Thursday, February 18, 2010
UN Climate Chief Resigns...
Yvo de Boer failed to secure any agreement from the Copenhagen warmenistfest, and now he's falling on his sword...
First Images from WISE...
NASA published these yesterday (that's Andromeda at right, in several wavelengths rendered as false colors). More of this, please, and much less picture windows on useless space stations!Giant versions of several such photos are available at the link above...
Frederik Pohl is Blogging!
Until I ran across his blog, I had no idea Frederik Pohl was still alive – much less blogging! If his name means nothing to you, then you weren't a reader of science fiction in the '50's and '60s – for he is one of the giants of early SF. He was also a personal friend of Isaac Asimov, one of the other giants of SF, and is posting some of his reminiscences on his blog. Awesome, dude!
On Skepticism and Science...
Bill Schweber offers some wisdom on science and the role of skepticism, all in the context of AGW. Via reader Doug W...
The Price of Moral Vanity...
An excellent rant on one of liberalism's central problems, as a riff on the recent capture of a Taliban honcho...
Triple Hit from WUWT...
Watts Up With That? has three interesting AGW-related stories up: another reason why Greenland's glaciers are melting, another IPCC report fiasco, and this year's snowfall in the northern hemisphere.
A Politician Talking Sense?
Sounds like a flying pig moment, doesn't it? But here's the transcript of a speech by a governor, sounding more like a level-headed businessman than a pandering, poll-driven politician. As if that wasn't remarkable enough, this governor is from New Jersey!
Business Abandoning Climate Change...
I guess climate change, tarnished by scandal, doesn't make so much business sense any more...
Diffie, Hellman, and Merkle Win a Prize...
The Hamming Medal was awarded to cryptographic pioneers Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and Ralph Merkle. Their basic technique for what is today called “public key” or “asymmetric” cryptography was the first available to anyone outside three-letter agencies (NSA, CIA, etc.). It's also the only real cipher I've actually implemented, several times over the years and most recently just a year ago. Though it's over thirty years old, it's still perfectly viable...
I'm Envious...
Of these animals who can see five different primary colors, instead of the three that I can see. Which animals are those? Chickens.