MS Ride
Thanks again to all who sponsored me. Charlie. Good on you, Charlie!~) ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Today's EE/Physics homework assignment . . .
On Feb 20, 2010, at 7:52 PM, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: http://thereifixedit.com/2010/02/20/epic-kludge-photo-resistance-is-futile/ Beats the heck out of a trip to the hardware store, if you happen to have a bag of those things hanging around. How else are you gonna use up 50 identical resistors? Dave ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Social solutions rather than engineering ones
On Feb 21, 2010, at 9:12 PM, Michael Harney wrote: Keith Henson wrote: I am appalled (though not surprised) that people on this list who don't have any answers suggest it might just require the end of wasteful materialism and joke about soylent green. I agree, how dare they! Except, I don't remember anyone saying that. I do: On Feb 18, 2010, at 2:12 PM, Trent Shipley wrote: Keith Henson wrote: If we don't solve the energy problem as many as 6 out of 7 people will *die* in famines and resource wars. Where will they live? (I am a member of a tribe. Global civilization can go stuff itself.) Trent has opined similarly in the past, with a tone that says that a significant human die-off is perfectly acceptable to him. On at least one occasion, I believe he was invited to go first. I am of neither the opinion that such a die-off is acceptable nor that he should be first in line. Dave ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Today's EE/Physics homework assignment . . .
On Feb 22, 2010, at 9:10 AM, Dave Land wrote: On Feb 20, 2010, at 7:52 PM, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: http://thereifixedit.com/2010/02/20/epic-kludge-photo-resistance-is-futile/ Beats the heck out of a trip to the hardware store, if you happen to have a bag of those things hanging around. How else are you gonna use up 50 identical resistors? Dave Can't quite tell if they're all identical, though, or what the exact value is. (The color codings look like they're using several ambiguous values of almost-brown, almost-red, or maybe orange.) -b, who once actually used to do that kind of thing for a day job ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: national security and climate change
On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 1:54 AM, Charlie Bell char...@culturelist.orgwrote: On 22/02/2010, at 11:34 AM, john...@gmail.com wrote: The US Army's Strategic Studies Institute has a number of papers addressing national security issues related to climate change. AFAIK, they are available for free as PDF downloads. Go here, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=862 to see one published in August 2008. Food for thought, eh? Yes. I've read most of that lot in the past. But it's still a hoax, apparently. *sigh* Charlie. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com Indeed. john ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Not ready
I thought I was ready to come back here. I was wrong. I was too damaged by the last few years of my life working in a job that I was ill suited for but had to do to make ends meet. I'll come back when I relearn patience. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Not ready
Michael Harney wrote: I thought I was ready to come back here. I was wrong. I was too damaged by the last few years of my life working in a job that I was ill suited for but had to do to make ends meet. I'll come back when I relearn patience. Why do you think learning patience is _easier_ off-line than on-line? At least here your occasional bursts of impatience will not be met by a punch in the nose :-) Alberto Monteiro ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: national security and climate change
Charlie Bell wrote: The US Army's Strategic Studies Institute has a number of papers addressing national security issues related to climate change. AFAIK, they are available for free as PDF downloads. Go here, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=862 to see one published in August 2008. Food for thought, eh? Yes. I've read most of that lot in the past. But it's still a hoax, apparently. *sigh* What is a hoax? Anthropogenic Global Warming? Alberto Monteiro ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Species oscillation
I am appalled (though not surprised) that people on this list who don't have any answers suggest it might just require the end of wasteful materialism wasteful materialism and joke about soylent green. Energy hungry synthetic nitrogen is the reason for something between 1/3 and 1/2 of crop yield. The ending of famines in Europe was the result of railroads more than any other factor. This allowed grain to be shipped from places with good crops to places where the crops had failed. Railroads allowed cities to grow, and cities do far less ecological damage than spread out humans. you have lots of people not only saying it is not possible, but directly arguing that a human die-back is more desirable than cheap energy. I agree, how dare they! Except, I don't remember anyone saying that. I remember some people suggesting alternate energy sources, I remember someone talking about solar. As far as I remember, no suggested the end of wasteful materialism. I did suggest that we may have to be a little more efficient about our energy use and make some compromises I certainly don't remember anyone calling for the dying off of the population. the majority of American crops are used to feed livestock, not people. Nothing says that that energy has to come from coal, it can just as easily come from nuclear power, solar power, wind power. If we shift away from fossil fuels and towards another primary power source, that won't stop the production of Ammonium Nitrate. Nuclear power is just as cheap as coal in the long term renewable sources average out to about the same cost as coal... If you think so little of the people on this list as to equate them with typical blog posters, then why are you here? Learn quickly, straw men arguments don't go well on this list so treating us like we aren't as smart as you or setting up straw men to knock down is not going to convince a one of us. Most of us are in science related fields and almost all are card-carrying skeptics. Trent has opined similarly in the past, with a tone that says that a significant human die-off is perfectly acceptable to him. I am of neither the opinion that such a die-off is acceptable, nor that he should be first in line. I agree that railroads have contributed to ending famines in Europe, and they are becoming much less destructive to the environment than other means of transportation and distribution. Advances in the technology of food production have also contributed to the growth of populations, not only of humans, but of domesticated meat stocks, which does not result in feeding more people, but in some people consuming more biomass... I am not suggesting that the green revolution was a bad thing. I also recognize that developed countries are experiencing reduced population growth. However, I make no apology for suggesting that human civilization could collapse, unless we can somehow reduce excessive waste, pollution, conspicuous consumption and materialistic greed. To quote Larry Niven out of context, Think of it as evolution in action. When any species overpopulates, or despoils its own habitat, it can contribute to its own decimation, or even extinction. We humans are fouling our own nest, and if we don't do something to repair the damage, we may suffer the consequences. I don't have the arrogance to claim I know how to solve the problems related to climate change and overpopulation, etc. Nor do I claim that they are solely the result of human population, industry and agribusiness, etc. I do believe human civilization is a factor, and our success in adapting our planet to feed a population that has tripled in my lifetime, has to have an effect on the ecological equilibrium, habitats, and other species' survival. So it goes... Jon Mann ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Not ready
On 23/02/2010, at 3:25 AM, Michael Harney wrote: I thought I was ready to come back here. I was wrong. I was too damaged by the last few years of my life working in a job that I was ill suited for but had to do to make ends meet. I'll come back when I relearn patience. Oh? I think your responses have been fair enough so far. Charlie. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: national security and climate change
On 23/02/2010, at 4:07 AM, Alberto Monteiro wrote: Charlie Bell wrote: The US Army's Strategic Studies Institute has a number of papers addressing national security issues related to climate change. AFAIK, they are available for free as PDF downloads. Go here, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=862 to see one published in August 2008. Food for thought, eh? Yes. I've read most of that lot in the past. But it's still a hoax, apparently. *sigh* What is a hoax? Anthropogenic Global Warming? That is what I was alluding to, that there is a significant portion of the population (including those in positions of power) that doubt global warming and even claim it to be a hoax. To be clear, I'm not one of them. Charlie. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Patience
Michael Harney wrote: I thought I was ready to come back here. I was wrong. I was too damaged by the last few years of my life working in a job that I was ill suited for but had to do to make ends meet. I'll come back when I relearn patience. Michael, what job is it that's so draining? I am learning tolerance and patience by interacting on the brinlist. I lost an incredible job that I really loved, took another I was ill suited for, lost that, got another job I loved and lost that. I'm under employed now and work when I can. I've learned from those experiences to stop feeling melancholy, take the best, and disregard the rest. I don't go to bars, smoke tobacco, go on dates, or eat in expensive restaurants, etc. I use net flix instead of cable, now, read lots of books and use the free library wifi. Life is good... ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Patience
On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Jon Louis Mann net_democr...@yahoo.comwrote: Michael, what job is it that's so draining FYI, folks, he signed off the list right after posting his message, so don't expect answers. Nick ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Unsolvable and beyond compromise.
http://alturl.com/s5id Republicans would have to be suicidal idiots to play ball with Obama and the Democrats on health care reform. They all involve increased interference by the Federal Government in the health care market, which is a cultural no-no in America. (Leaving people uninsured is also a no-no. Basically, health care reform runs afoul deeply held contradictory cultural values. It is not a problem for which there is a satisfactory political compromise.) ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Social solutions rather than engineering ones
Dave wrote: Trent has opined similarly in the past, with a tone that says that a significant human die-off is perfectly acceptable to him. On at least one occasion, I believe he was invited to go first. I am of neither the opinion that such a die-off is acceptable nor that he should be first in line. I haven't figured him out yet and it is possible that he is indecipherable, but I'm pretty sure that Trent's enigmatic posts aren't always what you think they might be. Doug ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Unsolvable and beyond compromise.
Trent wrote: Republicans would have to be suicidal idiots to play ball with Obama and the Democrats on health care reform. They all involve increased interference by the Federal Government in the health care market, which is a cultural no-no in America. (Leaving people uninsured is also a no-no. Basically, health care reform runs afoul deeply held contradictory cultural values. It is not a problem for which there is a satisfactory political compromise.) Hopefully their intransigence will backfire. Doug ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Unsolvable and beyond compromise.
On Feb 22, 2010, at 4:27 PM, Trent Shipley wrote: http://alturl.com/s5id Republicans would have to be suicidal idiots to play ball with Obama and the Democrats on health care reform. They all involve increased interference by the Federal Government in the health care market, which is a cultural no-no in America. (Leaving people uninsured is also a no-no. Basically, health care reform runs afoul deeply held contradictory cultural values. It is not a problem for which there is a satisfactory political compromise.) Until the cultural values change. Which I believe is happening. The people who are against federal government interference in the health care market are *not* the people who are against leaving people uninsured and at the mercy of profit-based health care systems. The former are a dwindling, if increasingly vocal and still somewhat better connected, minority, and the latter are a disorganized but increasingly savvy majority, and sooner or later that balance will tip one way or the other .. and I see it ultimately tipping in favor of strengthening the safety net for people that a purely profit-driven health care system tends to let fall through the cracks. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but that's how I see it. This conflict has many other aspects, though, and runs far deeper than just the health care debate .. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
Re: Patience
On 23/02/2010, at 7:39 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Jon Louis Mann net_democr...@yahoo.com wrote: Michael, what job is it that's so draining FYI, folks, he signed off the list right after posting his message, so don't expect answers. Shame. C. ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
