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Since things are on fire here, let me resort to a retro moment and resurrect the “ponderables” style of post, likely for just this one day. Herewith, I present some intriguing items that have gushed from the open hydrant that is my Internet connection and washed up on the stony shore of my mind. Have fun, . . . → Read More: The return of ponderables In the ongoing saga of The Worst Science Book of the Decade, a.k.a. Superfreakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner, we now have a first-rate slap down from Real Climate, An open letter to Steve Levitt: By now there have been many detailed dissections of everything that is wrong with the treatment of climate in Superfreakonomics , but what . . . → Read More: Superfreak slap down Honestly, Levitt and Dubner, the authors of the much ridiculed Superfreakonomics, are the gift that just keeps on giving. The latest example is a doozy: Ezra Klein – The law of unintended juxtapositions: From Steven Levitt’s recent appearance on the Diane Rehm show: Of course, ocean acidification is an import issue. Now, there are ways to deal with ocean acidification, . . . → Read More: Superfreaks at it again It’s almost impossible to over estimate the role water is already playing and will play in the coming decades as we confront our energy and environmental challenges. From drought and a lack of water for personal use, agriculture, and power generation, to rising sea level, to impacts on which technologies we can use to generate . . . → Read More: Water and ice roundup The other day I posted about the supremacy of numbers over words when it comes to assessing energy and environmental issues (Numbers beat words), and here’s another great example: The non-issue of wind turbines killing birds. Wind Turbines Don’t Kill Birds; Coal Plants Do: A study from the National Research Council last year tallied bird kills from total . . . → Read More: Turbines and tweeters Can I jump in here, bring the entire conversation to a screeching halt, and point out something that drives me absolutely freakin’ nuts? Of course I can–it’s my site–but I’m trying to be polite about it. Anyway, my beef is yet another example of a Metaphor That Refuses to Die, namely the idea that we need . . . → Read More: Fires and metaphors EERE News: Department of Energy and National Labs Release New Data on Commercial Building Energy Goals: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the DOE national laboratories are releasing technical support documents that suggest how to achieve 50% energy savings in four key commercial building sectors. This is taking place less than two years after launching the . . . → Read More: Doc alert: Building efficiency I have to admit, I was already very impressed with the smattering of mainstream media pieces I’ve seen that treated the superfreaks, a.k.a. Levitt and Dubner, the authors of the (apparently) spectacularly bad Superfreakonimics, like the truth abusers they are. The best example I had seen until the other day was Eric Pooley’s Bloomburg piece, Freakonomics Guys . . . → Read More: Media tipping point (at long last)? Let me be blunt about this: I’m a word guy, and I have a life-long and deep appreciation for the written and spoken word, whether it’s a short story, a novel, technical writing, a presentation, or a dramatic performance. But when it comes to energy and environmental issues–as in real, honest-to-Thomas-Edison science–numbers beat words ten . . . → Read More: Numbers beat words Got Water? FACTBOX – Impacts of glacier retreat on hydropower Climate: When the ice melts Hydropower industry braces for glacier-free future TreeHugger: Hydropower Not Likely Under New Climate Future Water wars show we should all work together Global warming: Indians decide to make their own glaciers With this, well, gusher of water stories in just the last few days, one might think we . . . → Read More: Drip, drip, drip |
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