News Briefs 26-07-2012
Posted by red pill junkie at 05:35, 26 Jul 2012There's a storm coming...
- Aurora: Synchromystic Wonderland.
- Aurora victim saved by a brain defect she didn't know she had. The Lord trolls in mysterious ways...
- Godspeed, Sally Ride, 1st American woman in Space
- 7 Minutes of Terror: Why do I feel NASA's plan to land Curiosity on Mars is disturbingly reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote's Acme-sponsored schemes?
- UFOs, CIA & Disclosure: Alejandro Rojas interviews my mate Robbie Graham, from Silver Screen Saucers.
- Can the planet survive 10 billion people? Interview with Stephen Emmott, head of Computational Science for Microsoft.
- Greenland's ice cover melting at alarming rate. Because what's the point of naming a place Greenland if it's gonna remain white forever, eh?? Iceland was already taken, yo!
- Taking drug-testing to the next level, thanks to DARPA's 132-million project to simulate human organ tissues on a single chip.
- Kickstarting Immortality, Russian style --99% need not apply.
- Now that augmented athlete Oscar Pistorious has qualified for the Olympics, the debate rages on.
- Speaking of endless debates: Humans blamed for Neanderthal extinction... again.
- Mysterious Welsh structure is older than the pyramids.
- Psychedemia: Integrating Psychedelics into Academia. Course imparted by Prof. Machinelf.
- Rockstar judge Baltazar Garzón to head Assange's legal defense team.
- Wikileaks: Members of Congress now want to prosecute New York Times journalists.
- Red pill of the day: 500-year-old lingerie found in Austrian castle. Going Medieval --not as nasty as one would think.
Thanks to Kat & Rick.
Quote of the Day:
"Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn. Forth, Eorlingas!"
~ Excerpt from LOTR: The Two Towers (2002)
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Comments
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
The medieval bra is like today's bras! So, what's the big deal?
The Welsh Structure is very interesting. I wonder what it is!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
It's something of a big deal precisely because of that. People used to think the bra was invented in the XIXth century, and now we found evidence of the contrary.
Yet I subscribe with those who think this is merely a time traveler SNAFU :P
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
The idea for the bra has been around for a long time! But, it was usually incorporated into the clothing.
But, a time traveler from ancient Sumeria might have given it to XIX century designers!:)
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
I bet that was the most interesting lesson from the Annunaki! :P
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
30 April 2004
7 weeks 6 days
Everyone know's bras were brought here by ancient aliens who gave it to the Atlanteans who gave it to ... and so on
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Actually, it's the aliens we should be thanking for our big junks and our lady friend's massive mammaries --at least that's what Otto Binder, one of the earliest proponents of the AAT used to think.
I'm not kidding! ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
I think that the Annunaki taught about panties, too. The problem with the Annunaki is that they never knew when to stop teaching!:)
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
6 April 2010
5 hours 39 min
....is that it survived the Inquisition :P
...I forgot how I got here but everyone seems to be heading off in that direction. I hope someone brought food. I have a feeling this is going to be a long journey................
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
It was probably hidden inside a bible or something ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
29 January 2009
1 day 15 hours
"Why do I feel NASA's plan to land Curiosity on Mars is disturbingly reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote's Acme-sponsored schemes?"
Unfortunately RPJ nearly everything NASA's done seems to've been conducted that way.
I remember reading how even a few months before Armstrong's Moon Landing nothing seemed to be working and the Americans terrified the Russians were going to beat them were basically talking about sending those guys up there knowing they'd certainly fail and almost certainly die.
And I've never forgotten the sight of a certain member of the NASA bigwigs sinking guiltily in his chair as the space shuttle exploded and try'n'o catch the attention of another bigwig out the corner of his eye.
It was the body language of a man who seemed to believe he'd been a party to sending those people into space knowing they were doomed.
And when you read about how hair raisingly the Russian space program was also conducted you realise those NASA astronauts and their Russian rivals were far braver than many people dare to suspect.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
I don't know. I personally feel that the Apollo program and the Challenger disaster are 2 different problems. One was about stepping into the unknown, and the other was about bureaucratic sloppiness and lack of oversight.
Yeah, i definitely agree with you that every astronaut who has made the decision to put his or her life into the hands of the engineers and scientists who built those boosters and propulsion systems is incredibly brave. Maybe nowadays we've figured out a lot of things on how to keep the risks acceptably low, but the risk will never be entirely removed. And the experience was gained often at the expense of human lives.
Having said that, I don't want this to sound like I'm being judgmental on the NASA team who devised the Opportunity Mars landing! I think it's exactly the opposite: I'm in awe on how they came up with this incredibly hair-raising complicated scheme to gently place a rover the size of VW Beetle on the surface of another planet, almost like a wacky Rube Goldberg machine that is funded by the US government.
I would have loved to be present at the meeting where they pitched such a scheme, as I'm sure the team of scientists made sure their numbers and calculations were sound, and the plan feasible :)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
Headline:
"Satellites reveal unprecedented Greenland melting"
The article then tells us:
"Melting of this type occurs every 150 years... According to glaciologist Lora Koenig, who was part of the team analysing the data, melting incidents of this type occur every 150 years on average. 'With the last one happening in 1889, this event is right on time,' Koenig said."
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
We must be reading it differently, you and I. From what I gathered, that Greenland looses 95% of its ice cover is something that usually happens every 150 years. BUT, the same glaciologist you're partially citing also added:
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"We must be reading it differently, you and I. From what I gathered, that Greenland looses 95% of its ice cover is something that usually happens every 150 years. BUT, the same glaciologist you're partially citing also added:
'But if we continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be worrisome.'"
Yes, it would be worrisome if it happened more frequently in the future. It usually happens every 150 years. So this episode is right on time. If it were to start happening more frequently then it might indicate a problem. But it hasn't started happening more frequently.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Again, the warning comes because this is usually observed *once* every 150 years. If it happens again in 2013, then it means the canary has been long dead and we won't have time to exit the mine.
People who like to point out to events that occur every 10,000 years or so to assure us we have nothing to do with Climate Change, is like people who see an elevator already full to its full capacity, and consider it normal if we add just a small weight which finally breaks the cord. It may be 'logical', but it's not sensible.
Yes, climate is incredibly complex, but not considering the fact that human activities worsen or increase the effects of cyclical natural mechanisms is disingenuous.
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"Again, the warning comes because this is usually observed *once* every 150 years. If it happens again in 2013, then it means the canary has been long dead and we won't have time to exit the mine."
OMG. Seriously? This is your grasp of logic?
Big Ben stikes the hour every hour. It stikes the hour at three o'clock. If it were to ever stike the hour at ten past three, then that would signal a problem.
It has never done that.
The melting of the Greenland ice happens on average every 150 years. It has just melted, about 150 years after the last melt. If it melts more often than that in the future, then we may have a problem. So far, there isn't the slightest bit of evidence that this will happen.
You think that we should take action because it *could* happen? You think we should fix Big Ben because it *could* go wrong?
Seriously. What?
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
BTW here's that arch-skeptic Andy Revkin's view of things:
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
So basically, what you're saying is that we should wait another 150 years to see if us warm-mongerers were right or wrong all along.
Yep, that sounds like a sound plan, but how about we start working on a backup in the meantime?
Meanwhile, we should start worrying about more important matters, like what the big political story for 2032 is gonna be...
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"So basically, what you're saying is that we should wait another 150 years to see if us warm-mongerers were right or wrong all along."
Err... we should wait to see if there is any evidence. You know, "evidence". Does that compute with you?
You think at five past three we should take steps to solve the problem of Big Ben chiming wrongly when it hasn't actually happened?
I think I now understand where the Daily Grail is coming from. Keep on looking for those little green men.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
If striking at the wrong hour could potentially mean the deaths of millions of Londoners, then I certainly think so. Ditto with a person who might be on the break of suffering a heart attack, even though he's still feeling fine.
Maybe the dinosaurs had their own astronomical observatories way back in the Cretaceous, but they became extinct because the T-Rexes were demanding to have more evidence of that alleged big-ass pebble that could potentially hit the planet ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"If striking at the wrong hour could potentially mean the deaths of millions of Londoners, then I certainly think so."
If concrete suddenly turned into sulphuric acid, it could mean millions of deaths. If tarmac turned into snakes it could cause serious problems. We should take action to avoid those things? Or should we look at evidence? Is there evidence that those things are happening?
"Ditto with a person who might be on the break of suffering a heart attack, even though he's still feeling fine."
How do you tell if someone is on the break of suffering a heart attack. Evidence. Or you could try tea-leaves, I suppose.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
We should do what we can to avoid potential risks, specially if the evidence —from the word Evidentia, meaning for anyone to see, if they're willing to take their heads out of the sand that is— pointing to said risks keeps mounting year after year.
Or, we can stay home and keep watching the tube, just hoping that if the proverbial excrement hits the fan, we'll be long dead by then.
But by the looks of your comment you seem to imply that global catastrophes caused by global warming are as ludicrous as suffering an avalanche of marshmallows, or whatever other sardonic example we might care to come up with.
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"We should do what we can to avoid potential risks, specially if the evidence —from the word Evidentia, meaning for anyone to see, if they're willing to take their heads out of the sand that is— pointing to said risks keeps mounting year after year."
Yup, see that's where I need evidence (from the word Evidentia, meaning for anyone to see, if they're willing to take their heads out of the sand that is). Preferably of a scientific kind.
"Or, we can stay home and keep watching the tube, just hoping that if the proverbial excrement hits the fan, we'll be long dead by then."
I get out quite a bit. I'm a gardener by profession. And I don't watch much TV.
"But by the looks of your comment you seem to imply that global catastrophes caused by global warming are as ludicrous as suffering an avalanche of marshmallows, or whatever other sardonic example we might care to come up with."
It's not whether they are ludicrous or not. It's more about the evidence for their existence.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
So what evidence exactly --preferably of the scientific kind-- should prove sufficient to convince you?
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
In the case that we're currently discussing, as you said...
"Again, the warning comes because this is usually observed *once* every 150 years. If it happens again in 2013..."
That might do it. If this happens more often than usual, then that would indicate that something unusual is happening. Then we'd have to look at whether it's a bad thing, and whether we can do anything about it.
In the grander scheme of things, it would help if the climate modelers could actually make an accurate prediction *before* the event happens.
I don't know which country you're in, but here in the UK, they predicted we wouldn't see any more snow. Then we got shit-loads of snow. So then they predicted we'd get lots of snow.
They predicted wet winters. Then we had a drought because of dry winters. So then they predicted dry winters.
They predicted dry summers. Then it pissed it down for months. So, you guessed it, they predicted wet summers.
They predict whatever happened yesterday. It's only when they try to predict what will happen tomorrow that it all goes pear-shaped.
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Ok, so we'll have to wait until 2013 then ;)
I live in Mexico. And I don't care much about weather-men either. But there's a difference between weather and climate. And even though we might not be able to predict next week's weather, we are getting better at predicting the effects of climate in far longer spans of time.
PS: Ah the wonders of synchronicity. I've just watched the weather-man being mocked at during the Olympic opening ceremony ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
15 November 2009
6 weeks 3 days
"And even though we might not be able to predict next week's weather, we are getting better at predicting the effects of climate in far longer spans of time."
Evidence for that? Oh let's just wait for 2013. :) And beyond. Most of the population of Holland should have drowned by about 2020, I think. So if they fail to show up for the 2022 World Cup, we'll know what's happened. :)
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Mexico city is drowning as I type this. I'd better use my tea leaves to learn the scores now :P
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
6 April 2010
5 hours 39 min
Go to bed ;)
...I forgot how I got here but everyone seems to be heading off in that direction. I hope someone brought food. I have a feeling this is going to be a long journey................
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
:P
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
6 April 2010
5 hours 39 min
just amazed we haven't hit 2 pages :P
...I forgot how I got here but everyone seems to be heading off in that direction. I hope someone brought food. I have a feeling this is going to be a long journey................
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
I actually mentioned this story in my upcoming Pills of the Week @ Mysterious Universe --though having a huge pile of angry rants, instead of zero comments, would actually be nice for a change ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
In the 1970s the sun went into a solar maximum period that has lasted for 30+ years. During periods of solar maximum the earth gets warmer. I happen to agree with the scientists about global warming. The scientists believe that during the solar maximum period about 10% of the warming was man made. Now for 30+ years we are going into a solar minimum. In this solar minimum, the earth is supposed to slowly get cooler. So, let's see what happens!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Et tu, Cnnek? ;)
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
Verified the research, I support the conclusions of the research. Scientists did the research. So, I agree with the scientists. But, in ten years, we shall know!
Al Gore has made hundreds of millions of dollars from companies that he partially owns and patents that he partially owns that are related to global warming. Gore owns about 400 automobiles and he is being sued by about 400 scientist. The bottom line is that Al Gore wants to be politically relevant!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
Lately I've been thinking that he biggest problem in our culture is not Peak Oil or any other Peak (insert here) you can think of. It's Peak Trust.
If some group of scientists were to announce that an asteroid was going to hit the Earth in 20 years, I bet that after 18 had passed, there would still be a lot of people arguing about it, and others choosing not to believe it because the scientists were all connected to (insert here).
I really don't know how a society can survive much longer in this situation.
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
If some group of scientists were to announce that an asteroid was going to hit the Earth in 20 years, I bet that after 18 had passed, there would still be a lot of people arguing about it, and others choosing not to believe it because the scientists were all connected to (insert here).
Red Pill
I agree with you; but, more than trust is needed!
Before we get to trust, let me comment on the personal responsibility to be informed. Whether or not an asteroid will hit the earth in 20 years is not a hypothetical philosophical proposition that is debatable. It can be independenty calculated. Any math or physics major can calculate it. If fact, if you know the data about the astroid's orbit and the equations needed to calculate it, anybody can calculate it. The internet is a wonderful tool to cross reference almost anything. I cross reference my own conclusions. My point is that the personal responsibilty to be informed is essential to developing a socio-economic system. Furthermore, the cross referencing of all conclusions is an essential part of the personal responsibility to be informed!
Trust is essential to any socio-economic system! The personal responsibility to be informed inspires trust and discourages corruption! To pharaphrase Mark Twain, "If you don't read the main stream media, you are uninformed. If you read the main stream media, you are misinformed." To establish and maintain trust in society, the personal responsibility to be informed is essential. No society can long endure without trust!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}
12 April 2007
5 hours 52 min
There are limits to the things you can confirm for yourself. Even if you had all the data and a good calculator, maybe you don't have the necessary skills. In the end placing your trust into something you don't fully understand is inevitable. Do you ask the train operator to let you into the cabin and check all the instruments before departing the station?
It's not that I don't put any blame in mainstream media and governments. On the contrary, it's because they've lied to us that we don't trust them, even when they're telling the truth for a change.
Somehow the cycle must be broken.
It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
_______________
@red_pill_junkie
28 June 2006
5 hours 30 min
Red Pill
We must try to verify things on our own. There are probably a few math programs on the computer that can calculate it. And, most of us have friends that could calculate it. The way to keep people honest is to cross reference. And, keeping people honest is the first step to building trust!
Taking personal responsibility isn't always easy; but, taking personal responsibility is always necessary!
What do you think?
cnnek
{You Can Teach People How To Think Critically Or What To Think; But, You Can't Do Both! It Is Better To Teach People How To Think Critically!!!}