Home › Blog › Page 74

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

IMO, the content of the meme at left is one of the very best ideas ever propounded by humankind. It speaks to the subject of “cognitive biases,” a big deal nowadays.  However, it’s been attributed to essentially everyone in history.  Who said it first?  Best?

We’ve all read the quote, “All that’s required for evil to conquer the world is that good men do nothing.”  Have you ever noticed that it’s attributed to everyone from Albert Einstein to Edmund Burke to Napoleon Bonaparte?

FWIW, I’m going with Bertrand Russell as the true owner of the quote relating certainty with stupidity.

 

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

From a reader:  A message written on the back of an SUV quickly went viral after being shared online.

To those wondering how it’s possible that Trump could be re-elected, I offer you this “viral” meme.  Apparently, its author (and those who so enthusiastically shared it) are too stupid to realize that Trump himself redistributed approximately $4 trillion during his term in office, looting the U.S. treasury and sending that money in the form of enormous tax cuts to line the pockets of the very wealthiest Americans.

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

In a recent post I wrote that I believe that ultimately it will be revealed that Trump has an unlovely relationship with Putin, perhaps only insofar as Trump worships Putin, and envies his position as absolute ruler.  It’s true that Putin controls every aspect of Russian life, especially how the media portrays him to the people, and this is exactly what Trump wants to achieve here in the U.S.

As Connecticut senator Chris Murphy says, it would have been impossible to foresee that this country could come to the brink of electing a president who so clearly has committed treason against his own people.

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

From “David Attenborough Fans”: 150 ft. Iceberg passing through Iceberg Alley near Ferryland, Newfoundland, Canada.

Only a few of us live around see in-your-face evidence of glaciers calving and floating around in our front yards.  Yikes.

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The author of the meme here makes a good point.  How is Trump a viable candidate to lead the most powerful nation on Earth?

His mental health aside, how does someone win who’s generally reviled by women, veterans, people of color, LGBTQs, honest people, well educated people and other groups I may have missed?

I’m wondering if the media is overplaying Trump’s polling numbers so as to bolster ratings.

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I don’t think quantum mechanics is capable of being understood, not because it isn’t true, but because the human mind didn’t evolve in such a way to deal with things that fail to conform to our intuition of time and space.

Now, certain aspects of the subject are comprehensible.  When I explain the Heisenberg Uncertainly Principle and say that it’s not possible to know a particle’s exact momentum and position at the same time, and I say that the act of observing the particle and measuring its momentum changes its position and vice versa, you might say, “Well, that makes sense.”

The problem is that the s*** hits the fan from there on out.

My advice: unless you’re exceptional, stay far away from this stuff.  I took one semester, got a C+, and thanked the Lord that there was no reason to go in any deeper.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A reader sent me this, commenting: Cannot make this up. Elon the Nazi has joined team Trump traitors campaign.

I look at the arrival of Elon Musk on the political scene as a terrible break for the health of humankind on this planet.

Imagine you had $200 billion, putting you in a position to educate the world’s children, end hunger, or put a stop to climate change.  Instead, your mission is to re-elect a criminal sociopath to the White House and put a nail into the coffin of American democracy.

 

Tagged with: , , , , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Here’s an investment that I won’t be making: Miso Robotics and its product “Flippy.”  It uses robotics to cook French fries and flip burgers in fast-food restaurants.

Let’s begin by admitting that such a solution will ultimately replace humans, who are expensive and subject to making mistakes and receiving burn injuries.  In fact, this transformation is already under way.

But do these people offer a superior product at a more attractive price?

More to the point, do you want to speed up the process of laying off human workers while making it cheaper to make food that is essentially poisonous to the human body?

Someone posted this on social media: “If your grocery store has a section for ‘health food,’ ask yourself what’s in the rest of the store.”

Tagged with: , ,

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

From the website Physics Is Fun:

Stephen Hawking’s quote, “I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space,” underscores his belief in the existential importance of space exploration. He viewed humanity’s expansion into space as essential for survival, given the potential threats from overpopulation, resource depletion, and global catastrophes on Earth. By venturing into space, humans can ensure the continuation of our species, diversify our habitats, and potentially discover new resources and knowledge. Hawking’s words serve as a reminder of the critical need to look beyond our planet for the long-term survival and evolution of humanity.

Apparently, Hawking actually did say this, but I had to look it up to verify that, given that it doesn’t seem like something that one of our brightest minds would have produced.  He seems to be saying that humankind is in the process of ruining one planet, so let’s take all that greed and stupidity and spread it all over the galaxy.

Let’s say that a drug addict living in the United States wants to address his problem by moving to Mexico.  Does that make sense? Wouldn’t one assume that his problem is simply going to follow him around until he addresses and eradicates its cause?

I’m more taken by the words of Neil deGrasse Tyson, who said, “If we can transform Mars into Earth, we can fix Earth.”

Tagged with:

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

School boards in deeply red states like Florida are using textbooks with all reference to the subject of climate change removed.  Of course, that does not change the fact a warmer climate is one in which storms become more destructive than ever before, because of all the extra heat energy stored in the atmosphere and oceans.

Ultimately, Big Oil and the others with huge economic incentives to suppress our understanding of climate science will lose.  Unfortunately, places like Florida will be one big, semi-submerged, uninsurable mess by the time that happens.

As our society looks back on this time a few decades from now, it will come to a horrible realization:  It didn’t have to be this way. 

 

Tagged with: , , , ,