[lug] Anyone else hate to get rid of old equipment?

[Maxwell Spangler]

On Wed, 2010-05-26 at 14:43 -0600, Davide Del Vento wrote:

> Would you like to disproof this finding? Write your own model (or
> modify an existing one, they're open source), using sound physics,
> chemistry or even biology if you'd like to include vegetation growth
> (yes, some models already do that - and it's not enough to "correct"
> the CO2 that we pump into the atmosphere). Have your model able to
> accurately predict the past and current, measured, status of the
> climate. Have your model predict the same results (within the accuracy
> of the measurements and of the computation) with or without the human
> greenhouse emissions.

See that is what Science is about to me.  Davide is ready to accept the
results of scientifically produced data even if it completely
contradicts what he has known or has been working with.  The key is the
process.  When done right, in an open manner, where others can reproduce
the results, it becomes as close to truth as we know.

I used to have much more of an us-vs-them attitude in life; I used to be
very frustrated with people who fought global warming and many other
changes in society.  Now I have a great empathy towards them.  We are
living in times of diverse change happening at a frightening rate.  Who
can blame some of us for not wanting to believe that all the industrial
successes of our past that we celebrated and encouraged are the poisons
of our future?  I believe it but I am depressed and burdened by it. 

Life is a lot easier if you close your eyes and pretend a lot of these
things aren't true; (global warming, globalization, uncontrolled
immigration, worldwide financial markets based on gambling practices,
religion being a source of sex abuse, fundamentalism embracing
violence...)

It's important for all of us to take a step back from this from time to
time, relax, take a deep breath and realize we still have a lot of
positive things to feel good about.  Open and Free discussions with
interesting people is on my Good list.

-- 
Maxwell Spangler
========================================================================
        Linux, Unix and Database Administration
        Currently: Boulder, Colorado
        LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellspangler