In response to the common interview question of "If you could throw a dinner party for ten people, who would they be?"
Today, my answer would be:
Albert Einstein
Isaac Newton
Nicolo Paganini
Dorothy Parker
Winston Churchill
Heronimus Bosch
Thomas Edison
Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier
My Mother
My Brother
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Random Thought
I've been watching The Price Is Right for the first time in years. Bob Barkers still doing good, but missing a couple of details every now and then (lowest bid, Clock Game 'Higher Lower' missed once). The new announcer is nowhere near as good as Johnny Olsen or Rod Roddy.
The number of commercials targeted to the older demographic is huge. Every commercial has some statement saying 'We'll fill out the Medicare paperwork for you.'
The number of commercials targeted to the older demographic is huge. Every commercial has some statement saying 'We'll fill out the Medicare paperwork for you.'
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Have I heard anything funny today?
Dale entered Sean's garage to smoke a cigarette. After he finished, he said,
'Well, I'm going to see if I can find a dirty movie.'
There was some banter then Sean said,
'Wait till we find him on the couch stroking himself.' His hands were making a jack-off motion from his hips to his chin.
Dale replied,
'Not from up there.'
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
'Well, I'm going to see if I can find a dirty movie.'
There was some banter then Sean said,
'Wait till we find him on the couch stroking himself.' His hands were making a jack-off motion from his hips to his chin.
Dale replied,
'Not from up there.'
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Friday, December 19, 2003
Random Thought--Why I think time travel is impossible
I'm certain that the following thoughts cannot be original, but I'll write them anyway.
I've always wanted to travel back in time; I think most people have thought about it. As an interesting sidenote, ask someone how they would adapt to the new time period if they go back in time without mentioning when. When I think of this question, I immediately think about the Roman era, where my professor had thought about the 13th century. I'm sure a psychiatrist could make some sense out of it.
But I feel reasonably confident that time travel is not possible, and I make the argument excluding the 'arrow of time' (entropy, fundamental disorder of the universe caused mostly by heat transfer energy loss). Here's the simple case:
Let's say you have a can of Green Giant green beans sitting on a table for twenty minutes. You then take that can of green beans back in time ten minutes and set it on the table next to the beans that are already there. What's wrong with this picture? The same atoms (and hence subatomic particles, etc) are in two different places at the sme time. Basically, continuity (in the chemical engineering sense) is violated because the same mass is in two different places at the same time. Same problems for future travel (although special relativity could make this happen if you had a fast enough spaceship).
Theoretically, continuity violation is not possible. Even considering nuclear physics, both mass and energy have to be conserved. So unless there is some phenomenon with which I am not familiar (and there are many), I am ruling out time travel as a potential area for future study in my lifetime.
I will still enjoy the movies though.
By the way, if someone wants to use the sound barrier as a reason not to exclude time travel research, understand that the physical laws in discussion are a little more rigid than the mechanical engineering problem of supersonic travel.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
I've always wanted to travel back in time; I think most people have thought about it. As an interesting sidenote, ask someone how they would adapt to the new time period if they go back in time without mentioning when. When I think of this question, I immediately think about the Roman era, where my professor had thought about the 13th century. I'm sure a psychiatrist could make some sense out of it.
But I feel reasonably confident that time travel is not possible, and I make the argument excluding the 'arrow of time' (entropy, fundamental disorder of the universe caused mostly by heat transfer energy loss). Here's the simple case:
Let's say you have a can of Green Giant green beans sitting on a table for twenty minutes. You then take that can of green beans back in time ten minutes and set it on the table next to the beans that are already there. What's wrong with this picture? The same atoms (and hence subatomic particles, etc) are in two different places at the sme time. Basically, continuity (in the chemical engineering sense) is violated because the same mass is in two different places at the same time. Same problems for future travel (although special relativity could make this happen if you had a fast enough spaceship).
Theoretically, continuity violation is not possible. Even considering nuclear physics, both mass and energy have to be conserved. So unless there is some phenomenon with which I am not familiar (and there are many), I am ruling out time travel as a potential area for future study in my lifetime.
I will still enjoy the movies though.
By the way, if someone wants to use the sound barrier as a reason not to exclude time travel research, understand that the physical laws in discussion are a little more rigid than the mechanical engineering problem of supersonic travel.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Introduction
Considering that my boss' boss' name is Chris, I think I need to rename the squirrel outside of my window. The black one I will call 'Carol' and the grey squirrel will be called 'Joey.'
Daily Rant
My birthday is coming fast, very soon I will be 32 years old. I will be in Oklahoma at that time, if I am lucky, I may be able to get lucky with Carla. It would be nice to have sex on my birthday again, it has been a while as I recall. Unless you have a girlfriend, it's difficult to get sex on your birthday when it is two days before Christmas. Add to that the 'combined birthday and Christmas present,' and you'll see why I don't really look forward to them anymore.
What was I doing last year during my birthday? Oh, that's right, I went to see 'Stomp' with Tanya. The show was great, even if she was being a bitch (her words, later). Why do I keep thinking about her? She never even kissed me. Oh, I expect I'll spend an hour writing about her later, but frankly, I don't feel like thinking about her now.
When was the last time I got lucky on the B-day? Hmm, lemme see...
2002? Nope, with Tanya, no fun there.
2001? I was seeing Joanne at the time, but I think went to Oklahoma on that day, so I barely missed it.
2000? I was single, and a bit too overweight to get anyone I liked.
1999? I was dating Mary (god was she hot), but I think she went to her parents for Christmas.
1998 Tada! I was living with Christine, and sex was never a problem there.
Wow, it's been over four years since I've seen Christine (we broke up in May of '99). It doesn't seem that long. I never thought that I would miss her as much as I do at times. I broke up for the right reasons, I broke up for the right reasons...
Random Thought
One thing I've noticed about blogs--they are listed in the order of most recent. Which means confusion when you typically read from the top to the bottom; arguments are often concluded before they are started.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Daily Rant
My birthday is coming fast, very soon I will be 32 years old. I will be in Oklahoma at that time, if I am lucky, I may be able to get lucky with Carla. It would be nice to have sex on my birthday again, it has been a while as I recall. Unless you have a girlfriend, it's difficult to get sex on your birthday when it is two days before Christmas. Add to that the 'combined birthday and Christmas present,' and you'll see why I don't really look forward to them anymore.
What was I doing last year during my birthday? Oh, that's right, I went to see 'Stomp' with Tanya. The show was great, even if she was being a bitch (her words, later). Why do I keep thinking about her? She never even kissed me. Oh, I expect I'll spend an hour writing about her later, but frankly, I don't feel like thinking about her now.
When was the last time I got lucky on the B-day? Hmm, lemme see...
2002? Nope, with Tanya, no fun there.
2001? I was seeing Joanne at the time, but I think went to Oklahoma on that day, so I barely missed it.
2000? I was single, and a bit too overweight to get anyone I liked.
1999? I was dating Mary (god was she hot), but I think she went to her parents for Christmas.
1998 Tada! I was living with Christine, and sex was never a problem there.
Wow, it's been over four years since I've seen Christine (we broke up in May of '99). It doesn't seem that long. I never thought that I would miss her as much as I do at times. I broke up for the right reasons, I broke up for the right reasons...
Random Thought
One thing I've noticed about blogs--they are listed in the order of most recent. Which means confusion when you typically read from the top to the bottom; arguments are often concluded before they are started.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Random Thought
Being an interrogator must be a difficult job. Think about it...you need to find a room that's dark with no windows, get a small stool and a single 200 watt light. It's probably better if the light is strung low and squeaks a lot. Maybe put some dirt or grease on the floor so when you kick out the stool the subject's face gets dirty or slimy. Then you need to get hardcore mean-looking men that are willing to throw in some knuckletime with a few shouts here and there.
I hear the first step is to be sure that your subject is uncomfortable. I bet interrogators are trained in a lot of ways to make that happen; the aforementioned knuckletime sure would get things started. I imagine if you follow it up with some heavy metal music, frequent iceberg-cold showers, a few well-placed firecrackers and a good ol' kick to the gut, the subject would be sufficiently uncomfortable for the session. Just think of the shopping list you need to get those items in order.
The actual interrogation must be the most painful task. You have to be awake, attentive, and reactive to each spoken word the entire time. You may get the occasional coffee break to discuss the progress with your colleagues, but in the end you are responsible for placing a person under duress until the prisoner chooses to speak about the topics in which you have an interest. You must always maintain a persona of confidence, aloofness, and antipathy (a few slaps to the jaw every now and then for good measure); unless you need to form a rapport, then you have to change gears and become the person's friend. All the time, waiting to hear just a few simple words.
I hesitate to think about the drug training, torture methods, and general sadism that's involved. Do you suppose they have classes teaching interrogators the proper way to punch a person in the face such that a) you don't injure your hands, and b) your subject feels enough pain to talk, but doesn't have a broken jaw? What are your job duties when there is nobody left to interrogate?
I also wonder about the family life after a hard day at the job. I'm not married, so I wouldn't know for sure, but for some reason I would think you shouldn't discuss work too much with the wife and kids.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
I hear the first step is to be sure that your subject is uncomfortable. I bet interrogators are trained in a lot of ways to make that happen; the aforementioned knuckletime sure would get things started. I imagine if you follow it up with some heavy metal music, frequent iceberg-cold showers, a few well-placed firecrackers and a good ol' kick to the gut, the subject would be sufficiently uncomfortable for the session. Just think of the shopping list you need to get those items in order.
The actual interrogation must be the most painful task. You have to be awake, attentive, and reactive to each spoken word the entire time. You may get the occasional coffee break to discuss the progress with your colleagues, but in the end you are responsible for placing a person under duress until the prisoner chooses to speak about the topics in which you have an interest. You must always maintain a persona of confidence, aloofness, and antipathy (a few slaps to the jaw every now and then for good measure); unless you need to form a rapport, then you have to change gears and become the person's friend. All the time, waiting to hear just a few simple words.
I hesitate to think about the drug training, torture methods, and general sadism that's involved. Do you suppose they have classes teaching interrogators the proper way to punch a person in the face such that a) you don't injure your hands, and b) your subject feels enough pain to talk, but doesn't have a broken jaw? What are your job duties when there is nobody left to interrogate?
I also wonder about the family life after a hard day at the job. I'm not married, so I wouldn't know for sure, but for some reason I would think you shouldn't discuss work too much with the wife and kids.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Introduction
Sitting in my office, looking out my window, enjoying the new Thursday. There is a squirrel outside on the tree. He's been there traipsing around for the past week, so it's probably time to name him/her. I hereby christen it Chris, which is convenient because I don't know it's sex.
Daily Rant
Last night I had fallen asleep on my couch early, sometime around 8:00 pm. I awoke at midnight to find 'Glory' showing on HBO. I had just seen 'The Last Samurai,' which was also directed by Edward Zwick, and I didn't realize until now just how similar the two movies are. Consider that both movies have:
-a scene where the officer (Broderick, Cruise) demonstrates the troops are unprepared for battle by forcing them to load their muzzle-loader rifles quickly.
-a man from American culture bonding with a foreign culture.
-foreign warriors that are strong, proud, and live by a tribal ethic.
-scenes where someone goes through great pain induced by the dominant culture to prove their point (Denzel was whipped, Cruise was beaten by a swordsman repeatedly).
-commanding officers that refer to the foreign culture as 'savages.'
-armies that valiantly go to slaughter like lambs in the end.
There are more similarities, but I think the point is made. These details aside, I'll go on the record and state that both movies were good.
Did I learn something new today?
The computer I gave Dan had a bad power supply, and that was it. Now he has a $300 dollar computer for free. He offered to give it back, but frankly, I have no need for a server farm.
Hobby Update
Guitar: Still working on Caprice No. 5. I haven't learned new notes, but I've smoothed over the new passages and will begin working on the next measures over the weekend.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Daily Rant
Last night I had fallen asleep on my couch early, sometime around 8:00 pm. I awoke at midnight to find 'Glory' showing on HBO. I had just seen 'The Last Samurai,' which was also directed by Edward Zwick, and I didn't realize until now just how similar the two movies are. Consider that both movies have:
-a scene where the officer (Broderick, Cruise) demonstrates the troops are unprepared for battle by forcing them to load their muzzle-loader rifles quickly.
-a man from American culture bonding with a foreign culture.
-foreign warriors that are strong, proud, and live by a tribal ethic.
-scenes where someone goes through great pain induced by the dominant culture to prove their point (Denzel was whipped, Cruise was beaten by a swordsman repeatedly).
-commanding officers that refer to the foreign culture as 'savages.'
-armies that valiantly go to slaughter like lambs in the end.
There are more similarities, but I think the point is made. These details aside, I'll go on the record and state that both movies were good.
Did I learn something new today?
The computer I gave Dan had a bad power supply, and that was it. Now he has a $300 dollar computer for free. He offered to give it back, but frankly, I have no need for a server farm.
Hobby Update
Guitar: Still working on Caprice No. 5. I haven't learned new notes, but I've smoothed over the new passages and will begin working on the next measures over the weekend.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Monday, December 15, 2003
Introduction
Such a shame that it's Monday and not Sunday again, because Tahoe was a blast.
Daily Rant
I had one of the greatest times at Tahoe last weekend (Dec 13-14, 2003). Murad and I both cashed in our Heavenly Season Pass vouchers and started the season off right.
Although it was not all peaches and cream. I arrived at Murad's house at about 4:30 a.m., which was the time we had decided to leave. We were all set to go, and then Murad asked me if I had my season pass.
DOH!
The voucher was sitting at my place, twenty miles away. Of course we had to get it, but it was better than arriving at Heavenly without it.
It was a smooth drive to Tahoe on Highway , but we were worried about the snow level as we ascended the hill. There was hardly any snow at the 5000 ft elevation level, frankly, not that much at 7000 ft level.
But it was different when we got on the chair. It had snowed on Saturday, and during the morning, the goggles would get covered with ice as I cruised down the hill. But all of a sudden, it stopped snowing and the sun started shining. I was having an ultimate blast on Betty's run until for some reason, I couldn't turn right anymore. Every time I tried, I fell.
I knew that I was tired, but this didn't make sense. It wasn't until the third time I fell did I realize that my ski was bending far too much to be normal. In fact, it was broken in half. That explained the difficulties turning, and also ruined my chances of keeping the trip to less than $100. I walked down the hill and got a ride from the ski patrol to the rental shop, where I demo'd some Rossignols. The entire ski replacement took an hour, and I was back on the slopes in perfect weather and good snow.
Saw 'Master and Commander' Saturday evening in the Horizon Casino theater. This place was terrible; the screen was huge, and there were but maybe ten rows seated extremely close to the screen. If you were on the side, you were watching the movie from the far corner. We were originally sitting to the far left, but Murad found seats in the back middle (where the handicapped seats were, nobody was there to use them), we literally had the best seats in the house.
About the movie, what attention to detail, and the performances and story were equally as compelling. Russell Crowe is rumored to be a major pain to work with, but man, can he act.
Sunday was amazing. Not only was the weather perfect after 10:00, but there was enough powder to fall without being hurt. And fall I did! It was also the first time I aggressively attacked moguls with jump turns, were it not for my exhaustion, I would have been able to take entire mogul runs without pause. But I am in bad shape, I couldn't finish single steep runs without stopping. Going to the Y today to work off this Thanksgiving belly.
Did I learn something new today?
Never buy used skis or boots.
Did I observe an interesting person?
The girl who did the rental paperwork (Vicie) had a very observant attitude.
Have I heard/seen anything funny today?
As I came down the tram to go to the rental shop, there was a guy at the bottom of the tram wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and THONGS. There were about 20 "Well, up in a Alaska, this is a summer day..." jokes simultaneously being spoken.
Hobby Update
Guitar: Was refreshing Caprice No. 5 last night, got to the arpeggio ascension smoothly, but still not finished with the first long line. Will work more this week.
Skiing: Two things--Berni's trick of sitting back in the boots worked well for the parallel turns, as did Julian's lessons about holding the poles (I tried it down the mogul runs, worked wonders).
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Daily Rant
I had one of the greatest times at Tahoe last weekend (Dec 13-14, 2003). Murad and I both cashed in our Heavenly Season Pass vouchers and started the season off right.
Although it was not all peaches and cream. I arrived at Murad's house at about 4:30 a.m., which was the time we had decided to leave. We were all set to go, and then Murad asked me if I had my season pass.
DOH!
The voucher was sitting at my place, twenty miles away. Of course we had to get it, but it was better than arriving at Heavenly without it.
It was a smooth drive to Tahoe on Highway , but we were worried about the snow level as we ascended the hill. There was hardly any snow at the 5000 ft elevation level, frankly, not that much at 7000 ft level.
But it was different when we got on the chair. It had snowed on Saturday, and during the morning, the goggles would get covered with ice as I cruised down the hill. But all of a sudden, it stopped snowing and the sun started shining. I was having an ultimate blast on Betty's run until for some reason, I couldn't turn right anymore. Every time I tried, I fell.
I knew that I was tired, but this didn't make sense. It wasn't until the third time I fell did I realize that my ski was bending far too much to be normal. In fact, it was broken in half. That explained the difficulties turning, and also ruined my chances of keeping the trip to less than $100. I walked down the hill and got a ride from the ski patrol to the rental shop, where I demo'd some Rossignols. The entire ski replacement took an hour, and I was back on the slopes in perfect weather and good snow.
Saw 'Master and Commander' Saturday evening in the Horizon Casino theater. This place was terrible; the screen was huge, and there were but maybe ten rows seated extremely close to the screen. If you were on the side, you were watching the movie from the far corner. We were originally sitting to the far left, but Murad found seats in the back middle (where the handicapped seats were, nobody was there to use them), we literally had the best seats in the house.
About the movie, what attention to detail, and the performances and story were equally as compelling. Russell Crowe is rumored to be a major pain to work with, but man, can he act.
Sunday was amazing. Not only was the weather perfect after 10:00, but there was enough powder to fall without being hurt. And fall I did! It was also the first time I aggressively attacked moguls with jump turns, were it not for my exhaustion, I would have been able to take entire mogul runs without pause. But I am in bad shape, I couldn't finish single steep runs without stopping. Going to the Y today to work off this Thanksgiving belly.
Did I learn something new today?
Never buy used skis or boots.
Did I observe an interesting person?
The girl who did the rental paperwork (Vicie) had a very observant attitude.
Have I heard/seen anything funny today?
As I came down the tram to go to the rental shop, there was a guy at the bottom of the tram wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and THONGS. There were about 20 "Well, up in a Alaska, this is a summer day..." jokes simultaneously being spoken.
Hobby Update
Guitar: Was refreshing Caprice No. 5 last night, got to the arpeggio ascension smoothly, but still not finished with the first long line. Will work more this week.
Skiing: Two things--Berni's trick of sitting back in the boots worked well for the parallel turns, as did Julian's lessons about holding the poles (I tried it down the mogul runs, worked wonders).
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Friday, December 12, 2003
Introduction
I will keep it short today.
Daily Rant
I got to work and went to the cafeteria for my standard fruit, yogurt, and Odwalla. However, change of plans, the Mountain View Madrigals were singing their annual Christmas show. They are a great group of kids, very talented, and there is also the added bonus of a free cooked breakfast.
So I sat down with my Eggs Benedict (Traitor!), sausage, and orange juice and was getting ready to eat, when the HR manager comes up to me and says,
"Where's your guitar?"
"Oh, it's in the office. I'm looking forward to playing at lunch."
"We're up in five minutes."
Oof. Apparently our Christmas Carol Sing-a-long was scheduled for the intermissions, and I thought it was during lunch. Tough break, no time to warm up, and I had to get the chords to the songs in less than five minutes.
Next thing I noticed is that there was only Lea, Phyliss, and I up in front of everyone...nobody else wanted to join us.
It wasn't bad, and I got a lot of compliments, but I did miss the change on 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' because they didn't sing the first verse twice...oh that drives me nuts when you have to perform without practice.
Did I learn something new today?
I learned that you should force a practice session before you go live.
Did I observe an interesting person?
Lea M. has an excellent voice, operatically trained and very forceful. Her vibrato is amazing.
Have I learned anything that may be useful for my daily life?
Miguel plays guitar, basic blues, he may want lessons later. Also, turn the volume up on the alarm clock, waking up at 6:45 is no fun.
Hobby Update
Racquetball: Ed and I matched up 1-1 in racquetball yesterday, wasn't having a great game. Didn't get to play the tie-breaker.
Guitar: As mentioned, I could have played more for the Christmas Carols, but it worked out okay.
Skiing: Planning on going with Murad tomorrow
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Daily Rant
I got to work and went to the cafeteria for my standard fruit, yogurt, and Odwalla. However, change of plans, the Mountain View Madrigals were singing their annual Christmas show. They are a great group of kids, very talented, and there is also the added bonus of a free cooked breakfast.
So I sat down with my Eggs Benedict (Traitor!), sausage, and orange juice and was getting ready to eat, when the HR manager comes up to me and says,
"Where's your guitar?"
"Oh, it's in the office. I'm looking forward to playing at lunch."
"We're up in five minutes."
Oof. Apparently our Christmas Carol Sing-a-long was scheduled for the intermissions, and I thought it was during lunch. Tough break, no time to warm up, and I had to get the chords to the songs in less than five minutes.
Next thing I noticed is that there was only Lea, Phyliss, and I up in front of everyone...nobody else wanted to join us.
It wasn't bad, and I got a lot of compliments, but I did miss the change on 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' because they didn't sing the first verse twice...oh that drives me nuts when you have to perform without practice.
Did I learn something new today?
I learned that you should force a practice session before you go live.
Did I observe an interesting person?
Lea M. has an excellent voice, operatically trained and very forceful. Her vibrato is amazing.
Have I learned anything that may be useful for my daily life?
Miguel plays guitar, basic blues, he may want lessons later. Also, turn the volume up on the alarm clock, waking up at 6:45 is no fun.
Hobby Update
Racquetball: Ed and I matched up 1-1 in racquetball yesterday, wasn't having a great game. Didn't get to play the tie-breaker.
Guitar: As mentioned, I could have played more for the Christmas Carols, but it worked out okay.
Skiing: Planning on going with Murad tomorrow
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Introduction
Hello World, welcome to Hussman's blog.
I have no idea how it will develop, or even if it will, but I will now take my turn and provide the world with my insights and wisdom so it can be used for the betterment of mankind, or at least find a way to kill an extra five minutes or so each day.
As this is my maiden post, I suppose I should find some interesting or novel way to present information relating to my daily life. On the spur of the moment, I have decided the following.
Daily Rant
Yesterday I saw, for the first time in my scientific career, convincing evidence that there may be a direct effect of human industrialization on the global weather temperature. Using information from ice core samples, tree rings, and known temperature records, a plot was shown comparing the mean temperature compared to the value obtained in 1960-1970. The data show the mini-ice age in Europe during the 1300-1500 period, as well as known fluctuations caused by volcanic activity.
The most troubling trend was a clear upward movement of the average temperature starting from 1950.
These data were not manipulated; they were gathered by strict adherence to the scientific method, and viewed objectively as closely as possible.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't trivialize the carbon problem. But I placed it lower on the list of Environmental Problems of the World than I did groundwater pollution, CFC's, NOx and SOx. I have always been rather skeptical of the greenhouse gases causing appreciable temperature differences (at least differences that couldn't be reproduced by any global event such as a a volcanic eruption or global climate shift) because, like CO2, water is infrared active and has a much higher composition in the atmosphere. Thank Dr. Mains (my physical chemistry professor) for that perspective, but it turns out that he may be wrong.
Before, my stance has always been "It's like smoking, it can't help, but we aren't going to kill the planet. Besides, the next ice age is due in a thousand years..." My motivation was to solve the other environmental problems before being concerned with this one.
But now, I believe that it's justified to take a proactive approach to reduce carbon emissions to previous levels (at least such that the earth can scrub her atmosphere as quickly as we pollute it). IMHO, the carbon sequestration problem should be elevated to a higher priority status, and I have been made a little less foolish.
Did I learn something new today?
I learned how XML can be used by .NET and Microsoft Office, which will allow me to proceed with conviction on a project's development path.
Did I meet an interesting person?
Not so far
Have I learned anything that may be useful for my daily life?
Do not drive down Almond Street in Los Altos from 7:50 am to 8:30 am each morning during the school year.
Hobby Update
Racquetball: Game scheduled with Ed today, current match record, 1-0
Chess: Still awaiting rematch with Greg
Guitar: Spent better part of last two weeks working on Paganini's Caprice No. 5. Must practice Christmas songs for lunch tomorrow.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
I have no idea how it will develop, or even if it will, but I will now take my turn and provide the world with my insights and wisdom so it can be used for the betterment of mankind, or at least find a way to kill an extra five minutes or so each day.
As this is my maiden post, I suppose I should find some interesting or novel way to present information relating to my daily life. On the spur of the moment, I have decided the following.
Daily Rant
Yesterday I saw, for the first time in my scientific career, convincing evidence that there may be a direct effect of human industrialization on the global weather temperature. Using information from ice core samples, tree rings, and known temperature records, a plot was shown comparing the mean temperature compared to the value obtained in 1960-1970. The data show the mini-ice age in Europe during the 1300-1500 period, as well as known fluctuations caused by volcanic activity.
The most troubling trend was a clear upward movement of the average temperature starting from 1950.
These data were not manipulated; they were gathered by strict adherence to the scientific method, and viewed objectively as closely as possible.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't trivialize the carbon problem. But I placed it lower on the list of Environmental Problems of the World than I did groundwater pollution, CFC's, NOx and SOx. I have always been rather skeptical of the greenhouse gases causing appreciable temperature differences (at least differences that couldn't be reproduced by any global event such as a a volcanic eruption or global climate shift) because, like CO2, water is infrared active and has a much higher composition in the atmosphere. Thank Dr. Mains (my physical chemistry professor) for that perspective, but it turns out that he may be wrong.
Before, my stance has always been "It's like smoking, it can't help, but we aren't going to kill the planet. Besides, the next ice age is due in a thousand years..." My motivation was to solve the other environmental problems before being concerned with this one.
But now, I believe that it's justified to take a proactive approach to reduce carbon emissions to previous levels (at least such that the earth can scrub her atmosphere as quickly as we pollute it). IMHO, the carbon sequestration problem should be elevated to a higher priority status, and I have been made a little less foolish.
Did I learn something new today?
I learned how XML can be used by .NET and Microsoft Office, which will allow me to proceed with conviction on a project's development path.
Did I meet an interesting person?
Not so far
Have I learned anything that may be useful for my daily life?
Do not drive down Almond Street in Los Altos from 7:50 am to 8:30 am each morning during the school year.
Hobby Update
Racquetball: Game scheduled with Ed today, current match record, 1-0
Chess: Still awaiting rematch with Greg
Guitar: Spent better part of last two weeks working on Paganini's Caprice No. 5. Must practice Christmas songs for lunch tomorrow.
Farewell Reader, have a good day.
Hussman
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