get on track with the Agenda.
I probably should not say this, but when I saw the photo of Professor Kari Norgaard, the little voice in my head said: “Frau Blücher!”
It’s good that this is not the Transylvania station.
Good news:
Prototype PALV a tandem seat road legal flying vehicle based on a merger between the carver and gyrocopter technology has taken to the air for the first time.
This IMO is the first real workable concept of what is called a flying car.
You can watch the video here:
http://pal-v.com/
@R. de Haan:
That’s more a ‘flying motorcycle’ than car. 3 wheels. So no speed rated bumper, no crash test, etc.
There was another ‘flying car’ on some TV news show today. 4 wheels. Prop in the rear with twin booms and the elevator as rear bumper. Folding wings. “Awaiting certification”…
And that’s the problem with “flying cars” and “flying motorcycles”. There have been many over the years and several have flown many times. (In a Bond movie for one…)
The problem is not the technology. The problem is the licensing and regulations. It’s not hard to make a passenger compartment with power plant that can drive around on the road and have wings / blades / prop attached and go flying. What’s hard is doing that while passing all the certification tests ( IIRC you must destructively crash test at least 2 of them for the car tests alone… and about $1 Million to the FAA) and THEN you get to apply for two operators licenses and pass the flight physical and…
Oh, yeah, and doing it all at a price low enough that non-millionaires can afford… The one shown on TV today was headed for the “cheap” price point of $ 1/4 Million … ( An air cooled commercial airplane engine designed basically in the 1950s once passed trough the certification and assembled by A&P rated mechanics can run $25,000 and up as a bare ‘crate engine’… so don’t expect the whole vehicle to come in much under $100,000 no mater what you do – other than ‘experimental kits’…)
The wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_car_(aircraft)
includes:
Historic flying cars and roadable aircraft
Jess Dixon’s flying automobile c. 1940
Skroback Roadable Airplane – 1934 Tested only on the ground, this vehicle used 3 pairs of short wings in tandem.
Autogiro Company of America AC-35 – 1936 One example of a roadable autogyro demonstrated for the Bureau of Air Commerce.
Autoplane – 1936
Gwinn Aircar – 1938
Waterman Aerobile – 1937 two examples in museums as of 2004
Airmaster – 1944
BelGeddes – 1945
Fulton Airphibian – 1946, one example in Canada Aviation Museum.
Convair Model 118 – 1947, ConvAirCar, Two prototypes built.
Aerocar – 1949, one example still flying as of 2006; two examples in museums
Aerauto PL.5C – early 1950s
Bryan Autoplane – 1953, a series of folding wing roadable aircraft based on the Erco Ercoupe.
Ford Volante – 1958
Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 – 1958, one example in United States Army Aviation Museum.
Chrysler VZ-6 – 1959
Piasecki VZ-8 Airgeep – 1962
Wagner Aerocar – 1965, The Wagner FJ-V3 Aerocar was a prototype 4-place flying automobile. The vehicle used counter-rotating rotor helicopter technology for flight.
AVE Mizar – 1973, Cessna Skymaster/Ford Pinto hybrid. Crashed, killing developer.
AviAuto – 1990’s
Current development examples
The Parajet Skycar utilises a paramotor for propulsion and a parafoil for lift. The main body consists of a modified dune buggy. It has a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a maximum range of 180 miles (290 km) in flight. On the ground it has a top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h) and a maximum range of 249 miles (401 km). Parajet flew and drove its prototype from London to Timbuktu in January 2009. The company intends to produce a commercial version which would cost £50,000.
The Wernicke SkyCar The Wernicke four seat AirCar was designed during the 1990s and involves narrow wing technology to enable it to transition between flying and highway use without any alterations whatsoever. Motive power on the ground and in the air is by hydraulic drive and therefore no added gearbox is required. Prototype one-third scale models were extensively wind tunnel and flight tested.
Terrafugia, a private company founded by MIT graduates, has developed the Transition, a roadable aircraft that the company describes as a “Personal Air Vehicle”. The aircraft can fold its wings in 30 seconds and drive the front wheels, enabling it to operate as a traditional road vehicle and as a general aviation aeroplane. The Transition “Personal Air Vehicle” will be released to customers in late 2011. An operational prototype was displayed at Oshkosh in 2008 and its first flight occurred on 2009-03-05. The estimated purchase price is $250,000. Owners will drive the car from their garage to an airport where they will then be able to fly within a range of 100 mi (160 km) to 500 mi (800 km). It will carry two people plus luggage and its Rotax 912S engine operates on a single tank of premium unleaded gas.
The Carplane® Road/Air Vehicle is a bimodal vehicle for individual road and air transport. It uses electric drive in road-mode and a piston engine for both range extension and air-mode. It converts between modes in 15 seconds. It is currently being developed with Government support at the Research Airport in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.
StrongMobile’s Magic Dragon Aircar has been developed by retired Air Force pilot-engineer Rich Strong over a 50-year period. The design uses an automobile-type lifting body fuselage and automotive suspension. Flight propulsion uses a front-mounted ducted fan with side outlets. Automatic conversion uses a combination of folding and swinging to stow the wings into the body. The current design envisions a core market of frequent regional business travellers whose time savings make using the StrongMobile virtually revenue neutral.
LaBiche Aerospace’s LaBiche FSC-1 is a developmental prototype Flying Car and is an example of a practical flying car capable of utilizing today’s automotive and aviation infrastructure to provide true “door-to-door” travel. The vehicle can be parked in any garage or parking space available for cars. The FSC-1 is the first known vehicle capable of automatic conversion from aircraft to car at the touch of a button. LaBiche has flown a 1/10 scale model, tested a ¼-scale model and is currently finishing the FSC-1 prototype for road and air testing, as of 2006. Currently, the FSC-1 requires a pilot and driver’s license to operate. However, upon approval from the FAA, development is underway for utilizing a new satellite-navigation “hands free” flight system to travel from airport to airport that will eliminate the need for a pilot’s license. Numerous safety systems and fail safes are also employed on the FSC-1, such as a recovery parachute. No news has been added to the website since September, 2007.
The Haynes Aero Skyblazer is a development stage vehicle that uses a single turbofan engine to provide thrust in the air and to generate electricity to power electric motors for ground travel. In “car mode”, a patented mechanism allows the wings to fold into the body of the vehicle, which is designed to fit into a single car garage and regular parking space. In “aircraft mode” the vehicle will have STOL capabilities and be able to use almost any public use airfield. It is expected to have a top speed of 400 mph (640 km/h) and a range of 830 miles (1,340 km). The skyblazer team has completed wind tunnel, stability and control testing and flown a 1/6 scale model.
The Milner AirCar is an advanced composite four-door, four-passenger roadable aircraft (flying car) with foldable main wing at the rear and foldable canard in the front. The AirCar has a wingspan of 28 ft (8.5 m), maximum gross weight of 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) and a total of 300 hp (220 kW) from dual ducted fans. Cruise airspeed and range are expected to be 200 mph (322 km/h) for 1,000 miles (1,600 km). After landing the wings fold to a width of 7 ft (2.1 m) so the vehicle can drive on public roads. A drive-able, but non-flyable prototype is complete.
The Moller Skycar M400 (AKA “perpetual fantasy” -E.M.Smith) is a prototype personal VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that some refer to as a flying car, although it cannot be driven as an automobile. However, the Skycar is a good demonstration of the technological barriers to developing the VTOL flying car. Moller International continues to develop the Skycar M400, which is powered by four pairs of in-tandem Wankel rotary engines, and is approaching the problems of satellite-navigation, incorporated in the proposed Small Aircraft Transportation System. Moller also advises that, currently, the Skycar would only be allowed to fly from airports & heliports. Moller has been developing VTOL craft since the late 1960s, but no Moller vehicle has ever achieved free flight out of ground effect. The proposed Autovolantor model has an all-electric version powered by Altairnano batteries.
Urban Aeronautics’ X-Hawk is a VTOL aircraft which operates much like a tandem rotor helicopter, however it doesn’t have the exposed rotors which make helicopters dangerous for personal use. This is accomplished by containing the rotors in large ‘ducts’ which make up most of the body of the craft; the requisite decrease in rotor size also decreases fuel efficiency. The X-Hawk is being promoted for rescue and utility functions. It is scheduled to be available for about $3 million around 2010.
MACRO Industries – SkyRider is a prototype of a flying car developed by MACRO Industries, Inc. Lighter than the Moller Skycar.
MotoPOD LLC, advocates the combined use of airplanes and motorcycles to achieve door-to-door transportation. The company has developed a Motorcycle Pod that allows pilots to carry a street-legal motorcycle beneath their airplane. After landing, it takes only a few minutes to remove the motorcycle, unfold the handlebars and ride away. The company believes this modular solution will appeal to pilots who currently enjoy airplanes and motorcycles separately.
PAL-V Europe BV: the PAL-V ONE is a hybrid of a gyrocopter with a car. It has 3 wheels and a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) on land and air. It can run on petrol, biodisel or bio-ethanol and will cost $US75 000. The vehicle has a very short take of and vertical landing capability. At less than 70 decibels it is quieter than a helicopter due to the slower rotation of the main rotor. The PAL-V ONE has one seat.
The Volante Aircraft. This is a modular design, in development. The flying module attaches to the driving module for flight, while when detached, the driving module is roadable.
The Wolff AeroCycle. is a motorcycle that can have the airplane parts attached in order to fly, and then detached to drive on the road.
The Switchblade, by SAMSON MOTORWORKS LLC is a three-wheel concept with scissor wings. First introduced at AirVenture 2008, the Switchblade is to utilize a single Wankel rotary engine and ducted fan to keep the propeller out of harm’s way on the ground. The wheels and propeller are to be powered by the same engine, but wheel-power only to be utilized on the ground. Development is ongoing at DAR Corp of Lawrence, Kansas, with flying prototype targeted for 2010. A predicted top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h) on the ground is nearly as fast as the anticipated 150 mph (240 km/h) in the air. No parts are left at the airport after conversion from aircraft to ground vehicle, as the main wing and tail retract into the vehicle body. The vehicle leans into the turns on the ground, to impart the feeling of being ‘flown’ on the ground as well.
The I-TEC ‘Maverick’ Flying Dune Buggy was designed as an off-road vehicle that could unfurl an advanced parachute and then travel by air over impassable terrain when roadways were no longer usable. Designed by the Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center (I-TEC) of Florida, a Christian ministry, the 1100-pound ‘Maverick’ vehicle is powered by a 128 hp (95 kW) engine that can also drive a five-bladed pusher propeller. It was initially conceived of in order to help minister to remote Amazon rainforest communities, but will also be marketed for visual pipeline inspection and other similar activities in desolate areas or difficult terrain.
The Aerocar 2000 is a modular design currently in development by Ed Sweeney, owner of one of Moulton Taylor’s Aerocars.
The Plane Driven PD-1 Roadable Glastar is a modification to the Glastar Sportsman GS-2 to make a practical roadable aircraft. The approach is novel in that it uses a mostly stock aircraft with a modified landing gear “pod” that carries the engine for road propulsion. The wings fold along the side, and the main landing gear and engine pod slide aft in driving configuration to compensate for the rearward center of gravity with the wings folded, and provide additional stability for road travel.
The iCar 101 has extensible cylindrical wings which spin to provide lift due to the Magnus effect.
The Scaled Composites Model 367 BiPod is a developmental hybrid using joined fuselages, and twin combustion engines powering four 15 kW electric propellers.
World’s largest solar plant and recipient of $2.1 BILLION loan from DoE files bankruptcy
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/worlds-largest-solar-plant-21-billion-energy-department-loan-guarantee-files-bankruptcy
Oh, the writing in that piece is just a beauty. But no mention of Natural Gas headed for a $1 handle?
With Nat Gas at $2 and falling, even coal is becoming non-competitive.
Expect to see fracking put on hold or outright banned “soon”. It’s the only way they can possibly prevent every single “alternative” from dying on the vine. Technology be damned. Consumer be damned. They have a rich Crony Capitalist Constituency and a Green Lobby to save!
@EM- “Expect to see fracking put on hold or outright banned “soon”.”
I think someone needs to come up with a different word for the process, something that will be perceived by folks as ‘nice, simple, clean, green. “Fracking” sound like something that really should be banned. (They probably paid some Madison Ave idiot a pretty penny to sell them ‘fracking’; they should’a gone to Atlanta or St Louis; who knows maybe, for the right price, it’s not too late;-)
E.M.Smith says:
2 April 2012 at 9:57 pm
E.M., I know the historic and current developments of flying cars.
As said, the PALV is based on the carver technology combined with gyrocopter technology.
This is a real revolution.
The Carver already is road certified an performed all possible crash tests.
Don’t mind the three wheeler configuration.
It has great driving properties.
It’s fast and absolutely fun to drive.
I had the opportunity to take a Carver for a spin four years ago and I am absolutely convinced of the concept. It’s fast, it sticks to the road and it takes curves like a dream.
The merger with gyro copter technology doesn’t change any of the driving properties at all.
On the road it’s still the same Carver.
In gyro configuration however it only needs 165 meter for take off.
This can be a runway or a grass strip in the back of your garden.
You can land it anywhere.
It’s also safe to fly. When the engine stalls, a gyrocopter can land without any complications.
None of the flying cars developed until today come with this properties.
Much will depend on the purchase price and the availability of good flying schools.
Flying a gyro is not very complicated and many licensed pilots get a license in a few hours.
Pedestrians will take 20 to 30 hours which is about 10 hours more than what it take to acquire a driver’s license today.
The development of the PALV is done in close cooperation with the authorities and I am sure all formal objectives that could suppress the practical use of the PALV will be solved.
I really think this is a breakthrough.
CarverOne production has ceased and taken over by Persu Mobility
They are planning a further development of the Carver with their V3 model which is planned for series production in 2014 at a price of $ 25.000,-
http://www.flytheroad.com
Series production of the PALV is also planned for 2014.
This is a BBC magazine article on commercial Bamboo :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17568088
worth a read. pg
The RWTH Aachen has done a lot of research on Bamboo applications and they have developed all kinds of high tech joints and connector systems that enable professional bamboo constructions from
bridges to housing and pavilions.
Click to access Bamboo%20Connections.pdf
Unfortunately the entire motivation of the projects is based on eco madness and Co2 reduction.
Don;t ask where the money comes from but it makes me sick just thinking about it.
Fortunately the EU Climate Policy is in free fall
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/03/eu-climate-policy-in-freefall/
Unfortunately it is taking down a lot of Europe’s industry especially car manufacturing.
World’s most environmentally outspoken (read biggest liar)President forced to resign at gunpoint.
http://grist.org/list/worlds-most-environmentally-outspoken-president-forced-to-resign-at-gunpoint/
I love this. It’s a policy that should be applied more often and possibly before the West is reduced to the pathetic level of banana republics.
Yah, After listening to our own liar in chiefs’ latest speech I had the same thought. pg
[ I’m sure you didn’t mean it as such, but remember that threats to the president are a crime, so “don’t go there”, OK? -E.M.Smith]
@R. de Haan:
In the USA, motorcycles (which is any 2 or 3 wheeler) don’t have crash tests, so easier to qualify. That this is a motorcycle is NOT a pejorative on my part, just recognizing that it isn’t a ‘flying CAR’.
The motorcycle license is a separate license with a mandatory training program (at least in California) or you have some odd harder path to the license. (Been about a decade since I took the kid through it so it’s a bit fuzzy now…).
In the USA, you have 40 hours minimum to a pilots license (and many folks take longer). The exam alone will filter out many folks (just like the hearing requirement on the mandatory physical will sort me out… unless I go to a waiver process. All costing time and money…) Costs of a license runs into the thousands of dollars. ( I know, as I’ve started toward one several times, only to run out of money. So I’ve flown hot air balloons, gliders, and single engine land; but only as a student.) My buddy got his license and even bought his own plane. The difficulty just of keeping current to KEEP the license caused him to sell the plane and let the license lapse.
So I’m sure that if I lived in a place that was less aviation hostile (or less safety paranoid) their little toy would be high on my ‘must have’ list. I’d love to live out in the boonies an hour flight time from here and ‘copter in’ landing at a local empty field and drive into work. But it won’t happen here. The whole place is pretty much a TCA (terminal control area) and the instrumentation package / avionics alone runs into the many thousands. The grass fields are all pretty much gone (the glider school packed up and moved away, ending my progress toward a glider license…) and any ‘experimental’ aircraft can’t fly in the airspace. So it will take a very long and expensive FAA certification before that aircraft will qualify.
But for places like, oh, Alaska and Australia? For some farmer in Texas? Hey, great idea. Solving commuter problems in urban areas, not so much… For the average Joe who doesn’t have $30,000 extra dollars and a year to work on licenses, and IQ above average, and a few acres of back yard to use for landings; it’s not going to happen. The US General Aviation requirements are rigged to prevent the Average Joe from flying. Heck, I’m well above the average Joe and couldn’t quite make it happen. (Yes, I could have, had I tried even harder. But that’s part of my point. Most folks don’t even try as much as I did…)
@P.G. Sharrow:
I love bamboo (even though the ‘dust’ from it makes me itch ;-) and have several types planted. It grows incredibly fast, and as I noted in the article about CO2 and trees, just a few percent of the planet surface planted in bamboo and CO2 is scrubbed ‘crazy low’. My Bambusa Oldhami was what sent me down the path to that understanding. I’ve not got a cord or so of cut bamboo stems piled in the yard, wishing they would compost faster, and a stand that desperately needs another cord cut out of it. Stuff grows huge and fast. Figured out the mass of CO2 absorbed per year was much more than the mass in the air over it (as I chopped out ANOTHER batch of 3-4 inch diameter 30-40 foot tall stems… eash so heavy with leaves as to be hard to handle…) Stem walls about an inch thick, so only about 1/3 of the stem is the ‘hole’ in the middle. Incredibly strong.
I just wanted some small poles for the garden. I’ve got structural beams… more and faster than I can use (or even keep properly thinned…)
I figure 50 tons / acre / year easy…
http://www.infowars.com/overweight-people-arent-lazy-theyre-under-too-much-stress-and-are-sleeping-too-little/
Nice article on Fat/Sleep and stress
E.M.
I have a liking for balloons, not the party kind but the bigger transport type and I found this site. http://www.hybridairvehicles.com/
Apparently the military are interested in these things.
They sure look cool. How about a tourist trip to, say, California to Florida in one of these?
Fracking Truth coming?
@EM; heard about your bamboo “problem” and discussed it with my friend that presently lives near you. We agreed that the two of you must meet sometime soon. He is up at his family ranch in Modoc this week and will be back in San Jose soon. I have several places that bamboo could be allowed to go wild and could be delighted to have starts of several kinds and we can use bamboo cane materials on the farm. As well, he drives a full bed pickup. ;-) pg
Well, if he has a big shovel, an axe, maybe a crowbar or two, and doesn’t mind digging and hauling, he can have some nice starts whenever he wants. IIRC, bamboo is picky about when it gets transplanted. http://www.bamboo-inspiration.com/transplanting-bamboo.html says not to do it when it is sprouting. So very early spring or in the fall. I’ve got one stem of the Bambusa Oldhamii that’s up about 4 feet, but mostly it’s still ‘early’ ( I think).
The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuretake Phyllostachys nigra and golden http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostachys%20aurea.htm both spread a bit, but are not active at the moment. They tend to root just about anywhere and any time, near as I can tell. It will get to 1+ inches and 30 feet, though mine is space constrained to stunt it a bit, plus the spouse, to be ‘helpful’ had the stems cut at about hedge height. Not that I was growing it for garden poles or anything. Sigh. But it ‘looks better’ (to her)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambusa_oldhamii says it can get to 4 inches and 65 feet It’s a clumper, so spreads about 6 to 9 inches per year. Sometimes a foot. Not bad at all at first, but once the clump is about 10 feet across, you are adding a lot of area. 30 foot circumference times 1/2 foot spread is 15 square feet. New stems size is determined by clump size, all existing stems provide food to the shoot. So at 1 foot diameter first planted, it made 2 inch stems. Now it’s closer to 4 inch and 50 feet… so 15 square feet by 50 foot tall. Per Year. Yeah, more stems than I can possibly use. If you need a few dozen large poles, bring rope and a flag ;-) Hardy down to about 20F (some say 10 F, some say -10 C; YMMV).
I usually cut stems with a hand saw, but sometimes resorted to a power saw. Be prepared to have itchy dust fall on you. “Nippers” to remove the branches are a nice to have ( I have some, but two go faster than one).
I need to thin at least one pickup truck full. Hint hint…
http://www.lewisbamboo.com/Giant_Bamboo.html
has some timber bamboo from the Phyllostachys type (runners) and neat pictures; I thought the Vivax was especially interesting. 70 feet tall and 5 inch stems with this description:
As a runner type can spread out 10 feet in a season, easy, just plant a patch of this and you will suck down all the CO2 from 10 times the area planted in no time flat, and then expand at a prodigious rate. I suggest a large supply of roundup be kept on hand ;-)
Nice pictures of the Aurea here:
http://www.lewisbamboo.com/golden-bamboo.html
And nice pictures of the black bamboo:
http://www.lewisbamboo.com/pblack.html
stems are green the first year, then turn black as they age. I have golden on one end of a block and black on the other. I expect it to be interesting ‘when they meet’ ;-)
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/79/402/G1.9_Confirmed_Binary_Dwarf_Star_Very_Near_Sun.html Has there been any more info on the Brown Dwarf the Spanish found?
It is a ring nebula about 15,000 light years away.
@Scarlet Pumpernickel / Panther77:
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist/question/?id=11926
says it’s a hoax, as quoted in the comments to the article you linked…
Ok ta. Funny though NASA says not to fall for the Doomsday hoax while they themselves do the climate change one daily…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_remnant_G1.9%2B0.3 140 years ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopeia_A 330 years ago
You can see the drops of temperature on the chart from the NASA article’s supernovas?
Finally, someone is going back to nuclear again. I mean if we can have nuclear drones, lets get the space ships going again! https://rt.com/news/space-nuclear-engine-propulsion-120/
@EM; Regards to bamboo, talked to my friend in Modoc, he would be delighted to visit you, please send me a way for him to contact you as he will need to be back in Modoc after the 22 April and will pass my way. pg
I may be late to this party but the downside of cars that fly is that “all cars are the same in the A&P parking lot.” The real trick to driving something that’s really interesting is just that. You will need an extra seat for the guard, for while you are in the restaurant.
I owned two planes and flew a lot of others. At the fork in the road where I decided whether I wanted a really neat classic car (in 1973 they were still affordable) or take up flying and buy a plane (first was a Cessna 120). The classic car got hung up on where i could drive it or park it and what would happen if my very rare body work was improved by one of the local idiots. And I knew I would want to drive it all the time. I had a 37 Packard Super 8 160 big sedan in mind (nomenclature may be screwed up here, but i mean the BIG one, not the 120).
There is such a thing as “hangar rash” acquired during the indoor topology exercises at the airport. But in 13 years of owning airplanes, neither of mine were so improved.
My take on a flyable car is that its rarity will be obvious and a source of problems with the public.
And this is without getting into the issues that E.M. alluded to. Flying with some modicum of safety requires very precise and specific understanding of 40 or 50 things. The FAA exams for private airmen certificates are very good at ascertaining whether you actually do understand the stuff. They used to look at the pass fail ratios on each question. If too many passed a specific question, then they would re-write it or drop it. At the same time, if too few passed a question, they’d do the same thing.
Generally the multiple choice answers included along with the correct ones, the ones which you might answer based on one of the known possible misunderstandings. I thought the private test one of the most insidious I ever took, and much trickier than instrument or commercial. I can’t remember if there was a written for multi-engine.
i managed to accumulate 3500 hours in 14 years before the conflict with my wallet and the time consumed starting a business shut me down. If you think about it, you can see i was flying all the time i wasn’t working or sleeping – which is about right.
last thing. confusing casual flying with transportation will very likely kill you. If you need to fly to get there and do it with some reliability, you need to fly a lot. If your plan is to go out and fly once in a while for the fun of it, that’s different.
I was flying a C-421, pressurized high performance twin (high-performance is what Cessna would have had you believe) for about a year and was up in it in almost all weather about 40 hours/month. I got pretty sharp.
When i went back to a lighter schedule, the skills fell away. This isn’t to say that i couldn’t horse it into the air and get it back on the ground with reasonable grace, it was more getting an unexpected hold in instrument conditions with bizarre geometry in a part of the country where I didn’t know the airspace cold, and having to puzzle through it.
My guess is that these car/planes, if they ever get to market, will be sold to the guys who have endless funds, and already know how to fly, and likely have planes.
To be blunt, I think the idea of flying cars is utter nonsense.
j ferguson; I agree, a flying car is the worst of two worlds. Rich guy bragging rights only. After passing the written and accumulating over 40 hrs I gave up. Too expensive a hobby for a poor man. Kind of a quick, fun way to travel, IF you weren’t in a hurry to get there and could wait out the weather to get home. ;-) After 30 years I still get the urge to strap on an airplane but only rarely. pg
Hi p.g.
I needed to fly for about 10 years, construction jobs in remote places. for personal flying, I found it an expensive way to get somewhere i couldn’t afford. I didn’t own the 421, my boss did, but it was fun to show up at some country field and buy more fuel in one slurp than they’d ever sold at once. i can’t remember what the capacity was but i could easily ring up over $450 in 1980. I charged over $10k on my Shell card one month and got a call from them asking how i’d done it.
as an aside, when the hatchery business went down in nw minnesota in the ’50s, by uncle, the hatcheryman started disinfecting barns, Carbola don’t you know. I used to go along to help. It was amazing how many Cessna 140s and J-3s were in barn lofts, maybe 5 or 6 in Ottertail County alone, and those were just the barns i helped with summer of 54 or 55.
Are you in the US?
john
@j ferguson; Northern California, Sierra foothills above Chico. Click on my name to go to my blog. If I remember correctly in 1980 getting fuel at any price was a good deal. I was looking into creating fuel for my farming operation as we had an Idiot president at that time, the world was running out of fuel and he was doing his best to make things worse. Runaway inflation, cost of seed, fuel and fertilizer had gone up 25% in 3 months. pg
p.g.sharrow says:
4 April 2012 at 9:52 pm
Both flying “cars” that are up for series production today are just toy’s.
To expensive to take to the road and to much limitations and restrictions to take to the air.
Non of the projects are suitable for IFR flights.
Any plane not prepared for IFR (or without IFR rated pilot for that matter) makes it a weather dependent means of transport = good weather flyer. Any IFR equipped plane must be twin engined for reliability.
I wouldn’t do single engine long distance navigation anyway.
Just too much experience with weather and VFR conditions not to rely on it.
Currency is everything. No currency, no safety.
E.M.Smith says:
3 April 2012 at 9:57 pm
My interest in the project is limited to the technical point of view.
flying range and speed are nice to cover short distances.
It would be ideal in countries like the UK, Germany and France.
These countries are covered with small airstrips (from WWII).
In Germany almost every self respecting town has it’s own airstrip with a glider club, a motor flying club and recently the ultra lights, Sports Class in the USA.
The concept of the gyro is ideal because you can fly it low and slow VFR only.
For the stage the project is in, flying and driving prototype, you can’t compare this project with the virtual fantasies of Mad Dr Möller and his flying ventilators propelled by a number of non existing rotary engines or any of the battery propelled Looney Tunes.
What’s the most interesting part of the Palv project is the involvement of the all the required authorities and the combined public presentation of the project they did on April 3, right after the test flight.
That’s all there is to it.
I won’t buy the machine even if it would be available for a quarter of the price, but if I’m offered the opportunity I will certainly fly it. But just for fun of it.
They need to put wings on motorcycles, that’s the only way they’re going to get them off the ground safely. But it has to deploy and store via button while riding, no stop and set up, no stop and store. And when it’s all said and done, at each stage, it must always look like a motorcycle. I think it’s going to take our limited know-how a little longer to put these babies on the road (and in the air) (and back on the road) (safely) (at 120mph) (at night too).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9185081/Discovered-woolly-mammoth-with-strawberry-blonde-hair.html Mammoths are Pink and Dinosaurs have feathers
Looks like the root cause of the nuisance abatement teams in the Antelope Valley has been uncovered:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/06/the-ugly-battle-between-rural-residents-and-alternative-energy-mandates-in-california/
EM-
Hope everything’s OK. Over the past few days the thought has entered my mind more and more that maybe something had happened. You’re so good at mutlitasking and juggling that I’m now wonder was ist los. Say something Big Guy, anything will do;-)
Fukushima Disaster Pending…
http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/04/682.html
Meanwhile, radiation levels are declining and residents in some areas are returning to homes and work.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Early_returns_to_Fukushima_0204121.html
That link you gave R. de Haan is absolute irrational hysteria. “not only will it cause a shutdown of all six reactors ” what six reactors? There were only three reactors on the site running when the earthquake hit. Units 4, 5, and 6 are not running. In any case, units 5 and 6 are located some distance from, and uphill from units 1-4. They were not damaged by the quake / tsunami. I have no idea what this guy is talking about, and I don’t believe he does either. All plants are currently in cold shutdown. 4, 5, and 6 don’t even have any fuel loaded in the reactors.
“but will also affect the common spent fuel pool containing 6,375 fuel rods, located some 50 meters from reactor 4. In both cases the radioactive rods are not protected by a containment vessel; dangerously, they are open to the air. ”
Open air storage for cold “old” spent fuel rods is normal procedure and has been for decades in every country on the planet. They are initially stored in water until the short half-life isotopes have decayed to the point where the rods are cool and moved to air storage.
“This would certainly cause a global catastrophe like we have never before experienced. ”
This man is an idiot, doesn’t know what he is talking about, and the purpose of it is to generate irrational hysteria. The man should be arrested.
Yes, I agree
Too much UN endorsement in that piece extreme alarmist projection.
This is globalist hog wash
George,
You can allegedly be arrested for yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theater but not for publishing hysteria inducing nonsense. I’m not sure we want to start doing it, but we should think about it.
It seems to me that missing from our educations, (well maybe not from mine), is instruction in how to react to news intelligently. A single semester in high school addressed to detecting nonsense in the news might be more useful than the miserable course we were required to take on the constitution.
To appreciate it requires imagining how thins would work without it.
I didn’t acquire the respect I now have for the guys who wrote it until I read Macaulay and Hume and worked my way through the centuries of contention with some very creative tyrannies.
Dad used to suggest that about 1/4 of what was on the front page of our newspaper was likely nonsense. Could I find which? His definition included conclusions unsupported by reported evidence, a little broad, but a good place to start.
E.M.
Are you OK. No comms for a while…
Hope you and you’re family are doing fine E. M.
Anyhow, happy Easter Holiday’s to all of you.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c97_1333871361 sulfur coming up as well. More connected then we think? As the Death valley is really deep down (below sea level)
Hello E.M.
This is David’s wife Carol (former Special Education Educator)
I just showed David the homepage for Bing and he told me to let you know about it as it made him think of you right away. He is just the same.
We chose Bing as our homepage because we don’t like the things that Google stands for.
Cheers…..
ATTENTION ALL
Getting the real impression that something’s WRONG.
Anyone who’s been in contact with EM in the past five days, or knows how to check and see if he/his family’s OK, say something! Please!
Pascvaks, I agree, Galloping Camel likely has his number. E.M. has related health difficulties from time to time. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious.
@All:
Nothing to worry about with me. I’ve just taken a couple of days off (somewhat unplanned). First off, some bit of ‘junk’ is under the keys of my keybord. Right now it’s under the ‘period’ key but a couple of days ago it was under the M key. The key works, but takes very high pressure. That has dampened my enthusiasm for a lot of typing. (Yes, I’ll fix it eventually).
Second issue: One of the kids decided to ‘redecorate’ the door panel of one of the cars using a tree as ‘sanding implement’ ( nothing hurt but the kids wallet)
Finally, I got started reading “Sum of all fears” (after someone said my writing reminded them a bit of Clancy) and now, over 900 pages later – yes it’s that long! – I’ve just finished it.
There’s a couple of other issues that came up, like the cat that liked studying the bunnies at 2 am and has had me not sleeping nights for the last couple of days… and a birthday party or two, but nothing particularly bad. Oh, and Easter.
Mostly I think just got a bit of a mix of ‘rushed’ with ‘bummed about the keyboard’ being hard to type upon. Oh, and wordpress seems to have a couple of new behaviours with my browsers of choice so I may be back in ‘upgrade land’…
At any rate, I’m now back to trying to catch up with stuff, write the Great Gothic Novel ( OR Russian Epic or…) and generally pondering Clancy. His character development is pretty good, and his military minutia is astounding, but the romantic scenes and some of the treatment of women’s roles seemed a bit ‘forced’ at times.
OK, with that said, it’s now about midnight and I’m pretty tired (having been up all last night on ‘cat duty’ – for which the bunnies thanked me…) So I don’t know that I’ll get much done before I fall asleep.. Well see.
E.M.
I had a similar problem with my key board.
Took it to the garage, switched on the compressor and used pressured air to remove a considerable
amount of unidentified objects accumulated in a few years of use. Very effective method.
Just give it a try.
my keyboard, this one, has a bit of the e.e. cummings – shift keys don’t work.
Damn Cats!
E.M.
Nice to hear from you. I hope the bunnies appreciate your labors – I’m sure they do. The book sounds intriguing, and probably more productive than keeping the rest of us amused. Keyboards can be a problem and I’ve used the same method as R. de Haan to clean out the accumulated crud to good effect. Have a good rest and catch up later.
K
@E.M.: So you are back!, let us rejoice for it!….you know these days….easter, quite a singular configuration of stars when a lot of souls are invited either to go up or down, according to old traditions almost forgotten and hidden by the stellar dust: Check the statistics….here you will have enough material for a singular post.
FWIW, I’d say now is a good time to be out of the market.
Gold and silver went nearly straight up today: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/gold-and-silver-go-vertical
Yep, clear sign we’re in for something massive.
Today in the Dutch news the banks came with the message to their customers to look for alternative financing because the current crises was limiting their lending capacity.
If this is not an open invitation for a bank run I don’t know what is.
Anyhow this is what you get if you bail out a bunch of scum bags.
FWIW – Went off looking for some info on “Obesity and US Economic Groups”. The first graph I “held onto” was a general overview of US Pop ‘Normal, Overweight, Obese – 1stQtr 2008 to 4thQtr 2011’ at :
The second graph I “held onto” was ‘Percentage Obese in US Among Various Economic Groups’ at:
The third graph I kept was ‘Prevalence of Disease by Income Group in England and the US’ at:
The fourth graph was ‘Obesity Rates of Men and Women – White, Black, Asian’ at:
The fifth graph was ‘Obesity Among Adults by Black/White Race or Hispanic Ethnicity and Sex, US, 2006-2008’ at:
THEN I came across this little gem. It, to me, threw all the others our the window and left me with mouth agape and wondering “”WHY?”” Ever go looking for an answer, only to find a bigger question, and no answer, in a related, but different baseball park? The sixth chart was ’Childhood Obesity Epidemic’ at:
Something happened in the 1980s, and appears to be still at work; was it –
Young Women on BirthControl pills going off and having families?
Day Care and Fast Food at McD’s instead of a home cooked meal?
Green Meat?
Climate Change?
MSG?
Too much fluoride in the toothpaste and water?
Fabric softeners?
Air Conditioning?
Deodorants and Antiperspirants?
Industrial ‘Mini-Mega-Toxic’ Releases into the Biosphere?
Food Additives?
Childhood Injections that morph into mini-genetic mutations twenty years hence?
Global Transportation moving germs at warp speed?
Sunspots?
Ad Infinitum Etceteras?
Whatever! Thought it was one of those “needle-in-a-haystack” things; you know, like you just feel there’s something in there, you just haven‘t found it yet?;-)
@R. de Haan says:
10 April 2012 at 9:25 pm
No,No…they meant TULIPS….
@Pascvaks says:
10 April 2012 at 9:34 pm
Those are the issues given to you by the media to brainwash you. That´s only possible in the US. In the real world of not so “developed countries” (so developed as being kept terrorized all the time), common sense still prevails and those campaigns are impossible.
@Pascvaks says:
10 April 2012 at 9:34 pm
I believe the answer you are looking for the increase in male obesity is the medicating to make boys act like girls in school as this started in the mid 1980s pg
Philippine naval standoff with China results in football game with Viet Nam. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/04/10/international/i001703D39.DTL&tsp=1
Dear E.M., if you feel the inclined please consider a post about how fast and effective a true energy policy could be in reducing the cost of gasoline in particular , and all energy in general. Your articles, like the one covering the causes of the economic collapse (what was the title of that one) are usually better then anything I find elsewhere.
http://phys.org/news/2012-04-carbon-nanotubes-weird-world-remote.html Singularity just got closer
Fractals/Dimensions http://youtu.be/BMOko6DU1Ng
@Pascvaks:
Notice that the jumps tend to arise just about the times that the method of measuring is changed. About 1998, in particular, the BMI that was ‘obese’ was changed.
Yes, manufacturing crisis via statistical fraud. Seems to be the norm now.
When I was a kid, I was “pudgy”. To the best of my knowledge, nobody every got that on a report anywhere other than my doctor and parents. Also, near as I can tell (from watching 3 older sisters and their friends try every ‘diet’ known to exist over several decades AND from watching folks in the family restaurant AND from generally being aware of food vs weight for a half century): Weight is only marginally connected with “self control” or ‘dieting’ or ‘activity’.
As mentioned elsewhere, I was at my lowest adult weight EVER after 3 1/2 months locked in an 11 x 17 foot room for NASA with an exercise program that was mostly “lay in bed and eat all I want, then walk to the potty / shower”. I was at my heaviest when doing Karate 2 or 3 times a week and ‘eating healthy’… I went to school with a kid who was rotund. She was largely abused by society trying to change who she was and effectively starved a lot. Nobody wanted to admit that she was just built stocky. Worked with a guy who was built like The Thing (minus the orange skin and plates ;-). His arms were like my legs. He did no exercise program and ate about the same as I did. Different genes… I also had a friend who was about 3/4 my weight and ate about 25% to 50% more than I did. He didn’t digest corn (which, to quote him “just passes through unchanged”) and did a poor job of digesting other plants (so liked to eat a lot of meat). I can go weeks on 2 meals a day, often light meals, and not lose weight. ( Today I had baked potato, peas, and a chile relleno for dinner. Lunch I skipped. Breakfast was tea, coffee, 2 eggs, scrambled, and toast. That’s more or less typical for me. I’m about 100 kg….
Again, different genetics. Mine are optimized for efficiency in times of famine and large size for survival in cold. His were optimized for warm climate and high calorie hunting.
One could speculate that folks who were on the skinny side were just less effective at procreating over the last 100 years or so… Hey, with all those folks being guilt tripped to death and denying themselves, why would they have kids? Those of us who were not subject to such pressures just said: I’m pudgy, I don’t care, I’m going to live my life and have a family.
Eventually the skinny guilt ridden greens will exit the gene pool and leave ‘my kind’ alone to dominate the world ;-0
@David:
I’ll dig up the article name ( it ought to be under one of the “Economic” or “political” categories on the right).
The short form on energy: About 5 years if expedited, 10 if not. First is time to build factories for Gas To Liquids and Coal to Liquids. Second is including all the law suits and EPA obstructions…
We’re got a few hundred years worth of both gas and coal. BOTH can be turned into Diesel and gasoline to use in existing vehicles very simply and directly. VW did a study in the ’70s on using process heat from nukes and found it even more economical. I’d put their cost basis at about $2.50 / Gallon of Gas today. (They were about 50 CENTS IIRC, so a 5 x uplift for inflation).
Most of the rest would just be ‘expansion and illustration’. Things like: Most commercial vehicles (i.e. 18 wheelers) go through engines in about 5 years. Just replacing them with CNG / LNG engines as they wear out puts our commercial haulage on Natural Gas in 5 years and about 1/3 to 1/2 done in 3 years. (One would need to change ONE rule for rail to convert our rail Diesel fleet. There’s a rule that a tanker of fuel can not be near the engine. If you allow an LNG tank to be near the engine, you can convert them in under two years. A “demo” was constructed and worked fine, but needed that rule wavier to test… The heads on the Diesel engine get swapped and the nat gas plumbed to special injectors…)
I’ve watched that “issue” closely since I first focused on it about 1969. (Believe it or not, I ran a Honda Trail 90 on propane in about 1969 via valving it with one hand while controlling air with the throttle… I’ve been interested in ‘funny fuels’ for a long time. Ran a VW and a Ford Fairlane on various mixes of alcohols and gasoline and even some ‘light oil’ mixes in the 69-73 range.) I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason we are dependent on “Foreign Oil” is precisely and completely because the power structure wants it. There is no technical nor economic reason for it. That only leaves political / social control.
So while I’m happy to make such a posting about “how to do it”; I’m pretty sure it’s pointless. Both the Republicans and the Democrats have done exactly the things that continue oil dependence and backed exactly those things most likely to fail, while strictly avoiding the things that are demonstrated to work and have been in production for decades in other countries. That can not be an accident.
( We had the insanity of pushing for The Hydrogen Economy even though a 10 minute looks shows hydrogen is just a chemical battery, not an energy source. We presently have the solar / wind fantasy. We built a large hole in the ground we filled with more oil. We did, shortly after the Arab Oil Embargo build a couple of proof of concept ‘synthetic oil plants’ then either shut them down or simply didn’t make any more. One could also ask why they wanted to play with R&D into poorly understood synthetic oil programs rather than just doing FT that was known to work and in production in South Africa. Oh, and the electric car fantasy comes and goes every so often – again a ‘battery’ not an energy source.).
But I’m happy to “admire the problem” some more… just don’t get your hopes up that anyone is going to actually do anything with it. FWIW, a Diesel is remarkably omnivorous. High octane / low cetane things can be fed in the air intake while low octane / high cetane things can be injected. ( I’ve run MY diesels on propane, methanol, ethanol and a couple of other things just valved into the air intake. I’ve run various other things, from plant oils and automatic transmission fluid to Crisco Shortening via viscosity adjustment and injection. Kerosene works really well ;-) so all sorts of ‘funny fuels’ could be run in the Diesels of our nation with out much technical trouble. I have to wonder to what degree the “Smog rules” that have hobbled the Diesel and require very tight fuel specs are driven by smog vs driven by forcing to narrower fuel tolerance… But there have been commercial engines made that run on everything from methanol and methane to DME (dimethylether) and various other things.
This is particularly important as fuels like DME are VERY easy to make from coal. Coal is dirt cheap. The conversion is fairly trivial. Hmmm…..
@tckev:
As I have a new-in-box compressor I bought in Florida, maybe it’s time I unpacked it…
For now, I’m using a wireless keyboard and just have to get used to looking sideways at the laptop while I type and moving hands “over there” to get to the mouse ;-)
But at least now I can type faster than 1 wpm again…. ( It really screwed me up to have to keep stopping and backing up to fix dropped letters. Normally I just ‘think the words’ and they appear on the screen. I’ve not thought about typing mechanics in a few decades… Not anywhere near as fast as the spouse (who’s over 70 wpm and can jam an IBM Selectric when she gets rolling…) but somewhere around 50 wpm when I’m warmed up… Just needing to think “OH, it dropped an M, what key is the M?” is astoundingly slowing… It’s all down in the brain stem at that point…
I noticed that in just about 4 days (nights?) the bunnies went from “WHAT? Prepare to panic!” to “Him? Go mooch from the flashlight guy…” It’s interesting how fast they learn. As tonight is wet and rainy, I’ll likely sleep instead of sit up. Then again, it’s 1 am and I’m enjoying the new keyboard… and catching up…
@Adolfo:
When folks claim that things like celestial alignments and seasons don’t matter, I just think of my family and birthdays.
Dad & one Sister – October. Son – November. Me, my wife, her twin, my Mom, one Sister – January. Other Sister – February. Daughter May. (Her BoyFriend March, Her genetic 1/2 sibling – i.e. twins daughter – March.
Note the distribution about January? Note that complete zippo in June, July, August, September? ( The Octobers were actually in the last week of the month, FWIW) Our family is clearly ‘clued in’ on planetary positions.
@R. de Haan:
Well, “no money today” is pretty much a notice that they are possessed of an empty vault…
It’s worse than I thought (and I thought it was pretty bad…).
@David:
Not sure exactly which posting you were thinking of, so here’s a couple of them:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/the-70-percent-solution/
(I think that’s the one you were thinking of, maybe, but here’s some more):
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/where-is-the-budget-problem/
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/the-federal-budget-mess/
This one is how to make liquid fuels from things like coal:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/zsm-5-and-liquid-beds/
More than all other fossil fuels combined, start of first production:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/clathrate-to-production/
The root cause of broad economic sloth:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/well-theres-your-problem-fed-spending-299-home-income-27/
This one looks at a potential root cause of the failure of economists in their Keynesian training:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/was-keynes-incomplete/
E.M.
More on posting and copying
I have similar posting problems at WUWT but not at 2 other WordPress sites I tried. No idea from this end.
@Another Ian:
Well, I had to change browsers (from Opera to Firefox) to get things to load right. It looks to me like WordPress is trying some kind of ‘upgrade’ and putting in code that is either tied to Internet Exploder (ie non standards based) or is just buggy and they are not doing good enough Q.A.
So you can ‘hope it will pass’ or try some other browsers… IMHO.
@E.M.
For me it has become clear that the EU apparatchiks execute a deliberate policy to reduce the Eurozone economy and keep it in a permanent state of crises.
Of course this is all “ideology” based and this policy has unleashed a wave of “last minute money grabbing” by the elite and those who have the opportunity.
Same happening in the USA.
We have no other choice but to confront the ideology and fight back.
If we don’t we’re dead. Period.
E,M, Smith says 11 April 2012 at 9:42 am
As always, thanks, and yes the Sherlock Holmes post , how could I forget that title, was the one I was looking for. Thank you for the other info also. Concerning gas prices I accept the time to market estimates, and I understand that this is politicaly wishful thinking. That being said how fast would you think such real strong practical moves by the US, could move market prices based on said actions?
@ R. de Haan: We have no other choice but to confront the ideology and fight back..
Just let that fight back to the stars… :-) 2012 anyone?
Ref. my last, regarding Childhood Obesity. (Not saying I found anything of note mind you, still in the ‘what the heck happened? phase’ AND I’m convinced there’s more than one smoking gun to account for the rise in Extra Heavy American Kids;-) To the extent that there was a ‘smoking gun’ in the diet of children in the material I linked above at the sixth chart — ’Childhood Obesity Epidemic’ at:
I went looking for a ‘maybe’ connection and found something regarding Sugar-Free Sody Pop. FWIW, not only was everything you’ve all already said quite true, but there was a coincidental ‘change’ to point to. (I’m sure there are many more, and I still think the BIG BOYS were fooling around with various ‘additives’ as well;-( Anyway, Sugar-Free Sody-Pop and Time that looks similar to my link above. What a world!
http://www.diseaseproof.com/Annual%20Soft%20Drink%20Production%20US%282%29.gif
@Pascvaks: You are right again!: “Dextrose” IS sugar, “Fructose”-from corn.etc- (C6H12O6) IS inverted SUGAR= GLUCOSE= LEVULOSE. (the same you get if you boil a mix with sugar and a few drops of lemon), even if you read carefully those synthetic sweeteners, the sweetener itself it is only the smallest part, most of them are filled with common SUGAR.
Not surprising it all began when a group in Guyana drank “Kool-Aid”….
Drink up your SOMA right away and feel happy!
Let me try that last link again. It didn’t all take and you get a bad connection. 1…. 2…. 3….
Sorry! No cigar! Add “.gif” and hit enter after you use the link above and it will then take you to the chart.
@Pascvaks:
The parenthesis are confusing WordPress. I’ve swapped them for percent-28 and percent-29 and it works.
http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/0029/index.htm
Per the content:
Yup, sucking down the sodas. Each of those sodas full of various crap, but also in a can with a plastic liner with the noted plasticizers in it. So we’d need an A/B to sort out which was more likely the causal agent or was it something else. It also implies a look at what they drink in Israel might be of interest.
Coincidence, correlation, causality?
IMHO, the “key point” is the connection of brain hypertrophy with hormone analogs and those are not sugars (but could easily be a ‘trace’ contaminant in them or in the artificial sweeteners. As hormons can act at levels that look like ‘near zero’ it would not take much of a ‘side path’ in some synthesis process to produce something ‘bad’.
Sidebar: Hey, my ‘.’ key is working on the laptop again! Oh Boy!!!….
(Wonder if the ‘bit of crap’ fell out or just moved to some other key…)
When I was a kid, we had soda from a soda machine, and we had lots of bottles (mostly returnable). Slowly that’s swapped to almost entirely cans as sales units. Beer moved that way too. Acid solvent in a plastic lined can with plasticizers that act as hormone analogs; what could possibly go wrong? /sarcoff>
Oh, and the bottled beverage industry has also gone to nearly universal use of plastic bottles instead of glass. Even foods like jam and peanut butter are going to plastic ‘jars’. As the quantity of food and drink in plastic has gone up, the ASD rate has risen. Hmm….
Sure looks to me like more than enough to deserve an ‘investigation’.
So, experimental approach:
Two sets of lab rats, one fed food cooked in glass, the other fed food cooked in plastic (cans are cooked at 240 F or so to sterilize the contents). If there’s something in the plastic that gets into the food, the juvenile rats ought to show differential brain mass. Alternative: Take the known plasticizers and feed them to growing rats, then measure brain mass in their juvenile offspring fed a similar diet. Compare to a control group not fed plasticizers and other suspect compounds. Ought to take about 2 years to prove ( 1 year to get decent indications). Presuming the rat brain responds similarly to humans. One could also do brain slides to look at average neuron size and compute total neurons (that second factor…)
Third test would be to give the developing infant rats a ‘stress’ mid development and see if that causes a hyperresponse in the brain development path. That would confirm the impact of a largely increased vaccination schedule as a ‘co-factor stressor’.
All looks very easy to do, to me. Guess it starts with a literature search. “Rat plasticizer brain” ought to be interesting…
E.M.
Thanks.
I’m using IE8 with updates so I don’t think it is a “tied to IE” problem.
I’m reminded of bugs and features.
Funny that the sites with problems are you, WUWT and TAV (US). Works fine with Jo Nova and Jennifer Marohassy (Australia).
Whatever it is, Chrome, at least the Linux version doesn’t “see” it.
*Thoughts –
Think about (and this is just one of many) the way the hubbub over ‘Global Warming’ blew up in our faces. It started out as a valid scientific inquiry (and to some extent it still is, of course, but not so you‘d notice;-), then it became a ‘cause celeb’ for all the radical nutcases of the globe to ‘use’ to push their own favorite little mission in life -and that’s where things went bonkers, haywire, and crazy- and here we are, saddled with “The Biggest Headache The World Has Ever Seen” (since.. what?.. there are so many.. and it’s very difficult to remember any that ever died.. and disappeared… ah… how about.. The Evil Empire? No? Oh well, I‘m sure you can think of a bunch yourself sometime after you‘ve had a beer or three;-) These things actually pop up every day. How about that kid who was killed in Florida? Kids are killed everyday, what’s so special about this one? Maybe it’s been morphed by some folks who what to make a point about things not even related to the kid? Maybe it’s a way for certain people to get ’political’ and get a lot of other people to march around and shout (and kill?) for their ’cause’?
OK! Back to the point I was going to make. Consider the matter I brought up recently about a spike in kids getting TOO FAT since the mid 80’s and begging the question ’Why?’, and in a half-assed sort’a way wondering if it’s perhaps something foreign in the food supply, like chemicals (or maybe as EM has said, the plastic in the cans/container the food is in, which sounds right on). Now, let’s say there’s something actually there that’s ‘very’ serious (not like CO2 in the atmosphere) and something really does need to be done to ‘correct’ this ‘very’ serious something. TAAAA DAAAAA! Here it is: What do you think all those radical idiots, nutcases, weirdo’s, screwballs, sickos, anarchists, and the current crop (and the wannabe crop) of politicians, gold traders, market analysts, and Ivy League college professors are going say and do about the matter? Not to mention the 10% who really don’t need a reason to shout, burn, picket, and chain themselves to anything besides their own smelly tent and sleeping bag, as long as someone else is buying the dope and beer.
Does it really pay to announce anything that needs to be ’fixed’ via the MSM and politicians and lawyers? Seems it’s a big waste of time and scarce resources; that you accomplish more by keeping it low key; and, in the end, you don‘t have to play with lawyers, fools, and radicals MUCH.
PS: Left Field Afterthought – Does the USofA still make it’s own professors? If so, anyone know if they’re all ‘Union Made’ now?(SarcOff;-)
@Pascvaks Don´t worry: If you balance your budget EVERYONE will become healthier thinner in a few weeks, ask anyone who has experienced “economic shock therapy” anywhere in the world.
You end up being stronger. It is called: REALITY!
Don´t think the people would make a revolution, human beings are good people after all, they will not make a social upheaval if the one in charge speaks TRUTHFULLY. We experienced that in 1990, when president Fujimori took office and his Treasure Secretary (We call it the Minister of Economy) announced the measures to be taken and ended his speech saying: “May God help us”. We accepted it and everything was fixed in a couple of years. I do think the american people has the “cohones” to bear it.
@Adolfo –
Perhaps you’ve experienced what I was trying to say first hand in your country (it wasn’t about the ability of ‘THE people’ to take whatever pain they have to, I have great faith in ‘THE people’ when they’re pushed far enough they bite back). What I was trying to express was the effect of social and/or scientific “problems” (real “problems”) on the fringe elements within every society who are “warped”, “bent”, “crazy”, “anti-social”, “radical”, “devoted to saving the planet by themselves”, etc., etc.. Within every society there are those among us who take a “little” problem and make it a “huge” problem so as to make fit their own agenda (or Re-Election Campaign;-): ie, “”Global Warming Is Killing All the Ice Worms In Antartica, SAVE THE ICE WORMS or I’ll Kill you, you bleeding idiot!!!!!!”” The issue could, and may, be Global Ocean Ph Levels, or Global Flooding, or The Rain Forests, or Acid Rain in Europe, or Russian Salt Mine Pollution, etc.; they take any issue or problem and ‘adopt’ it as they’re very own and thereby make what was once a tiny, little, real, global something a true haven for crazies and publicity seekers and politicians of every sort. Once you go to the press or the government with a problem, doesn’t it become a circus?
Adolfo, do you know this guy?
http://www.cheniere.org/toc.html
E.M, I just discovered a highly interesting paper describing how Aristolochia clematitis got finally recognized as the main causal agent for the Balkan Nephropathy clusters observed in small villages scattered irregulary all over former Yugoslavia. Not that this story could help you directly in the specific case you’re currently interested in. But I’m sure you will like and get some ideas from it. At least it was the most fascinating read into the epidemiology of an orphan disease I encountered in my lifetime. Here is the link: http://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(08)00993-1/fulltext
@Hugo M: Interesting….but have you wonder why human beings do not last more than one Gleissberg Cycle?, The big Killer is up there.
@Hugo M.:
Interesting disease and interesting story of ‘wandering in the dark’ and finding many possible answers, then slowly finding the most probable causality…
http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/aristolochia_clematitis.htm
has a less technical more people oriented rendition of the same stuff. Points out an interesting connection to a very slight variation in names of two plants in Chinese and the risks of Chinese traditional medicine…
@Pascvaks & Adolfo:
Well, there’s a media driven behaviour where they need ‘fresh fodder’ every day. Some ‘story’ has a little extra ‘glitz’ so it gets promoted to “Reality Show Celebrity”. Now the other part kicks in. There’s a cohort of folks who leach off of social trends. Everyone from District Attorneys to Race Card Mongers like Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. They see an opportunity to get in front of a camera; well, back up the truck!. Third element is that these folks collectively have found it in their interest to pump up these ‘news bubbles’. Sells more papers and news ads, gets more political donations, gives more name recognition with voters, whatever.
At that point, the “wind up” is pretty much guaranteed. The Media Circus is ready for a Christians and Lions moment and tossing bread to the rioting masses to get them to enhance the noise and fury (signifying nothing) is just set dressing. Never mind the poor kid getting death threats from the Black Panthers, he is now irrelevant. Never mind that they have too little evidence for a valid murder rap, the DA has to file to preserve political viability (besides, he can get camera time now… couldn’t back when it was ‘just some guy shot in self defense’) while Sharpton and Jackson are rousing the emotional rabble (so they justify their own existence, get more leverage with organizational blackmail – that J.J. has been shown to do ‘give me the donation money that I want or have a riot as I announce to the news you are evil’…) , never mind that it OUGHT to be handled away from cameras to assure a fair jury – the media have A Story! to run with… and if THEY inflame emotions a bit more, they can have TWO sides going at it…
Doesn’t matter if it’s a “white guy shooting a black” (even though the ‘white guy’ is something like 1/2 hispanic… he’s an ‘honorary white’ now…) or CO2 is going to cook you; it’s a story and it sells.
“There’s always a ‘story’. -E.M.Smith” … and it’s usually wrong…
You could toss in religion as a similarly emotion and political advantage driven multiplier as well.
IMHO, the real dispassionate Scientific Method (pre the post-normal form) was the one great shot we had at getting past that kind of crap. But it’s dying now. Post-normal (ab-normal?) Science is killing it. We have a few million years of evolution pushing us into emotion and political / status driven behaviour. It pays well to the victor, too. No way logic, reason, and fair respectful treatment of others can stand against that for long.
So is it “better” to investigate away from the media circus and camera hounds? Depends on your goal. For ‘the truth’, yes, it is. For advancing your agenda, no, it isn’t. For personal gain, usually it isn’t. (Sadly, I’m driven by my own moral compass to pursue truth and to have little agenda and with ‘personal gain’ last on the list of priorities. I’m broken that way.) We have entire professions and industries devoted to the ‘political / emotional manipulation’ process rather than to truth and clarity. From the Public Relations specialty to Marketing and Advertizing and even to large parts of the Legal Profession (not to mention a lot of churches and the spectacular way that Islam uses those tools to self-promote; and politicians world wide…) oh, and the bulk of the “News Media” (that has morphed into ‘infotainment’ instead and left behind ‘objective reporting’ long ago…) and most of the Entertainment Media as well. I’d even assert that much of Academia has headed around the bend into being a propaganda arm of political movements and away from ‘seeking truth’. Sociology is already completely captured and economics is about 2/3 gone; “climate science” is way around the bend and in other fields you see times when the participants are doing more political gaming than reasonable discourse.
So while I’d like to say “logic, reason, and quite search for truth is better”, it’s pretty clear that those who play the political / media / social games are the one’s shouting “Winner!” (in their best Charlie Sheen voice…)
YMMV…
Per “Creating professors”: Yes, we create our own. Also a lot for the rest of the world. Something like 40%+ of “our students” are from other countries. We’re bankrupting ourselves to support an overgrown educational establishment (by at least that 40%) via taxes so they can cart off anything of value… but hey, it sounds good…
I have stocked up on popcorn, wine, beer, fuel and food and I’m sure I will be greatly entertained when Gleissberg hits…(LOL)
@Adolfo:
you’re speaking in riddles. If so, then why the lifespans of elefants, oak trees and probably also HeLa cells are not so much affected by the Gleißberg cycle?
@E.M:
The most interesting thing is that lignite deposites determined the geographical spots by contributing a cofactor via the water wells — probably uranium, as I see it.
The Dumb Consensus Science is having trouble with the Africa Myth, China was probably the source or somewhere else http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1212060/Ancient-skeletons-discovered-Georgia-threaten-overturn-theory-human-evolution.html
Re postings – those Australian sites have log-in details above the posting window and in full view. And the window is deeper.
Just so you know where some of your hard earned taxes are going, yes it to stop climate change!
Click to access FY12-climate-fs.pdf
A really beautiful and intelligent page: http://zekeunlimited.wordpress.com/
Given the silliness of human beings over the millenia, I am not going to give way to my “depression” about the present. I will maintain my faith in Americans (as in “the American way” — we will not suffer fools gladly). As an American historian in my first “profession”, we were at least as silly many times in the past. (No excuses for vengeful African-Americans, but the past was horrendous for their children and other non-white living things. “They” need gratitude today for “white” transformations rather than revenge, and applied hard work as “they” overcome persecuted pasts as have almost all Americans living today. Only the century is different. At some point I believe those of African-American descent will blush deeply upon reflecting the vastly inferior quality and meaness of the current inhabitant of the White House.
I am believing there will be some significant changes come this election (prayerfully said/wished) Meanwhile, I am looking for interesting truths while awaiting, somewhat prepared, for the next major earthquake in my vicinity. Movement of the plates are at least as inevitable as taxes and death. Onward! E.M., you mentioned your belief in at least one “major civilization” before Egypt burst upon the scene. Well, for your spare time, I just found the pleistocenecoalition.com which claims that fraudulent anthropology science of the past is about to be set to rights. There is a recent newsletter of real interest with a focus on Younger-Dryas studies — http://cosmictusk.com/part-i-howard-recounts-ydb-and-carolina-bay-odyssey-in-pleistocene-coalition-news/#comments.
A second area of interest — the speed of gravity. See tallbloke today. In the comments is a link to a 1998 paper by Tom Van Flandern, The Speed of Gravity What the Experiments Say.
This “research” is one way I keep pleasure in my days — along with reading Chiefio. Cheers to you as you turn your hand to fiction.
http://youtu.be/nQZFS9Hij0M 2 cities the size of Mannhattan under the sea
http://youtu.be/auNmfvqj8zs 32,000 years old artifacts
@Pyromancer76:
Neat article. Took me a while to realize the “picture” at the top could be opened into a full page magazine like thing by clicking the ‘fullpage’ marker ;-)
Has a neat article about the Carolina Bays and Younger Drias impact event too.
Yes, IMHO, there was a significant global civilization about 12,000 BC that got wiped out entirely in N. America from the impact event and really horridly traumatized in most of the rest of the world, with some small remnant recandleing and starting again in Egypt (and Sumeria and India and that early culture found in Europe and…)
The Egyptians HAD a history of it (that we know from Solon and what he said they said) but that was lost in the Library of Alexandria…
We’ll likely find more about it when we start doing decent archaeology under the seas.
I stumbled on this incredible amazing story about “Half-Safe” and Ben Carlin who make a trip around the world in 1950.
The amazing part is the fact that Half-Safe is WWII amphibious Jeep (produced by Ford and modified by Carlin) and they cross the Atlantic with it.
http://www.grumpysgetawayguide.com/2012/01/25/half-safe-the-most-amazing-journey-by-car/
This really is a great story.
Salty ocean is there life? http://phys.org/news/2012-04-uranus-auroras-glimpsed-earth.html
http://alien-ufo-community.ning.com/forum/topics/hammer-found-in-1934-amongst-75-100-million-years-old-cretaceous hammer found in 1934 – amongst 75-100 million years old cretaceous rocks
Oh by
the way, NASA/National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071212-AP-arctic-melt.html
[ See: http://paleo.cc/paluxy/hammer.htm for a bit of a rebuttal on the hammer claims. I’ve also seen a write up of an observed redeposition of sandstone around known modern artifacts (in particular, a shoe) near a mine. Basically, sandstone may be decomposed and then recomposed and still seem very old as the parts are old. Something embedded in ‘old’ sand stone need not be old. -E.M.Smith ]
A breaking political scandal in the US that the domestic media are trying hard to cover up.
Back in 1999 a fellow named Jay Parmley was elected the national head of the Young Democrats of America. He went on to become Chairman of the Democratic Party of Oklahoma for two terms. He caught Howard Dean’s eye and was made an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee and was on the budget and finance committee of the DNC.
Then he went to South Carolina to become Eecutive Director of the Democratic Party of South Carolina and early last year moved to the same position in North Carolina as that state was preparing to host this year’s national convention of the party in Charlotte, NC.
But someone noticed that it seemed that personnel were suddenly fleeing the party headquarters staff. People were just flat out quitting. People started sniffing around wanting to know why. Turns out that another employee, a Mr. Ortega filed an internal sexual harassment complaint against Mr. Parmley and whatever it was that went on was apparently widely known by the
employees there. The Democratic Party apparently got Mr. Ortega to drop his complaint and sign a non-disclosure agreement for a considerable sum of money. Basically Mr. Ortega was paid off to keep his mouth shut and Mr. Parmley kept his job and was not fired.
That this incident was covered up, paid off, and Parmley kept his position as Executive Director apparently did not sit well with other employees at the party headquarters office and they began to leave. It appears they are afraid that if they stay, it will give the appearance that they are OK with whatever it is that Mr. Parmley did. There was also an email that was circulating among employees that says if this ever got out, it might absolutely destroy the party’s candidates and the 2012 elections. One individual who quit, a Ms. Sallie Leslie, said whatever happened was so unethical that she did not want to have her reputation associated with it.
So far the only story in a regular US print newspaper has come from the Raleigh News & Observer and doesn’t mention the names of the people involved. There is more in the UK Telegraph than in any US papers. I made a mention of the case in a thread at the SF Chronical and the entire stream of comments was deleted (not just my comment). They just wiped out all of the comments and started over. The Raleigh paper isn’t allowing any comments on the story either.
If this scandal was happening at the state office of the Republican party, it would be non-stop reporting. The newspapers are doing a massive job keeping this story from getting any oxygen.
Apparently we can use lightning to measure the temperature of earth. But is it the lightninng change causing the warming or vice versa?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17795213
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumann_resonances Global temperature
Williams [1992][38] suggested that global temperature may be monitored with the Schumann resonances. The link between Schumann resonance and temperature is lightning flash rate, which increases nonlinearly with temperature.[38] The nonlinearity of the lightning-to-temperature relation provides a natural amplifier of the temperature changes and makes Schumann resonance a sensitive “thermometer”. Moreover, the ice particles that are believed to participate in the electrification processes which result in a lightning discharge[39] have an important role in the radiative feedback effects that influence the atmosphere temperature. Schumann resonances may therefore help us to understand these feedback effects. A strong link between global lightning and global temperature has not been experimentally confirmed as of 2008.
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2003/2002JD002347.shtml
Nice article too, about how space is linked into all this. http://alternatenewsmedia2012.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/the-earth-has-a-heartbeat-we-can-see-from-space/
Earth’s background base frequency, or “heartbeat,” (called Schumann resonance, or SR) is rising dramatically. Though it varies among geographical regions, for decades the overall measurement was 7.8 cycles per second. This was once thought to be a constant; global military communications developed on this frequency. Recent reports set the rate at over 11 cycles, and climbing. Science doesn’t know why, or what to make of it. Gregg Braden found data collected by Norwegian and Russian researchers on this; it’s not widely reported in the U.S. (The only reference to SR to be found in the Seattle Library reference section, is tied to the weather. Science acknowledges SR as a sensitive indicator of temperature variations and worldwide weather conditions. Braden believes the fluctuating SR may be a factor in the severe storms, floods, and weather of recent years.)
Geophysical Condition #2: Earth’s Diminishing Magnetic Field
While earth’s “pulse” rate is rising, her magnetic field strength, on the other hand, is declining. According to Professor Bannerjee of the University of New Mexico, the field has lost up to half its intensity in the last 4,000 years. And because a forerunner of magnetic polar reversals is this field strength, Prof. Bannerjee believes that another reversal is due. Braden believes that because these cyclical Shifts are associated with reversals, Earth’s geological record indicating magnetic reversals also marks previous Shifts in history. And, within the enormous time scale represented, there were quite a few of them. http://www.2012.com.au/SchumannResonance.html
Himalayan glaciers not only advancing, they are also thickening.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/16/himalayan_karakoram_glaciers_gaining_ice/
Michigan DNR raids farms forcing owners to shoot animals. I am getting pretty sick of this “government centered society”. http://www.naturalnews.com/035585_Michigan_farms_raids.html
@George:
That is just bizarre. When did being a pig farmer become a felony? Somebody doesn’t like bacon?
@Nick S:
If something can vary by 50% from nearly unmeasurable changes in temperature, I suspect the two are not really related after all… I suspect we’ll find that a solar current discharge is causing the Earth ‘resonance’ to change as the total charge on the planet changes. Odd that it is changing, though. Wonder if it will correlate with earthquake and volcano increases?…. As it is related to ionospheric height, it likely will modulate with solar UV that is modulating total atmospheric height as well.
FWIW, we only think the magnetic field is a constant, it isn’t. In addition to periodic reversals, it will often bob and weave but not reverse. From the wiki on earths mag field:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_magnetic_field
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_excursion
has more about changes short of reversals.
There is a fundamental flaw in human thinking. We think that when something changes very slowly it is supposed to be stable. It isn’t. It is highly variable. Just not on the time scale of our frantic little lives…
Then we get all excited when we notice it change and our tendency is to attribute some Bad Thing to it (often due to us, as we’re ego centric); when in reality most such things have no connection to us at all and are absolutely normal.
This old Earth has had reducing and oxidizing atmospheres. It’s put so much carbon into the ground as coal that plants were busy evolving C4 metabolism to cope with it ( C3 being CO2 starved ). It’s had ‘iceball Earth’ times and it’s had times when the sky was a baking oven killing species that could not hide underground. Yet we somehow think we can fix the state of it ‘just so’ as it is now. “Hubris” is way too limited a concept to cover that…
When we can say WHY there is an Earth Resonance temperature link, then I might care about it changing. As long as it is only an observed property, it is interesting that it changes; but means nothing. That some other folks think it means something says more about their limited capacity than it does about the Earth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumann_resonances
So it’s all rather speculative…
I’d simply vote for it being an indication that it’s raining more as the oceans cool with our new thinner atmosphere and massive heat dumping at the poles. Smaller cavity between ionosphere and surface, higher frequency. Simple as that. Sun driving it, not temperature.
IMHO too many “scientists” have their “Global Warming” beer goggles on way too much ;-)
This is something that runs pretty much along the lines of ????. Perhaps someone has already asked and answered it and all I need is a link to quench my curiosity. It’s not major, critical, or something I need answered asap; but I have a feeling I’m always going to wonder…
‘How did the ice during the last glacial cycle that ended ~12.5K years ago get so blinking thick, and when was it at it’s peak, and where?’
We’re told that the ice sheets that covered the northern hemisphere were very thick. OK, fine, how did it happen? How did all that water get there to make all that ice? Was the ice thicker over Manhatten or Montreal? Was the ice at the poles thicker (or thinner) than anywhere else? The Earth’s rotation had to have had a hell of an effect on ice movement and thinkness by ‘buildup’ over time, but where did all the water come from, hurricanes by the hundreds per year?
Not a hot topic by any means. I plan on watching the reruns when I get to the ‘other side’ anyway;~)
@E.M.: Global Magnetic Field changes and temperatures:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/MF.htm
Lightnings and vegetation:
http://www.giurfa.com/artrees.html
@Pascvaks:
The ice builds up more or less linearly over time (with jaggies) and was thickest just before the end, when it catastrophically melted (likely due to rainfall). Once it’s tall enough, it starts to make it’s own weather ( i.e. snow on the mountain top where the mountain is itself ice). Just the regular amount of precipitation, lacking a melting phase.
Charts I’ve seen put the thickest part over Northern Canada and thickness is guessed at a couple of miles. At 10,000 foot elevation you start to get self causal perpetual snow…
Once things get warm enough for rain, it starts to wash away pretty fast and you get ever lower and warmer topside, so even faster melt and even more rain instead of snow. Repeat until done. Add large meteor impact for Younger Drias melt surge and cold dip.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_age
is pretty good.
lowest line is ice accumulation so you can see the sawtooth ramp/plunge.
is a north polar view of the ice sheet extent. Deepest ought to be near the middle somewhat, but not so far from water as to be a desert. I’d make that N. Canada / Greenland where Greenland still has part of the ice sheet and the Hudson Bay and surroundings are still rebounding from the ice melt…
Oh, and as the ice builds up, sea level drops, putting the tops even higher into the weather. Basically, a 10,000 ft mountain becomes 10,500 ft “above sea level”… adding to the snow probability.
A shot in the war against fracking. (oil and natural gas)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/17/us-earthquakes-usa-idUSBRE83G1FL20120417
@Jerry:
I like the way they say ~”we don’t know what causes it… but it must be fracking”…
Rat Lifespan can be doubled? http://www.kurzweilai.net/fullerene-c60-administration-doubles-rat-lifespan-with-no-toxicity
http://www.kurzweilai.net/fullerene-c60-administration-doubles-rat-lifespan-with-no-toxicity Rat Life Span doubled
EM-
Thanks for response. Ref your last link, above, this illustrates my quandry rather well. Today’s interglacial climate/weather is, as you are well aware, different from what would need to be dominant during a glacial cycle. Today’s Global Ocean Conveyor (GOC) cold water upwelling in the Northeast Pacific would seem to need to move to the Western Pacific, and the Gulf Stream of today would seem to have to move rather far East as well, more toward Europe (or cease being a ‘current/stream’ and simply become a North Atlantic top layer;-). The ice appears to be thickest where warm water and wind can provide the necessary moisture to make snow, and vice versa. This is my quandry, I haven’t found anything that paints this picture for me. Maybe I’m daydreaming and ignoring the obvious. But what I see and hear today doesn’t dot the i’s or cross the t’s. It just doesn’t answer the question of how all that #$#@ water vapor got to where it was deposited as ice. (And that’s just the Northern Hemisphere. You think we were spinning the other way around, that that’s how it happened?;-)
PS: Be kind, as always, I really am dumber than I look this time of the day.
The Future Of American Primary Education
Just an observation, of sorts. Something’s amiss. Can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Perhaps this first link and the pic thereon will help solve the mystery of where education is going in this country. Does this new HS remind you of any other kind of institution? Perhaps one you’ve always tried hard to stay out of? I know many school districts are talking about uniforms, too, I have a feeling that the design will be something similar to link #2 before too long.
Link#1
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/04/eight-foot_security_fence_will.html
Link #2
@Pascvaks: Fences won´t stop the Agenda 21 to step in and destroy education. In my country the traditional courses like mathematics or language has been replaced by “social personal” (??), “environmental science” (??) etc., which are mandatory even for private schools. If you want to teach kids what we used to, it is illegal. Then some private schools are giving “off curriculum” courses in order to supply the needed education.
Fortunately, I see it in my grand children, knowledge is inherited and the “topos uranus” it is up there keeping all knowledge saved in the planet´s hard disk, and “they” cannot delete it.
They want the majority of people be kept in ignorance to rule with ease over them, and keep selling them “hedge funds”,etc., they want them conveniently “distracted” and worried about show business, the next “technology” gadget, or just “enjoying life” the Hollywood way, etc.
That is why new “values” are propagandized, like abortion, gay marriage, “save the planet”, etc.,etc.
@Adolfo-
Sorry to hear it’s gotten that far South. It just has to be something in the water, people aren’t supposed to be so stupid so long. I just know the damn Soviets dumped something in the headwaters of every river on the planet back in 1989. I can feel it in my old bones. Tell you what, if the current occupant of The Wait House wins reelection, we’ll strike out with EM and start our own civilization on Easter Island or somewhere like it. Got a feeling it has finally come to the point that there are just a few of us that haven’t eaten whatever the Forbidden Fruit is and completely lost our minds. Buy the way, you don’t drink bottled water do you, that funny stuff from France or Italy? Have a second theory about where the Soviets dumped that stuff, it was in the Alps;-) Life’s a beach, Adolfo; and I have a feeling it’s also someone’s idea of a funny, practical joke. Well, if so, let’s hope we’re all immortal and can eventually get even with The Joker. Have a wonderful day Amigo! Via con Dios!
It´s not the water but all the NGO´s that nobody can harm even with the petal of a flower, because if so you are condemned as a humans´ rights violator.
BTW bottled water is formulated usually with Lithium Carbonate .Lithium carbonate, when administered in the body, affects the activity of other electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and calcium. According to medical studies, it is claimed that lithium ions regulate the messages conveyed to the brain, either by delaying or amplifying the signal
However the Guy up there, way beyond liberals´reach, changes the Schumann´s resonance ruining their plans.
“They” know nothing, so they are “out of tune”. Knowledge it is not “esoteric”, secret, but opened to everybody with “common sense”, which they lack: They don´t have time to think in any other thing than money and power. The worshipers of Baal, the Golden Calf, of the time when Abraham descended from Mount Tabor, are the same people now, they reincarnate, as they are condemned, through all eternity, to suffer the consequences of their repetitive behavior, once and again.
Will Japan Crash the world’s markets with one earthquake?
[ That video was ‘private’ and wanted a log in. As I can’t screen it, it’s a no-go. -E.M.Smith ]
SNIP! Not interested in pictures of mutations at Fukushima. Aside from the fact that mutations happen everywhere anyway, having some in a nuclear accident zone is about as interesting as finding fish in water. -E.M.Smith.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7262418157399663454# 56:30 interesting how much coal there is in Antarctica, imagine how much oil there must be?
http://youtu.be/cGtvXOvqYZg Where is this area with no snow in Antarctica?
[ An HOUR of video for a few seconds mention of ‘mountains of coal’ from a half century ago? Using “DuckDuckGo” for the search and “Antarctic Coal” gave in the first couple of links
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/threats_mining_oil.htm
So we’ve got about a Trillion bbl of shale oil to get through before Antarctic Oil is economical. As noted before, perhaps a touch more investigation prior to an hour of video posted? http://duckduckgo.com/?t=ous&q=Antarctic+coal is not very hard… -EMS <b]
Looks like like’s near Shelketon Ice sheet, 300miles square of no ice??? http://youtu.be/t8Ub3ibPUr8
[ They said they STARTED near the ice sheet, and flew toward the pole. At the 9 minute range, where this bit shows up, it says they are amazed at the warm spot / lack of ice “near the pole”. Not surprising at all, really. The Antarctic is a desert. Very little water vapor makes it to the interior. So little snowfall. One slightly raised area where dry flakes would tend not to stick, and it would be substantially swept clear just by the wind. At that point, a bit of volcanic heat and you get puddles on snow ‘free’ ground. Though it looks like at the right time in summer it’s above freezing:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Maudlandia_Antarctic_desert?topic=74361
So while it was an amusing bit of film about the early days of Antarctic discovery, perhaps you could try just one or two web searches before becoming all enamored of a ‘mystery’? I used “Antarctic desert” and hit it in one… So you have consumed 1/6 of an hour of my time for ONE bit of video, and put up links to several on some days. I still have one over an hour long in queue (as I can’t let it through without audit, due to the inflammatory one before). Be prudent in how much of my time you expect to consume watching videos to do your “QA” for you. -EMS ]
As I history buff and world politics guy…but not a conspiratorial theorist kinda guy…Lets try this one. The movie The Boys From Brazil…Current Argentinian Oil issues… A Interesting Fictional Novel? Or more? I can connect a few more dots if you would like
@ Andrew-
“As I history buff and world politics guy…but not a conspiratorial theorist kinda guy…”
Andrew, you’re pulling our leg, right? Is this an attempt to get us to try to imagine a square circle? Come on, fes up, what planet are you really from? We won’t tell, honest;-)
I remain convinced that the blockbuster book/movie series of the second decade of the 21st Century is going to be writen by a poor single mother getting public assistance. I’m also convinced she’s going to have so much stuff in her books that a whole generation will be flabergasted and mezmerized. She’ll probably knock out the two areas you’ve suggested in the first chapter. What a girl! Bet she makes a $Billion! (make that a $Trillion, the way the value of money is going it’s gotta’ be a $Trillion;-)
Sad and Sadder! Four more years of this? HELL NO!
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/krauthammer042012.php3
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/04/19/food-stamp-rolls-to-grow-through-2014-cbo-says/?mod=e2tw
@ Pascvaks
I am very serious, lol, let me explain.
The movie “Boys from Brazil” is historical fiction correct? As are the writings of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._E._B._Griffin. George Orwell wrote pure fiction, but one could argue he may be this generations Nostradamus.
Tom Clancy blends them together brilliantly as does Creighton…
Tell me what you know about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengela#In_South_America
All I am saying I have an outline to a crazy suspense filled historical fiction ‘outline’ worked out in my head. That’s is a fact. Beyond that who knows.
Here is another one to consider…My explanation of Roswell:
1. Long distance space travel from somewhere…to earth…when humans are capable of recognizing alien lifeforms…them odds must be worse than winning the lottery….by a LOT! (I suck at math, therefore cannot prove that statement…lol.
2. During the Cold War, both the NATO Bloc and Soviets, (puppet regimes included) were guilty of OVER Estimating the other sides Strategic Weapons systems. Not just in terms of raw numbers of strategic delivery platforms, but also in throw weight, accuracy, acoustic capabilities… I could list a bunch… but read up on the Bomber Gap, the Missile Gap…
3. One must have a excellent understanding of MAD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation
Disinformation (a direct translation of Russian дезинформация dezinformatsiya) is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth. Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, information that is unintentionally false.
Unlike traditional propaganda techniques designed to engage emotional support, disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions. A common disinformation tactic is to mix some truth and observation with false conclusions and lies, or to reveal part of the truth while presenting it as the whole (a limited hangout).
Another technique of concealing facts, or censorship, is also used if the group can affect such control. When channels of information cannot be completely closed, they can be rendered useless by filling them with disinformation, effectively lowering their signal-to-noise ratio and discrediting the opposition by association with many easily disproved false claims.
Examples of disinformation
In espionage or military intelligence, disinformation is the deliberate spreading of false information to mislead an enemy as to one’s position or course of action. In politics, disinformation is the deliberate attempt to deflect voter support of an opponent, disseminating false statements of innuendo based on the candidates vulnerabilities as revealed by opposition research. In both cases, it also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless.
Disinformation may include distribution of forged documents, manuscripts, and photographs, or spreading malicious rumors and fabricated intelligence. Its techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used to try to undermine the position of a competitor.
[edit]World War II and Cold War
A classic example of disinformation occurred during World War II, preceding the Normandy landings, in what would be known as Operation Fortitude. British intelligence convinced the German Armed Forces that a much larger invasion force was about to cross the English Channel from Kent, England.
In reality, the Normandy landings were the main attempt at establishing a beachhead, made easier by the German Command’s reluctance to commit its armies. Another act of World War II–era disinformation was Operation Mincemeat, where British intelligence dressed up a corpse, equipped it with fake invasion plans, and floated it out to sea where Axis troops would eventually recover it.
The Cold War made disinformation a recognized military and political tactic. Military disinformation techniques were described by Vladimir Volkoff.
[edit]Disinformation by the KGB
According to senior SVR officer Sergei Tretyakov, the KGB was responsible for creating the entire nuclear winter story to stop the Pershing missiles.[1] Tretyakov says that from 1979 the KGB wanted to prevent the United States from deploying the missiles in Western Europe and that, directed by Yuri Andropov, they distributed disinformation, based on a faked “doomsday report” by the Soviet Academy of Sciences about the effect of nuclear war on climate, to peace groups, the environmental movement and the journal AMBIO.[1][2] Another successful example of Soviet disinformation was the publication in 1968 of Who’s Who in the CIA which was quoted as authoritative in the West until the early 1990s.[3]
5. Occam’s Razor
I think a very select limited # people planted the Alien Story…within the U.S. military. They made sure that people that were known security risks were included, as part of this Disinformation plan…
It worked…and provided a very handy security perimeter for Groom Lake…
Got a more logical explanation?
I could be wrong…if I am…it might be a good story at least, ;-)
Andrew
@Jerry:
The Dimocrats and Obama are all about dependency creation and class warfare. The Repulicrims are all about placating the masses ‘enough’ and rewarding their buddies. GE wins in either case, and the rest of us all lose. While I’m more favorably disposed toward the Republicans than the Democrats as the Socialist Progressive Agenda is guaranteed to destroy us while the Robber Barons have some containment in place, the reality is that nobody is working toward greater liberty, greater freedom, greater prosperity for ALL.
Wish I had a better assessment, but… “Reality just is. -E.M.Smith”
@Andrew Newberg:
Take a million folks, you can get 10 million ideas for fiction from them. Which would work, or sell, likely depends more on the implementation than the idea. Just look at what ‘sells’ on TV and clearly it has no decent pattern… Even ‘fake reality TV’ sells.
Argentina has had a long running love affair with the Fascist variation of Socialism. It has prevented them from becoming a great country, and it will continue to prevent them from becoming a great country. When you steal one group’s wealth “for the good of all”, everyone else who would like to have their wealth kept safe simply pulls it out of the country and nobody ‘invests’ in new wealth creation activities as ‘the risks outweigh the rewards’. It really is that simple. That all the “Nationalize!” folks don’t ‘get it’ is amazing to me.
Doesn’t require any cloning connection, just a broken social ‘meme’…
…note Mengele died in 1979. The Boys from Brazil was released as a Novel in 1976 made into a movie in 1978. His death was finally confirmed by DNA in 1993.
All I was talking about is this. It could be a pretty cool follow up Novel…
The transit of Venus will happen ON California!!!!:
http://www.giurfa.com/big_one_california.tiff
And consider:
By causing the heavens to tremble and the earth to quake,….
(I.Velikovsky “Worlds in collision” pp177).
And watch it in three dimensions: (see also the Moon at opposition)
@E.M. Time to fly due south!
Water has a memory and has data? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1oZd2VuNpo&feature=colike
[ More likely it’s an interesting way to detect trace contamination in water. Would have been more interesting if they said what their method was… Each person has their own smell. That is the trace material they shed into the air. That will be some some extent absorbed into the water. IMHO, ‘memory’ has nothing to do with it. The rest of the extrapolation from ‘memory’ becomes pointless speculation that is likely wrong. But they do have a potentially interesting tool for examining trace biochemical contamination. -EMS ]
@E.M.
I would agree, sometimes the more outlandish the better. However, Twilight is a bit too far out there for me. But it has been good for the town of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forks,_Washington
btw, note the local climate…
Forks has an oceanic climate with very high rainfall. Although there is drying trend in summer, rain is still abundant, just not as wet as the rest of the year. Forks averages 211 days per year with measurable precipitation.
I go there to be outdoors and I know it will probably be wet. I can’t figure out why
The average annual number of tourists visiting the town rose from 10,000 before Twilight to 19,000 in 2008, the year of the first film, and 73,000 by 2010.
If anyone here read the blog http://www.real-science.com/ the man that ran it,
Steven Goddard has died in Dallas, aged 81.
Apparently things are not as clear-cut as they look. Real-science may have been hacked and a malicious report put on it. If true Steven Goddard is sure upsetting someone.
Last time I promise –
Steven Goddard, he’s alive and kicking at http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/.
E.M.
Sorry to use your blog like this but as I was the bringer of the erroneous bad new I thought I should at least clarify now.
Interesting site http://www.setterfield.org/ZPE-Plasma_model.html#trees
Donald Trump tells Scotland to either get rid of the wind turbine or lose his hotel.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/lose-wind-farm-or-lose-my-hotel-warns-donald-trump-1-2248786
Can’t resist, FWIW, History is quite often ‘One person’s interpretation of what everyone was doing, thinking, and saying, and why, usually before they themself were even born.’ ;-)
PS: (For ‘Auld Lang Syne’;-) GO DONALD!!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9218197/Mexico-City-on-alert-as-Popocatepetl-volcano-spews-rock-and-ash.html
Nother one muttering to itself
@Chuckles-
Global Cooling! Same thing happens to teenagers on cold winter days, the pimples just perk right up; something to do with surface constriction I think. But it may all be just a bunch of old Cold War propaganda or New Age Science, hard to really tell these days;-)
Laki eruption 1783 *Also Called Skaptar Jokull * Great displays of the aurora borealis usually accompany the volcanic eruptions of this island–doubtless resulting from the quantity of electricity imparted to the higher atmosphere by the condensation of the ascending vapors. On the 18th of August, 1783, while the great eruption of Skaptar Jokull was in progress, an immense fire-ball passed over England and the European continent as far as Rome. This ball which was estimated to have had a diameter exceeding half a mile, is supposed to have been of electrical origin, and due to the high state of electric tension in the atmosphere over Iceland at that time. http://www.readbookonline.net/read/36655/73709/
The sun “talks” to the Earth. One channel, still poorly understood, involves the ionosphere. The ionosphere interacts magnetically with the solid Earth, reaching deep into the crust, generating forces that can trigger earthquakes. Before major earthquakes, the crust “talks” back to the ionosphere, causing perturbations. http://youtu.be/Ndj85uAHrPg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17487482 GPS earthquakes
[ Fascinating. GPS disruption shows a rise in atmospheric electrons in the hour before a quake…
Guess I need to get a TEC counter ;-) BTW, a couple of days ago I approved a couple of comments on Buckyballs treating diseases, but they then just evaporated. Can you repost those links? -E.M.Smith ]
http://www.thunderbolts.info/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4932&sid=a3c580a021b3ef3644a7d9d269296d68 Earth used to be a moon of Saturn??
[ Reply: No, it didn’t. They have rampant speculation divorced from even the most trivial ‘error check’ against known geology and history. For example, the idea that we came in dragging behind a ‘brown dwarf’ Saturn. Then you have problems like: How did life survive away from the solar input until we got here? Not gonna happen… How did Earth leave Saturn and all the OTHER moons stay there nice and neat? Not gonna happen. How did Saturn get in without disrupting everything further out? And so much more. It’s a ‘wild and crazy idea’ with no bothering even minimal sanity checks. -E.M.Smith ]
Well, this is interesting…
I’m plugged into wall power connected to the internet… while doing about 60 mph on an Amtrak train. Neat…
A bit bumpy for easy typing (we’re slowing to enter a station)…. I think I’ll just read for the moment.
Donald where’s your Trooosers?!
Say something?
https://calderup.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/a-stellar-revision-of-the-story-of-life/ The long-term diversity of life in the sea depends on the sea-level set by plate tectonics and the local supernova rate set by the astrophysics, and on virtually nothing else.
The long-term primary productivity of life in the sea – the net growth of photosynthetic microbes – depends on the supernova rate, and on virtually nothing else.
Exceptionally close supernovae account for short-lived falls in sea-level during the past 500 million years, long-known to geophysicists but never convincingly explained..
As the geological and astronomical records converge, the match between climate and supernova rates gets better and better, with high rates bringing icy times.
This must be warming up…
…maybe not as there are a number of retail reports that say winter/cold weather clothing sales are increasing steadily year on year.
e.g.
http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/global/global-apparel-manufacturing.html
Forecasts to see a steady 3% growth till 2016.
Proxy for a cooling climate perhaps, or is everyone vacationing in the winter snow?
A little something on Agenda 21-
http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/an-assessment-of-the-june-2012-rio20-un-conference-on-sustainable-development
@Tckev: It will be signed an agreement declaring the whole amazon jungle a Heritage of Humanity, after which it will indirectly belong to speculative bankers who will trade its “carbon capturing capacity” as “carbon shares” to be sold to “polluters” (of course to keep on “polluting”).
If this purpose is known by the people of the amazonian countries, their political leaders will be considered “traitors” to their own countries.
Interesting read on Fruit and Brain size http://truththeory.com/2012/04/25/planthuman-symbiosis-the-fall-of-humanity-a-talk-with-tony-wright/
[ Interesting, but a bit nutty. First off, we’ve not been ‘frutivores’ for much longer than he implies. We left the forests a few million years back THEN developed larger brains long after shifting to a meat diet. It wasn’t a fruit chemical driven larger brain. Second, the constant emphasis on ‘testosterone damaged’ is a bit thick. Finally, if it were a fruit driven thing, then vegetarians would all be brighter and more in touch than everyone else. They aren’t. (I’ve been one from time to time and presently the family is about 2/3 vegetarian. It doesn’t change much. If anything, my thinking gets fuzzier when on a vegetarian diet.) So the thesis is, IMHO, bogus. But yes, interesting. Long on speculation (especially attempting to connect it to Alzheimer’s and Autism) and VERY short on data and analysis. -E.M.Smith ]
@Pascvaks: Super Novae decoded:
http://www.holoscience.com/news.php?article=re6qxnz1#top
@adolfogiurfa
Heritage of Humanity? Who got to vote on what went into that? I was never asked, were you?
@tkev It was already tried, during the ALCUE Summit at Lima in 2008. President Lulla had to menace with leaving the conference if that phrase was not removed from the agreement.
Good to know… there is a carcinogen in your flour
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/health/there-is-a-carcinogen-in-your-flour/
The same blog just made the announcement of a UFO near our sun
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/space/huge-ufo-just-spotted-near-sun/
We can live longer with bucky balls http://gizmodo.com/5902703/bucky-balls-could-double-your-lifespan
http://phys.org/news/2012-04-titan-chemical-factory-business.html Titan and the hydrocarbons, when did they “erupt”?
https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/uncertainty-the-origin-of-the-increase-in-atmospheric-co2/ More evidence that the volcano calculations in the models are wrong
I’d be more worried about Potassium Bromate in flour if it wasn’t for how much of the world that is similarly very mildly carcinogenic. A whole host of natural products. Heck, even heat. Yes, drink too much hot coffee, tea, and soup and it’s carcinogenic. Without a number on it, you have no way to tell the paranoid level of concern from the real risk. IIRC, tomatoes, potatoes, and anything with mold can carcinogenic. Oh, and that included peanut butter where it’s virtually impossible to have a zero mold level…
So while I generally like non-bleached flower (less carcinogens), I’m not going to avoid my morning toast.
BTW, using chlorine to disinfect drinking water induces organic chlorides from any organic materials, including the bugs killed. Some of which are carcinogens. The more paranoid areas have swapped to using ozone instead. Which does not persist in the water so you can have bugs living in the water if it sits for long…
There is no perfect solution. Life is full of risks. Need the numbers to choose wisely. Nobody uses the numbers…
Amazing missile launch! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fc6_1335313845
SNIP! Quite with the Fukushima fixation. -E.M.Smith
@E.M.: “Their” purpose, as is it obvious in their media, is having people either “distracted”, “amused”, or “worried”; only old goats like us have the time and perspective to see the truth, however we are considered “harmless”. This does not change the fact that there are chemically pure NUTS, as they pretend to be the rulers of the world while not being immortals: It is the epitome of stupidity!
FWIW – The older I get the more it seems I’ve only been able to draw conclusions from very minor and far fewer quadrants of the universe. I have a feeling I’m becoming less ‘interesting’ and more like a broken record. It’s probably age related chemical changes. Before I forget, please pardon my repetition, I always ‘think’ I’m making a better point or observation, being a little wiser, or funnier, and not beating any dead horses. But a wave of something I et yesterdy has opened my eyes a little maybe and a wave of depression and sense of futility swept over me this morning, so while I’m still wide awake (if I am) and in my ‘right’ mind at the moment (?) – Thank You for bearing up so kindly and sorry if I just seem to be getting worse. You’s guys is the Best!;-)
PS: Please don’t ‘respond’. Just put it in the back of your mind and if and when I slip remember this note. Life’s a beach, ain’t it?
@Scarlet Pumpernickel:
@S.P: It´s about your comment of 28 March 2012 at 9:32 am
@Scarlet Pumpernickel:
It seems that “Climate Change” policies will be enforced at global level, by “will or by force”, unless stopped by Gaia herself…
And the Old Grey Hag entices the unsuspecting to the back of the cave once again. Alas, they will only return to us speaking in foreign tongues and muttering jibberish.
Study Hints at Greater Threat of Extreme Weather
By JUSTIN GILLIS
Published: April 26, 2012
“New research suggests that global warming is causing the cycle of evaporation and rainfall over the oceans to intensify more than scientists had expected, an ominous finding that may indicate a higher potential for extreme weather in coming decades…”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Did something odd happen in India long ago? http://www.pakalertpress.com/2012/04/26/20000-year-old-aluminum-vimana-aircraft-landing-gear-discovered/
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vimanas/vimanas20.htm
[ Reply: I think it more likely they got the date wrong. Age based on oxidation is not very robust… -E.M.Smith ]
Obama has fixed Egypt now, mission accomplished SNIP! Just too nutty and kind of insulting to a whole class of folks.- EMS
So Obama buys his house for practically nothing, then some guy buys the house next door for much much more from the same seller….. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., bought a $1.65 million house with the help of an Illinois man now under indictment for bribes and kickbacks. Antoin “Tony” Rezko bought an adjacent lot from the same seller when Obama purchased his home under market value, a move Obama now calls a “bone-headed mistake.” https://killbuckcreekpolitics.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/obama-buys-165-million-dollar-home-after-election-to-senate/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Rezko
Climate change’s long term goal. I notice “The Population Bomb” guy has come out of hiding again after his book in 1968
Sorry forgot to put the link. Funny how he’s back after in hiding after his books in the 1960s 1970s http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/26/world-population-resources-paul-ehrlich?newsfeed=true
SNIP! – Junk links to a semi paranoid hatchet job on Fukishima. It was an accident. Get over it. -EMS
Was Japan hiding nuclear weapons program in Fukishima ?
No, Japan wasn’t. The thing was very well documented and just what it looked like. BTW, Japan had a nuke near the end of W.W.II so they could make one any time they wanted to without much trouble. The scientist who made it is on film giving details. Makes all the paranoid speculation a bit daft… -E.M.Smith
http://phys.org/news/2012-04-graphene-emit-infrared.html There is something really strange with Carbon. First bucky balls make you live longer. And now this, if you shine light onto carbon you get more light back lol
http://youtu.be/NaoSp4NpkGg What if every light bulb in the world could also transmit data? At TEDGlobal, Harald Haas demonstrates, for the first time, a device that could do exactly that. By flickering the light from a single LED, a change too quick for the human eye to detect, he can transmit far more data than a cellular tower — and do it in a way that’s more efficient, secure and widespread.
Saturn is one weird place..
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-111
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/04/saturn-f-ring-objects/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2134327/Nasas-Cassini-probe-snaps-objects-punching-Saturns-F-ring.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1218675/Saturns-new-ring-discovered-thats-big-contain-billion-Earths.html
Using Thorium to power a moon base (can be made smaller then Uranium reactors) http://www.ted.com/talks/kirk_sorensen_thorium_an_alternative_nuclear_fuel.html
@Pascvaks:
Golly. They can’t see that more rainfall indicates more heat transport off planet? i.e. cooling.
Oh well…
@Adolfo:
Or by The People just saying “No.” If folks just stop buying gas and going to work, well, it’s not much fun owning all the industry and fuel supplies if the other guy doesn’t play…
The Anti Energy Rulers : A civilization will only advance when energy uses increases.
SNIP! Aside from being over the edge insulting to a group, again, it has a long video of no particular relevance. Look, if you want a blog, make your own. It’s real easy. Right margin of the page. Just above the flag counter. Meta List. Click on wordpress.com and follow directions. About as easy as posting comments. If you want to “tip” something that has to do with the areas of interest I’ve laid out here, that’s fine. Oh, and stop with the strong negative descriptions of classes of folks. ANY folks. You’ve been ‘over the line’ a couple of times and are now on a short leash. -EMS
Farmers, Miners and Manufactures create new wealth. Very one else just handles wealth and clips a piece of it for themselves for their contribution to commerce. Those that are greedy, wishing to obtain wealth unearned, attempt to lock up toll gate positions so that a commerce flows through their hands and they can enrich themselves. It takes Government or weapons to enforce a toll gate. We now have a situation where the Elites have decided that they don’t need Farming, Mining and Manufacturing and can prosper by “value added” in commerce with out the “dirty work” of real wealth creation. To maintain control of the out of work “Masses” there is “Circus and Welfare” as the remaining wealth is collected into fewer and fewer hands as it drys up. The sooner we cut off the flow of wealth through the toll gates, the sooner we can stop the accumulation of power by the elites. The creation of real wealth must be preserved and encouraged, our founders understood this. The educated Elites look down their collective noses at the “dirty work” of wealth creation as a thing THEY don’t want in their wonderful new world. After all, the educated elite do not need to soil their hands in such endeavors. pg
@P.G……and so those “stock exchanges” became places were real “stocks” were exchanged and not any more imaginary bonds, beautifully printed on expensive cardboard and adorned with well designed seals, to impress the naive, and representing nothing else but plain robbery.
It is sad, though they are but a few of a well known community, and so a few people that can be counted with the fingers, their whole community will unfortunately end by paying the sins of a few of them, while the real culprits have already flown away to some secured place. It has happened before and it seems it will happen again.
But why such a madness for becoming the owners of everything if we are not immortal beings?!
If everybody having, say, gold papers, were to ask the physical metal, there would not be enough gold metal for everyone. My guess is that the majority of imaginary values are being converted right now, by them to real assets, like the lands of local people being sold to impossible to track corporations.
Do you remember that song about the starving children of Africa…”save the world, save the children” ?, well, their land is being sold at fifty cents per hectare (2.47 acres).
@adolfogiurfa says:
27 April 2012 at 5:17 pm “Do you remember that song about the starving children of Africa…”save the world, save the children” ?, well, their land is being sold at fifty cents per hectare (2.47 acres).”
Yes and those that sell do not actually own it. And those that buy will not use the land to create wealth but will sell it to others for the cash flow, not the creation of real wealth. pg
Free bread (and something to wash it down with of course;-) and endless games and shows of questionable authenticity, and dubius quality, and geared to the minds of flys but sutable for people of all ages? Ah, yes! The Old Roman Colosseum! I knew it sounded familiar. These days, I’m drawn to Girls’ Roller Derby Shows myself. Ah, yes, to be a Citizen of the Fabulous Western Empire in the Fall, nothin’ could be finer, unless it’s Carolina… sorry… the Spring is much too wet, the Summer is much too Hot, and of course Winters will kill you these days, nope, the Fall of the Empire is the Best, no bout a dout it! Free Welfare Bread, Beer, Dope, TV, Internet, and Sleeze, Sleeze, Sleeze; ya’ jus’ can’t beat it with a stick!
Absolutely vital video that I think everyone on the darned planet needs to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rnEsI2fTaJo
@George:
OUTSTANDING Video!
Pulls together some very important threads in a clear and understandable way. Love it.
@P.G. Sharrow:
That ‘ultimate source of wealth creation’ is what is most lost in the present view of Economics. Yes, watching a baseball game is fun. It is a ‘national product’, but one that is consumed and gone at the end ( along with tons of popcorn, hotdogs, and gallons of beer ;-) and does NOT contribute to an increase in Net National Wealth.
Watch that video in George’s link. The “Powers That Be” have an economic theory, and they love it…
@Adolfo:
So, what say we chip in and buy a few hundred hectares? Could be fun owning a hut in Africa. Heck, I’d even pay a family or two to ‘watch the place’ for me…
@Pascvaks:
From time to time I ponder if we are not, still, playing out that old battle between Roman Ideals and those of the Celts. The Centralized Command Empire vs the Distributed Libertarian Freedom Tribes. For a couple of centuries, the Kings and Empires of Europe (Roman Model) had the lead. Then for a couple of centuries, the Libertarian USA (Celtic Model) had the lead. Now we’re swinging back to Centralized Empire …
There is a fundamental clash of these two cultural threads, played out over a few thousand years. I doubt that it just suddenly ended a couple of centuries back…
@All
About time for a T6. Sometime this weekend I’ll put one up.
@E.M….about @George…I had a theory too,…. but that video ends in a wrong equation too, where C, the velocity of light is squared!. Fortunately it was wrong, if it would have been right the whole world would have disappeared with the first atomic bomb.
About Africa land property: The fact is that “Al baby” has been actively buying there.
The sun and the earth’s magnetic field have got to be related to earthquakes and voclanoes some how. Look at the changes http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/616760main_radiationbelts-2003-orig_full.jpg
[ Reply: Nice pictures of radiation belts changing. Don’t see any connection to earthquakes or volcanoes… -E.M.Smith ]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11980315 Magnetism even moves heat around
[ Reply: I think it is more that a moving conductive ocean is moving heat and generating a magnetic field too. You can detect the motion due to the electric currents a moving ocean generates, rather than magnetism moving heat. -E.M.Smith ]
http://www.volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm?faq=06
If you get the bottom graph and look at the trend, we could shoot it into the air like the future temperature, looks like volcanoes are going to start blowing big time, my expensive computer said so…
@E.M. Panther77 is showing us the fields of an homopolar electric motor and you ask if it moves?
“E pur si muove” my dear!
@Adofo:
I’m pointing out that it isn’t a direct “magnetism moves heat” so much as “moving water moves heat – magnetism is not directly moving heat around.”
An important point, IMHO. Magnetism moves stuff and stuff moves heat. Unless you know of some way for magnetism to directly entrain thermal energy…
Now that the Fake Pseudoscience Climate Change is failing, they are firing up their other scam from the past. The Eugenics Movement. Last time they tried this, it caused WW2
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/the-population-time-bomb-world-needs-to-stabilize-population-and-cut-consumption-says-royal-society/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/21/obamas-science-czar-considered-forced-abortions-sterilization-population-growth/
Even this guy can come out of hiding after his 1968 book LOL
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100153735/paul-ehrlich-still-prophesying-doom-and-still-wrong/
@E.M.: So….there were water tight compartments in the spectrum we didn´t notice before.
Electricity moves everything, having magnetism at its right hand and at right angle. If these move the earth around, in an homopolar motor fashion, then the rest just follow…
Waves have intervals where they interact: one for input the other for output (they “eat” and “eliminate” through these), for going upwards, in the sense of higher pitches (negentropy) or loosing vibration, energy and pitch, following the way of entropy.
When we grow up, we go up in the sense of the sinus wave, way up, then we go down….
So if something of us is to survive, it must be of a higher energy development, but of smaller wavelength, that is why, when dying, we just lose about 11 grams. However such a small concretion of energy must be ordered to keep information in, like a DNA spiral, ….if it does not then it is just heat, infrared radiation, which will be attracted by something looming above every 28 days, and where “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out and we will have to wait eons for the whole universe to evolve.
The ibex shows changes over such a small time scale. It has to have some connection to climate and even geological forces. The models are so simplistic, just looking at earth like it’s just static thing not connected to the space.
http://www.ibex.swri.edu/multimedia/index.shtml
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/backup_thruster.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100930121000.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100521191114.htm
http://www.sky-fire.tv/index.cgi/spritesbluejetselves.html
Even the fundamental forces are not even properly understood
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/black-hole-physics-hints-that-gravity-may-not-be-a-fundamental-force-of-nature-todays-most-popular.html
Interesting article. http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v2/n7/full/ncomms1380.html Could it describe gravity? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Hall_effect
So the sun doesn’t effect earth core and it effects Mercury? http://www.space.com/14026-mercury-magnetic-field-mystery-solar-wind.html
http://www.adorraeli.com/2012/04/29/do-solar-activity-and-planetary-geometry-have-an-effect-on-earthquakes/ Earthquake Solar/planet links
@Panter77. This is the problem: To study Mercury’s magnetic field, researchers created 3-D computer simulations of the planet’s interior …
Instead of recording data and tests at the lab, they play computer games, just to pass the time and collect their checks every month.
Early documents of the construction of the Australian Parliamentary system discovered:
@George: So….real governments are somewhere else… . Anyway, it does´t matter if there is greed behind, it´s childish anyway. Were it to get immortality that would be serious. That is why we do not participate, we can´t be so fool.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2012/04/16/the-cadborosaurus-wars/ weird animals that could live in the sea
My Better Half picked up a movie with Charlie Sheen called “The Way”, hadn’t heard about it before, not that that means anything, but we thought it was pretty good and just wanted to pass it on if you guys haven’t seen it. His son Emillio made it.
PS: Charlie had lost some stature in my mind for his politics over the past few years (as have many in Hollywood, Kaliforniestan), but this was like the old Charlie, no politics.
@Pascvaks: This is the trailer
Wall St wants to use a particle accelerator to trade faster lol http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-gongloff/high-frequency-trading-neutrinos_b_1465295.html?ref=business
[ Reply: Did you not read the bottom of the article where it said the source article was ‘speculative’? So we have a histrionic rant piece based on a speculative fantasy piece. Not exactly useful. I think you need to tighten up your skeptical skills and your self edit ability to filter out that kind of stuff. Yes, speculative junk can be fun, and I sometimes indulge in it; but it is vitally important to have the critical thinking skills to keep it labeled as “speculation” and to not allow a ‘double dip’ of someone taking a rant on a speculation and then reacting to that “over the top” rant. At best it is fantasy entertainment. -E.M.Smith ]
This ash fall from space, could also make life go up and down and also effect the climate. As we see booms after dust from deserts flies into the sea and also volcanic clouds. When meteorite storms happen does life boom after, a bit like after volcanic eruption? http://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/2011/12/12/the-worzel-deep-sea-ash/
http://www.pnas.org/content/45/3/355.full.pdf+html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v184/n4679/abs/184044b0.html
Worzel Deep sea ash
Looks like its older then 25,000 years? http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0025322764900581
[ Reply: So they had a volcano that dumped a load of ash. Then looking closer, found some older ash, and are not sure where that layer came from. This is a surprise how? There WERE volcanoes in the past, so there will be ash layers of ages from millions of years ago to today. So somebody took a core and found the bottom wasn’t like the top. Just not very interesting. -E.M.Smith ]
This month’s book: Keep from All Thoughtful Men: How U.S. Economists Won World War II
http://www.biocab.org/pseudoscience2.html Notice that when hominids appeared (in the Pliocene) the anomaly in the global temperature was 4° C higher than the highest present anomaly. Our change is merely 0.122 C. Observe also that the atmospheric CO2 concentrations obey to cyclical changes which origins are poor known.
AGW proponents avoid to make you know that the whole Solar System is crossing a region of Interstellar Cosmic Radiation (a Cosmic Cloud discovered by Alfred Vidal-Madjar and collaborators in 1976) that “will have drastic effects in Earth’s Climate by the next 10,000 years” (A. Vidal-Madjar, C. Laurent and P. Bruston; 1977). This is evidence against the anthropogenic effect on the variability of climate of Earth because the effect is happening in every planet of the Solar System. The effect is taking place about 14 months after the encountering between our Solar System and the cloud because the Interstellar Cosmic Rays occurred at 100 AU (Astronomical Units) and the speed of the particles is 400 km per second. 100 AU are equivalent to 15000000000 Km, so, the Cosmic Rays remounting the Solar Wind from the Shock Bow take exactly 14 months, 9 days, 7 hours and 12 minutes on reaching the Earth. See a graph about the correlation between the Cosmic Cloud and the variability of tropospheric temperature on Earth. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1978ApJ...223..589V
http://www.iceagenow.com/Global_Warming_on_other_Planets.htm why all the planets are getting “warming”? The above info?
@George-
Don’t buy that book, it’s a lie. My Dad told be it was two guys named Murphy and Kilroy, and he should’a known. Bet it was written by an unemployed Climatologist with a major in economics, either that or a lawyer.
After analysing the DNA, the school found that Mungo Man’s DNA bore no similarity to the other ancient skeletons, modern Aborigines and modern Europeans. Furthermore, his mitochondrial DNA had become extinct. The results called into question the ‘Out of Africa’ theory of human evolution. If Mungo Man was descended from a person who had left Africa in the past 200,000 years, then his mitochondrial DNA should have looked like all of the other samples.
Aside from undermining the Out of Africa theory of evolution, Mungo Man also undermined other migration theories relating to human colonisation of Australia. Early theories proposed that the first humans in Australia were the “negrito” Tasmanian people, who were displaced by “Murrayans”, who were in turn displaced by “Carpentarians”. For ideological reasons, these theories gave way to a single migration theory that proposed that there was only ever one migration to Australia and all Aborigines are the descendents from that one migration. It was difficult to reconcile this theory with Mungo’s skeleton. Although Mungo Man was dissimilar to the 10,000-year-old robust skeletons being found in Australia, his bone structure was similar to modern day Aborigines. Multiple migrations helped explain the variance in skeletons. http://www.convictcreations.com/aborigines/prehistory.htm
[ Reply: One fallacy I see immediately in that statement is the mitochondrial DNA point. It is vitally important to realize that mitochondrial DNA and the Y Chromosome DNA are both “Sex linked”. This means that the REST of the DNA can blend into another population and survive, while those two bits of DNA can “go extinct” for no particular reason. It is an “odd point”, but vital to understand, that simple random assortment of the sex of offspring will result in the eventual extinction of ‘rare’ sex linked traits. You can easily see this in surnames, that in much of the west are ‘sex linked’. So someone named Cosderwiki is not a common a name as Smith. We each have kids. If my children just happen to be all girls, my particular “Smith” trait dies, but there are a million others having boys. For Mr. Cosderwiki, his name ‘goes extinct’, even though his girls carry most of his DNA… So that simple fact is that at ANY and ALL minor forms of the Y Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA are subject to “extinction” even while all the other genes happily live on. This makes ANY assertion about the survival (or not) of any given genetic “type” based on mitochondrial or Y DNA simply void (with the obvious exception of the Y chromosome and the mitochondria themselves). With that said: There is extant DNA evidence that Europeans are a hybrid of Neanderthal and African “modern” man while Asians are a 3 way hybrid that also includes Densiovians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denisovans that are also believed to have contributed to the Aboriginal DNA. So the basic thesis (that Aboriginals are a mixed type with dual or more origins) is likely valid, though the M-DNA argument is not. -E.M.Smith ]
@George…..but only a few remember how the occidental “sciences” won WWII. There were some propaganda “products” which “confused the tongues”, as a newly concocted “Babel Tower”.
We, then kids, swallowed it all without any complaint. Some of us have discovered the cheat, however the majority still prefer “consensus”. A small example: E= m x C2 (“C” squared?), that´s 9.00E+10 (90,000,000,000): Ninety thousand millions of kilometers per second?.
The book is quite good. It basically is about production. The ultimate constraint on how large an army is and the rate at which you can conduct operations is the rate at which a country can produce the goods needed to arm and equip them. The reason why the invasion of France was in 1944 instead of in 1943 was that it took a year longer for production to reach the needed rate than had earlier been estimated. We could not undergo a massive offensive until the production rate of the ammunition, arms, and equipment came up to the rate required to support operations. The 1943 estimate for when we could invade Europe was actually arrived at before Pearl Harbor (!).
The book also explains why “lend lease” was so important. The UK moved their ENTIRE gold reserve to the US and was exactly flat broke. Without the US war production, all was lost in Europe. Britain HAD to survive if we were to survive and the integration of industry between the two countries is the basis for the “special relationship”. From that moment forward during the course of the war, the US and the UK economies (actually “ACE” … America, Canada, England) were for all practical purposes one unit.
E.M.
FYI – some economics at Jo Nova today.
Posting update – at least I can type here today, whereas I couldn’t a couple of days ago. Still can’t paste so no link to the above
@Another Ian:
I have exactly Zero control over your ability to post, or past, and little influence on WordPress. It is all between your browser and them.
@George:
That is one of the reasons I’m bothered by the rise of China as economic / manufacturing Juggernaut. We are losing the ability to wage a long war and they are gaining that ability.
Nice video on Singuarlity http://youtu.be/jOC0DBvhuaY
[ Reply: Yet Another Utopian Fantasy… -E.M.Smith ]
http://www.lightning.ece.ufl.edu/
A new form of Power source? Like Tesla?
[ Reply: Probably not. It is just the usual way to do research on lightning. It is done in the part of Florida that has the most lightning of anywhere in the USA (perhaps in the world?) and even there they must wait, sometimes a very long time, for conditions to be Just Right to generate a strike. Sometimes firing several rockets before it ‘works’. THEN you get a few millisecond pulse that is so powerful it blasts a several foot hole in the ground and melts the sand to glass and rock. Well beyond what we can capture and control. And if we did, then we get to put into a giant battery (that hates being charge in giant pulses) and take it back out over hours or days. It gets worse in other areas with less reliable lightning. Possibly useful as a way to avoid damaging lighting (if they can automate the detection) via draining a spike prior to it reaching a populated area or golf course (lots of golfers get hit… holding a metal rod in the air over flat ground is, er, “a bad idea”…) -E.M.Smith ]
Recent interdisciplinary studies raise the possibility that the earth experienced a high-energy-density auroral storm towards the end of the Neolithic age, possibly peaking at around 3100 BCE, which human cultures have recorded in the form of petroglyphs, geoglyphs and a class of rituals and myths conveniently described as ‘creation myths’. http://www.mythopedia.info/aurora.html
@Another Ian:
I presume it was this one:
http://joannenova.com.au/2012/04/the-spectacle-that-is-the-australian-parliament-top-viewing-for-political-tragics-around-the-world/
Nice read.
Surprised that Gillard is managing to hang on to power, but the machinations are amazing…
Possibly the coldest May temperatures ever recorded in the UK this weekend. Forecast is for temperatures as cold as -9C. Snow in the forecast for Scotland and N. England. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138728/The-big-May-Day-Bank-Holiday-weekend-freeze-Forecasters-predict-snow-sub-zero-temperatures-biting-winds-rain.html
@George:
Well, that’s not good… It will make for interesting stories, but poor crops in England.
I expect this is just the start of a couple of decade trend of what we’ll see in this Grand Minimum.
We’re having a cold and blustery April so far, here, too. All of one warm day so far (and a few ‘nice but coolish’ ones.) During the prior warm peak, folks would have significant growth on tomatoes by now…
E.M.
I realise on the control. But if I don’t bitch then !
If a pretty recent version of IE doesn’t work then there ought to be a conference between Bill’s crew and wordpress. Or it is time for me to move to Linux.
Re The Jo Nova one and Gillard – you’re amazed, we’re saving votes for when. Likely like the ALP wipeout in the Queensland election.
I was actually pointing to the Murdoch thread and its economic data – should have pointed better.
E.M.
Add to last. Pretty recent version of IE with all updates.
From another software Microsoft mystery. I have a program with a software key. Which works when I have our USB internet connection in. And doesn’t when it isn’t.
The software doesn’t need or want internet access.
Turns out apparently, due to Microsoft’s computer identification whats’it, I have a different computer ID# if I’m not connected!
E.M
For the record – that last post was as big a window I get before things go Ack Willie
@Another Ian:
As of a few releases back Microsoft implemented a licensing “feature” where the software would tattle all your details to a server of theirs. If it decided you were not the appropriate owner, it would disable your software. All attempting to “control piracy”. It also meant that if, for example, you changed some parts inside your computer all your software would commit suicide… (various serial numbers are captured).
IIRC the MAC ID of the network connection is one of them for some bits. Thus you being tied to a particular network connection device.
As I often “build up machines” out of various parts, and change network dongles often (precisely so that MAC address can not be used against me), I find Microsoft and their strategy anathema.
The Macintosh is a great platform. Ever more folks are moving to it with some relish. The only reason I got the HP this time instead was simply cost. I wanted a cheap entry point. I’ve regretted that decision about 3/4 of the time I’m using this laptop…
Linux is “OK”, and has far fewer “limitations” on what you can do now than it did in the past. (Mostly some limitations on drivers for recent new hardware bits, like the video driver for this laptop… which is 1/2 of why I’ve not installed it as a dual boot. The other 1/2 being the brain dead way HP formats the disk that means I have a major unload / redo put the system at risk step to make a free partition…) For slightly older machines (or on a dual boot Mac) it works much more easily. It’s “my bad” anyway for not doing a model check on Linux compatibility prior to purchase…
With that said:
I’ve got Open Office and both Opera and Firefox running on this laptop. (And GIMP for graphics…) and like them all. Very easy to install. Far less intrusive snooping and tracking. Generally had no troubles like others have reported with various web sites. Does pretty much everything I’d ever need. OO also has handled all the Microsoft format documents I’ve needed to handle “just fine” so far. (Including spreadsheets, Word docs, and PowerPoints). GIMP does my photo editing rather nicely too. And I generally think Opera is just dandy as a browser. Firefox is OK too, and sometimes I swap between them for no good reason.
That all of it was free is just gravy…
Frankly, the only reason I’m using this laptop instead of the Linux box is that this IS a laptop and the Linux box I have is a full desk sized machine (and the desk is covered in jars, seeds, and planting materials along with a bunch of lighting stuff right now – I’ve added a few LED bulbs ;-) On my “todo list” is to clear the desk and go back to the Linux box for most things.
Either that or take the day it will take to clean up the stupid HP disk format and then install Linux dual boot here (and find the video driver – that ought to be easier now that it’s been a few months since release…)
More likely, though, is that I’ll just do nothing for a couple of more months, then order a RaspberryPi or Beagleboard and make a “disposable system” for internet use. Reserve this one for editing photos and reading archives PDFs, etc. Just have a USB drive that shuffles downloads from the InternetBox to this one. That way there’s a nice firebreak between hackers and my main system. They can try to capture control of the Browser Board Box during any one particular session, but it all goes “POOF!” at the end and then starts new with the next boot… Kind of a “poor man’s tablet” with the OS in ROM and saved data to USB drive.
Doesn’t take up much desk space either ;-)
At any rate, I have zero need for Microsoft now for any Word, Spreadsheet, or Presentation or even Photo Edit needs. Almost none for browsing (it’s been months since I hit any site that Opera or Firefox could not handle), and other than being a bit “modal”, GIMP does great on the photo edits. That they work on multiple operating systems is nice too…
“Microsoft – Just Say No!”…
EM-
– Ref. “PC’s and Lazy Old Men”: Sure would appreciate, if not already covered elsewhere, a page on this subject. I’m one of those people who never was very adept at anything but turning the ‘box’ on and following simple procedures. This thing I have now is making noises it hasn’t before and I think it’s comeing close to expiring on me; or exploding and blinding me and cutting one of my legs off. Sure would appreciate some recommendations for a “Plug In & Turn On” Idiot-Friendly ‘whatever’ that didn’t cost an arm and a leg AND the ‘Hook Ups For Dummies’ course on ‘Life after the 50667 bps telephone hookup’. (And I really am really dumb about what’s out there now, honest;-)
– Ref. “La Nada, El Niño, or Three-Peat La Niña for 2012/13 ENSO Season?”
http://bobtisdale.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/la-nada-el-nino-or-three-peat-la-nina-for-201213-enso-season/
Posted on May 2, 2012. Bob has opened things up for reader “projections” of what’s coming in the next 12 months. I haven’t gone out on a limb yet but may for the heck of it, it seemed like something you and some of “The Crew” might be interested in, if only as a read.
@E.M.: This issue of software meddling in private computers, relates with your post on “Socialism, utopia,etc” as it involves that childish attitude of playing “power games”. These should be absolutely forbidden. This childish game has gone too far, up to a point where these “kids” will wake up to reality and realize that their silly games didn´t achieve the goals they were dreaming about and other “kids” of the neighborhood succeeded. :-)
@Pascvaks:
While much of computer science can be maddeningly jargon ridden and complicated, at the core of it are some really simple things. Mostly just requiring the ability to keep pushing when others give up and a bit of translating skill to turn “Jargon Mumbo Jumbo” into simple understandings.
Take networking. You can spend years learning bit maps and the difference between various fibre optic modulations… or you can just realize it all comes down to “Gozintos and Gozoutas”… Bit goes-into here, and comes-outa there. Match the plugs. Match the alphabet soup of the modulation scheme. Set some configuration bits.
Similarly the “old box” problem. Loads of folks will try to convince you it is about to blow up and you ought to buy a new one, that leads to needing to buy all new software again. Microsoft has made billion off of that scam. 9 times out of 10 it is the fan in the power supply having the bearing wear out that makes noise. (Find the fan in the back. Is the noise from it? Stick a bit of pencil or paperclip in the the blades when the machine is off, then turn it on – preventing the fan from turning. Did the noise go away? Don’t stop the fan for more than a minute or two…)
Often the power supply fills up with “dust bunnies” and the fan makes noise. Usually it is just a matter of opening the case, 4 screws or a funny clip to get the power supply out, and $30 for a replacement. About as complicated as changing spark plugs and a whole lot easier. If really cheap, you can get the fan itself for about $5 and just change it. (Often 8 more screws ;-).
Sometimes, rarely, it’s a little fan that sits on the CPU itself. Usually about a $4 part. Again, the paperclip check and good directional hearing is your friend in diagnostics.
The “bad one” is when it’s the bearings in the disk. One of the “sound probes” used by a mechanic to listen to auto engine noises can assure it is the disk ( the “old way” is to touch a screwdriver to it with the ear at the end of the screw driver). Typically I’ve been able to just move my head around and localize the sound.
Step ONE:
IMMEDIATELY go get a USB disk (assuming you have a USB port) or use whatever CD / DVD writing ability on the machine to save your data files. This can be as easy as buying a plug in USB disk with built in backup software and letting it run. A Terabyte version costs about $50 to $100 and often less.
Once you have a nice backup of your machine…
Most computers have room for more than one disk. A replacement can be bought for “dirt cheap” and put in the second bay. (again, usually 4 screw, plus a cable to plug in. You do need to match the alphabet soup of ‘disk bus’ type. SCSI, EIDE, ATAPI etc. That ought to be in your manual, printed on the disk that’s in the box, or often you can just look up your model number via a web search and get the disk bus type. The “bus” is just that bundle of wires that talks to the disk and the chips that drive it.)
Once the new disk is in, you format it and copy your ‘stuff’ onto it. Details of how to do that vary by operating system and what you want to do. It might be worth it to pay someone to do that as a quicky if the disk really is making noise.
One of my complaints about the new MicroSnot security system is that sometimes it looks at the particular disk ID information too. I see no reason why I ought to be required to repurchase software if I get a failing disk fixed….
OK, that’s all I can do in this quick note, but just realize this: At present, the noise can be a trivial thing (fan) or a sudden death and lose it all thing (disk). You need to figure out which NOW and make an immediate backup copy of “your stuff” in any case.
As a ‘fun project’, I’d suggest getting “some old box” and playing with putting Linux on it. The “box” is often free or nearly so (as someone is on the Microsoft Update Treadmill and has a ‘old piece of junk’ that is a fine machine once Linux is installed… $20 or less…) and the software is a free download.
It makes a simple thing to do on a lazy afternoon / evening and if it doesn’t work, well, you are not out much (and you learned something) and you can try again another day. This is where the ‘not giving up’ part comes in. You just keep doing installs, finding “issues” and one at a time learning how to fix that “issue”. Eventually you end up with a nice working system for nearly nothing.
It can work fine first time ( on your typical old “white box” PC) or it can be a PITA (on newer laptops with odd video / network drivers).
I have a half dozen odd Linux boxes of various sorts laying about, from over the last couple of decades. Most cost me nothing or nearly nothing. My Beowulf Cluster was made from boxes I bought for about $10 each at a local scrapper who buys disposals from companies when they upgrade (being on the Microsoft Treadmill).
Yes, it really is that simple. Some box, about 4 years old, being dumped by someone who “needs” to upgrade, and some time spent playing with a Linux install.
If you decide to go that way, let me know, I’ll “consult” for free and suggest things like releases to try and help solve problems you might experience.
But first go get that back up done…
(FWIW, I taught “Introduction to Computers” at the Community College level for several years; typically to folks with zero computer experience and back in the days before everyone had even touched a personal computer; so I’m comfortable with translating Geek Speak to plain talk and giving understandable explanations of what’s going on… Have a State of California Lifetime Credential in Data Processing and Related Technologies too. Your personal tutor…)
Half of Africa’s computing power is based on our “dumped scrap”.
Just took the powerbook apart, cleaned it, put in an extra hard disk bought on the internet for cheap and performed MAC OSX upgrade that allows me to still run the “dated” software.
Just for the record, I worked with Macwrite and FileMaker Pro for years.
Now Macwrite is replaced by Microsoft World for Mac (version 2004).
I hate the program and certainly won’t make an upgrade to a newer version.
Same goes for programs like Photoshop and Illustrator which cost you a bundle and updates won’t provide real improvements.
I totally dislike the trend with Apps and “central control” of software via Cloud.
I really don’t like the way Apple is going.
However, I still run a dated PC under XP Professional which has been updated until Microsoft ceased support and although the computer is no longer connected to the internet it’s still causing me headaches when running rather simple vector based programs.
That said I won’t switch from Apple to Microsoft even if I’m offered a million but I’m afraid both operating system are going down the drain.
Apps that grab private data, pictures etc., cloud based software, increasingly specialized software that comes at ever higher costs take the fun away from the average user.
Ipad just makes people stupid.
It’s like the computer revolution is rolled backwards.
Yes, getting rid of micro squash and apple sauce is the only long term solution. When my XP dies I will not reup. One way or the other, open source is the only way to go. I hope that this time I try to migrate to Linux or equal I can find the programs that I need. Soon I need to set up a Linux box and start getting used to using it. This will be my 4th try since 1989. Dual boot just doesn’t work out as sooner or later Microsoft will trash the drive formatting and you have to rebuild the system. As I have migrated to open office and Firefox all I need now is a good open source equivalent for Acad. Any suggestions?? pg
http://www.livescience.com/19546-antarctica-seismic-image-geology.html
Warming under the Antarctica Glaciers
[ Reply: It doesn’t really say warming. It says they don’t know but have a load of data. Really just a ‘puff piece’ for them doing R&D that isn’t done yet. Not really a “tip” there at all. -E.M.Smith ]
Just stumbled over this on the BBC site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17916879
About Ubuntu OS. pg
NOAA uses magician to train people http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47288353/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/noaa-sought-magician-now-wants-plans-disappear/?fb_action_ids=10151664852785217%2C10151664673150217%2C10151664653545217&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline#.T6ND3NUenIU
@p.g.sharrow
There are many varieties of Linux desktop but any of the main ones (Mint, Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS, etc.) usually work out of the box on hardware that runs MS Windows Xp. Often it will be faster but some obscure hardware has issues. Just about all the software is free (Open Source software license) from centralized repositories but a free replacement for ACAD (AutoCAD?) is not readily available.
You could run ACAD in “wine” – a windows emulator in Linux, or try LinuxCAD (trial versions at http://www.linuxcad.com/index.html ). Good luck with the change.
tckev; linuxcad! Thank you, I will check that out. pg
@p.g. sharrow
Hope it helps. Please note that LinuxCAD is not free software but it is pure Linux.
BTW my favorite OS is Mint. Very stable with a look and feel similar to Windows Xp, just more flexible and has lots of bundled freebies.
I’m probably late with this but here goes – a good video of what ails America –
http://freemarketamerica.org/if-i-wanted-america-to-fail/
Here is a ‘Well duh’ moment.
.’Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies: study’
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/amish-farm-kids-remarkably-immune-allergies-study-200835366.html
E.M. has mentioned this on several occasions. Get your immune system primed with good stuff early in life and you are good to go. :)
Really hope no one at the USDA gets wind of this: raw milk, kids working with animals, being exposed to DIRT !, and worse cow S–t. Probably raise rabbits and pigs too. All the parents would be locked up and the kitds taken to a gov. village for Hillery to raise. Course they just might burn the witch so there might be an up side after all.
Space quakes protect us from the sun
[ The URL hung my browser 3 times. I’ve snipped it since I cant’ see what it is. -E.M.Smith ]
http://www.helium.com/items/2121199-underground-lightning-may-cause-earthquake-and-volcanic-events?page=1 Underground lightning
Could we send internet thru this? http://journal.borderlands.com/1997/an-introduction-to-the-mysteries-of-ground-radio/
Those who studied radio propagation phenomena for military applications could not account for the fact that far too powerful ground signals continued with increasing range from their sourcepoint. By comparison, their aerial signal counterparts were far too weakened by the journey. Experimenters found that the “skywave-groundwave” model did not explain the continued magnification of signals “received through the ground”. When compared to signals “received through the air”, the ground signals were persistently more powerful, and far less eroded by static.
Also Oil currents http://www.epgeology.com/general-discussion-f29/electrical-generation-oil-reservoirs-above-saline-waters-t138.html
Electric earthquakes http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/esp_ciencia_tsunami51.htm
Click to access rocks_that_crackle.pdf
Tesla considered the “ground” to be the conductor and the “air” to be the capacitor in his energy/information circuits with the coil as the “tuner” pg
I sure appreciate all the time you guys took trying to give me all that good advice to my questions. But my old SSEC* is shutting down too with it’s 1948 program and I’m more into reflection, amazement, questioning, and stareing at my naval than the rest of you are. (I think some of the vacuum tubes and relays are kaputski;-) My primary concern is to find a ‘box’, ‘thing’, or ‘whatever’ that I can open, turn on, get on line, and chat with y’all, see those pics you folks have been putting up and watch the videos you link to, and doesn’t take 18 years of the Global Ocean Conveyor to open;-). I’ve pretty much figured that the dial up I’ve had for years is dead, but I’m not sure which of the modern alt’s is the way to go for ease of use and price (?that may be something strictly local, don’t know that either;-) but I thought you could steer me toward the ‘vehicle’, ‘method’ that offers the least headache for the worthless buck, and will probably make it through the Depression and outlive me. Was thinking that rather than the one and only we have now, that it might be nice to get two, one for me and one for the wife, so we could each have our own magic carpet to go out and discover the universe as the walls close in about us. (That last line ending probably went over yer heads; you guys don’t sound like you ate any of that British Mad-Cow Beef back in the 80’s;-)
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OK! I lack motivation! There I said it, my shrink will be so proud.
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T5 will close soon, so I thought: I could scream and no one would really mind and it does wonders for my liver. Getting stupid, better say Good-bye. Good-bye!
*1948: IBM – SSEC
IBM’s first large-scale digital calculating machine, the Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator, is announced. The SSEC is the first computer that can modify a stored program, and featured 12,000 vacuum tubes and 21,000 electromechanical relays.[94] (link below)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_IBM
E.M.
If you fancy having fun with statistical graphs of some world factors have a look at http://www.gapminder.org/
IMO it’s revealing and fun.
@Pascvaks:
If all you want is a generalized web surfing, moving watching, and occasional document reading platform, look at various “tablets” and “pads”. No keyboard, buy you can tap an icon and one appears on the screen. Fine for “two finger hunt and peck” not so good for rapid touch typist like me… ( I’m still getting used to how PCs changed the special characters from my IBM Selectric – learned in high school on one AND used one professionally as a hospital admissions clerk…)
The “Friend from HP / Old College Roomie” has pretty much migrated onto one. My next ‘bought’ device will likely be one. (MUCH easier to carry around than the full sized laptop for the odd visit to the coffee shop…) Major feature to look for, IMHO, is the ability to get on a local “hot spot” for free internet AND the ability to select broadband paid connectivity via cell phone provider if stuck in “hell and gone”… Other than that, just “can you read the screen nicely?” and the usual is is durable (but add ‘and easy to clean’ from finger smudges on the touch screen).
Because you pay for a ‘data package’ many of the cell providers will darned near give you one. I saw a nice HP version for under $100 at Verizon. Personally, I’d likely go for the Apple version as I’ve generally found their stuff much more “just works” and a whole lot less subject to hack attacks.
Just watch out for being trapped into using “their” connectivity package even if you are next to a wireless hot spot…
Some of them (all?) have the ability to put them in a stand and add a keyboard, then the act a whole lot like a regular laptop / desktop computer.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad
gives you an idea what they are like.
Note in particular the statement that BOTH 4G and wi-fi are supported…
Comparison chart here:
http://www.tabletpccomparison.net/
And a wiki of comparisons:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_tablet_PCs
Slightly larger and with somewhat more ‘typical’ controls (like having a touchpad) are netbooks:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Netbooks
A bit pricey ( IIRC about $1200 equipped as I liked it) the Macbook Air
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/
but VERY easy to use. I’m just about ready to let go of my 12? or more year old Mac iBook from just after the time we started having ink jet printers ;-) so they tend to be usable for a long time… ( my HP Laptop, purchased less than a year ago, already has the the markings worn off of 7 keys… )
CNET has a review of “ultrabooks”
http://reviews.cnet.com/best-netbooks/
and Amazon has a nice selection:
http://www.amazon.com/Netbooks-Computers/b?ie=UTF8&node=679517011
With the HP going for just under $300 at the moment.
How to choose? Can you read the screen? Is it the physical size you like? Can you type on it well? Does it offer the wireless connectivity you need? ( 3G, 4G, wi-fi). Can you plug in outboard things you need (printer? mouse? keyboard?) or do you not need any?
After that, just check the reliability / repair statistics.
Personally (even with the keyboard wear issue) I’d likely go for the HP based on general reputation (if I could not afford the Apple product for a KiloBuck more…) Keyboards are often replaceable for cheap (like $30) and frankly “I type a lot” ;-) and YMMV.
Hopefully that’s more what you were looking for than “I’ll help you build a Linux box from things found from a dumpster dive” ;-)
EM-
Thanks a Googleplex! That one knocked all the pins down;-)
@E.M.: Trouble with tablets is that no one has decided yet to make a real tablet computer, with all the functions of a real computer. The first one to do it will win the market. They just made tablets for the same people who like fast/trash food: For amusing those who like games, video watching, etc. (perhaps thinking only in “post normal scientists” or “cool” and “nice” Hollywood stars), but not for real professional work.
@Adolfo:
It all depends on what the person wants to do. I’ve thought of getting a tablet just for stock trading and never going to web sites. More secure that way (low risk of ‘picking up a virus’). I’ve also thought of getting one just for posting and web site visits. Less chance of contagion to things I care about on the Main Box from CiberCafe snoops… It’s a very nice “reader” platform. Small and light weight.
It goes along side the desktop, not replacing it…
BTW, new T6 is up now:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/t6/