“All this has happened before and it will happen again.”

by ckroberts61

Discover Mag blog, Slate: Two science-policy pundits dig into the climate “wars”
[Via Knight Science Journalism Tracker]

Chris Mooney and Matt Nisbet are easily linked in the mind, having for awhile joined forces in a touring two-man panel discussing public perception of science, scientific perception of the public, media sandwiched in between, and global warming politics. Both happen recently to have independently popped up with direct connection to the bloggy, angry public discussion over whether or not traditional academic climatology has somehow become so infected with arrogance, sloppiness, data distortion, or lefty hidden-agendaitis that therefore industrial society should happily burn all the coal it can without guilt, caps, taxes, or trade embargoes. Paying attention to their latest provides reporters on energy and climate beats a better idea how to report news in such an acid atmosphere.

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Biologists have been dealing with these approaches for the last 30 years or so with respect to evolution. The same sort of attacks on ‘cub scouts by marines’, the same sorts of distortions, the same tactics by denialists, the same appeal to debate, the attacks in the press, etc.

We learned a lot in these battles, such as identifying the techniques used by denialists and working to neutralize them.

The difficulty here is that evolution does not directly affect anyone’s life while the ramifications of climate change does. And, just as the cub scouts became better trained over the years, so have the marines, only now they have put their gaze on an entirely different area and attacked with overwhelming force.

Luckily, facts are facts no matter how many millions are spent trying to persuade people otherwise. Science will win in the end. At least if we hope to remain a force in the coming environment.

The misuse of plastics may be deadly

Perils of plastics: Risks to human health and the environment
[Via EurekAlert! - Biology]

(Arizona State University) Rolf Halden, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to the ecosystems we depend on. His findings, which appear in latest issue of the Annual Review of Public Health, are sobering.

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Bisphenol-A and phthalates are pretty nasty stuff. This review article sounds like it bring together a lot of information.

Now we need better alternatives.

Just the facts

Flogging the scientists
[Via Deltoid]

Peter Sinclair‘s latest video, debunking the “no global warming for 15 years” and “sea levels are not rising” memes:

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When journalists seek to misrepresent the truth, they shirk their ethical responsibilities. So it is quite easy, then, to identify those who are unethical and amoral representatives of the Fourth Estate. Perhaps someone should keep a list, with properly attributed links, to make it easier.

They did it

Highest energy ever
[Via Cosmic Variance]

At this very moment the LHC is busy trying to set a new world record. The goal is to achieve beams circulating at 3.5 TeV, bringing collisions between protons to 3.5+3.5=7 TeV center-of-mass energy. This would be the highest particle energy ever accomplished by humans (nature somehow routinely manages to produce cosmic rays at energies 8 orders of magnitude higher!). This news is hot off the press: we had a talk today by Lyn Evans, and he gave us the latest update. He should know what’s going on, since he’s project leader of the LHC. Evans shared some entertaining anecdotes from the last few years of commissioning, including:

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The anecdotes are great, especially how a ping-pong ball was used to save a project costing billions. But the good news was reported by the BBC at 6 am this morning – LHC smashes energy record again.

They have not collided the protons yet but they got the beams going. Now only about 8 orders of magnitude before we catch up to the energy found in Nature. I think we will need a new energy source before then.

Peaceful uses for nuclear missiles

by mightyohm

Spaceman
[Via BBC News | Science/Nature]

It’s a curious beast, there’s no doubt about that.

The Dnepr rocket that will carry Europe’s ice explorer Cryosat into orbit next month is quite unlike most satellite launch systems.

But then most satellite launchers did not start out as nuclear missiles.

The Dnepr is one of those “swords into ploughshares” stories.

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Former nuclear rockets use to launch satellites. The idea that a lot of black powder is used to get it out of the silo so that the rocket itself can be launched makes me smile.

This is a really nice story, not just for the metaphor but for the view of the ‘rocket’ scientists.

They had to use incredible ingenuity to get this payload ready, because of a fault that was found that would have ruined the mission. They used a bronchoscope from a local doctor , a magnet and a stick to fix the problem.

It launches April 8.

Seems like a showdown is coming

by Mike_fleming

Amazon threatens more publishers with freeze-out over prices
[Via Ars Technica]

Earlier this year, Amazon found itself in a showdown over e-book pricing with publisher Macmillan, which wanted the ability to set pricing for its works. Amazon initially pulled all of Macmillan’s titles off its virtual shelves but, a few days later, conceded there was little it could do—Macmillan’s works went back on sale, and Amazon apparently gave up on trying to force its prices on the company. Despite that rousing lack of success, reports are now indicating that several other publishers may get the same treatment, as Amazon is threatening to stop selling their works as well.

Indications of an ongoing fight between Amazon and book publishers were apparent almost as soon as the Macmillan matter was settled. Amazon had been purchasing e-books from publishers at a wholesale rate, which allowed it to set the retail prices; rumor had it that the company was selling works at a loss in order to push Kindle sales. Publishers, which have an obvious interest in keeping prices for their work higher, were certainly not pleased with this approach.

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Seems to me that Amazon is perilously close to abusing its role as the market leader for selling books in order to allow it to enter new markets – ebook readers that only it sells. It is, not surprisingly, pushing this while it still have a large share of the e-reder market, one that it appears to be rapidly losing.

Forcing publishers to sign long contracts for ebooks in order to continue to have any books sold sounds a lot like what Microsoft did by using its operating system to enter new markets and shut out competitors.

In the end, this approach actually hurt Microsoft. I think something similar could happen hear if Amazon starts shutting out publishers.

We aren’t there yet but I find it a little shocking that Amazon would threaten its core business (being the place to buy any book) in order to sell more Kindles. What happens to Amazon if it becomes known as a place where you may not be able to find the book you want? Would Barnes and Noble start picking up customers?

I know that I would be a lot less likely to shop Amazon if I could not be certain which books were available.

Zombies on my iPhone

by danhollisterduck

Aliens in the garden: the secret origin of Plants vs. Zombies
[Via Ars Technica]

It goes without saying that we love Plants vs. Zombies here at Ars Technica, especially the pocket-sized iPhone version of the game that was just released. If you haven’t played it, you can download the free demo here and even get 10 percent off if you decide to buy the full game. It’s a bizarre, funny, and addictive strategy title with a quirky art style, but the most surprising thing about it is that it was originally supposed to be an entirely different game.

What many gamers don’t realize is that Plants vs. Zombies started out as a sequel to Insaniquarium, a strategy game that involves growing an aquarium’s population while simultaneously protecting the fishes from an alien invasion. PopCap recently shared some original concept sketches for with us, and the evolution from sequel to fully original title is fascinating.

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Every iPhone needs to have some games. But there are so many of them that I think it is better to view them like people do with say stamp collecting. Specialize.

So, I have been loading games on my iPhone that have to do with Zombies. Call of Duty – Zombies has been my favorite.

But I’ve gone through the Resident Evil ones – lots of fun; Zombie Attack! – tiliting my iPhone was never more fun; Zombieville USA – great when I have to kill some time (pun intended); Alive 4-ever – I want to find the time to play more of this one.

I know I have not touched ALL of the possibilities. It is almost getting to the point where I may have to deal with just a sub-genre of zombie games. Maybe only cartoony zombies. Because Plants vs. Zombies on the iPhone sounds delicious.

When the iPad becomes your cable box

by bigpresh

Apple tables push for TV subscriptions on iPad, seeks 99 cent episodes
[Via AppleInsider]

Apple had high hopes of delivering an all-you-can-eat buffet of television shows in the form of a subscriptions service by the time its iPad hits the market next month, but opposition from networks has forced the company to adopt Plan B: a push towards lower pricing for a la carte downloads.

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I think this will eventually be a route for income for the media companies. I really do not think most people will get rid of cable in order to watch it on an iPad. And it would seem to me, that it would give them some bargaining power with the cable companies, which in many markets are simply monopolies.

I guess we will have to wait a few more years.