In my honest opinion we should just stop subsidizing fuels with wars in the middle east and raise the taxes on them a dollar a year until they hit a level that encourages conservation. That way the market can figure it out.
Yeah, "the market can figure it out", alright.
They'll vote out the politicians responsible and vote in ones that will eliminate the taxes.
Taxes are not a means of social engineering, they are a revenue-collection mechanism. Trying to use them as a tool for social engineering leads to the current byzantine and undecipherable, even to the IRS tax question help-desk staff, tax regulations and to special-interest corruption through tax subsidies to those in political favor. Like the tax breaks for oil companies.
It also creates unintended negative consequences in many cases, like making products uncompetitive compared to imported foreign competing products, thus killing off US industries, businesses, and jobs, and/or seeing them offshored to places where conditions are more favorable.
There's a subtle but definite trend by governments to paint cash as the currency of criminals.
It may be a lot of things, but subtle it ain't. At least in the US.
In some areas of the US if you are pulled over for a routine traffic stop and they find cash over anywhere from $100 on up (there are typically no specific amounts specified), you may well end up having your cash confiscated and perhaps also your vehicle, and possibly be arrested as well.
Many times in these situations, even if you've broken no laws you may end up losing your cash/property thanks to US laws and policies regarding criminal forfeiture.
You'll also have no recourse if they decide to keep your cash and/or property, as the beauty of the forfeiture system (for them, not you) is that they charge the cash/property with a crime (as illogical as it is that inanimate and legal property/money is capable of committing a crime by themselves by simply existing), not you, so you have zero standing to challenge whatever they decide in court because you're not charged with anything.
Easy solution, include SUVs and all other light trucks.
Then the market for used vehicles will explode and people will avoid buying new cars, SUVs, and light trucks. Then the government will bail out the auto makers again with our tax money when they go broke. Then all car makers will be "Government Motors".
"Oh John Spartan, all cars are Taco Bell!"
"According to Obama's plan, I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal?
I've seen the future. You know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin, sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing, "I'm an Oscar Meyer wiener.""
- From: "Demolition Man" (1993) [with minor editing:) ]
Because it effects everyone not just themselves. If there were no negative externalities involved by letting people do what they want you might have a point.
Ah, I see. It benefits the collective more, and the individual is less important than the collective.
It would also benefit the collective more if people who were not productive for whatever reason...chronic/severe illness, age, injury, or whatever...were euthanized instead of being allowed to drain wealth and resources from the collective.
I know, right? The Iraqis held the Americans off for 21 whole days [wikipedia.org]!
Well, "held off" is a bit of an overstatement anyways, don't you think?
More like: "It took us that long to haul enough ordnance to the place and to unload it again into the Iraqi Republican Guard given the finite number of soldiers/weapons we had there."
It takes a bit of time to destroy/kill that much/many, you know. Weapons have cycling rates and reload times. Soldiers need meals and sleep. Vehicles/armor have a limited speed, especially if traversing rough terrain. Slower heavy supply/support transport has to catch up.
I almost miss "Baghdad Bob". He was the closest thing to "comedy relief" I've ever seen or heard of in an actual military conflict that wasn't with the USO.:)
Smaller cars carry less payload and mandating them may backfire if you have to take more trips to compensate.
Not necessarily. The Honda Fit is a small car, but it has tons of cargo capacity if you're willing to temporarily sacrifice the back seat. Some large sedans don't hold as much.
Cargo area != cargo weight. Otherwise a pickup would have infinite cargo capacity (outside of fitting in the bed).
The 2012 Honda Fit has a total capacity of 850 lbs cargo + passengers according to the door sticker on the neighbors' vehicle I just looked at.
With 4 200 lb people, the 2012 Honda Fit has only 50 lbs of cargo weight capacity!
Hell, you couldn't even safely take a small family w/luggage to the airport, or take them grocery shopping in that thing without exceeding the maximum specs!
Hell, a freaking roller skate has more capacity than a 2012 Honda Fit with 4 200 lb passengers!!
Don't be fooled when car makers quote large cargo capacities in area. Check the weight.
Thank you for your adding your experience. Look, I am not strictly against downloading / copying music. I do it sometimes and if the music is great then I will gladly pay for a CD or go to a concert. I understand the alternative revenue streams. But I know many people who only download -- they don't go to any concerts, don't even throw in a dollar for one measly MP3. And it bothers me when they wonder afterwards why the band sends out a newsletter about being broke and breaking up or when they 'sell out'.
You're welcome.
I understand your feelings and sympathize to an extent, but the "freeloaders" are simply a fact of life and I don't worry about it.
Life is too short.
Besides, most people are generally not bad people, even the ones that freeload. I create the music to be listened to with the understanding that not everyone will or can contribute. I'd rather they're listening to me than some other artist regardless.
And also don't feel too bad about the bands you described. I doubt seriously that their only or main problems centered around people not paying for their music. Almost every single one of those bands/artists likely failed/broke-up due to poor business/marketing/promotional strategy and planning.
Not to mention that simply keeping a group of marginally-stable-at-best musicians' personalities, personal lives, & egos in a band all working together to a common goal for longer than it takes to play a couple of songs is akin to herding panicked feral cats in the middle of a large, high-density minefield while juggling live grenades and chainsaws.:)
That's pretty awesome. I'm suddenly very interested in hearing your music. What kind of music is it? Could you link me to your website, or a source for your tracks?
Thanks k3vlar.
I play high-energy electric blues along the lines sound-wise of Joe Bonamasa, Smokin' Joe Kubek, Bernard Allison, etc. I also design/build/repair/restore vacuum tube guitar amps. I do the amp thing strictly locally. Generally play bluesfests, clubs, openers for major blues acts, etc mostly in the lower-MI/IN/OH/IL area.
I swore when I finally created an account here back in '02(?) I think, that I would never spam or pimp my personal music or business on this or any other non-music-related forums, etc even if asked.
This isn't the place for that, this is "News for Nerds, Stuff That Matters". I hate it when discussions all over the 'net are full of "buy my dope beat-tracks"-"buy my CD/Ringtone"-"visit my website" crap, and I refuse to add to it in any manner whatsoever even with good intentions, as that's what the road to hell is paved with.
However, you can hear me on the regular playlists, and other indie artists like me as well, on streaming stations like Kansas City Online Radio (KCOR) and KOQX/San Jose.
There are tons of artist links. If my music is worthy, as long as you hear it on stations like the ones above it should speak for itself. Blues artists, blues music, and the blues community needs all the support they can get.
So what you are saying is a musician should only be able to sell their music once?
I am a musician/artist/songwriter/composer.
I sell my music every time I'm paid to perform.
I give away recordings. They promote my performances.
The CDs all have "Please feel free to copy and share this music with anyone you'd like if you enjoyed it." printed on them and the jewel cases. I also provide free high quality downloads.
Trying to make income selling recordings is a dead business model from the last century. Recordings are a promotional tool, nothing more.
You are absolutely right. Volume and area are more telling than extent but as you say extent's the easiest to measure and volume the most difficult. With the launch of Cryosat in April 2010 volume measurements are much more accurate now. That page I cited has graphs for extent, area and volume.
What I'd like to know is what's happening re: the antarctic ice compared to arctic measurements over the same time frame.
Are reduced amounts of ice at one pole being roughly balanced out by increases at the opposite pole?
Of course, I'll probably be modded "Troll" for simply asking that question, seeing as the "Green Mod-Police" have been steadily modding my posts down in this story regardless of merit, which I find hilarious and more of a commentary on their confidence in the validity of their own beliefs than mine.:)
Wow. You've got someone with mod points and your name on them.
But then again, that seems to be modus operandi for you're average Team member, as beautifully detailed in the Climategate leaks:)
Haha, I guess so.:)
Doesn't surprise me, I expected as much, even for simply pointing out that this data alone doesn't prove much. In any other/. topic of discussion that involved a single datapoint, the posts of "correlation does not equal causation" and "one datapoint equals an anecdote" would be legion.
Between/. groupthink and the AGW shill-mods I'm actually surprised they only modded me down as far as they have.
The jokes is on them, however. Anyone even marginally unbiased looking at my post history and then looking at the mods of my posts here can only come to the conclusion that it's simply an attempt to suppress 'an inconvenient truth' and further destroys and discredits their evangelism, just as the Climategate emails and the coverup and attempted poorly-executed whitewashes that followed did.
However, most replying to my posts here aren't even themselves all that concerned with global climate.
They are "watermelons". Green on the outside, red on the inside.
They want to see Capitalism and the US economy destroyed, and the US relegated to a 2nd or even 3rd world nation. AGW is just one of many means to an end for them. Science and logic are irrelevant to such people.
You're correct that satellites can only provide us with relatively recent data, but scientists have used arctic ice cores and rock samples dating back hundreds of thousands of years to show the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels.
You mean the CO2 level increases that lag behind the temperature rises?
As far as the NASA cite, I don't trust NASA either way regarding AGW/climate change, regardless of which side their data seems to bolster. NASA has become far too politicized and plays far too many political games to be a trusted source re: AGW/climate change, or any politically-sensitive topic.
As for my personal opinion, I think we're toast. We're far too selfish, divided, and concerned with immediate gratification to change our course. I don't dwell on it too much, though. I find my time better spent in front of nice warm tire and plastic bottle fire.
I think using less oil and generally being better stewards of the planet is fine and worthy if done without causing major economic upset and harm to people.
If by "change our course" you mean undertaking attempts to modify global climate trends by causing algae blooms or the other methods suggested to attempt "terraforming" our planet, then I think it's a foolish waste at best, and possibly an extinction-level event, as we posses nowhere near enough data, knowledge, or understanding to safely attempt such a thing. It would be like taking a 10-yo kid that is currently taking a science class covering basic electricity and telling him to go ahead and stick his hands into the guts of your TV set. Better have an ambulance standing by. Except that we have no ambulances to take us off the Earth if we screw the pooch dicking around with our planet's climate.
Translation: I have found a meme that I can continually repeat to rationalize away any disturbing finding. Now come on kiddies, let's BURN MORE OIL!!!!
Nice strawman you built there. I never said anything about burning oil or touched on energy at all in my post.
I'm all for alternative energy sources where they make economic and practical sense.
One data point on a scale covering millenia doesn't prove anything. It only tells us that, *right now*, there seems to be less arctic ice than there has been over the last decade or four.
We know that global climate has changed radically over the ages, from much warmer than now to much colder than now.
We simply don't have data spanning enough time to know whether this is natural or not.
Why don't you be honest and abandon all pretense that you're basing your opinions on science and the scientific method.
Whenever someone mentions unusually cold temperatures in a single winter or even a decade or two, well, that's just weather. Why isn't the reverse true?
its saying that the current level of ice is already lower than it has ever been recorded, and it's not even the end of summer yet, so we expect there to be even more loss of ice to come.
I did rtfa.
It's comparing satellite measurements which means, at best, measurements since only the 1960s/70s. On a global climate scale time frame, that's nothing.
It's like measuring the distance between continents in the morning and then in the afternoon and claiming that because no meaningful difference exists between the two that continents are stationary and don't move.
It has nothing to do with datapoints and isn't saying anything, other than ICE IS GOING AWAY
Which is precisely my point, but it won't stop the AGW religious extremists from pointing to this and saying "See! I told you so!" as we can already see from the other comments.
Without the same observations over a longer period, this data is meaningless in and of itself.
It could easily be part of a cycle we have not been able to observe because we've lacked the means and meaningful observational time frame to detect it. It's simply one point on a graph spanning millenniums.
amiga3D is actually a boot licking Republican though.
Oh, I wasn't aware the Republicans orchestrated a secret coup d'etat. Last I knew, Obama/Democrats have been in charge of the DOJ and TLAs for the last 3 1/2years.
But please, don't let facts or reality spoil a good narrow-minded, cheap, partisan dig when both parties are and have been equally guilty of ignoring and pissing all over the Constitution and the Rule of Law for at least the last 50 years or more.
Carry on.
And people wonder why US politicians view the citizens as willfully stupid, blind, ignorant, and easily-manipulated sheep?
Sad day today, to know of the loss of a great person.
Agreed. I was 12 when Neil made that "one small step, one giant leap". It inspired me to a career in technology and aerospace.
What I find truly sad and infuriating is that, today in the US, a war veteran like Neil Armstrong would likely be put on a DHS terrorist watch list, not given the opportunity to advance all of humanity.
Then let me rephrase: How should an indie recording artist advertise more efficiently than the establishment, which has both economies of scale and radio program director goodwill to its advantage?
An indie really can't compete marketing/advertising-wise against the majors. You have to find a way to get your music to go viral through alternative channels.
Don't undervalue live performances. Live performances can also get you some local (to the venue you're playing) radio plays, and since many radio stations also stream, they reach further than they once did.
That's Libertarian Rhetoric 101 stuff, kiddo. I've heard it all before.
Yeah, how dare those libertarians go around suggesting the government leave folks alone!
Why, if that kind of thinking got popular, the US might become a nation of free people with very low taxes and a national budgetary surplus to easily handle wars, emergencies, disasters, etc!
Slashdot Mirror
In my honest opinion we should just stop subsidizing fuels with wars in the middle east and raise the taxes on them a dollar a year until they hit a level that encourages conservation. That way the market can figure it out.
Yeah, "the market can figure it out", alright.
They'll vote out the politicians responsible and vote in ones that will eliminate the taxes.
Taxes are not a means of social engineering, they are a revenue-collection mechanism. Trying to use them as a tool for social engineering leads to the current byzantine and undecipherable, even to the IRS tax question help-desk staff, tax regulations and to special-interest corruption through tax subsidies to those in political favor. Like the tax breaks for oil companies.
It also creates unintended negative consequences in many cases, like making products uncompetitive compared to imported foreign competing products, thus killing off US industries, businesses, and jobs, and/or seeing them offshored to places where conditions are more favorable.
Strat
There's a subtle but definite trend by governments to paint cash as the currency of criminals.
It may be a lot of things, but subtle it ain't. At least in the US.
In some areas of the US if you are pulled over for a routine traffic stop and they find cash over anywhere from $100 on up (there are typically no specific amounts specified), you may well end up having your cash confiscated and perhaps also your vehicle, and possibly be arrested as well.
Many times in these situations, even if you've broken no laws you may end up losing your cash/property thanks to US laws and policies regarding criminal forfeiture.
You'll also have no recourse if they decide to keep your cash and/or property, as the beauty of the forfeiture system (for them, not you) is that they charge the cash/property with a crime (as illogical as it is that inanimate and legal property/money is capable of committing a crime by themselves by simply existing), not you, so you have zero standing to challenge whatever they decide in court because you're not charged with anything.
Land of the free, my ass!
Strat
Easy solution, include SUVs and all other light trucks.
Then the market for used vehicles will explode and people will avoid buying new cars, SUVs, and light trucks. Then the government will bail out the auto makers again with our tax money when they go broke. Then all car makers will be "Government Motors".
"Oh John Spartan, all cars are Taco Bell!"
"According to Obama's plan, I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal?
I've seen the future. You know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin, sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing, "I'm an Oscar Meyer wiener.""
- From: "Demolition Man" (1993) [with minor editing :) ]
Gotta love Leary.
Strat
Because it effects everyone not just themselves. If there were no negative externalities involved by letting people do what they want you might have a point.
Ah, I see. It benefits the collective more, and the individual is less important than the collective.
It would also benefit the collective more if people who were not productive for whatever reason...chronic/severe illness, age, injury, or whatever...were euthanized instead of being allowed to drain wealth and resources from the collective.
I, for one, welcome our "Logan's Run" Overlords.
Strat
I know, right? The Iraqis held the Americans off for 21 whole days [wikipedia.org]!
Well, "held off" is a bit of an overstatement anyways, don't you think?
More like: "It took us that long to haul enough ordnance to the place and to unload it again into the Iraqi Republican Guard given the finite number of soldiers/weapons we had there."
It takes a bit of time to destroy/kill that much/many, you know. Weapons have cycling rates and reload times. Soldiers need meals and sleep. Vehicles/armor have a limited speed, especially if traversing rough terrain. Slower heavy supply/support transport has to catch up.
I almost miss "Baghdad Bob". He was the closest thing to "comedy relief" I've ever seen or heard of in an actual military conflict that wasn't with the USO. :)
Strat
A Skynet if you will?
I won't, thanks. :)
Strat
Cargo area != cargo weight. Otherwise a pickup would have infinite cargo capacity (outside of fitting in the bed).
The 2012 Honda Fit has a total capacity of 850 lbs cargo + passengers according to the door sticker on the neighbors' vehicle I just looked at.
With 4 200 lb people, the 2012 Honda Fit has only 50 lbs of cargo weight capacity!
Hell, you couldn't even safely take a small family w/luggage to the airport, or take them grocery shopping in that thing without exceeding the maximum specs!
Hell, a freaking roller skate has more capacity than a 2012 Honda Fit with 4 200 lb passengers!!
Don't be fooled when car makers quote large cargo capacities in area. Check the weight.
Strat
Thank you for your adding your experience. Look, I am not strictly against downloading / copying music. I do it sometimes and if the music is great then I will gladly pay for a CD or go to a concert. I understand the alternative revenue streams. But I know many people who only download -- they don't go to any concerts, don't even throw in a dollar for one measly MP3. And it bothers me when they wonder afterwards why the band sends out a newsletter about being broke and breaking up or when they 'sell out'.
You're welcome.
I understand your feelings and sympathize to an extent, but the "freeloaders" are simply a fact of life and I don't worry about it.
Life is too short.
Besides, most people are generally not bad people, even the ones that freeload. I create the music to be listened to with the understanding that not everyone will or can contribute. I'd rather they're listening to me than some other artist regardless.
And also don't feel too bad about the bands you described. I doubt seriously that their only or main problems centered around people not paying for their music. Almost every single one of those bands/artists likely failed/broke-up due to poor business/marketing/promotional strategy and planning.
Not to mention that simply keeping a group of marginally-stable-at-best musicians' personalities, personal lives, & egos in a band all working together to a common goal for longer than it takes to play a couple of songs is akin to herding panicked feral cats in the middle of a large, high-density minefield while juggling live grenades and chainsaws. :)
Strat
That's pretty awesome. I'm suddenly very interested in hearing your music. What kind of music is it? Could you link me to your website, or a source for your tracks?
Thanks k3vlar.
I play high-energy electric blues along the lines sound-wise of Joe Bonamasa, Smokin' Joe Kubek, Bernard Allison, etc. I also design/build/repair/restore vacuum tube guitar amps. I do the amp thing strictly locally. Generally play bluesfests, clubs, openers for major blues acts, etc mostly in the lower-MI/IN/OH/IL area.
I swore when I finally created an account here back in '02(?) I think, that I would never spam or pimp my personal music or business on this or any other non-music-related forums, etc even if asked.
This isn't the place for that, this is "News for Nerds, Stuff That Matters". I hate it when discussions all over the 'net are full of "buy my dope beat-tracks"-"buy my CD/Ringtone"-"visit my website" crap, and I refuse to add to it in any manner whatsoever even with good intentions, as that's what the road to hell is paved with.
However, you can hear me on the regular playlists, and other indie artists like me as well, on streaming stations like Kansas City Online Radio (KCOR) and KOQX/San Jose.
http://www.kconlineradio.com/
http://www.koqx.com/
There are tons of artist links. If my music is worthy, as long as you hear it on stations like the ones above it should speak for itself. Blues artists, blues music, and the blues community needs all the support they can get.
Thanks again for your interest.
Strat
So what you are saying is a musician should only be able to sell their music once?
I am a musician/artist/songwriter/composer.
I sell my music every time I'm paid to perform.
I give away recordings. They promote my performances.
The CDs all have "Please feel free to copy and share this music with anyone you'd like if you enjoyed it." printed on them and the jewel cases. I also provide free high quality downloads.
Trying to make income selling recordings is a dead business model from the last century. Recordings are a promotional tool, nothing more.
Strat
"Signing" posts is obnoxious.
Well, I'm happy that I gave you something to bitch about of such importance to the universe and the course of human history with so little effort.
Enjoy. :)
Strat
You are absolutely right. Volume and area are more telling than extent but as you say extent's the easiest to measure and volume the most difficult. With the launch of Cryosat in April 2010 volume measurements are much more accurate now. That page I cited has graphs for extent, area and volume.
What I'd like to know is what's happening re: the antarctic ice compared to arctic measurements over the same time frame.
Are reduced amounts of ice at one pole being roughly balanced out by increases at the opposite pole?
Of course, I'll probably be modded "Troll" for simply asking that question, seeing as the "Green Mod-Police" have been steadily modding my posts down in this story regardless of merit, which I find hilarious and more of a commentary on their confidence in the validity of their own beliefs than mine. :)
Strat
he responded with the kind of stupid post everyone here should mod into oblivion. What exactly was "insightful" about it?
It's got electrolytes!! :)
Strat
Wow. You've got someone with mod points and your name on them.
But then again, that seems to be modus operandi for you're average Team member, as beautifully detailed in the Climategate leaks :)
Haha, I guess so. :)
Doesn't surprise me, I expected as much, even for simply pointing out that this data alone doesn't prove much. In any other /. topic of discussion that involved a single datapoint, the posts of "correlation does not equal causation" and "one datapoint equals an anecdote" would be legion.
Between /. groupthink and the AGW shill-mods I'm actually surprised they only modded me down as far as they have.
The jokes is on them, however. Anyone even marginally unbiased looking at my post history and then looking at the mods of my posts here can only come to the conclusion that it's simply an attempt to suppress 'an inconvenient truth' and further destroys and discredits their evangelism, just as the Climategate emails and the coverup and attempted poorly-executed whitewashes that followed did.
Strat
A.J. I appreciate your reasoned response.
However, most replying to my posts here aren't even themselves all that concerned with global climate.
They are "watermelons". Green on the outside, red on the inside.
They want to see Capitalism and the US economy destroyed, and the US relegated to a 2nd or even 3rd world nation. AGW is just one of many means to an end for them. Science and logic are irrelevant to such people.
Strat
You're correct that satellites can only provide us with relatively recent data, but scientists have used arctic ice cores and rock samples dating back hundreds of thousands of years to show the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels.
You mean the CO2 level increases that lag behind the temperature rises?
The data shows a drastic spike in atmospheric CO2 during the last century. http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
As far as the NASA cite, I don't trust NASA either way regarding AGW/climate change, regardless of which side their data seems to bolster. NASA has become far too politicized and plays far too many political games to be a trusted source re: AGW/climate change, or any politically-sensitive topic.
As for my personal opinion, I think we're toast. We're far too selfish, divided, and concerned with immediate gratification to change our course. I don't dwell on it too much, though. I find my time better spent in front of nice warm tire and plastic bottle fire.
I think using less oil and generally being better stewards of the planet is fine and worthy if done without causing major economic upset and harm to people.
If by "change our course" you mean undertaking attempts to modify global climate trends by causing algae blooms or the other methods suggested to attempt "terraforming" our planet, then I think it's a foolish waste at best, and possibly an extinction-level event, as we posses nowhere near enough data, knowledge, or understanding to safely attempt such a thing. It would be like taking a 10-yo kid that is currently taking a science class covering basic electricity and telling him to go ahead and stick his hands into the guts of your TV set. Better have an ambulance standing by. Except that we have no ambulances to take us off the Earth if we screw the pooch dicking around with our planet's climate.
Strat
Translation: I have found a meme that I can continually repeat to rationalize away any disturbing finding. Now come on kiddies, let's BURN MORE OIL!!!!
Nice strawman you built there. I never said anything about burning oil or touched on energy at all in my post.
I'm all for alternative energy sources where they make economic and practical sense.
One data point on a scale covering millenia doesn't prove anything. It only tells us that, *right now*, there seems to be less arctic ice than there has been over the last decade or four.
We know that global climate has changed radically over the ages, from much warmer than now to much colder than now.
We simply don't have data spanning enough time to know whether this is natural or not.
Why don't you be honest and abandon all pretense that you're basing your opinions on science and the scientific method.
Whenever someone mentions unusually cold temperatures in a single winter or even a decade or two, well, that's just weather. Why isn't the reverse true?
What you advocate isn't science, it's evangelism.
Strat
rtfa
its saying that the current level of ice is already lower than it has ever been recorded, and it's not even the end of summer yet, so we expect there to be even more loss of ice to come.
I did rtfa.
It's comparing satellite measurements which means, at best, measurements since only the 1960s/70s. On a global climate scale time frame, that's nothing.
It's like measuring the distance between continents in the morning and then in the afternoon and claiming that because no meaningful difference exists between the two that continents are stationary and don't move.
It has nothing to do with datapoints and isn't saying anything, other than ICE IS GOING AWAY
Which is precisely my point, but it won't stop the AGW religious extremists from pointing to this and saying "See! I told you so!" as we can already see from the other comments.
Strat
Without the same observations over a longer period, this data is meaningless in and of itself.
It could easily be part of a cycle we have not been able to observe because we've lacked the means and meaningful observational time frame to detect it. It's simply one point on a graph spanning millenniums.
Strat
were I a carpenter, and my tools unsuited for carpentry, what use would they be to me?
[sarc]
But...but...we must prevent racists from using those tools to make wooden crosses to burn on peoples' lawns!
Only racists want carpentry tools that aren't designed/controlled by authority to prevent such bigotry and racism!
[/sarc]
Strat
amiga3D is actually a boot licking Republican though.
Oh, I wasn't aware the Republicans orchestrated a secret coup d'etat. Last I knew, Obama/Democrats have been in charge of the DOJ and TLAs for the last 3 1/2years.
But please, don't let facts or reality spoil a good narrow-minded, cheap, partisan dig when both parties are and have been equally guilty of ignoring and pissing all over the Constitution and the Rule of Law for at least the last 50 years or more.
Carry on.
And people wonder why US politicians view the citizens as willfully stupid, blind, ignorant, and easily-manipulated sheep?
Strat
If that's the standard we should all be executed.
[voice: "Bug/Edgar" from MiB1]
Your proposal is acceptable.
[/voice]
- US government.
Strat
Sad day today, to know of the loss of a great person.
Agreed. I was 12 when Neil made that "one small step, one giant leap". It inspired me to a career in technology and aerospace.
What I find truly sad and infuriating is that, today in the US, a war veteran like Neil Armstrong would likely be put on a DHS terrorist watch list, not given the opportunity to advance all of humanity.
Strat
Then let me rephrase: How should an indie recording artist advertise more efficiently than the establishment, which has both economies of scale and radio program director goodwill to its advantage?
An indie really can't compete marketing/advertising-wise against the majors. You have to find a way to get your music to go viral through alternative channels.
Don't undervalue live performances. Live performances can also get you some local (to the venue you're playing) radio plays, and since many radio stations also stream, they reach further than they once did.
These may also help:
http://www.sonicbids.com/
http://www.bandmix.com/
http://www.tunecore.com/
http://www.reverbnation.com/
There is no single best method/path/plan for indie artists. Do your research, try some things, see what works best for you and your music.
Strat
That's Libertarian Rhetoric 101 stuff, kiddo. I've heard it all before.
Yeah, how dare those libertarians go around suggesting the government leave folks alone!
Why, if that kind of thinking got popular, the US might become a nation of free people with very low taxes and a national budgetary surplus to easily handle wars, emergencies, disasters, etc!
Oh, the horror.
Strat