We decided to close out 2006 by recalling our favorite posts. Without hesitation, Damsel picked her photograph of Air Force One taken at the Ronald Reagan Library.
Completely unedited, the photo to the right seems to make the vertical fin on Air Force One look almost invisible! What’s going on?
I took this photo from behind the famous aircraft on the 3rd mezzanine level of the Air Force One Pavilion in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library when I noticed the unusual reflection pattern on the glossy surface of the rudder and vertical stabilizer. I knew immediately that I had a great shot! The lighting angles and the highly-polished surface of the airfoil rendered this intriguing optical illusion of near-invisibility.
See the full-size photo and read the rest of the post: Stealth Air Force One?
My favorite from this year is the animated article I wrote about why the Sun is the principal cause of global warming (and cooling).
I did some research on the web and spent several hours developing the two animations used in the article. The post made some points about global temperature and sunspot count over the past few hundred years. I also made some points about how the media tends to filter news and events to their own political purpose.
Click on the link below to view the entire article and play with the animations.
Correlating Sunspots to Global Warming
A few additional conclusions:
- The media will print or broadcast sensationalized headlines to sell copy regardless of scientific value
- The media will print or broadcast manipulated science with half-truths and invalid conclusions to damage politicians with whom they do not agree
- Politicians seize on these unverified claims in order to blame their opponents
- Uneducated/uninformed people are as gullible as ever