I been getting more and more mail order catalogs over the years. Today I got the creme de la creme Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. This is the catalog for the 1%. Everything is really pricey, and they carry some extreme stuff for extreme prices. Like a $4500 Dutch bicycle. A $125,000 Mini Monster truck (for kids). A $185,000 most realistic motor racing simulator.
It's cool to read, but does anyone buy this stuff?
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Forget about CO2, Water Vapor is in charge
The greenies have been beating the drum for years about CO2 as a green house gas in the earth's atmosphere. A green house gas blocks Infra Red (heat) radiation from escaping from the earth into outer space. Burning of wood, coal, oil, and natural gas releases vast amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. The CO2 level has increased since the industrial revolution, from some 300 parts per million to nearly 400 parts per million today. The greenies believe that this is cause of "global warming" and are pushing for expensive economy wrecking measures to reduce the CO2 level.
Trouble is, ordinary water vapor is just a strong a greenhouse gas as CO2. And there is a LOT more water vapor out there than CO2. According to this, water vapor is 2 to 3 percent of the atmosphere, call it 20,000 to 30,000 parts per million. 300 or 400 parts million of CO2 just doesn't matter compared to that.
Since the earth's surface is 3/4 ocean, the water vapor isn't going away.
The greenies claim that water vapor is different, as the global warming comes on, more water evaporates and the water vapor content of the atmosphere goes up. But this is just another way of saying that water vapor is a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, which means that CO2 matters even LESS, all things being equal.
Needless to say, I don't hold with poverty enhancers like "cap and trade", the "war on coal", bans on fracking, Corporate Average Fuel Economy, handouts for battery cars, regulation of wood stove emissions, or the alcohol mandate for motor fuel. These things make life more expensive for us plain citizens and don't cool the world. To say nothing of the power handed to bureaucrats to jerk us around.
Trouble is, ordinary water vapor is just a strong a greenhouse gas as CO2. And there is a LOT more water vapor out there than CO2. According to this, water vapor is 2 to 3 percent of the atmosphere, call it 20,000 to 30,000 parts per million. 300 or 400 parts million of CO2 just doesn't matter compared to that.
Since the earth's surface is 3/4 ocean, the water vapor isn't going away.
The greenies claim that water vapor is different, as the global warming comes on, more water evaporates and the water vapor content of the atmosphere goes up. But this is just another way of saying that water vapor is a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, which means that CO2 matters even LESS, all things being equal.
Needless to say, I don't hold with poverty enhancers like "cap and trade", the "war on coal", bans on fracking, Corporate Average Fuel Economy, handouts for battery cars, regulation of wood stove emissions, or the alcohol mandate for motor fuel. These things make life more expensive for us plain citizens and don't cool the world. To say nothing of the power handed to bureaucrats to jerk us around.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Sun Spottiness
It's all around the Internet, a new story about a sun spot catastrophy will bring back the ice ages by 2030. Or maybe more global warming. The story claims that two cyclical patterns with in the Sun have been discovered. They didn't say how this amazing detection was performed. The two patterns will coincide in 2030 causing a Maunder Minimum, a lack of sun spots.
Trouble is, sunspots do not effect earth weather. Sun spots have been known since the 1600's, and counted. They come and go on an 11 year cycle which has been observed for hundreds of years. Sun spots effect earthly radio propagation in the HF band and so are closely observed by the radio community. At sun sport maximum propagation is good and modest radio equipment can work clean around the world. At sun spot minimum even the powerful equipment has trouble working to the horizon. But, no one has ever found an 11 year cycle in earth weather.
Sunspots don't change the sun's output much. Solar output (the solar constant) is hard to observe from the ground because of clouds and weather. To get a good reading, satellites were launched 40 years ago, and their decendants are still in orbit today. The satellites report the Sun furnishes 1300 and some change Watts per square meter at the top of the atmosphere. 1300 Watts is about the power of a two slice toaster. Graphs of the solar constant going back to the first satellite are on the internet. The instruments are quite sensitive, you can actually see the 11 year sun spot cycle in the graphs, but it is very weak, a few Watts out of 1300 and some.
Given that the 0.1% variation in the solar constant is too small to matter, AND no one has found an 11 year cycle in anything other than radio propagation, I say this "ice age in 2030" internet story is pure scare mongering, and bull manure to boot.
Trouble is, sunspots do not effect earth weather. Sun spots have been known since the 1600's, and counted. They come and go on an 11 year cycle which has been observed for hundreds of years. Sun spots effect earthly radio propagation in the HF band and so are closely observed by the radio community. At sun sport maximum propagation is good and modest radio equipment can work clean around the world. At sun spot minimum even the powerful equipment has trouble working to the horizon. But, no one has ever found an 11 year cycle in earth weather.
Sunspots don't change the sun's output much. Solar output (the solar constant) is hard to observe from the ground because of clouds and weather. To get a good reading, satellites were launched 40 years ago, and their decendants are still in orbit today. The satellites report the Sun furnishes 1300 and some change Watts per square meter at the top of the atmosphere. 1300 Watts is about the power of a two slice toaster. Graphs of the solar constant going back to the first satellite are on the internet. The instruments are quite sensitive, you can actually see the 11 year sun spot cycle in the graphs, but it is very weak, a few Watts out of 1300 and some.
Given that the 0.1% variation in the solar constant is too small to matter, AND no one has found an 11 year cycle in anything other than radio propagation, I say this "ice age in 2030" internet story is pure scare mongering, and bull manure to boot.
O'Malley on NH TV Channel 9
Josh McElway was interviewing O'Malley on TV this morning. O'Malley wants free college for everyone. Didn't bother to explain who would get stuck with the bill. Offered a few wonky policy improvements, but they aren't gonna be nearly enough. Did NOT say anything about the herds of college administrators drawing their pay but not instructing students. Then he wants 100% alternative energy "non-carbon energy". He spoke as if this would work. Did not explain how my lights stay on after the Sun goes down, or when the wind stops blowing. Did not utter the word "nuclear". Note to self, buy a generator if O'Malley gets elected. Wants to hike the minimum wage. Wants to hike taxes. Does not believe in spending cuts.
At least O'Malley talked a little substance. But he managed to convince me that he is a loon.
At least O'Malley talked a little substance. But he managed to convince me that he is a loon.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Lending to marginal borrowers wrecks economies
Lenders often lend to marginal borrowers just because they can charge a high rate of interest. Very profitable, IF the lender makes his payments. If the borrower declares bankruptcy or undergoes a revolution, the lender looses him money. Which is why greedy banks did sub prime mortgages in the 00's causing great depression 2.0, which we are still in. Which is why the same banks loaned a mountain of money to Greece which is never going to be paid off. Which is why the same banks loaned $82 billion to Puerto Rico, which isn't going to get paid off either. And has put both Greece and Puerto Rico pretty much out of business.
Bank stock holders need to shape up and dump the managements making these destructive loans. They wreck the borrower's economy which is immoral, and they wreck the bank's bottom line, which is worse. The MSM could help by publicizing the names of the banks doing dumb ass loans, and the names of their senior management.
Bank stock holders need to shape up and dump the managements making these destructive loans. They wreck the borrower's economy which is immoral, and they wreck the bank's bottom line, which is worse. The MSM could help by publicizing the names of the banks doing dumb ass loans, and the names of their senior management.
Friday, July 10, 2015
So what really happened in San Francisco?
The Mexican illegal immigrant who killed a young woman, Jose Lopez -Sanchez has a long record. According to the Daily Beast, the San Francisco Sheriff's office asked the Feds to send Lopez-Sanchez to San Francisco to answer a 20 year old San Francisco warrant for selling $20 worth of pot to a city narc. Apparently the sheriff's office never heard of statute of limitations. Also apparently suffers from terminal stupidity. As might be expected, all the evidence on this 20 year old charge was gone and the judge tossed the case out. And so, the sheriff's office turned Lopez-Sanchez loose, rather than give him back to ICE.
The sheriff just gave a news conference on TV. He is a weasel, spoke to confuse. Did not say anything about requesting the Feds to turn Lopez-Sanchez over to him. Far as the sheriff was concerned Lopez-Sanchez just appeared as if by magic.
The newsies are on the sheriff's case for turning Lopez-Sanchez loose. The Feds wanted him back to deport him a sixth time. The sheriff claims the feds gave him the wrong paperwork and the San Francisco sanctuary city law didn't let him give Lopez-Sanchez back to ICE.
That sheriff ought to be canned. If the Daily Beast story is right, they ought to can him for terminal stupidity in requesting Lopez-Sanchez be turned over to him on a 20 year old minor drug arrest. Any sheriff's department has better things to do than rake up 20 year old low level offenses. Then he ought to canned for turning a five time loser loose on city streets instead of turning him over to ICE.
The sheriff just gave a news conference on TV. He is a weasel, spoke to confuse. Did not say anything about requesting the Feds to turn Lopez-Sanchez over to him. Far as the sheriff was concerned Lopez-Sanchez just appeared as if by magic.
The newsies are on the sheriff's case for turning Lopez-Sanchez loose. The Feds wanted him back to deport him a sixth time. The sheriff claims the feds gave him the wrong paperwork and the San Francisco sanctuary city law didn't let him give Lopez-Sanchez back to ICE.
That sheriff ought to be canned. If the Daily Beast story is right, they ought to can him for terminal stupidity in requesting Lopez-Sanchez be turned over to him on a 20 year old minor drug arrest. Any sheriff's department has better things to do than rake up 20 year old low level offenses. Then he ought to canned for turning a five time loser loose on city streets instead of turning him over to ICE.
Law enforcement whines about robust encryption
They claim that once suspects start encrypting, they cannot read their mail, or their disks. Thus bad guys can get away with it. Too bad. If they actually had some evidence of wrong doing they could prosecute. Maybe they ought to get out of their padded swivel chairs and do some investigating.
As for myself, should I go to the trouble of encrypting my email or my disk, I'd like to to stay secret from everyone. I don't encrypt right now, but the way the Obama administration has been acting maybe I ought to start.
As for myself, should I go to the trouble of encrypting my email or my disk, I'd like to to stay secret from everyone. I don't encrypt right now, but the way the Obama administration has been acting maybe I ought to start.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)