Understanding the Voynich Manuscript #1 Tom, Dick and Harry explain a statistical method. The mysterious Voynich Manuscript. A simple analysis of a sufficiently large text can reveal much about the topic of that text, if the language is known. If the text, as in the case of the Voynich Manuscript, is written in an unknown script, then the same simple analytical method can point the way to the underlying language, or language group.
Arctic Ice September 2010 - Update #1This is my first update to Arctic Ice September 2010.
Arctic Ice September 2010As I write these words - September 01 2010 - Arctic sea ice extent as reported by NSIDC and JAXA is not as low as I had expected it to be.image source: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/.The IARC-JAXA graph shows 2010 extent as 4th lowest of recent years thus far, behind 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Petermann Ice Island RevisitedPetermann Ice Island (2010) Calved on August 05 2010. The calving had been anticipated for some time and had been predicted to occur in summer 2010 by a number of people, including myself. The actual calving event was observed in near real-time images by a number of people - credits at the foot of this article.I give here some more background to my observations and my predictions of the Petermann calving event in a wider context of mechanical forces which may act on glaciers.Greenland under observation
Bias And BalanceThere is a founding principle in law: audi alteram partem. It is Latin, and means, literally "Hear the other side." It refers to a principle of fairness, justice and ethics: the requirement that statements from both sides of a contest in law must be examined with all due diligence to determine the truth of a matter to a high standard of probability.The audi alteram partem principle recognizes the right of each side in the legal contest toa full and fair opportunity to challenge the evidence presented by the other party, to summon witnesses, to present evidence and to have skilled assistance in the presentation of the case.The principle is as applicable to science as it is to law.
M.A.D. 2.0The greatest fear of mankind after World War 2 was the real possibility of a World War 3.It was a rational fear of a very real threat: the global destruction of civilization.Nations, most especially the USA and the former USSR, found themselves in a mad race to build more bombs, more powerful bombs, megadeath bombs.The military theory behind this madness was that if a nation had weapons enough to utterly destroy any enemy then it would not be attacked. But a first strike might reduce the ability to launch a counterstrike powerful enough to utterly destroy the enemy, so it was thought necessary to keep in constant readiness far more than enough weapons to destroy any enemy.
Who Is This Monckton Person Anyway?Christopher Monckton is a member of a very small group of people who are actively engaged in trying to undermine the international scientific consensus on climate science. He is a propagandist.I decline to refer to him by his inherited title because he is acting against the best interests of the country which granted him the right to the title.Monckton is not and never has been a member of the House of Lords:
Arctic Ice August 2010 - Update #3The NSIDC has just issued an update report for August -August 17, 2010North by NorthwestThe end of summer is approaching in the Arctic; temperatures are dropping and melt is ending in the high latitudes. Yet summer is not quite over in the lower latitudes of the Arctic Ocean, where sea ice extent continues to decline. Sea ice has melted out extensively in the northern route of the Northwest Passage, but the passage is not completely open.
Charity, What Does It Mean? - Sadaqa, Matlab Kya He?An essay on the meaning of the term 'charity', with scientific, philosophical and historical discussion."There is no person who does not have the obligation of doing charity every day that the sun rises."Prophet Mohammed"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."Saint PaulAll people in all lands share a common tool: language.
Petermann Ice Island (2010) - The Mörner VersionThe world of climate science according to wishful thinkers.I was raised at the seaside. I lived through the 1953 floods which resulted from the North Sea storm surge.Nils-Axel Mörner seems to have visited the seaside once or twice.
To Anthony Watts,Letter before action in accordance with the rules of common law jurisdictions in general and of the English Civil Courts1 in particular.In the general context of this letter, my use of the term 'you' shall be taken to mean, include and imply any or all of the persons Anthony Watts, Steve Goddard, Christopher Monckton and any other person who may have, at the relevant time, been responsible for the provision of main content or the administrative oversight of articles and / or comments unless the context hereunder clearly indicates otherwise.
Propaganda - An Application Of The Forgetting CurveLearning curves, forgetting curves, adjacency and the scientific roots of the black art of propaganda.
Weird World WeatherThere is a lot of happy talk out there that is premised on the belief that you can't tell the public the bad news because it’ll scare them and they'll not do anything, or they will fall into despair.David W Orr
