A Sunday Comic dedicated to the insane amount of snow Chicago got blasted with this past week. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to watch the Puppy Bowl.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday Comics
A Sunday Comic dedicated to the insane amount of snow Chicago got blasted with this past week. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to watch the Puppy Bowl.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Gallup Poll: Highest Percentage Of Americans Interested In Alternative Energies
This morning I received an email from a regular reader concerning a recent Gallup Poll covering possible actions that Congress should pursue.
The long and short of it is that 83% of the population sampled was interested in incentivizing alternative forms of energy. This is impressive because it is the highest percentage produced from a poll that included:
I find this interesting for a multitude of reasons, mainly because environmental issues are typically secondary to issues concerning war and tax. While I am excited at the possibility of more interest falling on energy innovation, I am curious to see how the questions were phrased and exactly who was polled (especially when they only surveyed 1,000 individuals over the phone).
Either way, I am going to not be skeptical of this poll and instead let it act as a catalyst for a good mood that I will hold on to throughout the weekend.
The long and short of it is that 83% of the population sampled was interested in incentivizing alternative forms of energy. This is impressive because it is the highest percentage produced from a poll that included:
- Overhauling the federal tax code (76%)
- Withdrawing from Afghanistan (72%)
- Immigration issues (43% - 55%)
- Oil exploration (non-specific average rating)
I find this interesting for a multitude of reasons, mainly because environmental issues are typically secondary to issues concerning war and tax. While I am excited at the possibility of more interest falling on energy innovation, I am curious to see how the questions were phrased and exactly who was polled (especially when they only surveyed 1,000 individuals over the phone).
Either way, I am going to not be skeptical of this poll and instead let it act as a catalyst for a good mood that I will hold on to throughout the weekend.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Global Warming My Ass!
Global warming is a MYTH! It snowed a LOT in Chicago yesterday, and if global warming was true, then that totally would not have happened... am I right?!
*high fives conspiracy theorist and walks out of the room fist pumping*
In all seriousness though, climate change is the driving force behind my interest in alternative energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable practices. The science is sound when it comes to studying the long-term trends of global temperatures rising in relationship to carbon emissions, but it is still surprising to see articles focusing on how easy it is to manipulate the public.
So I apologize for the relatively unexciting post today on a topic that I hope you are already familiar with, but I feel it is good to touch on the subject of global warming to keep it in the public domain.
Now if you will excuse me, I was NOT joking about the amount of snow we got yesterday, and now I have to go dig my Jeep out of a 4' snow drift.
*high fives conspiracy theorist and walks out of the room fist pumping*
In all seriousness though, climate change is the driving force behind my interest in alternative energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable practices. The science is sound when it comes to studying the long-term trends of global temperatures rising in relationship to carbon emissions, but it is still surprising to see articles focusing on how easy it is to manipulate the public.
The New York Times states:
Now, new research suggests that people’s opinion on global warming can be influenced not just by the weather, but even by the temperature of the room they’re sitting in.
The study, by Jane Risen, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago, and Clayton Critcher, a marketing professor at the University of California, Berkeley, found that university students placed in a heated room expressed higher confidence that global warming was a proven fact than those placed in a neutral control room.I just find this interesting because even though I would like to believe that today the public generally believes that there is a relationship between our consumption levels and the rise in global temperature, that simply is just not the case. The sheer fact that people can be manipulated into giving certain answers by adjusting a thermostat and feeding them salty food is surprising/upsetting.
So I apologize for the relatively unexciting post today on a topic that I hope you are already familiar with, but I feel it is good to touch on the subject of global warming to keep it in the public domain.
Now if you will excuse me, I was NOT joking about the amount of snow we got yesterday, and now I have to go dig my Jeep out of a 4' snow drift.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Internet Issues: Students Record Earth From Space On The Cheap
Well, it would appear that the post I tried submitting yesterday did not go through because my internet was apparently knocked out the entire time I wrote it.
It really is too bad because that post was destined to change the world, but it is lost now, never to be seen again. In lieu of this tragic loss, I am not going to spend too much time trying to make up for yesterday and instead point you in the direction of this cool article I found on BBC.
The entire article can be found here, but here is an excerpt from the article which pretty much sums up the coolness:
On a related note, I too have recorded videos in the past. For example, this one time I recorded one of my friends hitting another friend in the face with a pillow.
It was hilarious, and just as cool as this video. Right?
...Right? Guys?
It really is too bad because that post was destined to change the world, but it is lost now, never to be seen again. In lieu of this tragic loss, I am not going to spend too much time trying to make up for yesterday and instead point you in the direction of this cool article I found on BBC.
The entire article can be found here, but here is an excerpt from the article which pretty much sums up the coolness:
University of Sheffield PhD students Alex Baker and Chris Rose used a helium-filled balloon to send a foam box containing two small video cameras and a GPS tracker into the atmosphere.The video they recorded can be found below, which cost them a little over £350.
On a related note, I too have recorded videos in the past. For example, this one time I recorded one of my friends hitting another friend in the face with a pillow.
It was hilarious, and just as cool as this video. Right?
...Right? Guys?
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