Thursday, November 30, 2006

"That's not my bag, baby!"

I don't know what it is about European men sticking their whozits in external cylinders, but that's apparently the application design for a spray-on condom:

[Jan Vincenz] Krause's team (spraykondom.de) is developing a type of spray can into which the man inserts his penis first. At the push of a button it is then coated in a rubber condom.

"It works by spraying on latex from nozzles on all sides," he said. "We call it the '360 degree procedure' -- once round and from top to bottom. It's a bit like a car wash."

Krause said the plan is to make the product ready for use in about five seconds. He said it would function more effectively as a contraceptive because it would fit better and not slip.

Thankfully, no pictures.

Ubergeek Keyboard

I don't know what I would program the pictures to be on this keyboard, so maybe it's not for me, but a $1200 price tag might be a bit much. Although, the hotkey info for gamers might just turn me over to the dark side...

Photo courtesy of Art Lebedev
Configured for Quake

(h/t Hardware 2.0)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Science Teachers "Inconveniently" Refuse Free DVD's

Heh. So the National Science Teachers Association takes a pass on free DVD's of An Inconvenient Truth because they viewed the "documentary" as an advocacy film, and Laurie David, one of the producers, can only see some nefarious political reasons for the refusal. Science teachers are in the back pockets of Big Oil! Did she not even consider that high school science teachers may want to teach the basic concepts of chemistry, biology, and physics before presenting the conclusions of some computer models in an emerging science? Quantum mechanics has been around for 80 years, and I didn't get to really understand it until I had the math and physics background taught in lower division college classes. How is an interdisciplinary field studies topic to be taught in high school or lower grades, without the students having a basic knowledge of atmospheric convection, thermodynamics, chemical properties of gases, so on and so on and so forth? Nope, it's gotta be backroom deals queering the "sweet deal." Interesting side note: I could not find one hard story on this subject, only progressively biased editorials disseminated from Truthout, a throwaway joke on a low-rated MSNBC show, and blog commentary. Hmm...

Spanish School Cancels Christmas

Did I miss the story on when the Moors retook Spain? Oh, right, that was when the appeasers won the elections after the Madrid train bombings. I guess the Spaniards don't want to piss off their new overlords, or at least their children: "The Hilarion Gimeno school in Zaragoza said teachers had put forward various reasons for not celebrating Christmas, but ABC said the worry was that Muslim children might be upset."

Peer Review Might Mean Actually Reviewing the Data

In response to the stem-cell research hoax earlier this year, Science had an independent review board investigate how scientific frauds had been published and make recommendations on preventing future perpetrations. An eye-catching idea:

Identify “high-risk” papers — such as studies of intense public interest or that may affect political policies — for special scrutiny. That might include demanding original data to back up a paper’s conclusions, or interviewing co-authors about their role in the research.

It seems that if at least this one step had been implemented at Nature, the hockey-stick model of global warming, which formed the rationale behind the Kyoto Protocol, would never have made it past review, and would not have taken over a decade to disprove, because Mann did not want to expose his datasets to scrutiny.

Climate Models Show Warming Decreases Hurricane Frequency

Wha...? World Climate Report has the story: according to two newly published papers, one shows that there is no trend in earlier start dates of hurricane seasons associated with the warming phase of Atlantic Ocean water, and the other shows that injecting a warming component into cyclone frequency models predicts fewer cyclones. Of course, there have been published papers last year that conclude that the number of strong hurricanes will increase, not that there will be more hurricanes in general, but that is a semantic difference headline writers shy away from because that is just not sensationalistic enough. But still, when only one hurricane reached landfall this last season, when earlier predictions said there would be nine to thirteen, this extreme weather due to global warming motif seems to have lost its reality check in the mail.

Inconvenient Response to Al Gore

Christopher Monckton, whose two part series in the Telegraph caused global hand wringing among anthropogenic global warming activists, has responded to Al Gore's editorial reply with an incredible scientific fisking. Read the whole thing (it's a PDF), but his main points are here:

1. That the debate is over and all credible climate scientists are agreed. Demonstrably false
2. That temperature has risen above millennial variability and is exceptional. Very unlikely
3. That changes in solar irradiance are an insignificant forcing mechanism. Demonstrably false
4. That the last century’s increases in temperature are correctly measured. Unlikely
5. That greenhouse-gas increase is the main forcing agent of temperature. Not proven
6. That temperature will rise far enough to do more harm than good. Very unlikely
7. That continuing greenhouse-gas emissions will be very harmful to life. Unlikely
8. That proposed carbon-emission limits would make a definite difference. Very unlikely
9. That the environmental benefits of remediation will be cost-effective. Very unlikely
10. That taking precautions, just in case, would be the responsible course. Demonstrably false

Any government which bases its environmental policy on activists' talking points, instead of real scientific consensus, has been severely mislead. (h/t to Climate Audit)

Poor Kim Jong Il

It appears that the Dear Leader, who has to buy friends and influence with swanky Western gifts, is going to get a little "ronrier" when UN begins its luxury sanctions against him.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Sit "Back" Straight?

Ever since I got out of high school, the only times I sit up straight are when I'm eating, or talking with old people (they expect it, so I'll be polite). Little did I know that my spine was seeking the most stress-free position. Let me be clear, I don't slouch: shoulders are back and chest is out. So, instead of straight back chairs, what will the new ergonomically designed chairs look like, so that the 135 degree angle is the prominent feature? The geriatric set may have a suggestion:

 

Up I go, down I go.
"It's adjustable!"

 

Cops crack possible nut-nabber syndicate

Oops. You mean nuts, as in almonds. I had a totally different mental image after reading the headline. My bad.

Doe Has Nice Rack

Heh. I'm sure there's a sexist joke in there somewhere, but I'll leave it to the imaginations of our transgendered friends. Sadly, no pictures of the "nice rack."

Shocker: AP Prints Misleading Headline!

In a mundane survey report out of Australia looking at concentrations of oxygen isotopes in air samples, which is an indicator of the concentration of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, the change in the rate of annual increase, from about 1 percent to 2 percent, has turned into this headline: Report says CO2 emissions have doubled.

Apparently, the AP writer knows how to do math, but the editors who write the headlines, do not. The lede is biased, of course (honestly, what is a "high" rate of CO2 emissions?), but at least accurate: that the rate of increase of annual emissions doubled from the 1990s to the 2000s (so far). But those editors should be told in their remedial math classes they slept through, in percentages, doubling an amount means 100 percent increase. They wouldn't have some alarmist agenda as motivation to mislead, would they?

Progress For Solar Cells

At least this researcher knows what she's up against. Chemist Pam Shapiro:

"People are trying to make solar cells that are more efficient," Shapiro told The Lewiston Tribune. "But it's so much cheaper to use fossil fuels, despite all the obvious advantages of solar cell technology."

The advantages of solar power are well-known (renewable, clean), but the disadvantages are not widely disseminated: heat loss, energy storage and transmisson, application, land-use. There's probably more, but those are just off the top of my head. All these problems will have to be addressed before we can even think of solar power as a competitive alternative to fossil fuels. At least someone is working on the efficency problem.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Desk Rage!

This news article sums up just about all the daily behavior at my former Klingon Empire. The best part is about handling your boss from hell:

"Tyrants and micromanagers are the worst offenders, he says. In those situations, carefully choose your words ("I'd love to do a bang-up job on this project, like we did with Client A, but we're so squeezed for time right now. So I'd really love your guidance on how to proceed ...") and be prepared to consult with another manager or human resources if your talks deteriorate. Sometimes the solution is to find a new boss."

I'm pretty partial to that last suggestion.

New Study: Increasing CO2 Fights Drought

According to all the maintream climate models the man-made global warming alarmists like to use, increasing levels of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere will cause increased drought conditions in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. On its face, it makes sense: increase carbon-dioxide, planet warms up, drought should be likely. But, the planet is a little more complicated than that, and climate scientists define drought by the paucity of soil-moisture, not whether it's warm outside. Still, the majority of climate models predict drought conditions in the coming years, no matter the rate of increase of CO2 injected into the atmosphere.

But a new study on soil moisture in the Ukraine, inside that mid-latitude region of the Northern Hemisphere, shows an increase in soil-moisture from the 1950s to the 1990s, because of the rise in CO2. World Climate Report explains how the 40 year trend of global dimming, in conjunction with increased carbon-dioxide levels, dampened the evaporative demand of the atmosphere over land, and caused plants in the region to reduce water loss levels.

Read the whole story over at World Climate Report, because the rest of the article shows how using a land-surface model, as opposed to those ubiquitous global climate models, not only matched the collected data, but showed that other predicted upward trends of carbon-dioxide levels show only increasing soil-moisture levels, not drought conditions. So, if we don't get drought, even with the modest effects of of man-made sources of carbon-dioxide, and we won't get the new ice age either, I guess that leaves those super hurricanes for the extreme weather that global warming is supposed to cause. Maybe not that last one either.

Geekpolitik

Instead of a pragmatic approach to politics, in which realpolitik assumes a sliding scale of compromise to achieve some ideological goals, geekpolitik is equal to all viewpoints in its skepticism of authority. Oh, and unfettered access to technology...

 

FoxTrot courtesy of Bill Amend

 

Friday, November 24, 2006

Helmety Goodness Travel Slide Show

Since the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year, we here at Helmety Goodness Fridays thought you should see some of the travel problems that come with carrying a 700 lb suit of armor and various weapons. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and remember to check your luggage, because rocket launchers don't count as carry-on items.

 


"No carry-on. Do you believe that crap?"

 

Thursday, November 23, 2006

That's a lot of rubber bands!

Woo Hoo!
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP

That's a big rubber band ball, just sayin'!

Global Warmening Strikes Florida!

So, as another dig on the Gaia worshippers, Florida received snowfall in Orlando. Of course, no climate models predicted the colder than average winter, but even the almanacs knew what was coming. One important difference in this short article about snow and the articles about heat waves this summer, no quote machines on how global warming is wrong. But there's no bias here, right?

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Look Out for Future Power Shortages

Remember this story when we in Southern California have power shortages in twenty years. The mayors of Burbank, Pasadena (!), Anaheim, Los Angeles, Glendale, and Riverside have decided not to renew power contracts with a coal-fired power supplier. These people should know that it takes 20 years to build a power plant, but they are hoping that boon-doggles such as wind and solar, which need at least 10 more years of development, plus the delays in finding sites for them, which even liberal darling Senators don't want in their backyards, and then actually building those plants, will save them. If this collection of mayors had made any noise about nuclear power, I might take their stance seriously. But if they did that, they would lose the support of envirobats who hate anything nuclear more passionately than the propped up ghost of man-made global warming. The only sane sentence in the entire story:

The moves could put the region in the forefront nationally of the commercial use of alternative energy in coming years, but researching and building the infrastructure to replace coal-fired power will be a costly, risky business.

Wind farms take up much more land than any other power production plant, so good luck playing with the conservationists in the envirobat camp. Solar panels might be an interesting choice if new roof tiles were designed to double as photo-voltaic cells, but good luck with all the homeowners' associations. Costly and risky business, indeed.

London Leads Way with more Sin Taxing

Ken "Red Ken" Livingstone, the mayor of London, is being hailed by climate change worshippers for charging a "congestion" tax on cars to enter certain parts of the city. The scheme is supposed to force residents to buy fuel-efficient cars or use public transportation. No one talks about it as limiting freedom. The people the charges affect, as much as 8 pounds for a single entry (and plans to increase it to 25 pounds), are mentioned only in passing, with no word on how merchants' businesses are doing:

The charge proved highly unpopular at first among drivers, merchants and others, but Livingstone has survived the storm and won the admiration of ecologists.

Poor Ken had to "survive the storm" of those stupid plebes who don't know any better. How condescending. And how blatant a show of social engineering.

"They all look alike to me..."

Get Fuzzy courtesy of Darby Conley

Heh, again. Bucky just calls 'em as he sees 'em. Not that I agree or anything. I like 'em just fine. Some of my best friends voted for Greens and Liberals...

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

No More Diving in Soccer?

Heh. I suppose they can still whine in the local papers. Maybe we'll have higher scores now, because they can concentrate on other things in practice, besides how to get the umpire's attention.

Another Inconvenient Myth Disproved

Remember that awful disaster movie where global warming would actually cause a new ice age in the Northern Hemisphere? Me neither. Anyway, the scientific gambit that drove the whole plot was an article that appeared in Nature that showed that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (or MOC) had slowed down because of man-made global warming, and the warmer water from equatorial regions was no longer keeping things comfortable. Well, according to World Climate Report, another article in Science has just shown that, after collecting more data from the same instruments, the supposed slowdown of the MOC is non-existent, and that the original interpretation of the data in the Nature article was just hoping too much to see a trend in the data that was well within the error margins. It seems that Al Gore's Power Point presentation should be getting shorter and shorter.

The Secret's Out!

Heh. The truth has been exposed about where the Marketing Department really gets those numbers...

 

Dilbert courtesy of Scott Adams

 

Monday, November 20, 2006

EU: Climate Conference a Success - Nothing Done

When the EU calls something a success, you know that means everyone successfully took their turn to talk about something. So, good news for those who think that emission targets and carbon trading are socialist plots against successful capitalist economies: new emission targets were not set in Nairobi, and the poor countries came away empty-handed for their carbon credits. The poor countries did not get new funds, but they were happy that access to the Adaptation Fund was streamlined. Ever wonder why it's so important that global warming get blamed for everything? The Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol is for poor countries to cope with climate change. That sounds vague enough for all sorts of graft and corruption. "Preserving a coastline" means building a new beach resort. I'm not sure what the land-locked African nations would do with their funds except buy water, but warlords and dictators might have better imaginations than I do.

Civilian Space Research and Development

The Air Force has taken over the development of a new un-manned orbital vehicle, under DARPA. NASA, the supposedly civilian space program, gave up the program in 2004. Everyone knows that the Space Shuttle program needs to make way for the next generation of manned flight vehicles, unless we're acknowledging out loud that it's too expensive and dangerous to send people out to a useless, broken International Space Station. But if space exploration, which includes the development of its vehicles, is no longer under civilian authority, we have to look seriously at the point of it all. Is NASA's budget too small now? Has the mandate changed because of the emergence of private and commercial space travel? Would NASA be better off if it let the Europeans administer, and pay, for the space station?

I'm all for the Air Force developing cool new vehicles because they do a good job of it, but the message that the military is in charge of the future of space, even though this is just one project, should make one wonder if NASA should just be in charge of launching satellites and science probes. But without a manned space vehicle, this interpretation of NASA would limit the availability of huge, modular-based space telescopes. I've got no answers, but I think NASA should stand up for itself and figure out what its own vision of the future of space exploration should be.

All the Election News You Need to Know

Get Fuzzy courtesy of Darby Conley

Once again, Bucky Katt sums up all the noteworthy news about the last two election cycles. In only two panels, we have democrats' disdain of the military, their tendency to raise taxes, their complaints of Ohio irregularities in the 2004 elections, and comparing it all to the situation in Nigeria with their current dictatorship and government seizure of white-owned farms, which has plunged that country into international pariah status and a broken agricultural system. Pretty deep for an irascible furball.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Forget Turduckens, You want a HumSparHenChickDuckTurkBigTurkPenCockEagAlbEmOstriLeopaPteroBoeing.

Thanksgiving is next week, and it's a special time for families to come together, sit down, share a meal, and give thanks that other innocent people are not related to them. Oh, and it's a special time to overeat. During the overeating session, traditions and customs come to the table too, like that special stuffing recipe, or a certain way the turkey is prepared. Of course, Helmety Goodness has its own Thanksgiving Day traditions, and it involves deep frying. Don't forget to call for your turbine if you like extra dark meat!

 


"And what better way to hate them, than eat 'em by the millions!"

 

Thursday, November 16, 2006

We Need More Inconvenient Senators

Good for Senator James Inhofe, who has called the climate change conference in Nairobi, "a brainwashing session." He accurately portrayed the recent climate talks as a wealth redistribution scam:

"What we learned in Nairobi is ... that the real focus has little to do with the fate of the planet and more to do with money -- who has it and who wants it," he said.

For an effective exclamation point, he held up a children's book on global warming, which puts all the blame on industrialized economies. There's a word for this: indoctrination.

Geek Madness!

Yesterday, I went to the Best Buy to get my dad a printer he won't break. Yes, it's true, cheapo color printers and my dad do not mix, so I knew it was time to get him a workhorse. The problem with the cheapos is that the ink cartridges clog the nozzles if you don't use the printer very much, which is the case for Dad. Also, I needed a printer where jams are far and few between, since he's broken at least two printers yanking jammed paper. So, I got him a HP laserjet with a toner cartridge good for 3000 pages. He whined a little bit about losing the ability to print color, but I told him that the color printers that can take his abuse (which is really neglect) cost 5 times as much and the color toner cartridges cost upwards of 80 dollars. Black ink only, printer boy. Unless he punts the printer down the stairs, I won't be hearing about any problems for the next ten years.

Urban Campers in training
"...and then, after you heat the hotpockets, you have to, like, wait two whole minutes..."

When I entered the store, I noticed a bunch of young urban males camping out. Not known for their love the outdoors, I quickly surmised they were pitching tents for the Friday release of the Sony PS3. I have reservations about Sony's plan with this thing, since the base model costs 500 dollars. Gaming consoles are supposed to be cheaper than middle-high quality desktop PC's, so this is ridiculous. I don't care how many Blu-Ray disks are on the market, these young guys are making their case for debtors' prison by buying this thing, along with a hi-def flat screen to go with it. All I know is, for Sony's sake, I hope these things don't overheat and explode either.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Less Hungry People Equals Bad News for Activists

So, you'd think that 3 millon less hungry people in the United States would make the anti-hunger activists happy. Nope. Like I've written before, activists are losers, because even when confronted with good news, they have to find bad news:

"Changing the term and watering it down doesn't change the fact that 35 million Americans are in a constant struggle to put enough food on the table and to ward off hunger," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, an anti-hunger group.

"And that extraordinary number in this wealthy country living in a period of sustained economic growth is appalling, no matter what you call it," Weill said.

The Agriculture Department changed the groups from "food insecurity without hunger" and "food insecurity with hunger" to "low food security" and "very low food security," respectively. I guess, without the hunger part in the terms, there's less emotional need to save something.

Heart of Nutty Goodness

Bizarro courtesy of Dan Piraro

Heh. But how evil can a coffee cup be if it's filled with good coffee? Like the Kona Vanilla Macadamia Nut Blend I'm drinking. Never underestimate the power of a good cup of coffee! Perhaps it has the power to change hearts and minds? Or perhaps the caffeine is finally getting to me and that was the coffee mug's plan all along? Hmm, now I have to keep a watchful eye on Mugsy, because you just never know...

But What do the Whales Think?

You know, most of the time, I think the environmentalists who obsess about endangered species really don't want to save them. They never wonder about what happens after they get the populations back up to what are "acceptable" numbers. Reclamation projects of certain bear and wolf populations worked so well in western states, that the prey species declined, and the predators descended on the ranchers to eat. Of course, the ranchers wanted to protect their livestock, but you can imagine the uproar the save-the-species crowd had over that. Again, when short-sighted conservation practices are employed, whole ecological systems can be hurt.

So, making the news this Fall is that the whaling countries of Japan, Iceland, and Finland want to take their proscribed portion of de-threatened whale herds. Remember, these nations are following international law on how many whales they can take home, just like hunting season for deer is regulated. But that's not good enough for the environmentalists. It looks like they've never asked themselves, "what happens when you win?" Because losers never ask that question. Somehow, I don't think the whales think they're losers either.

 

Brewster Rockit courtesy of Tim Rickard

 

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Just What We Need...

Barbara Boxer, D - California, has just been named Senate Chair on the Environmental Committee. She made the usual wild-eyed alarmist warmening noises: "running out of time" - check; "curb greenhouse gases" - check; support for carbon trading schemes - check. The former chair, James Inhofe, seemed to have a good grasp of the issues concerning man-made global warming, calling it "the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people." Thankfully, the warmening part of Boxer's agenda will probably not be touched until President Bush is out of power. Other issues will be contentious, such as policy changes and enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, and particulate emissions for car manufacturers. Currently, states such as California have stricter emissions standards than federal guidelines. This may change, since it might be the only issue that Boxer can push the Bush administration on. Politically, she needs to be seen as doing something, so look for news stories on car emissions, cutbacks on housing developments (which is happening anyway because of the housing starts slowdown: look for environmentalists to take credit for this), and look for the use of Environmental Impact Reports to stall construction of new power plants using "conventional" fuel. We'll see what happens when the inevitable fight between the deforestation crowd meets the wind power lobby.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Global Warming Skeptics are Puppy Killers!

The true test of whether someone bases their view of the facts through an ideological prism or through logic and the scientific method is the Hitler trump card. As soon as you dismiss a scientific counterargument to your own research findings with an ad hominem attack, your credibility should be blown. That's why the buildup to the IPCC's Chairman, Rajendra K. Pachauri, releasing his "smoking gun" in the 4th Assessment has me gagging. His 3rd Assessment, which concluded that the Earth's global temperature had risen 0.6 degrees Celsius, and sea level had risen less than an inch, has been thoroughly debunked in this report from Christopher Monckton (h/t to Living the Petrarchan Motif). Christopher Monckton might not believe a word of the 3rd Assessment, but look how Pachauri treats economist Bjørn Lomborg, who took it as a given, but disagreed with the Kyoto Protocol as the way to deal with it:

What is the difference between Lomborg's view of humanity and Hitler's? You cannot treat people like cattle. You must respect the diversity of cultures on earth. Lomborg thinks of people like numbers. He thinks it would be cheaper just to evacuate people from the Maldives, rather than trying to prevent world sea levels from rising so that island groups like the Maldives or Tuvalu just disappear into the sea. But where's the respect for people in that? People have a right to live and die in the place where their forefathers have lived and died. If you were to accept Lomborg’s way of thinking, then maybe what Hitler did was the right thing.

Lomborg accepted the Pachauri's conclusions of the 3rd Assessment, but saw the Kyoto Protocols as too expensive for economies and found that the measures would do little to affect climate change. Apparently, Pachauri no longer needs facts to support his thinking, which makes him an ideologue instead of a scientist. A scientist seeks to sway other scientists with his evidence and research. An ideologue seeks to sway public minds for his own agenda. He even admits it: "Citing growing public acceptance of the science of climate change, Pachauri indicated he believed the United States would eventually accept emissions caps. 'Democratic governments will have to take into account the views of the public,' he said." Global warming: it's real, further research no longer necessary.

Allergic to Sex? No, Really!

Next time you get that refusal from a certain lady friend, don't casually dismiss her as being allergic to intimacy: there are documented cases of women having a semen allergy. Who knew? What is interesting, since allergies are caused by histamine responses to foreign proteins, is that some of the women were allergic just to one man, as opposed to most who were allergic to all semen. The researchers found, in the rarest of cases, that some women were allergic to the chemicals in the semen from diet. I guess you have to ask about those peanut allergies, huh? The allergy desensitization treatment is a major plus for the married men, since they are prescribed to have sex at least 3 times a week. [Insert penis joke here... okay even that's bad]

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Face of Mars

Remember back in 1976, when the Viking Orbiter captured that image of a mountain on Mars looked eerily like a human face? Well, the Mars Global Surveyor took a fresh look at the mountain in 2001, from a different angle and higher resolution. Take a look at the comparison.

 

1976 Viking Orbiter
NASA/JPL
2001 Mars Global Surveyor
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

 

Of course, that doesn't stop people from having fun with the original image. For some reason, my Los Angeles Times version showed feet instead of, you know...

 

Brewster Rockit courtesy of Tim Rickard

 

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Now That's a Can Drive!

The New York Design Center is holding its 13th annual food drive and has some cool canned food exhibits held together only by clear tape and rubber bands. Price of admission is a can of food. Below are some of my favorites.

 


AP Photo/Seth Wenig

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

 

Friday, November 10, 2006

Experts: Carbon Trading doesn't work that great

Well, duh! The problem with a pure free market is the arbitrary price of the commodity leads to massive speculation and volatility. Carbon emissions have no price based on reality because consumers are not really paying for them. The stock market is different because the price of the stock is based on the perception of how well a company is doing its business. What is the price of carbon emissions tied to? Pure supply and demand. If a country wants to pay for more carbon emissions, it raises its carbon tax, which is already happening in the UK. Also, carbon emissions prices are tied to how much a country is actually emitting, and estimating that is a cottage industry, where the government can pick and choose reports. So, because of taxation, the price of carbon emissions can keep going up, but the flood of carbon tonnes into the system by poor countries can keep the price down, but if countries aren't producing as much carbon as they thought, they won't buy as much, which will further drive the price down. The carbon trading scheme was supposed to be the stick approach to goad countries into curbing emissions and turn to alternative fuels. What if it works too well? You see, too many hypothetical variables. But here in the article, we see the real purpose of emissions trading: wealth redistribution.

But, after a good start in 2005, the market suffered two horrific crashes this year after it was discovered that EU countries were in fact disgorging less pollution than initially thought.

That's a piece of good news for the environment, but bad news for trade. The emissions market became flooded with sellers, depressing the price of a tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas.

Ruta Bubniene, of the green group Climate Action Network Europe, said faith remained in the market, despite its turbulence.

"This has so far been the most feasible measure of reducing emissions because it's acceptable to businesses which wouldn't otherwise agree" to a total, immediate phase-out of CO2-belching equipment, Bubniene said.

"The problem with emissions trading is that it's not the solution but merely a tool to bring about real action in an affordable and transparent way," International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) director Edwin Aalders explained.

[emph. added]

Because of the environmentalists' ideological underpinnings, socialism and communism, successful capitalistic economies must be made to hurt and that wealth given to poorer economies so they can compete better. Of course, capitalism is much quicker at adapting to the needs of the public, which may be what we're seeing in the curbing of emissions, if it's true (like I said, who knows?). What if we achieve the Kyoto Protocol goals without carbon trading? Hmm, the collectivists didn't see that one coming.

Update: Canada wants to joing the Asia-Pacific Pact mainly because it does not depend on a Kyoto Protocol carbon trading scheme. Australia is already meeting its Kyoto emissions goals without carbon trading. Environmentalists don't like it:

"Environmentalists lament the Asia-Pacific pact relies only on voluntary measures and contains no targets, timetables or financial mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas pollution."

Where's the hurt to your economy? That's their real lament.

So It Begins

Just great... Boulder, Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Berkeley, passed a carbon tax initiative. Of course, the new tax funds a new office and inspections, not alternative fuels research. The utility will be collecting the taxes, and says credits will be given to those who have switched to wind power, which will be determined by the inspectors. Wind power does not generate as much electricity as the coal plants, so I hope all the residents don't opt for it, otherwise they're going to have a lot of shortages. We'll see how much the residents like their new power supply when they turn on all their air conditioners next summer.

Oh, and one quibble: the article called carbon dioxide the "main greenhouse gas." Wrong! It's water vapor that accounts for 95 percent of the greenhouse gases that could be causing global warming.

A Clone Apart - Episode 2 - Part 2

Today, we have the conclusion to Illusive Entertainment's A Clone Apart - Episode 2. Danson, our hapless and witless hero, gets the crashcourse history lesson of the last 20 years. Not much has changed, he still gets shot at by droids, and that dancing trash can still pops up now and then. Also, new droid troopers have nipples.

Update: Click here, to see the full second episode. Plus, enjoy a random quote from the second half of the show:

"(audible sigh) It is humiliating."

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Go Hammy!

This is one squirrel-elect who "gets" the war on terrierism...

 

Over the Hedge courtesy of Michael Fry and T Lewis

 

Global Warming: Nefarious

Heh. Nice work AFP. Way to check your facts.

Thus, the survival of the fisheries sector is threatened with nefarious economic ramifications, it said.

It's not enough that the spokesman for the German Advisory Council on Global Change is a physicist instead of a climate scientist, ecologist, or marine biologist, but he sure knows how to pronounce the litany of climate change crises. Sea level rising 1 meter in the next 100 years sure is a global disaster.

Agricultural Hypocrisy in Climate Change Debate

In another hot air release from the climate change conference in Nairobi, warnings of agricultural disaster due to increased drought conditions and water shortages from glacial melt, only hurting the poor in poor countries. Of course, anything we do now won't affect the climate for 30 to 50 years, meanwhile, drought conditions have been affecting African nations since the 1970's and that drought-resistant crops have been refused by aid organisations because they were genetically modified. True to form, the UN press release does not mention that the drop in agricultural aid over the past few years comes from UN pressure not to accept crops and agricultural technology from the United States. Monetary values are only given, I can assume, because it's easier to skim money than GM wheat.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Bringing Respectability Back to the Senate

Now why do I feel this is a story the Main Stream Media won't cover? Just a feeling…

Over the Hedge courtesy of Michael Fry and T Lewis

Binge Drinking Brits?

Image
Michaela Rehle/Reuters

So, in 15 years, the number of alcohol-related deaths in Great Britain has doubled. The Reuters article doesn't offer any speculation on the causes, except for a throwaway quote from the opposition party that the nanny-state hasn't been paying close enough attention. I wonder what has been driving the Brits to drink. Moribund economy? Rising taxes to pay for carbon credits? Muslim extremist violence? How about the horrible TV show selection on state-controlled networks? That would drive me to drink.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Ruins Might Get, uh, Ruined by Warming


Hilti Foundation/Reuters

How much more ridiculous can you get? According to the latest drivel out of Nairobi, climate change might change the geography around archaeological sites, and the answer is not to "lock things up in museums and zoos." Excuse me, but I thought that part of preserving a culture's heritage was allowing that culture to appreciate it. Are we simply to let these ruins lie in inaccessible places, take pictures, and only appreciate them in picture books and websites? What good are museums if we can't see these artifacts up close? Just having visitors to ancient sites "ruins" the place with foot traffic, pollution from taffic, and just plain old aging.

This is one of the lamest excuses for trying to prevent global warming, which we don't even know that we can do. According to a new study out of Canada, results confirm an earlier study that forests may not be the carbon sink that the carbon trading schemes depend on. The biomass, for sure, locks up carbon, but the ecological system "breathes" carbon dioxide and methane, making forests carbon-neutral, and not a way to "soak up" excess carbon. That's why all this talk of what we can do to "save the planet" is so annoying, because we don't even know if what we propose will hurt the planet more. We don't even know if industrial emissions are really the cause of the climate change, or if it's because we're finally noticing the effects of coming out of "The Little Ice Age." Let's not muck up the planet by trying to save it.

(h/t to the bro, and Tim Blair)

Monday, November 06, 2006

Rainbow Warriors May Have to Watch Out for Horns

Apparently, it's the season for environmental conferences. In Nairobi, Kenya, at the UN's latest waste of general funds, Greenpeace issued a press release singling out Brazil for it's continued growth in carbon dioxide emissions, mainly by clearcutting rainforests and establishing cattle ranches. Methane is a far more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and those beasties are known for their "output." Also, deforestation allows for more carbon dioxide emissions because the plants are no longer around to suck up the gas during the nocturnal phase of photosynthesis. So, those Brazilian cattle ranchers might soon be the sites of Rainbow Warrior demonstrations. But if the Brazilian reaction is anything like the French reaction to Greenpeace, instead of a nuclear vessel ramming a smaller boat, the Rainbow Warriors may have to get out of the way of a raging stampede.

Is There an Election Tomorrow?

I smell a cozy deal with Diebold...

 

Over the Hedge courtesy of Michael Fry and T Lewis

 

Mac Gamers?

Over the weekend, some friends and I got into the dreaded Mac vs. PC debate. Since gaming is one of my core hobbies, Macs have no sway over me. Their silly one button mouses, sleek cases, and weird keyboards mean nothing to someone who wants to play the latest game. To put an exclamation point on this debate, I hand the mic to Gus Serrola from Rooster Teeth, who used to be a gamer.


"...you just can't find on the PC now, like Zork, Breakout, Super Breakout... Photoshop."

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Saddam sentenced to death: Good Riddance!

AFP/File/Patrick Baz
AFP/File/Patrick Baz

Iraq's High Tribunal released its verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity: Guilty! The punishment: Death by hanging. The case automatically goes to an appeals court for review, but if the judgment is upheld, the death sentence must be carried out within 30 days. There are also other cases being tried against Saddam, so I do not see the dictator being hanged anytime soon. But, I'm waiting for him to update his blog any minute now!

Friday, November 03, 2006

I Knew Cats Were Finicky, But...

After KFC's announcement earlier this week, that they would switch to non-transfat cooking oil, which is obviously responding to New York City's proposed restaurant ban, and Denmark's existing ban, it could only be a matter of time before regulars of the local places started making requests. I'd just like to point out that Earl the dog seems to be an uninterested party, and would be happy with any Fatty Snax.

 

Mutts courtesy of Patrick McDonnell

 

Helmety Incarceration

Here on Helmety Goodness Fridays, we sometimes have to show the harsh realities of machinima life: prison. Often the conditions are so bad, they drive faceless helmets insane, in only a matter of minutes. Others learn to cope, although, after they get released, they may have a hard time adjusting to life on the outside. But the best salve is freedom, "it smells so sweet!"

 


"You want scary? You should try showering in Cell Block C. Those guys are animals!"

 

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Halo Death Match!

Since it's a slow news day for science related matters, and I'm not looking at any more political coverage because I already voted, I'm declaring Helmety Goodness Thursday! Pay special attention, because these guys are considered to be the best of the best. Except Fyb3roptik. He plays golf. Funny how he became Damian's bodyguard on This Spartan Life when he actually has a real life.

 


"It's nice watching this from the comfort of a safe vantage point... Who did that?"

 

Early Winter Proves Global Cooling... No?

With news of early and harsh snows from Upstate New York, Colorado, and to central Europe, I was wistfully hoping for some mention of doubt cast on global warming, or some tortured logic in how the weather proves warming is happening. Well, when we had a heat wave this summer, people were prostrating themselves at the altar of Global Warming, but will there be any similar outcry for snow on the ground? Sadly, we just got the traffic report. And still no news on Pat Robertson recanting.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Even Decaf Prevents Diabetes

In an update to this post, another study has been published which shows the benefits of drinking any kind of coffee to prevent adult-onset diabetes. The main difference between this study and the earlier study was the doses in coffee. The new study calls the coffee drinkers "moderate." But they still don't know how much coffee a day is necessary for the benefits to occur. Thanks to the bro for twisting my arm to write the update.

Red, Red Wine! For Fat, Fat Mice!


AP Photo/National Institutes of Health, Doug Hansen

More good news for merlot-swilling mice: ingesting huge amounts of resveratrol counteracts diseases associated with obesity. Earlier, I had written about merlot-swilling mice having fewer strokes, and wondered how long the mice had to take resveratrol to avoid stroke damage. Here, we see that large doses of the extract protect organs from the damage caused by high cholesterol, lowered the risk of developing diabetes, and avoided liver damage associated with obesity. However, the lead researcher, David Sinclair, does caution:

Sinclair's mice took such high doses of resveratrol that it would be the equivalent of an adult drinking 100 bottles of wine daily.

So, uh, don't drink the red wine yet, to get your daily dose of resveratrol. The research looks so promising, that the National Institute on Aging is looking to repeat the experiment in rhesus monkeys. Also, you can't go wrong with pictures of fat, healthy mice looking all cute.

Crow Tools


Alex Kacelnik et al. / U. of Oxf
Scientific proof of an old cartoon. I love this stuff! Ever since I saw the old Far Side cartoon with a crow whipping out a spatula, I've been on the lookout for stories of crows using sticks, or whatever else, to help them with roadkill. Now we find out that the tricks of the trade are passed on by family members in the same murder. Look at that crow go! On another note, good luck trying to find an archive of Gary Larson cartoons on-line.