Comments on: Web roundup, Part n

By: Harv

Harv — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:57:28 +0000

As for the spectra of Earthshine – this was done in the infrared with a ground based telescope at University of Arizona by Dr. Maggie Turnbull and others at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.

The Astrophysical Journal paper is here:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/503322

There was a previous spectrum taken at Kitt Peak in the optical.

By: BaldApe

BaldApe — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:31:32 +0000

On how we might feel if Bush meddled in the “right” direction:

During his first administration I was fooled embarrassingly frequently by what he said some new program would do. I kept thinking “Well, I guess he can’t be wrong all the time.”

After a few of those experiences, I decided that maybe he could. As you said, if he did something to help the environment or to promote good science, I would expect some kind of stealth foul play.

By: Ronn Blankenship

Ronn Blankenship — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:59:14 +0000

@papertiger:

You’d think the Jovians wouldn’t have any trouble finding hydrogen to run their SUVs on.

(Oxygen might be another matter . . . )

By: SLC

SLC — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:21:35 +0000

Re Jindel

The sad part of this is that Mr. Jindel has a bachelors degree in biology from Brown, Un. I wonder if he ever took a course from Ken Miller.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:05:44 +0000

Jindal may be a religious kook but what he’s doing in Lousiana is nothing short of miraculous. I can take a little bit of religious nutbaggery when it comes with a generous helping of basic competence.

By: papertiger

papertiger — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:44:01 +0000

Let politicians run on their belief or disbelief in global warming. Then we'll see. Climate Change detected by Hubble.

By: Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:24:46 +0000

old-fashioned ideas

Well… not *all* old fashioned ideas are bad. I’m fairly partial to “thou shalt not kill.” Although I do consider it as “thou shalt not kill unless all options have been explored.”

And the whole “fire” idea still seems useful. Especially when all other options have been considered. And the wheel. But I tease…

I did covet a neighbor’s wife, once, though. I’m sort of glad they moved. Who needs that trouble, especially since I think she had some similar ideas near the end?

By: Robbie

Robbie — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:11:28 +0000

I read the Huffington Post piece about the EPA and at the whole time, and through the end, I kept asking myself “Where’s the problem here?” I didn’t find one.

Why is it a problem for the White House to talk the EPA into doing something or not? (Assuming here that nothing illegal was done.) Maybe the White House gave good reasons for this guy to change his mind.

By: ericv

ericv — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:00:32 +0000

This also puts Jindal in opposition to his Catholic church, which approves of the big bang theory, evolution, etc.

By: david D

david D — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:58:21 +0000

Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, top Republican on the Oversight Committee, asserted that if the decision had gone the other way, there would be no complaints of presidential meddling.

“Yes, the White House was involved,” Davis said in a statement. “Just as President Clinton’s White House was involved in 107 agency rule-makings. … The majority’s problem is not with the process; it’s with the outcome.”

So meddling is okay, but only when the meddler is on your side. I guess that works for you.

By: david D

david D — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:53:13 +0000

Let’s remember that Obama didn’t even know what the Hanford site was.

And I’m glad that you “were right” because HuffPo agreed with you. Way to go with unbiased, rational investigation!

By: Robbie

Robbie — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:39:08 +0000

BA: “And he has a lot of, uh, old-fashioned ideas on a whole passel of other topics, too.”

Please explain!

By: John Ham

John Ham — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:32:23 +0000

“Had I left that passage in, I would have seemed prescient.”

But now that you’ve posted your prediction after the fact, doesn’t that make you a psychic?

By: BMcP

BMcP — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:27:12 +0000

– Quiet_Desperation

Thanks for pointing that game our for me, I now have another addiction waiting to happen.

By: Bigfoot

Bigfoot — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:17:26 +0000

There IS one huge sign of progress in this year’s election season:=

Who keep’s getting the candidates in trouble? None other than their religious connections! Maybe the world IS starting to sort all this out, one ignorant religious fanatic at a time.

By: Quiet_Desperation

Quiet_Desperation — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:55:27 +0000

Phil said: I was too conservative.

??????

Here’s a question that occurred to me today.

Wili the IDers try to use the upcoming game Spore as proof of their side?

For those who don’t know, Spore is a upcoming sim/game where you start with single celled organisms and guide their evolution all the up until they are complex beings with an interstellar empire. It’s basically the ultimate life sim.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_%28video_game%29

By: Sir Eccles

Sir Eccles — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:42:38 +0000

Here’s a link for you http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7385020.stm

One journalist’s recent fun experience of measles.

By: BMcP

BMcP — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:41:58 +0000

I am holding off opinion on Bobby Jindal until I learn more about him, all the links seem to be pretty biased against the guy and I will like to learn more without the tinted glasses. He may make a good VP, who knows, people rip of him for his inexperience but we have a single term Senator with no executive experience running for President, so that is rather unfair to bring up. I want to hear what Bobby Jindal has to say on the issues, if he is chosen.

Straight from the horses mouth and all.