Sage Quotations

On the Global Warming Resources page, I have included some ‘sage quotations’ attributes to a few of the smartest people in history. The purpose of including these is to demonstrate to modern greenbats (environmental alarmists) that their ‘consensus’ may be flawed due to violation of one or more of the principles these men advocated.

Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo Da Vinci has often been described as the archetype of the renaissance man, a man whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.

“Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.”
— Leonardo Da Vinci

Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei, was a Tuscan physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations, and support for Copernicanism. Galileo has been called the “father of modern observational astronomy”, the “father of modern physics”, and “the Father of Modern Science.”

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
— Galileo Galilei

Philip HandlerPhilip Handler, was an American Nutritionist and President of the National Academy of Science for 2 terms. Handler was also a recipient of the National Medal of Science. He also believed that experimental observation, judiciously and honestly conducted, is the first obligation of the experimental scientist and that theory must be compatible with observation, not the reverse.

“Scientists best serve public policy by living within the ethics of science, not those of politics. If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, the public will not discern the difference; science and the nation will suffer.”
— Philip Handler, National Academy of Sciences

Michael CrichtonJohn Michael Crichton, M.D., was an American author, producer, director, and physician, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide. As the creator of the TV series ER, most famously as the author of Jurassic Park, and its sequel The Lost World, which were both adapted into high grossing films and leading to the very successful franchise. In 1994 he became the only creative artist ever to experience chart-topping success in America with a film, a television series, and a novel, all at number one simultaneously.

“Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.”
— Michael Crichton

Al Gore? James Hansen? IPCC? Are you idiots not listening to the sage advice from some of the smartest men in history?

Early Spring Has Sprung in California

. . . and here come the daffodils.

Yellow Daffodil

Here’s some information about daffodils from the American Daffodil Society . . .

Depending on which botanist you talk to, there are between 40 and 200 different daffodil species, subspecies or varieties of species and over 25,000 registered cultivars (named hybrids) divided among the thirteen divisions of the official classification system.

Daffodil season lasts from six weeks to six months, depending on where you live and the cultivars you grow. After blooming, let the daffodil plant rebuild its bulb for the next year. The leaves stay green while this is happening. When the leaves begin to yellow, then you can cut the leaves off, but not before.

These were showing in the patio today. Click on the image above for large size.

Cockpit of the Airbus A380 – Interactive Panorama

a380-cockpit.jpg

A colleague sent me this email today:

As you move your cursor you can see the whole cockpit from top to bottom. You can even zoom on the dash [sic – instrument panel is the term]. Most panoramas are of landscapes. This 360-degree panorama is unlike any other – It’s a picture of an Airbus A380’s cockpit. Be sure to go to full screen.

CLICK HERE >> INSIDE THE COCKPIT OF THE AIRBUS A380

Panorama photographs are becoming increasingly popular on the Net. That’s because software is making it easier than ever to create them. The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world. It can seat more than 850 people. Only a couple of the
planes are in service. So, you’ll probably have to wait for your first ride. Until then, check out its state-of-the-art controls, top, bottom and all around.

After a quick look, I had to force myself to go back to work and defer the frustrated ex-pilot geekery until this evening.

Click in the link or the screenshot above to go to the website.

Fiction Science

Planet GoreNot Science fiction, but the other way around – science that is based on fictitious evidence. That’s what the “consensus’ on global warming is.

We make a daily habit of reading the articles at National Review’s Planet Gore blog. There are several recent articles on Planet Gore that take Al Gore and his hyped stance on AGW to the woodshed:

Melanie Morgan on O’Reilly

melMelanie Morgan, a San Francisco Bay area talk show personality, appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show this evening.

Set Your DVR’s To “Stun” – Melanie Morgan to Appear on O’Reilly

Get ready to be amazed by my brilliant rhetorical skills, stunning passion, and 2-day old acne outbreak.

That’s right, the “war whore” as the lefties call me, is going to be appearing today on The Factor with Bill O’Reilly – that’s Fox News Channel for those of you who aren’t paying attention.

I will be enunciating why a souless villian like Bill Ayers, Domestic Terrorist who can’t say he’s sorry, should be protested at St. Mary’s College tomorrow night.

Melanie Morgan’s website displays the ‘Never Forget Tribute‘ in their sidebar. The website has more information about the protests planned against Ayres.

Tulip in the Morning Sunlight

When I came downstairs this morning, the light was just perfect for this shot. This is one of the dozen variegated orange and yellow tulips that I got at the supermarket flower concession last Friday. Click below for the 1024×768.

tulip.jpg

Range Report

Our weekly trip to the range was a lot of fun again. We shot the usual suite of firearms and the usual number of rounds. It was mostly uneventful except for shooting 12 gauge rounds through the Remington 870 Magnum Express.

We bought some Winchester Super X® 12 gauge ammo a week ago when it was on sale. The rounds were 2¾ inch 7½ shot. Today, we put 25 rounds through the big shotgun and found out that the Super X had most of the same problems as the “Universal” shells we bought (and regretted doing so) last summer. This is from our post complaining about the Winchester Universal Ammo – Read the Fine Print:”

Universal loads are a great value, ideal for dove, quail, grouse and recreational target shooting.
…
Try Universal ammunition for fun and practice. Then, when you’re ready to do some serious hunting or target shooting, pick up a box of Winchester Super-X®, Supreme® or our famous AA® Target Loads.

Well, we were serious and ready for some target shooting, and thought we could trust the Super X ammo to perform. Wrong. There were stovepipes, failures to eject, and, at one point, a jam that required some serious disassembly of the firearm to clear out the spent round. I have one more box of 25 rounds to shoot and then no more Winchester shotgun ammo for us.

Despite that, we had an excellent time. Here is Damsel shooting her Warthog and definitely enjoying one of the brighter moments from the outing:

Maximum Plume