Comments on: Climate change action: “The Science” gives way to “The Physics”

By: Saxon

Saxon — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:59:16 +0000

http://xkcd.com/356/

this gives more points to mathematicians than physicists.

By: Michael Jennings

Michael Jennings — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:17:18 +0000

God bless The Physics (and also the alt text).

By: Laird

Laird — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:25:14 +0000

To push your point a little farther, Sigivald, I don't think the models will ever be predictive. That's the nature of truly chaotic systems, as I understand it.

By: Sigivald

Sigivald — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:43:08 +0000

What Mr. Amon said.

We are, indeed, “at the mercy of physics”. The problem is that physics – that word he keeps using – doesn’t mean what he thinks it means.

Or more accurately, the physics of the atmosphere don’t work the way the models he wants (?) to be true so desperately have them working.

Modeling climate is really hard, it turns out – and none of the models seem to be predictive, yet. Somehow, however, he keeps trusting them as if they’re “physics”.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:31:43 +0000

Rob Fisher, here is Tyndall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyndall

By: Rob Fisher

Rob Fisher — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:23:52 +0000

Doesn’t The Physics say that temperature is a function of pressure? Are there any Actual Physicists who understand how CO2 causes radiative forcing? Serious questions.

By: Michael Jennings (London)

Michael Jennings (London) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:14:56 +0000

“ETLA” is relatively easy to pronounce, though, I think.

By: Dom

Dom — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:39:42 +0000

Mark, c.u.n.t.s is not recursive, since the word “cunts” does not need to be further defined. A example of recursion is GNU, which means, “gnu is not unix”.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:04:44 +0000

Ok, Frank S, you’re right. These critters are everywhere!

By: Mark Green

Mark Green — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:44:43 +0000

Bloody auto-correct.

Traceable, natch.

By: Mark Green

Mark Green — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:38:27 +0000

@BIS – an ability to create tenuous regressions in Excel with laughably narrow error bars does not give Mr Connolley the right to call himself a programmer. Us programmers refer to people like that as C.U.N.T.S., or Cunts Utilising No Discernible Science. Amusingly, an excellent example of a metacronym, employing that other invaluable programming skill, recursion.

Smite away.

By: bloke in spain

bloke in spain — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:28:03 +0000

Jacob
Regrettably, this is one of yours:
http://scienceblogs.com/stoat/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Connolley
(Known to throw wobblers if not addressed as ‘Doctor’ or his surname mispelt)