Scientists have figured out how to make the perfect foam
Scientists have figured out how to make the perfect foam.
Scientists have figured out how to make the perfect foam.
Author: Robert Zimmerman
Scientists have figured out how to make the perfect foam
Shilling for climate cash
The international development agency Oxfam is screaming disaster..
This year’s food shortages and famine are a sign of what’s to come if the world doesn’t get climate change under control, Oxfam is warning. The international development agency made a call for action the day before the UN kicks off its annual climate change conference in Durban, South Africa. . . .
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How Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic
How Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic.
“In ’79, when Joan, my fiancee and I were on a holiday in the British Virgin Islands, we were trying to catch a flight to Puerto Rico; but the local Puerto Rican scheduled flight was cancelled. The airport terminal was full of stranded passengers. I made a few calls to charter companies and agreed to charter a plane for $2000 to Puerto Rico. Cheekily leaving out Joan’s and my name, I divided the price by the remaining number of passengers, borrowed a blackboard and wrote: VIRGIN AIRWAYS: $39 for a single flight to Puerto Rico. I walked around the airport terminal and soon filled every seat on the charter plane.
How Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic.
“In ’79, when Joan, my fiancee and I were on a holiday in the British Virgin Islands, we were trying to catch a flight to Puerto Rico; but the local Puerto Rican scheduled flight was cancelled. The airport terminal was full of stranded passengers. I made a few calls to charter companies and agreed to charter a plane for $2000 to Puerto Rico. Cheekily leaving out Joan’s and my name, I divided the price by the remaining number of passengers, borrowed a blackboard and wrote: VIRGIN AIRWAYS: $39 for a single flight to Puerto Rico. I walked around the airport terminal and soon filled every seat on the charter plane.
Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton – Can’t Find My Way Home
An evening pause: This is how I feel right now, after more than a month of searching for a new home in Tucson.
Newt Gingrich snags top New Hampshire newspaper endorsement
Hmm. Newt Gingrich has gotten the endorsement of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper.
Hmm. Newt Gingrich has gotten the endorsement of New Hampshire’s largest newspaper.
A searchable database of the climategate emails
I had just posted, as a comment, a link to a searchable database of the climategate emails, including both the 2009 as well as the just released emails. However, I think it makes sense to post this separately, on the main page of Behind the Black, to make sure all my readers will see it and thus have access to it. The link is here.
I had just posted, as a comment, a link to a searchable database of the climategate emails, including both the 2009 as well as the just released emails. However, I think it makes sense to post this separately, on the main page of Behind the Black, to make sure all my readers will see it and thus have access to it. The link is here.
Occupy Wall Street protester arrested for threatening to kill the Republican governor of South Carolina
Leftwing hate: An Occupy Wall Street sympathizer has been arrested for threatening to kill the Republican governor of South Carolina.
Leftwing hate: An Occupy Wall Street sympathizer has been arrested for threatening to kill the Republican governor of South Carolina.
‘Jet Man’ Flies In Formation Over Swiss Alps
‘Jet Man’ Yves Rossy flew his custom-built jet suit over the Swiss Alps in formation with two aircraft this week. Video here.
‘Jet Man’ Yves Rossy flew his custom-built jet suit over the Swiss Alps in formation with two aircraft this week. Video here.
Obama nixes UN $100 billion climate fund
The gravy train might finally be ending: The Obama administration is blocking a UN $100 billion climate fund.
The gravy train might finally be ending: The Obama administration is blocking a UN $100 billion climate fund.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raised the prospect of criminal prosecution for recent space failures
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has raised the idea of criminal prosecution for those responsible for his country’s recent space failures.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has raised the idea of criminal prosecution for those responsible for his country’s recent space failures.
David Lanz and Paul Speer – Behind the waterfall/Desert rain medley
An evening pause: David Lanz and Paul Speer performing live at the National Auditorium, Mexico City, 1993, with Neal Speer (drums) and Janet Foos (keyboards.
Before Thanksgiving, the big holiday this week was Evacuation Day
Some history: Before Thanksgiving, the big holiday Americans used to celebrate this week was Evacuation Day.
Some history: Before Thanksgiving, the big holiday Americans used to celebrate this week was Evacuation Day.
Memo to the Occupy protesters: Ten things we evil capitalists really think
Memo to the Occupy protesters: Ten things we evil capitalists really think.
I especially like #8:
8. Capitalism, with all its imperfections, is the fairest scheme yet tried. In a system based on property rights and free contract, people succeed by providing an honest service to others. Bill Gates became rich by enriching hundreds of millions of us: I am typing these words using one of his programmes. He gained from the exchange (adding fractionally to his net worth), and so did I (adding to my convenience). In a state-run system, by contrast, third parties get to hand out the goodies.
Another way to say this is to call it freedom.
Read the whole thing.
Memo to the Occupy protesters: Ten things we evil capitalists really think.
I especially like #8:
8. Capitalism, with all its imperfections, is the fairest scheme yet tried. In a system based on property rights and free contract, people succeed by providing an honest service to others. Bill Gates became rich by enriching hundreds of millions of us: I am typing these words using one of his programmes. He gained from the exchange (adding fractionally to his net worth), and so did I (adding to my convenience). In a state-run system, by contrast, third parties get to hand out the goodies.
Another way to say this is to call it freedom.
Read the whole thing.
Curiousity has launched
Curiousity has successfully launched. More updates here.
Curiousity has successfully launched. More updates here.
Now the European carbon market is crashing
Now the European carbon-trading market is crashing.
Now the European carbon-trading market is crashing.
The ozone hole, in context
The ozone hole, today, recently, and in context over the past three decades.
Note that this data shows the ozone hole over Antarctica. There has never been a very significant ozone hole over the North Pole.
The ozone hole, today, recently, and in context over the past three decades.
Note that this data shows the ozone hole over Antarctica. There has never been a very significant ozone hole over the North Pole.
“Perpetuating rubbish”: a detailed analysis of one part of the new climategate emails
“Perpetuating rubbish”: a detailed analysis of one part of the new climategate emails.
I think the first comment sums up the tragedy of this situation very clearly:
So privately they said the series had a “dubious relationship to temperature”, but publicly they said it was “well calibrated”? I am just about to the point of never trusting any scientists at all.
The willingness of the climate field to whitewash the fraud and corruption revealed by the first set of climategate emails is now haunting this field badly. Why should anyone believe anything any global warming scientist ever says? It is very clear that too many of them put politics above science in their work.
“Perpetuating rubbish”: a detailed analysis of one part of the new climategate emails.
I think the first comment sums up the tragedy of this situation very clearly:
So privately they said the series had a “dubious relationship to temperature”, but publicly they said it was “well calibrated”? I am just about to the point of never trusting any scientists at all.
The willingness of the climate field to whitewash the fraud and corruption revealed by the first set of climategate emails is now haunting this field badly. Why should anyone believe anything any global warming scientist ever says? It is very clear that too many of them put politics above science in their work.
SpaceX is expanding its Florida operations
More commercial space news; SpaceX is expanding its Florida operations in anticipation of a increased launch rate of Falcon 9 and Dragon capsules in the coming years.
More commercial space news; SpaceX is expanding its Florida operations in anticipation of a increased launch rate of Falcon 9 and Dragon capsules in the coming years.
Building Boeing’s CST-100 manned capsule, the smart way
Building Boeing’s CST-100 manned capsule, the smart way.
From pressure seals used on the international space station to rendezvous and docking sensors developed for the Pentagon’s Orbital Express experiment, Boeing is drawing heavily on heritage space and aviation programs for its proposed CST-100 commercial human spacecraft.
Cheaper also.
Building Boeing’s CST-100 manned capsule, the smart way.
From pressure seals used on the international space station to rendezvous and docking sensors developed for the Pentagon’s Orbital Express experiment, Boeing is drawing heavily on heritage space and aviation programs for its proposed CST-100 commercial human spacecraft.
Cheaper also.
Einstein explains E=mc²
New data suggests the global climate is not as sensitive to changes in carbon dioxide as predicted by past climate models
The uncertainty of science: New data suggests the global climate is not as sensitive to changes in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as predicted by past climate models.
The uncertainty of science: New data suggests the global climate is not as sensitive to changes in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as predicted by past climate models.
Another carbon trading scheme is failing, this time in Alberta Canada
Another carbon trading scheme is failing, this time in Alberta Canada.
Another carbon trading scheme is failing, this time in Alberta Canada.
A very compelling case for life
One scientist’s perspective on the new Climategate emails
One scientist’s perspective on the new Climategate emails.
Long time readers will recall that in 2004 and 2005 (before Katrina), I led an interdisciplinary effort to review the literature on hurricanes and global warming. The effort resulted in a peer-reviewed article in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. That paper, despite being peer-reviewed and standing the test of time (as we now know), was ignored by the relevant part of the IPCC 2007 that dealt with extreme events. Thanks to the newly released emails from UEA [University of East Anglia] (hacked, stolen, donated, or whatever) we can say with certainty why that paper was excluded from the IPCC 2007 report Chapter 3 which discussed hurricanes and climate change. Those various reviews associated with the release of the UEA emails that concluded that no papers were purposely kept out of the IPCC may want to revisit that particular conclusion.
Read the whole thing. It is worth it to get a real sense about how petty and political the IPCC process is. It has little to do with science, and everything to do with forcing a conclusion down everyone’s throat.
One scientist’s perspective on the new Climategate emails.
Long time readers will recall that in 2004 and 2005 (before Katrina), I led an interdisciplinary effort to review the literature on hurricanes and global warming. The effort resulted in a peer-reviewed article in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. That paper, despite being peer-reviewed and standing the test of time (as we now know), was ignored by the relevant part of the IPCC 2007 that dealt with extreme events. Thanks to the newly released emails from UEA [University of East Anglia] (hacked, stolen, donated, or whatever) we can say with certainty why that paper was excluded from the IPCC 2007 report Chapter 3 which discussed hurricanes and climate change. Those various reviews associated with the release of the UEA emails that concluded that no papers were purposely kept out of the IPCC may want to revisit that particular conclusion.
Read the whole thing. It is worth it to get a real sense about how petty and political the IPCC process is. It has little to do with science, and everything to do with forcing a conclusion down everyone’s throat.
The best research paper abstract, evar!
A preview of the new Mars unmanned rover Curiousity, set for launch on Saturday
A preview of the new Mars unmanned rover Curiousity, set for launch on Saturday. This is the part of its mission that scares me the most:
The final stages of the entry, descent and landing sequence will be especially tense as the rover, dubbed Curiosity in a student naming contest, is gently lowered to the surface on cables suspended from a rocket-powered “sky crane” making its debut flight. Too large to use airbags like those that cushioned NASA’s Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity rovers, Curiosity will rely instead on landing rockets positioned above the rover, avoiding the challenge of coming up with a reliable way to get a one-ton vehicle off of an elevated, possibly tilted lander. Instead, Curiosity will be set down on its six 20-inch-wide wheels, ready to roll.
If it works.
A preview of the new Mars unmanned rover Curiousity, set for launch on Saturday. This is the part of its mission that scares me the most:
The final stages of the entry, descent and landing sequence will be especially tense as the rover, dubbed Curiosity in a student naming contest, is gently lowered to the surface on cables suspended from a rocket-powered “sky crane” making its debut flight. Too large to use airbags like those that cushioned NASA’s Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity rovers, Curiosity will rely instead on landing rockets positioned above the rover, avoiding the challenge of coming up with a reliable way to get a one-ton vehicle off of an elevated, possibly tilted lander. Instead, Curiosity will be set down on its six 20-inch-wide wheels, ready to roll.
If it works.
ESA tracking station loses contact with Phobos-Grunt
The ESA tracking station that had made contact with Phobos-Grunt earlier this week failed repeatedly yesterday to re-establish contact.
The ESA tracking station that had made contact with Phobos-Grunt earlier this week failed repeatedly yesterday to re-establish contact.
George Winston – Thanksgiving
Gingrich’s presidential campaign has gotten him no endorsements from Republican lawmakers
Gingrich’s presidential campaign has gotten him no endorsements from Republican lawmakers.
Considering how incompetent these Republicans have been in getting the federal budget under control, and considering that the last time the budget was balanced was during Gingrich’s reign as speaker in the 1990s, I would consider their lack of support as the best endorsement Gingrich could get. We need real change in DC. The status quo has left us on the verge of economic collapse and bankruptcy.
Gingrich’s presidential campaign has gotten him no endorsements from Republican lawmakers.
Considering how incompetent these Republicans have been in getting the federal budget under control, and considering that the last time the budget was balanced was during Gingrich’s reign as speaker in the 1990s, I would consider their lack of support as the best endorsement Gingrich could get. We need real change in DC. The status quo has left us on the verge of economic collapse and bankruptcy.
Evidence from a cave in Australia suggests that humans were doing deep sea fishing more than 40,000 years ago
New evidence from a cave in Australia suggests that humans were doing deep sea fishing — with the sophisticated maritime skills such ocean-going requires — far earlier than previously believed, as much as 42,000 years ago.
New evidence from a cave in Australia suggests that humans were doing deep sea fishing — with the sophisticated maritime skills such ocean-going requires — far earlier than previously believed, as much as 42,000 years ago.