From me, over @Ricochet.
Category Archives: Economics
How Much Money Would It Take To Launch Free Enterprise Into Space?
Some thoughts from Sam Dinkin over at The Space Review, with a plug for the Kickstarter, which has slowed since the burst last week. About half way to the goal, with a little over half the time left. Spread the word, at Facebook and other places, if you haven’t already.
Climate-Change Communications
The strategy of hyping certainty and a scientific consensus and dismissing decadal variability is a bad move for communicating a very complex, wicked problem such as climate change. Apart from the ‘meaningful’ issue, its an issue of trust – hyping certainty and a premature consensus does not help the issue of public trust in the science.
This new paper is especially interesting in context of the Karl et al paper, that ‘disappears’ the hiatus. I suspect that the main take home message for the public (those paying attention, anyways) is that the data is really really uncertain and there is plenty of opportunity for scientists to ‘cherry pick’ methods to get desired results.
Apart from the issue of how IPCC leaders communicate the science to the public, this paper also has important implications for journalists. The paper has a vindication of sorts for David Rose, who asked hard hitting questions about the pause at the Stockholm press conference.
It’s a good, and necessary first step.
The Value Of A College Degree
Statistics that show it’s better to have one than not are misleading and fraudulent. It matters a lot more what kind of degree you get than whether or not you get one. But federal policy, and media propaganda ignores this.
Congress Fiddles With Monster Rockets
…while human spaceflight burns. My latest thoughts on our Congressional space-policy follies, over at PJMedia.
[Afternoon update]
As usual with space pieces, the comments over there are painfully ignorant.
Paul Ehrlich
Razid Khan has a defense of him. But not a very robust one. As I noted to Razid on Twitter, while we are certainly capable of extincting ourselves, it won’t be from resource depletion.
To Mars
This effort would require four launches of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket, which is currently in development and is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2018.
The purpose of my Kickstarter is to show how it could be done, faster, cheaper, with more people.
Fusion Power
A new concept. New to me, anyway.
Executive Amnesty
Terrific–so the President can take executive action that not only transforms individuals whom our law classifies as “deportable” into “not deportable,” he can simultaneously confer upon them multiple benefits, including work permits and now, tax refunds, which will be funded by law-abiding individuals who are present in the country legally.
Fundamentally transforming America!
Treating The Obese Like Smokers?
The worst thing about this piece is this:
Americans are fat because we eat large portions, and because we eat foods that are high in sugar and fat. Americans are fat because we eat large portions, and because we eat foods that are high in sugar and fat. Perhaps it’s time for the surgeon general to put scary warning labels on sugary and fatty foods.
That is a profoundly ignorant statement, nutrition wise. People don’t get fat from eating fat