The Junkman on the latest IPCC report

Steven Milloy of Fox News and JunkScience.com gives his thoughts on the latest and final IPCC report. It’s a very good article and well worth reading. My favortite part:

That key issue, of course, is whether or not manmade CO2 emissions drive global temperature. In its shockingly brief and superficial treatment of this crucial issue, the U.N. states, in relevant part, that, “Most of the observed increase in globally-averaged temperatures, since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations. It is likely that there has been significant anthropogenic warming over the past 50 years averaged over every continent (except Antarctica).”

This glib statement overlooks that fact that from 1940 to 1975 globally-averaged temperature declined (giving rise to a much-hyped scare about a looming ice age) while manmade CO2 emissions increased. Global temperature has fallen since 1998 despite ever-increasing CO2 emissions. So for 27 of the last 50 years, globally-averaged temperatures have declined while CO2 emissions have increased.

Clever deception, if intentional

A blogger is accusing the SF Chronicle of one of the most clever deceptions I have heard of in a long time (via Instapundit). Apparently their commenting system has a feature where a deleted comment is still visible to the original poster, but not to anyone else. In other words the original poster thinks his comments are still there but to everyone else the comment appears to have been deleted.

I have never seen this kind of comment system behaviour before. Probably because it would be highly unethical and very easy to get caught. Of course it’s entirely possible that this is an unintentional flaw in the system.

Has anyone else ever seen anything like this?

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

A Truly Regrettable Name

A German named Wolfgang Von Zeppelin is pushing, well, zeppelins. And if the name sounds familiar it’s because he is the grandson of THE Count Zeppelin. I suspect that this is a language thing, but in the US we refer to flexible bodied airships as blimps, and rigid structured airships as zeppelins, the Hindenburg being the most famous example of the latter.

But what’s really amusing is his name for his new generation airship:

Zeppelin NT

I kid you not. Zeppelin NT.

You do not want to BSOD a Zeppelin NT.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

Is there a security expert on-board the aircraft?

Here is an interesting strong AuthN application, inbound aircraft. Apparently Israel is going to roll out a strong AuthN system to verify the identity of the pilots for inbound aircraft. Details are sketchy, but apparently the pilots will carry some kind of OTP device. When challenged they must provide a OTP or be denied entry. Planes that approach after being denied entry will, apparently, be shot down.

This is intended to prevent a 9/11 style attack. There is speculation that there will be a may-day code that the pilots could use in a “gun to the head” scenario. Such a situation certainly presents some grim choices to the pilot. A hijacker who doesn’t want anyone to know about the hijacking is certainly not interested in negotiating a solution.

I assume that there would have to be some sort of pilot PIN number to unlock the OTP. That leads me to image a wild Airport-esque plot where the plucky passenger-hero has guess the PIN number of the pilot to land the aircraft.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

Information Card Miscellany

Mike Jones is keeping a list of Information Card enabled sites. Mike also has an announcement about the new version of Cardspace being available.

Kim Cameron has some thoughts about Display Tokens and what compromises are needed for an effective Identity Metasystem.

Phil Hunt makes much of the Cardspace disclaimers here. I’m not sure what Phil’s point is here, but he seems to think he has found some sort of smoking gun. He has some further thoughts here and refers to Kim’s entry about Display Tokens.

Paul Madsen ventures into the strange world of German Fashion hoping for an Information Card experience and doesn’t get the one he wanted.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

SMS for Anti-fraud

Got this tip from fellow BMC blogger Peter Armstrong. Apparently in South Africa you can enroll in a service that sends you an SMS anytime your credit card is used. This seems like a simple and effective way to fight credit card fraud.

I can’t imagine why this isn’t available, well, everywhere.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

Rev Al vs Rev Jones

Here is a great commentary likening Al Gore’s global warming religeon to Jim Jones. The world is drinking the kool-aid:

Al Gore, the Jim Jones of this new religious cult, preaches doom and gloom from his pettifogger pulpit, all the while living the lifestyle of an energy hog. He actually uses twice the amount of electricity in one month at his Nashville home than the average household uses in an entire year. He has two homes in Tennessee, one in Virginia, at least. He flies all over the world on his Magical Hysteria Tour, sucking down resources and belching out tons of carbon, all to tell us we need to conserve. We’re trying to make ends meet just to afford gas in our cars while Al Gore has a carbon footprint the size of Sasquatch. And no one seems to care.

On this day in 1863

On this day in 1863

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
The Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

A chilling tale of government persecution

Here is a chilling tale of government persecution:

A veteran political activist is facing 10 years in prison and a hefty fine for attempting to petition government for redress of grievances. The latest news from Pakistan? No, this is happening in Oklahoma.

Read the whole thing.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Flop

My wife and Itook my three boys (10, 8 and 5) and a friend of my oldest to see Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium last nights. Big mistake. The result was six thumbs down, way down.

The previews make you think it’s going to be about the magical toy shop and all the wonderful things that happen there. And those parts are there and are wonderful. Unfortunately in between was a bunch of tedious and poorly written dialog that kids under 15 just aren’t going to be interested in.

Great beginning, OK ending, but boring and tedious for about an hour in the middle. If you have younger kids, wait for the DVD. That way they can get up and go do something else if they get bored.

And to top it off…

[Spoiler alert]

In the previews you learn that Mr. Magorium is planning to leave the store to his assistant and the store is very unhappy about. They don’t tell you he dies. It’s tastefully done (you don’t actually see him die), but my kids thought it was a real downer.

(Mirrored from TalkBMC)