January 07, 2014

Air is Not Supposed to Hurt

Also, here in Virginia temperatures should be expressed in two or occasionally three digits. If there are less, then something is very wrong.


I don't have much to add but this piece by Solokov struck me as tangentially related and  strangely awesome.



UPDATE: In other news, a combination of post Christmas vacations, Amazon gift cards as well as weather delays has resulted in hours very close to what we were getting  before Christmas...This is cool, but school starts next week, so I'm mildly concerned.

Note that as an adult, I'm not actually concerned enough to spend an alarming amount of the workday on an angry, hate filled tear about how decisions by management personnel (who are just doing their job and adjusting to a dynamic situation in a SERVICE industry) are causing me to (gasp!) adjust my schedule...almost as if I'm (somehow) paid to do what is needed when it is needed.  However there seems to be some debate amongst today's  generation about how this "employment" thing is supposed to work.

Kids today...

Also: My lawn..get off of it
No really, the grass is frozen...You're breaking it.....

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January 05, 2014

If, Today, You Read Just One

...disquisition on Edmund Burke's views on morality and how it ties into traffic safety and the philosophy of John Ford, let this be it.




Even Yakui gives this one her seal of approval.

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What the HELL Was That?

Space Dandy premiered on Toonami just now and I have no freaking idea what I just watched.

I only know that it was exuberantly unfettered by sanity.

Here's the first half of episode1 subbed.. I gather this ran in Japan as a promo a short time ago....



Note that in the second half, the episode proceded to get silly.

However, the dub was good and just as I was about to throw something at the TV they concluded the series most satisfyingly.

I think

I really don't know how I feel about this, so I'm gonna  have to tune in next week and find out.

This show certainly is different.


more...

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January 04, 2014

This Time For Sure



 The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is one of the most powerful icebreakers capable of reaching Antarctica. (The huge Russian atomic powered icebreakers can't cross the equator due to a quirk of their reactor design)

Fortuitously the American vessel is was en route to supply the Research station at McMurdo when the Australian government requested assistance in breaking free the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long which became hopelessly stuck while rescuing passengers from the Russian ice strengthened cruise ship Akademik Shokalskiy which, as we've been noting with considerable bemusement was on a scientific expedition to research global warming by studying Antarctica's retreating ice sheet...only to have the ice sheet rally, turn, fight and overrun their position.

The Polar Star, while nearly 40 years old,  can break 21 feet of ice and has three times he installed power of the much larger Chinese ship so odds are good that they'll be successful.

Interestingly the Polar Star nearly wasn't available having been decommissioned in 2008 as worn out and beyond economic repair. However, it was decided in 2010 to put put a maintenance crew on the vessel rather than scrap her and ultimately the vessel was refitted to soldier on for several more years to supplement her sister and the larger but less powerful Healy while a new class of icebreakers is designed...and hopefully built.

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January 02, 2014

In Defense of the Formerly Icebound Adventurers (Updated)


pic via BBC

Now that the passengers, both scientists and dilettantes have (thankfully) been rescued from the Akademik Shokalskiy I feel the need to come to their defense with limited snark.

I think they are getting a slightly bum rap.

The NYT has a piece denouncing the expedition as disrupting 'serious' science. The short version of this is that the rescue of this expedition is seriously impacting the logistics of other scientific endeavors on the frozen continent.

This is technically true as their article points out...French, Chinese, and Australian icebreakers were all in route to, or offloading supplies at base camps for other scientists when they were called to assist a vessel in distress. The NYT suggests that these endeavors were all more legit than the research being carried out by the self funded expedition.... They do note however that the expedition leaders are not novices at this...

The leaders of the current expedition – Chris Turney, Chris Fogwill and Greg Mortimer — are seasoned field scientists.  


So what is the problem here?

But the bungled trip now threatens to tarnish the wider field of Antarctic science.


Uh...huh..."tarnish"?

No.

The NYT is denouncing these recently quite highly regarded scientists because they encountered a (thankfully non-fatal) mishap that for their political allies has politically problematic optics. This may or may not be fair...but I'm pretty sure that the Old Grey Lady didn't have a problem with the expense and disruption involved in this.

Stuff can happen....especially in Antarctica...to the best equipped and most professional. Ask Captain Scott.

The Spirit of Mawson Expedition went into an extremely unpredictable area about which not a lot is known. THAT'S WHAT SCIENTISTS DO! They made a discovery, probably several, because, rest assured freezing and stranding the ship was not part of the plan. It was however SCIENCE happening all around them getting steadilly thicker and they observed it. Science often involves  goeing into the unknown and that entails some risk. Antarctica is unpredictable and dangerous...that is why people don't live there.

Then there's this from the NYT article.
  Particularly vexing is what seems to be a devil-may-care attitude expressed by some of those on the trapped ship.


Oh my stars and garters! Bravado in the face of danger! How gauche!
What the HELL else are they supposed to do...cry? Be overly dramatic regards what was did not seem to be a life threatening situation? Sit down in their footsie Pajamas drink cocoa and talk about health insurance? Oh...right...NYT.

Well...as far as I'm concerned this is a feature and not a bug. Props to these guys on that score at least. In fact it's cold enough there that even I wouldn't begrudge them footsie PJs! Besides, they did what scientists in the field often DO... they stuck with it, kept calm and kept observing. Read about Roy Chapman Andrews (Combat Paleontologist) sometime. The fear that they were so politically motivated that they would stay and get someone killed turned out to be unfounded. It looks like they did not flee prematurely nor too late.

Let's review...A freak storm and cold snap stranded their ship. Now because several of the scientists are allegedly* outspoken advocates of AGW theory and associated economically dubious mitigation efforts...and ALL of the on board patrons are,  those of us who are a bit skeptical of their political stance on this issue had a good hearty laugh at the amusing irony of the situation, This is not that different from what our our political opponents did here and here...except for the minor detail that no one was laughing at innocent deaths.

That being said, while I think that much of the amusement on the right is understandable in that context, I think we should cut these adventurers a break.


" Halp! We're stuck in a 16 foot thick pile of Global Warming!"

A small break....

One of the non-economic complaints about AGW science is that it relies too much on models, which are only as good as the (necessarily incomplete) data put into them. The models don't seem to have been reliable in predicting recent trends.

These scientists went to an area that had been extensively surveyed about a hundred years ago but has been largely unobserved since in order to collect data on how it has changed over that considerable time...this is exactly the sort of research we want done. The scientists who led the expedition reportedly have a theory that carbon emissions are dramatically affecting the climate. So they went to test their theory in the field. THIS IS SCIENCE!

There seems to be much hand wringing over the fact that this expedition was funded by rich patrons who got a Antarctic vacation out of it (admittedly a  much more exciting one than they anticipated). Well that is the way science was normally done for centuries. There's a limited pot of National Science Foundation monies and this delightfully free market model demonstrably works (this is proved by them getting there and discovering way more ice and colder temperatures than they thought. ) This sort of model seems a very good compliment to the generally successful NSF model.  

Now...If the scientists had been looking for Antarctic space NAZI's and their saucers or something I'd be a little more sympathetic to the argument that their mishap disrupted legit research needlessly...but whatever political quibbles I might have with their patrons, they displayed the courage of their convictions with cash and their presence and I salute them for that. As for the scientists , they put together an expedition to a largely unknown area where they tried to TEST THEIR HYPOTHISIS.

That is what science is...That is what scientists do...

"And science is AWESOME!"


UPDTATE
:I'd resigned myself to being the only righty who thought this, However Moe Lane expresses similar sentiments rather more pithily. He also cuts to the heart of the matter.
...it is remarkably embarrassing, which is why the NYT is so aggravated about the whole thing.  To the point where they’re retroactively trying to throw the expedition under the icebreaker.  As if it’s the Spirit of Mawson’s fault that the ice is still there…


UPDATE2:
Oh no WAY.

* I've not found a primary source  on this point.
Animated .gifs are from Nichijou, which is unrelated to this matter. It is also (like science) awesome & should bring a smile to the face of anyone regardless of political preferences.

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January 01, 2014

In the Interest of Being All Multicultural and Stuff...

We've decided to bring in a guest today from....
...
...
I'm sorry...WHAT!?


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December 31, 2013

There is no Fighting It

The inexorable advance of time will catch you.


...and it can be mean.

Happy 2014 everybody.

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Outbreak Company Ends



While I was initially impressed with its characterizations and how well this show handled its ridiculous fanboy affirmation premise, after the unmitigated disaster that was episode 5, I had thrown in the towel. However, a couple of weeks later, I did watch the next episode and it was substantially better, much more in keeping with the tone of the earlier episodes. In it, our hero, who follows sports manga but not actual sports decided that the best way to defuse the growing racial and ethnic tensions between the elves and the dwarves in his class was to have them have a soccer tournament against each other...It goes about as well as one would expect.

After that, the show continued its uneven shuffle towards the end, never quite gelling but every episode had at least some intriguing or at least amusing tangents.




For a show that is supposed to revolve around evangelizing fandom, it can be pretty straightforward in its exploration of that cultures pathologies and dysfunctions.



The show takes a rather different tack in the last two episodes and while it had been telegraphed for quite a while it still feels rather jarring. The ending only partially resolves the various plot threads but I found it more satisfying than it normally would be due to the fact that there was some genuine character development in a couple of characters over the course of the series.

Wildly uneven, Outbreak Company is never great, and the occasional idiocy of the protagonists can be infuriating, but it is often cute, funny and even interesting. It seems to be set up for a second season, and in the unlikely event that transpires, I'll probably at least give it a try.


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December 30, 2013

This "Space Dandy" Thing Looks Like it Could be Offensive

Gloriously so.

More importantly it seems to have considerable potential to be fun...and possibly even good.


The ad is RETRO-RIFFIC...

...beyond that, here is not much to go on, other than reports that the show concerns a bounty hunter in the far future. However, Soul Eater, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Beebop and Samurai Champloo...is a pretty impressive pedigree.

 It certainly looks to be one to watch. It's premiering on Toonami this Saturday, January 4th

Text below this line does not exist
Friday or Saturday (Toonami says Saturday, January 4th. But Saturday is the 5th).

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December 29, 2013

Cruise Ship Trapped in Pack Ice

A Russian research/cruise ship Akademik Shokalskiy. has been overwhelmed by a summer blizzard off Antarctica and has become trapped in thickening ice. The Chinese icebreaker  Xue Long, unable to deal with the thickness of ice around the ship has retreated to open water leaving the cruise ship's only hope the Australian icebreaker Aurora Austrialis which is moving to assist. .


Akademik Shokalskiy stuck fast. Pic via USA Today

UPDATE: It looks like Aurora Australis is also being forced off by the abominable conditions.
This is getting serious.
Two top of the line icebreakers have found conditions too dangerous to proceed. The weather has deteriorated to the point that helicopter rescue is currently unsafe. If the ice is really over 4 meters thick, the cruise ship (which draws 4.5m) is not really floating any more. There is the very real possibility that the ship might be crushed. Complicating matters is the fact that the 'expedition' is a political stunt and PR is everything for the expedition leaders. Reports from the Akademik Shokalski indicate that those being interviewed are in denial of the gravity of their situation.The optics of this incident as well as the political and financial implications for the members of the voyage, may well be influencing them to deny the inevitable until lives are at risk.
Irony is a dish best served cold.



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December 28, 2013

OK Guys

We need to ponder some important matters...
Who are the villainous vehicular vixens we are looking at here in this frame grab?


We've got Baron Ashler, Garada K-7, Doubilus M2...and that, um, scissorheaded thing that sinks boats...Any ideas on the others?


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Well This Looks Sketchy

Work, school and family matters have meant that I've not been minding my E-mails like I should for nearly a month. I'm on several mailing lists that are concerned with news, science, defense analysis, politics, and frothing fanboy recidivism. So today...my first day really OFF in a long while. I started to slog through nearly 400 E-mails.

Among them were, to my great astonishment a handful of E-mails from actual human beings with whom I have spoken...offline even.... as well as a couple that just...wow.

more...

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December 27, 2013

Uh...

What?



My childhood has just been molested...but in a completely different way than usual.

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Just South of Europa, it Gets Kind of Humid

One of the Brickmuppet's Crack Team of Science Babes seems a bit excited about a recent discovery by NASA.


"It's just a water vapor cloud..BUT IT'S IN SPAAACE!!!"

While examining an aurora near Europa's  south pole, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered that it is associated with a faint cloud of water vapor, presumably venting from cryo-volcanoes on Europa that have plumes 201 kilometers high.



It seems likely that the 'cloud' deposits snow on Europa's south pole. NASA scientists take the plumes as further evidence that Europa is home to a vast subterranean ocean.

via NBF

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December 25, 2013


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Merry Christmas!


Fate Stay Night's Rin and Saber by Megumi Ishihara

For those of you who prefer to celebrate X-mas...



Everyone have a wonderful Holiday!


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December 24, 2013

45 Years Ago




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The JASDF

...is not bored right now.




Not sure what is going on there with the Russians, but team red is certainly keeping them busy.

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Meanwhile in Space


" Hi. We're the HVAC guys."

The astronauts on the International Space Station just successfully replaced a coolant pump via an emergency Christmas Eve spacewalk. There have been several issues, not the least of which was a potentially dangerous malfunction yesterday in one of the 35 year old suits.

As I type this, they are decontaminating in the airlock prior to re-pressurization. It seems that there was an ammonia leak while they replaced the pump.

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If You See a UPS Driver Today

....be nice to them.
They are having a hard day. They cannot return to the building until all residential packages on their trucks are delivered.
They have quite a few this evening.

Oh look...winter clothing.


Image is promo art from Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions!Click here for supah size.

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