Is it just me or has the weather channel lost it?

[Cloud23465]

I hate politics and as of late I can't stand to watch the Weather channel that much anymore because of all the crap they go on about going green, global warming and all that. Then theres storm stories with there low grade special effects and stories about weather that I dont wanna hear about. I dont know where the money changed hand to ruin it but they did a good job. The weather channel used to be a place you could go and alls they did was report the weather and thats it. If i wanted to hear about politics and global warming crap ill watch the news channels. They should of stuck to what they were good at Instead of trying to be something else that they dont really need to be. Maybe its just me thinking this but thats what I feel anyways.:errr:

[Mike_Industries]

Well, this is somewhat based on this...

Our local CBS Channel 4 WCCO has been going on and on about global warming in the weather too.

Now they went too far stating that getting snow in May was a cause of global warming... SNOW! IT HAS TO BE BELOW 30 DEGREES F!!!!!! Do they even listen to themselves anymore when it comes to weather?

[Fireand'chutes77]

Well, this is somewhat based on this...

Our local CBS Channel 4 WCCO has been going on and on about global warming in the weather too.

Now they went too far stating that getting snow in May was a cause of global warming... SNOW! IT HAS TO BE BELOW 30 DEGREES F!!!!!! Do they even listen to themselves anymore when it comes to weather?
The problem with global warming - perhaps climate change is a better moniker - is that is screws with preexisting weather systems. The disruption of water currents can generate weird weather in places that have never experienced it before, or at the wrong times. Even though it might be snowing bombers in one place, it might be broiling in another; both unusual systems would be the result of messed-up weather patterns due to changed sea/air temperatures. During this run-up phase, warming might not be stable across the board - we'll thrash between extremes.

But, yes, I agree with you that the Weather Channel should cut the fluff. We've already got established channels, such as Discovery, for "storm stories." I just want the Local on the Eights, please... :dubiety:

[Mike_Industries]

But snow in May is not wierd around here, Its very rare, but it has happened in our weather history from when they began keeping records (I checked) So to blame it on global warming now is just kinda wierd...

My grandpa hates the weather channel because all they do is yap about something he dosen't care about. Why can't it be like Olly from Family Guy?

"It's Gonna Rain!"

"It's Gonna Snow!"

"Eggo!"

[campy]

Do the people on Weather Channel ever address these questions?:

— What is the ideal climate for the Planet Earth?

— If human activities are the cause of climate change on Earth, what is causing other planets' climates to change?

[Mike_Industries]

Do the people on Weather Channel ever address these questions?:

— What is the ideal climate for the Planet Earth?

— If human activities are the cause of climate change on Earth, what is causing other planets' climates to change?

I don't think I have ever heard that on the weather channel. Ever. Do you think they have no idea?

[Cloud23465]

But, yes, I agree with you that the Weather Channel should cut the fluff. We've already got established channels, such as Discovery, for "storm stories." I just want the Local on the Eights, please... :dubiety:

No kidding. There's been so many times that i've tuned in the late evening and it around the 8th of the hour and... theres a storm story or something and they never show it.... so i end up having to boot up the computer to find out and at that point im ticked because I had planned on being in bed trying to get some sleep by then.

[Fireand'chutes77]

— What is the ideal climate for the Planet Earth?
I don't know... But I'd rather like to keep the one we have now for as long as possible, wouldn't you?


— If human activities are the cause of climate change on Earth, what is causing other planets' climates to change?

If you're talking about Venus and other such planets, I'd expect massive volcanic activity. As for Jupiter and the other gas giants, I'm thinking their intense magnetic fields, fast rotations, and the fact there's almost nothing solid on them - just gases.

[Cloud23465]

I know about the average tempetures, and most the time were average or maybe a few degrees above... but we haven't had any huge above normal days for weeks or month were i live... so global warming must of left here... or it doesnt exist?:errr:

[jeriddian]

— What is the ideal climate for the Planet Earth?
I don't know... But I'd rather like to keep the one we have now for as long as possible, wouldn't you?


— If human activities are the cause of climate change on Earth, what is causing other planets' climates to change?

If you're talking about Venus and other such planets, I'd expect massive volcanic activity. As for Jupiter and the other gas giants, I'm thinking their intense magnetic fields, fast rotations, and the fact there's almost nothing solid on them - just gases.

Very condensed gasses.;)

I pretty much agree with you all here. I still think that they are not getting the whole picture on the global warming thing. It seems to me like what they're doing is similar to determining an entire two hour movie plot from a single frame shot. I am not so convinced yet.:hmm:

[Fireand'chutes77]

...what they're doing is similar to determining an entire two hour movie plot from a single frame shot...
It's the radical K/R shippers in disguise! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! :ohmy: :P :laugh: :laugh:

[jeriddian]

...what they're doing is similar to determining an entire two hour movie plot from a single frame shot...
It's the radical K/R shippers in disguise! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! :ohmy: :P :laugh: :laugh:

Hey!! I resemble that remark!!!:blink::rolleyes::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[TransWarpDrive]

I don't think it's politics that's fueling the "global warming" stories on Weather Channel as much as it's the increasing number of scientists who are beginning to take the concept seriously. Let's face it; we humans have affected the Earth's environment over the last two or three centuries by pouring all those chemicals into our land, seas, and atmosphere. Sure, we've made some good progress in educating the public and beginning our clean-up efforts since the first Earth Day back in 1970, but we still have a long way to go. Maybe all the stories about global warning are alarmist, but, IMHO, it's better to use a worst-case scenario to spark environmental action than to be apathetic and do nothing about the problem. Taking the latter approach would certainly guarantee that we'd awaken to realize we had a problem only when it was far too late to do anything about it.
But yes, I agree they've got too many "special features" on a cable channel originally meant to give us the weather forecast. Perhaps it's time the Weather Channel got back to basics, and left the "Storm Stories" and global warming shows to the Discovery Channel or the Science Channel.

[Mike_Industries]

Just wait! I heard disney has got a movie Starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy called It's a hot world after all...

lol

:biggergrin:

I just had too, nobody else did...

[TransWarpDrive]

Just wait! I heard disney has got a movie Starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy called It's a hot world after all...

lol

:biggergrin:

I just had to, nobody else did...
:laugh::laugh:
And they're all wearing sunglasses, Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts, wide-brimmed hats, and plenty of sunscreen...:laugh:
(See, Mike? I'm just as bad as you are! :biggergrin:)
EDIT: You know, I think I was singing that song the last time I put the air-conditioning on in my car... :P

[Mike_Industries]

Just wait! I heard disney has got a movie Starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy called It's a hot world after all...

lol

:biggergrin:

I just had to, nobody else did...
:laugh::laugh:
And they're all wearing sunglasses, Hawaiian shirts, Bermuda shorts, wide-brimmed hats, and plenty of sunscreen...:laugh:
(See, Mike? I'm just as bad as you are! :biggergrin:)
EDIT: You know, I think I was singing that song the last time I put the air-conditioning on in my car... :P

There,my friends of GJA, is a true disney fan. You sing that song even when you have no idea other people think of it too. It really is a small world!

[Not The CrimpMaster]

Global warming? Aw, am I gonna have to build another bomb shelter? I'm still recovering financially from the ones I built when I heard about SARS/mad cow/bird flu.

If you're going to read anything about global warming, make it this. (http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/070313goodprint.html)

[Mike_Industries]

Global warming? Aw, am I gonna have to build another bomb shelter? I'm still recovering financially from the ones I built when I heard about SARS/mad cow/bird flu.


Y'all remember Y2K? I think my grandpa still has got his shelter with water bottles galore in it. I laugh at him still for him freaking out like he did.

[TransWarpDrive]

I've heard that theory about global warming being part of a natural "heating-cooling cycle" of Earth, fueled by the sun, elsewhere. It's an interesting concept, and makes sense when you think about it. But I really don't think Al Gore and those others are "trying to punish the Western democracies for being richer than the rest of the world." I think that's more of a personal attack on them for believing in global warming than a description of their true motives. Have they examined those other studies Orson Scott Card cites in that Meridian Magazine article? Do they even know said studies exist? IMHO, there's no place in an honest debate for personal attacks or conspiracy theories. Such tactics only weaken the arguments of those who utilize them, driving people away from their cause.
Anyway, I personally feel that, whether or not our pollution is actually contributing to global warming, it's still a good idea to work on reducing the levels of pollutants we're dumping in our environment. It'll give us a cleaner Earth in the future.

[jeriddian]

Oh I agree that our tehcnology and our pollution of the earth is a real problem, and has it affected the temperature rise of the planet. I think they have some good evidence for that. I also fairly sure they haven't seen the whole picture either. Sure, they should be concerned. I just think they may be crying wolf a little too early.

[Cloud23465]

Ok, Here's my question. How much extra would you be willing to spend to "go green"? Would you give up an SUV/Truck if you had one? Would you buy a hybrid? Would you install solar panels on your houses roof?

[jeriddian]

What's interesting is that the greenest automobiles you can get aren't even available in 42 of the 50 states, only those states with the strictest emissions laws, like California. And it's not the car companies' fault. It's the government ordering them not to sell them in those states. :blink:

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024974

Try that one on for size!:dubiety:

[Cloud23465]

What's interesting is that the greenest automobiles you can get aren't even available in 42 of the 50 states, only those states with the strictest emissions laws, like California. And it's not the car companies' fault. It's the government ordering them not to sell them in those states. :blink:

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024974

Try that one on for size!:dubiety:

Yeah, but dont forget about the fuel. We dont have one gas station that does the E85 Ethanol. Infact there is talk about building an Ethanol refinery plant in our area and people liked to have had a fit... oh it stink and that. Have you ever drove though a city/town that had a weird smell to it? yea, after a while people that live there don't even notice the smell. I know theres a paper mill about 70 mile out where i live some where on RT. 58 and boy you wanna talk about a bad smell... but the people that live there dont even notice it. Go figure.

[jeriddian]

Yeah, but dont forget about the fuel. We dont have one gas station that does the E85 Ethanol. Infact there is talk about building an Ethanol refinery plant in our area and people liked to have had a fit... oh it stink and that. Have you ever drove though a city/town that had a weird smell to it? yea, after a while people that live there don't even notice the smell. I know theres a paper mill about 70 mile out where i live some where on RT. 58 and boy you wanna talk about a bad smell... but the people that live there dont even notice it. Go figure.

True, when I went to school in Galveston, I knew all about that. Texas City is right across the bay has one of the largest collection of oil refineries in the nation there. You knew exactly where you were every time you drove through the area just from the smell.

We have some of the E85 stuff down here in Texas. Go figure.:dubiety:

[Cloud23465]

We have some of the E85 stuff down here in Texas. Go figure.:dubiety:

I know and remeber seeing thing about the government offering tax breaks to those that open the stations to sell E85 but if 99% of the cars out on the road don't/can't use it... then how long do you expect them to stay in business? Oil companys buy out anything that stands a chance in cutting into there just absolutely ridiculous profits that get get... 8-10 billion dollars in a year or quarter or whatever it was. The government gets there cuts so they really dont care as much as they should. Have you ever read how much tax is taken per gallon on gas? the results may shock some that dont know.

[cpneb]

We have some of the E85 stuff down here in Texas. Go figure.:dubiety:

I know and remeber seeing thing about the government offering tax breaks to those that open the stations to sell E85 but if 99% of the cars out on the road don't/can't use it... then how long do you expect them to stay in business? Oil companys buy out anything that stands a chance in cutting into there just absolutely ridiculous profits that get get... 8-10 billion dollars in a year or quarter or whatever it was. The government gets there cuts so they really dont care as much as they should. Have you ever read how much tax is taken per gallon on gas? the results may shock some that dont know.

<on soapbox>
Let's see: what to touch on, first.

In Texas, the politicians, in their infinite wisdom (and, to protect their own chances of re-election), moved the gasoline tax, already lower in the state than most states, into the general funds. The result? no funds for road maintenance or construction, resulting in toll roads being built as the only way to meet the traffic needs of the large metropolitian areas: go figure.

Who gets the gas taxes? I seem to recall that a small percentage goes to the Federal government, some to the state, and some to the county/regional/parish governments for road maintenance. Considering the number of vehicles on the road, it's a smal price to pay, IMHO.

How best to pay for road construction and maintenance? Lots of opinions, and it's always 'not me' and 'let the other guy pay' as the answers. Well, Pogo was right: "We have met the Enemy, and They is Us."

Let's fix the schools and the roads, and we'll have a repair template to tackle the big issues. The process is the same, only the problem is different. If we don't fix anything because we're talking about it all the time, nothing gets fixed.

<soapbox, down>

[AinoMinako]

My school makes/uses biodiesel from used vegetable oil in our buses, made with a FuelMeister (http://www.fuelmeister.com/). Of course, we only have 2 regular sized buses and a short bus (for trips). Apparently they smell like French fries, though I don't ride the bus so I haven't smelled them.

[cpneb]

My school makes/uses biodiesel from used vegetable oil in our buses, made with a FuelMeister (http://www.fuelmeister.com/). Of course, we only have 2 regular sized buses and a short bus (for trips). Apparently they smell like French fries, though I don't ride the bus so I haven't smelled them.

It's also an appetite suppressant: when you smell fries cooking now, yo'll think about school and avoid them like the Plague! :eek: :innocent: :biggergrin: :eek:

never considered that, did you?

[TransWarpDrive]

I saw an electric car (experimental, of course) on an episode of the Discovery Channel's four-part "Future Car" mini-series. That car can accelerate faster than a Porsche, yet runs on batteries. Unfortunately, it only has a range of 300 miles fully charged. In other words, it'd be great for the daily commute bween work and home, but one would have to get either a gas-powered car or a hybrid for long road trips.
*Sigh* But boy, it'd sure be nice not to have to worry about gas prices...:(

[TransWarpDrive]

My school makes/uses biodiesel from used vegetable oil in our buses, made with a FuelMeister (http://www.fuelmeister.com/). Of course, we only have 2 regular sized buses and a short bus (for trips). Apparently they smell like French fries, though I don't ride the bus so I haven't smelled them.

It's also an appetite suppressant: when you smell fries cooking now, yo'll think about school and avoid them like the Plague! :eek: :innocent: :biggergrin: :eek:

never considered that, did you?

Either that, or it'll make you hungry! :P

[cpneb]

I saw an electric car (experimental, of course) on an episode of the Discovery Channel's four-part "Future Car" mini-series. That car can accelerate faster than a Porsche, yet runs on batteries. Unfortunately, it only has a range of 300 miles fully charged. In other words, it'd be great for the daily commute bween work and home, but one would have to get either a gas-powered car or a hybrid for long road trips.
*Sigh* But boy, it'd sure be nice not to have to worry about gas prices...:(

How about:
You own this car, and you rent one for long trips only. I could go 12+ months on average w/o renting a long-distance vehicle with the airlines and a 300-mile fully-charged range.

Then again, my kids are both over 20 and don't want to be seen with the old **** who watches KP...they're too cool, so they play the role playing games that I played variants of in college, 30 years ago, just now they use a computer.

The more things change....

[Fireand'chutes77]

I saw an electric car (experimental, of course) on an episode of the Discovery Channel's four-part "Future Car" mini-series. That car can accelerate faster than a Porsche, yet runs on batteries. Unfortunately, it only has a range of 300 miles fully charged.

I'm thinking from your numbers you might be talking about the Tesla Roadster (http://www.teslamotors.com). If so, then it's not experimental. It goes on sale this fall, and the waiting list has over 600 people on it - including George Clooney and the Google brothers. (I've been an avid follower of the project. An electric that gets 0-60 in four seconds off the line and is drop-dead sexy? Sweet! :D) Unfortunately, modifications, road testing data, and safety equipment forced the car to fall short of its original 250-mile-range goal, but it's still over 200. I've never driven a sports car, but you usually go less than 200 miles in one jaunt, don't you? And if you do, several Hyatts in California are installing chargers.

*Takes a breath*

Sorry to get on a roll there. :blush:


What's interesting is that the greenest automobiles you can get aren't even available in 42 of the 50 states, only those states with the strictest emissions laws, like California. And it's not the car companies' fault. It's the government ordering them not to sell them in those states. :blink:

Ironically, I read that less than a minute before I logged onto GJA. That sort of red-tape wrangling gives me a headache. :ohwell:

Many of GM's and Ford's cars get excellent mileage - if you're talking about the overseas models. Why can't they sell the same fuel-efficient cars here? :dubiety:

[TransWarpDrive]

I saw an electric car (experimental, of course) on an episode of the Discovery Channel's four-part "Future Car" mini-series. That car can accelerate faster than a Porsche, yet runs on batteries. Unfortunately, it only has a range of 300 miles fully charged.

I'm thinking from your numbers you might be talking about the Tesla Roadster (http://www.teslamotors.com). If so, then it's not experimental. It goes on sale this fall, and the waiting list has over 600 people on it - including George Clooney and the Google brothers. (I've been an avid follower of the project. An electric that gets 0-60 in four seconds off the line and is drop-dead sexy? Sweet! :D) Unfortunately, modifications, road testing data, and safety equipment forced the car to fall short of its original 250-mile-range goal, but it's still over 200. I've never driven a sports car, but you usually go less than 200 miles in one jaunt, don't you? And if you do, several Hyatts in California are installing chargers.

*Takes a breath*

Sorry to get on a roll there. :blush:


What's interesting is that the greenest automobiles you can get aren't even available in 42 of the 50 states, only those states with the strictest emissions laws, like California. And it's not the car companies' fault. It's the government ordering them not to sell them in those states. :blink:

Ironically, I read that less than a minute before I logged onto GJA. That sort of red-tape wrangling gives me a headache. :ohwell:

Many of GM's and Ford's cars get excellent mileage - if you're talking about the overseas models. Why can't they sell the same fuel-efficient cars here? :dubiety:

The name "Tesla" sounds familiar; yet I'm not sure it's the same company. For one thing, the car I saw on "Future Car" was a yellow two-seat roadster, clearly a prototype not ready for production. I wish I could remember the name of the company that's developing the car I saw - that'd answer the question for certain.
And yes; a non-gas-burning car that goes 0-60 in four seconds and looks sporty and sexy would be nice to own...
*Sigh*

[jeriddian]

The name "Tesla" sounds familiar; yet I'm not sure it's the same company. For one thing, the car I saw on "Future Car" was a yellow two-seat roadster, clearly a prototype not ready for production. I wish I could remember the name of the company that's developing the car I saw - that'd answer the question for certain.
And yes; a non-gas-burning car that goes 0-60 in four seconds and looks sporty and sexy would be nice to own...
*Sigh*

Well, "Tesla", of course, derives from the 19th and 20th century scientist and inventor:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Nikola Tesla (Serbian Cyrillic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_Cyrillic_alphabet): Никола Тесла) (10 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_10) 1856 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1856) – 7 January (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7) 1943 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943)) was an inventor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inventor), physicist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicist), mechanical engineer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineer) and electrical engineer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineer). Born in Smiljan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiljan), Croatian Krajina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Krajina), Military Frontier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Frontier), he was an ethnic Serb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serb) subject of the Austrian Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Empire) and later became an American citizen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_citizen). Tesla is best known for his many revolutionary contributions to the discipline of electricity and magnetism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_and_magnetism) in the late 19th and early 20th century. Tesla's patents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Tesla_patents) and theoretical work formed the basis of modern alternating current (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current) electric power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power) (AC) systems, including the polyphase (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphase_system) power distribution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_distribution) systems and the AC motor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor#AC_motors), with which he helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Industrial_Revolution).
After his demonstration of wireless communication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio) (radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio)) in 1893 and after being the victor in the "War of Currents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents)", he was widely respected as America's greatest electrical engineer.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-1) Much of his early work pioneered modern electrical engineering and many of his discoveries were of groundbreaking importance. During this period, in the United States, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any other inventor or scientist in history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History) or popular culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture),[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-2) but due to his eccentric personality and unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_scientist).[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-3)[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-4) Never putting much focus on his finances, Tesla died impoverished at the age of 86.
The SI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI) unit measuring magnetic flux density (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_flux_density) or magnetic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic) induction (commonly known as the magnetic field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_field) http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/d/5/7/d5742827d055e40cd568fd71271f4681.png), the tesla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_%28unit%29), was named in his honour (at the Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures, Paris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris), 1960).
Aside from his work on electromagnetism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetism) and engineering, Tesla is said to have contributed in varying degrees to the establishment of robotics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotics), remote control (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_control), radar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar) and computer science (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science) and to the expansion of ballistics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistics), nuclear physics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_physics) and theoretical physics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoretical_physics). In 1943, the Supreme Court of the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States) credited him as being the inventor of the radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_radio). Many of his achievements have been used, with some controversy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversy), to support various pseudosciences (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience), UFO theories (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_object) and new age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_age) occultism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occult). Contemporary researchers of Tesla have deemed him "the man who invented the twentieth century"[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-book) and "the patron saint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patron_saint) of modern electricity."[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla#_note-5)
Tesla is honoured in both Croatia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia) and Serbia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia), as well as his adopted home, the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
That may be where you heard the name before.:)

[kyojikasshu]

I've read the book, Tesla: Man Out Of Time, and it was a fascinating read.

The man was a genius, to be sure, but definitely one of the more eccentric ones. Thankfully, he was never bent toward evil...


As far as The Weather Channel... they've got their second channel, Weatherscan, that focuses strictly on the local conditions and forecasts. And, usually, that's all I need.

[Cloud23465]

I've read the book, Tesla: Man Out Of Time, and it was a fascinating read.

The man was a genius, to be sure, but definitely one of the more eccentric ones. Thankfully, he was never bent toward evil...


As far as The Weather Channel... they've got their second channel, Weatherscan, that focuses strictly on the local conditions and forecasts. And, usually, that's all I need.

Thats not on my local cable line-up though i'd pay just to have local stuff shown all day and just strictly weather. No storm stories, not global warming and that. must be nice to have that channel :P

[TransWarpDrive]

Thanks for the info on Tesla, jeriddian.
@Rob: Yes, we get "Weatherscan," too, and I also like the way it just gives the local conditions and forecasts. It's especially handy when I find I've just missed WC's "forecasts on the eights."

[lunchmeat]

Yeah, but dont forget about the fuel. We dont have one gas station that does the E85 Ethanol. Infact there is talk about building an Ethanol refinery plant in our area and people liked to have had a fit... oh it stink and that. Have you ever drove though a city/town that had a weird smell to it? yea, after a while people that live there don't even notice the smell. I know theres a paper mill about 70 mile out where i live some where on RT. 58 and boy you wanna talk about a bad smell... but the people that live there dont even notice it. Go figure.

True, when I went to school in Galveston, I knew all about that. Texas City is right across the bay has one of the largest collection of oil refineries in the nation there. You knew exactly where you were every time you drove through the area just from the smell.

We have some of the E85 stuff down here in Texas. Go figure.:dubiety:

Good old UTMB (ever look at the "face in the wall" on the old power plant?).

Biodiesel is a pretty attractive approach, when I lived in Vancouver (WA), there was enough fried food to power most of the nation's truck fleet. I'm told that biodiesel also produces fewer maintenance issues than does normal diesel.

In addition to moving the gas tax to the general fund (they pulled the same scam with the lottery, which was sold as a way to provide school funds) some genius in the legislature tried to outlaw the production and sale of biodiesel in Texas (pretty easy to guess where his campaign contributions come from). I'm pretty convinvced that the old saw about there being a typo in the state constitution where rather than meeting every two years for 120 days the lege was intended to meet every 120 years for 2 days has some validity to it. The energy thing is going to require a whole spectrum of solutions, there isn't going to be a single slam dunk answer. Biodiesel, wind, solar, improved fuel economy vehicles, nuclear (it's quite viable and safe, most of the French electrical grid is supplied by nukes, as are the Japanese and the safety record, outside the Soviet Union, has been remarkable over the last forty years) plus new and emerging technologies (things like tidal power and OTEC, which uses the salt fountain effect to generate flow and spin turbines) will all be needed, working in concert, to get us where we need to go. There is absolutely no reason to return to living like 11th century serfs, there are answers and alternatives.

The Weather and many of the science channels have gotten really big on the "we all died last week" style of addressing environmental issues. I think it's part titillation (everyone enjoys a good scare, now and then) and partly a way to get people's attention by overstating some things. The problem is that screaming disaster too often eventually becomes counter productive. Kind of like Ehrlichman and The Population Bomb back in the 60s. Are we overpopulated? Probably and those parts of the world that are least able to sustain the increased populations are the ones that are having the greatest fecundity. Does everyone need to go the way China has? No, education and increased standards of living, which are tied into energy issues, have a pretty profound influence on these things.

These issues are also one of the reasons I object to privatizing government research. One tends to get lousy science. A contractor is going to know the outcome desired by the particular group running things in Washington at the time that the contract is let. One tends to end up with "tobacco company science" as a result. Not out of venality on the part of the lab, but most contractees aren't going to be inclined to let follow on contracts if they get a result they don't want to hear. While government research can be cumbersome and slow, most of the time the reports are based on the observations and aren't unduly slanted.