Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 31 minutes ago, william.scherk said: I'd like to see the quoat in context before commenting, so no. William, The wording is a little different, but the meaning is the same: I'm surprised you are not familiar with this. Helpfully... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 10 minutes ago, Ellen Stuttle said: 31 minutes ago, william.scherk said: I periodically recommend Spencer Weart's book, The Discovery of Global Warming (it is history, basically, and starts at the start -- with the suspicion that the Earth was not geologically constant ... ). I don't believe a single person here has bought or borrowed the book. You believe incorrectly. Borrowed it, no desire to support Weart by buying it, nor to have the discussion of it you try to elicit. Well that's settled, then. Quote The Discovery of Global Warming January 2017 A hypertext history of how scientists came to (partly) understand what people are doing to cause climate change. This Website created by Spencer Weart supplements his much shorter book, which tells the history of climate change research as a single story. On this Website you will find a more complete history in dozens of essays on separate topics, updated annually. If you want basic facts about climate change, or detailed current technical information, you might do better using the links page. But if you want to use history to really understand it all... Second edition, revised and updated (2008) A GOOD PLACE TO START is the Summary of the history of climate change science. For a scholarly preface, look at Methodology and Sources. If you are somewhat familiar with the subject, you could select topics from the Table of Contents (site map). You can print out individual essays using PDF files. These files are for the January 2017 version and will not include more recent updates. You can Search the entire text. Basic navigation: On the right of each essay are links to essays about other topics. Follow forward an arrow to see how the events that you are reading about gave something => TO the other topic. Follow back an arrow to track influence <= FROM the other topic. Double arrow <=> shows MUTUAL interaction. Click on a numbered note, e.g., (12) for references. Some notes, indicated thus: (12*) have additional text. In the note, click on a reference to reach the bibliography—use your browser's BACK button to return. [...] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: The wording is a little different, but the meaning is the same: Or how about something a little more direct? OBAMA: The science here is settled... Should I look for more? Granted. Former President Obama is not a scientist. He was merely the one paying scientists with taxpayer funds. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Fake news website created to test Donald Trump supporters' gullibility - Reveals they will believe anything Quote James McDaniel's website claimed Barack Obama was plotting a coup from a secret bunker and Hillary Clinton was a child-sacrificing maniac. The site got more than one million views within two weeks, and hundreds of thousands of likes and shares [...] Mr McDaniel, 28, who is based in Costa Rica and works for an American nutrition company, said that within two weeks of him starting his website undergroundnewsreport.com, it had received more than one million visitors, and hundreds and thousands of likes and shares on Facebook. He followed ‘Obama ran paedophile ring out of White House’ with a fake story about Wikileaks publishing an email in which Hillary Clinton supposedly urged the then president to restrict his child abuse to ‘the pizza arrangement’. Despite the obvious reference to Pizzagate, Trump supporters responded by urging Julian Assange to reveal all his Clinton information immediately - because otherwise Democrats might distract the American people with “fake news”. “This piece by piece,” commented one reader “Gave them time to regroup and start with the Russian fake news about hacking the Election.” Mr McDaniel said his foray into fake news only made him $615 (£505), which he planned to donate to the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. He decided to come clean after seeing the furious, unquestioning reaction when he falsely alleged that actress Whoopi Goldberg had said Carryn Owens, the widow of a dead US serviceman, had been “just looking for attention” when she attended Donald Trump’s speech to Congress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Quite a gumbo. What is one to expect after all the real fake news for generations? What goes around comes around. --Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 This is just weird. From Memeorandum.com. Jeremy Diamond / CNN: Spicer: Trump didn't mean wiretapping when he tweeted about wiretapping — Spicer walks back Trump's wiretapping claims — (CNN)The White House on Monday walked back key point of President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated allegation that President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones in Trump Tower during the 2016 election. – Discussion: Bill Chappell / NPR: Trump Administration Asks For More Time To Provide Proof That Obama Wiretapped Trump Jay Caruso / RedState: BREAKING: Sean Spicer Walks Back Trump's Claims About Obama and Wiretapping Sean Colarossi / Politicus USA: Trump DOJ Ignores Deadline, Says It Needs More Time To Find Nonexistent Wiretapping Evidence Aaron Blake / Washington Post: President Trump's war on quotation marks David Edwards / Raw Story: Sean Spicer denies wiretapping means wiretapping: ‘The president said very clearly wiretapping in quotes’ Stephen A. Crockett Jr / The Root: Sean ‘Spicy Facts’ Spicer Moonwalks Back Claims That Obama Wiretapped Trump Tower CBS New York: House Intelligence Committee Wants Evidence For Trump's Wiretap Claim [...] Madeline Conway / Politico: Spicer: Trump 'doesn't really think' Obama wiretapped him personally – Discussion: Alexander Mallin / ABC News: Trump plans to donate salary, despite pledge not to take one Jacob Gardenswartz / Vox: Kellyanne Conway on wiretapping claims: “I'm not in the job of having evidence” Taegan Goddard / Political Wire: White House Tries to Walk Back Trump Wiretap Claims AOL: Kellyanne Conway on Trump's wiretapping claims: ‘There are many ways to surveil each other’ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 So what is the “average range” of IQ’s based on race? Most folks quote "The Bell Curve," and though he had some disagreements with it, even black scholar and author, Thomas Sowell agreed with it. Ellen Moore below takes a Randian if unscientific view. Peter From: BBfromM To: atlantis Subject: Re: ATL: Normal Distributions and Human Differences Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 03:16:15 EDT David Bozzini wrote: << I am often amused to find the following attitude, even among presumably educated persons: "There just can't be any differences between races or ethnic groups when it comes to IQ, or any other ability that might matter in the real world." >> I don't think anyone has been arguing that there are no differences among races or ethnic groups in their IQ's. The argument is about what – if anything -- follows from that. Some say that because of differences in IQ, the lower IQ groups should be seen as inferiors and refused admittance to the United States, and that those already here should be repatriated. Others insist that people should be judged as individuals, and that the average IQ of their group is irrelevant to any judgment of the individual. The argument is about individualism versus collectivism. Barbara From: Ellen Moore <ellen_moore To: Atlantis Subject: ATL: Peter Taylor asks me about volition and IQ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 14:43:02 -0600. Peter questions, "What is the difference between people and animals? Do we have innate intelligence or is it entirely volitional? Would Ellen Moore please address the issue of IQ?" Peter, it is my judgment humans do not have innate intelligence. Intelligence is entirely acquired by means of volitional actions directed to conceptual reasoning about one's perceptions of reality. Rand maintained that "intelligence is the ability to deal with a broad range of abstractions". Since she also stated "man is a being of volitional consciousness", that means intelligence is volitionally derived by abstraction and conceptualization by means of reasoning. There is a sense in which perception could be viewed as a sign of intelligence but that means only that perceptual acuity can be evaluated as keen or less-clear from a conceptual perspective of knowledge. E.g., we all know that observers "see" different things and often are in error about what they think they "saw". This is a clear incidence that some people have trained their degree of perceptual ability to be more or less accurate. In the Comprachicos, Rand wrote about the fact that, for instance, visual focus is an acquired skill. The thing is, from birth one volitionally trains one's self, one's body, one's mind, and one's intelligence to deal with accurate observation of reality. One develops these skills in the context of the individual's physical and mental effort of input and output. And then there is reason -- One has to individually learn how to reason, and learn what reason is. A newborn does this all alone, and how successful one is depends on the effort put out in learning the skills of reasoning. As for IQ - I pay little attention to it. I know there are people with high IQ scores who are the most inconsistent, and even the dumbest, when it comes to identifying facts and rational thinking. And I know of people who do not score high on tests who are scrupulously dedicated to objectively know the truth, in facts and principles, and that they choose to direct their lives on the basis of principles of reason. In your quote from Rand, she wrote about human consciousness, "... no matter what the innate degree of his intelligence, he must develop it, he must learn how to use it, he must become a human being by choice." Rand is speaking of a volitional consciousness, and what each one must do with it in using it perceptually and conceptually. I have always thought that her saying "no matter what the innate degree of his intelligence" is inconsistent with her stated view that the mind is born "tabula rasa". This latter means that there are no innate concepts or ideas in the brain [mind] at birth. Overall, Rand's general comments agree with the views that all conceptual knowledge is volitional – not innate. She clearly states across the board that knowledge is based on perception of reality, but that abstraction is volitional, concepts are volitional, and reason is volitional. So, my conclusion is that intelligence is volitional. And to truly be "human" means to be volitional and conceptual, and to reason. Animals cannot do anything like this - they are limited to perception only. I'm not sure what more you may want from me, but I'll answer any further questions. Ellen M. From: "Jeff Olson" To: "atlantis" Subject: ATL: Incident in Bixby Dormitory: My Personal Path to Aryanism (was: The savagery of collectivist thinking) Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 18:48:55 -0800 Greg Johnson reflects on the backward denizens of the Dark Continent: "I don't begrudge the Africans their savagery. I think that all races should be allowed to create the form of society that best suits them. I am not suited to live in an African society, and Africans are not suited to live in modern orderly, technological societies." And adds: "For the record, I think that orientals are superior to whites in important ways. They have slightly higher IQs, although their bell curve is steeper.... The reason why I am opposed to Asian immigration is very simple: Because they are superior in important ways, they will eventually end up running this country...." Many here would be quick to dismiss Greg's ethnic meditations as either biases which assume proof not in evidence -- or as simple racism. I must confess that I feel the same urge; unfortunately, my own experiences mitigate strongly against such a brusque dismissal. By way of an explanation, please join me in a piquant journey back to my college days, where I spent my first year in a student dorm (Bixby Hall) in the mid-seventies. Rather than attempt to paraphrase or censor my reflections of the time, I will allow the rather raw words of my journal to speak for themselves -- with the belief that they will convey a more starkly honest picture of that time's events than my present, more circumspect, self ever could.... *********** From my personal journal, entry 10/16/74: "The exchange-students began arriving today: ebony-skinned Africans resplendent in flowing caftans and Dashiki shirts, Asians modestly outfitted in conservative Western attire, clinging to their books and calculators. I am truly looking forward to finally experiencing cultural diversity firsthand...." Entry 10/20/74: "The drumming began innocuously -- really no more than a faint, repetitive thumping somewhere down the hall a few days ago. At first I smiled and accepted this as an inspirational acting out of their traditional African heritage, but now I must admit it's starting to get on my nerves. Damn, haven't these guys ever heard of Bach or Mahler or even the Beatles for Christ's sake?" Entry 10/24/74: "Two Asian women maneuvered themselves onto the Party Planning Committee this morning, and I'm feeling a bit peeved. How did they manage to pull off this coup? Apparently their smiling faces and good manners permitted them to inveigle their way into our good graces, and then they let their superior IQs do the rest. In a private meeting, some of my white friends and I just shook our heads: What can we Caucasians do against such superior intellects?" Entry 10/31/74: I'm beginning to sense something sinister in the jungle beat, an ominous crescendo, an added feverishness in the rhythm, as though the tom-toms were heralding some violent event...perhaps an uprising against White Civilization...? And now the dorm mascot, a friendly orange and white tabby named Philbert, is missing -- and by some strange coincidence our African guests were seen drinking what appeared to be blood from bronze cups. They just smiled and muttered something about liking 'V8' in broken English when one of us asked where they got the blood. For Halloween, the Africans donned shields and war paint and starting herding kids in the nearby neighborhood. Some of the Japanese girls looked really cute dressed up as geishas. My attempts to hit on one were rebuffed due to my lack of math skills. Entry 11/5/74: Tensions mount in Bixby Hall, because someone's pet gerbil has gone missing (though, admittedly, it has escaped several times before), and more Africans have been observed drinking reddish liquid from bronze cups. Meanwhile, a Japanese guy named Ray Kamodo somehow finagled his way into floor supervisor. He's insisting that the hallway be vacuumed twice a week and that straw mats be added in front of communal TV for 'more comfortable viewing.'" Sheesh! Entry 11/9/74: Even the Asians are getting fed up with those damn incessant African tom toms. They tried to reason with the Africans, but apparently had no luck. In fact, a Chinese guy returned from their "meeting" with a black eye and a bleeding lip. Entry 11/12/74: I just read a study that said classical music can raise one's IQ, so I began playing Bach, Mahler -- and even a little Beatles -- as loud as I dared on my small stereo set. The Africans just starting beating their tom toms and chanting primitive gibberish that much louder. And now a few American blacks, apparently incensed by my classical music indoctrination efforts, are chipping in with some rancid-sounding 'soul music.' Jesus Christ, what a bunch of freaking savages! Entry 11/15/74: The Asians, with the support of the 'floor supervisor,' managed to obtain control of the communal TV in the evenings, and are permitting only public television and mathematics/science-oriented programs to be shown. The Africans performed a 'war dance' around the TV room, but Ray Kamodo called the campus police, and black rebellion was temporarily quelled. I'm really disgusted, because I just missed an episode of my favorite show, *Alias Smith and Jones* [not to be confused with the present Nikita takeoff, 'Alias']. Entry 11/24/74: Back from Thanksgiving, but tensions have only increased after the holidays. Ray, the floor supervisor, has mysteriously gone missing. The Africans and American negroes are battling to install one of their own in Ray's place, but thankfully seem unable to demonstrate the necessary verbal and reading skills for the job. The Asians, however, seem to have successfully lobbied the Student Housing Department, and most of us accept that it's only a matter of time before someone of the 'slanty-eyed' persuasion takes over. I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to think we never should've let these people come over here.... Meanwhile, my musical IQ-enriching campaign has utterly failed to reverse the Africans' descent into barbarism and our American blacks' alarming recidivism. Today, some kind of African symbols were painted on the TV room wall, apparently in blood, which some Japanese girl translated as Swahili for 'Death to the Enemy.' Entry 11/29/74: In desperation, I've been seeking out individuals of Jewish descent, especially those with a Germanic background, in the hope of raising the average IQ of the whites here to the point where we might stage a coup against the Asians while simultaneously dealing with the 'Black Menace.' Thank God I discovered Ross Levatter, a med student with the brain that would amaze even the Asians! We've been plotting together with the rest of the white guys and girls, and despite some dumb suggestions from the lesser white races (a dull-eyed Italian guy, and some Arab chick), it looks like we've finally come up with a plan to seize power in the dorm! Oh, shit -- it's late evening and I just heard screams coming from the laundry room. And something that sounds like an African (or possibly negro?) war cry! Jesus Mother of Mary! I've got to stop writing now and find Ross -- ********************* 11/18/01 (Present Time) It's doubtful that many of you know of what followed, since the criminal proceedings were "hushed up." The true story about how a group of deranged African and Negro students went on a rampage – but ended up being lured by strategically placed watermelons, fertility totems, and Voodoo dolls to cleverly camouflaged pits where they fell upon dung-encrusted spikes -- was written up in local newspapers as a one-paragraph article, "Exchange Student Mishap in Dorm Party," which basically claimed that the Africans had gotten drunk celebrating Ramadan and had fallen in a ditch. Only now, inspired by Greg Johnson, have I found the courage to tell the true story -- a story which I know will ring discordantly in these politically correct times. Even now I wish I could forget the horrific racial insights garnered from those turbulent dormitory days, that I could blot out the objective truth which was stamped so brutishly upon my youthful, innocent mind. And I *had* almost managed to forget, until Greg's provocative contemplations stirred my febrile memories.... May Martin Luther King, Confucius, and Mao Tse-tung have mercy on my soul. Mournfully, Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 I will cease and desist after this. No one has a problem discussing the estimated, average 60 IQ of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis because they are all dead. Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies of humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or as a separate species (Homo neanderthalensis. Until now they were considered “carnivores” and not omnivores like Homo sapiens sapiens. I say they are a separate species, even though the two species may have been able to mate and have children. Recent discoveries using the dental plaque on the teeth of Neanderthals show they ate meat when available and plant life when it was not. If both were available, they ate both. But they did look very different from us and if they were still around they might be stared at like Mongloid children. If these “Cave Men” were still around, would we be Politically Correct about them too? If so, that might be polite, but it would not be scientific. “Social lies” have their place and I would not deliberately cause psychological harm to a “Missing Link.” Recently California banned IQ tests for blacks as too damaging to the snowflakes and there are continuing efforts to “fudge” all the data . . . but once again it is the big lie and propaganda replacing science. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 2 hours ago, Peter said: Recently California banned IQ tests for blacks Do you have a link for that, Peter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 File under 'Needs a fact-check' -- Rachel Maddow Beats Fox News For An Entire Week As Younger Viewers Flock To MSNBC Quote As ratings for Fox News show a double-digit drop, younger viewers (age 25-54) powered The Rachel Maddow Show to a win over Fox for an entire week with the key demographic. According to a press release provided to PoliticusUSA from MSNBC, ““The Rachel Maddow Show” averaged 2.62 million total viewers and 624,000 A25-54 viewers last week (vs. CNN’s 1.2 million total viewers and 402,000 viewers A25-54, and FOX News’ 2.64 total viewers and 548,000 viewers A25-54). This is the program’s best week in total viewers since October 27, 2008 – the closest ever in total viewer delivery to FOX News – and the best week in A25-54 since November 5, 2012. “The Rachel Maddow Show” last held its #1 spot in A25-54 during the week of October 10, 2016.” Maddow had her best week in five years and is close to beating Fox News’s overall viewership for an entire week. Viewers are starved for facts during the Trump presidency, and they are tuning into Rachel Maddow, whose program is the opposite of how the Trump administration treats both information and the media. The fact that Fox News is seeing a ratings drop while MSNBC is growing suggests that conservative viewers are not as motivated and engaged at the moment as the non-Trump supporting audience. MSNBC’s ratings have grown by an impressive 72%, while Fox News has seen a 14% decline. [ ... ] -- lots of partisan chest-beating at the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 Maddow has been riffing off Glenn Beck for her style, who riffed off Alex Jones for years for his info and dot-connecting. She's ramped up the style recently and it shows that dot-connecting storytelling does work to grow an audience if you want to step into the guru shoes. (Her audience has grown irrespective of the Fox claim.) Maddow has the guru style down pretty good for her personality, albeit without Beck's talent for creating entertaining metaphorical scenes back in his Fox News days and, frankly, dramatically nuanced delivery. But maybe she should find some different sources for her info and dot-connecting. Info-criteria-wise, these days she's sounding like a leftwing Jeff Rense to some of her buds on the left. (To me, too.) Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 11 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Maddow has been riffing off Glenn Beck for her style, who riffed off Alex Jones for years for his info and dot-connecting. She's ramped up the style recently and it shows that dot-connecting storytelling does work to grow an audience if you want to step into the guru shoes. (Her audience has grown irrespective of the Fox claim.) Maddow has the guru style down pretty good for her personality, albeit without Beck's talent for creating entertaining metaphorical scenes back in his Fox News days and, frankly, dramatically nuanced delivery. But maybe she should find some different sources for her info and dot-connecting. Info-criteria-wise, these days she's sounding like a leftwing Jeff Rense to some of her buds on the left. (To me, too.) Michael Dot connection is projection..... The Constellations of stars are an optical illusion. View from elsewhere in the Milky Way the starts making up the Big Dipper would not look anything like a Dipper. It is similar with news accounts that connect dots. Which dots are connected and how are the choice of the observer to a great extent.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 11 minutes ago, BaalChatzaf said: Dot connection is projection..... The Constellations of stars are an optical illusion. Bob, Hmmmmm... Are the constellations of atoms in a human being an optical illusion when you see a person? That's dot-connecting, too. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 Even Colbert is bashing Maddow: Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Bob, Hmmmmm... Are the constellations of atoms in a human being an optical illusion when you see a person? That's dot-connecting, too. Michael Yes. We would "look" much different if we sensed by sonar or if we used a different spectrum. A human would "look" much more like a blob if it is sensed in infrared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 1 hour ago, BaalChatzaf said: We would "look" much different if we sensed by sonar or if we used a different spectrum. Bob, What would we "look" with? I, for one, only have eyes. Anything else I use has to go through them. The point is, how is it an optical illusion and/or projection when you deny human optics to map reality to begin with? Shouldn't there be a normal before "illusion" means anything? And if one is to project, shouldn't one project onto or into something? What would that something be, pray tell? Hmmmmm?... Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 31 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: Bob, What would we "look" with? I, for one, only have eyes. Anything else I use has to go through them. The point is, how is it an optical illusion and/or projection when you deny human optics to map reality to begin with? Shouldn't there be a normal before "illusion" means anything? And if one is to project, shouldn't one project onto or into something? What would that something be, pray tell? Hmmmmm?... Michael We have eyes and retina that can "see" in a very narrow electro-magnetic band. Other animals have some different organs. Some bird species can "feel" the earth magnet field. We see with the capabilities our sense organs give us. We have learned there is a lot more to the physical world than what we can perceive unaided with out natural senses. We construct our picture of reality with what we have. At best it is a partial picture. There is more in heaven and earth than is drem't of in your philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said: A human would "look" much more like a blob if it is sensed in infrared. A humanish blob. "Seeing" infrared emissions through false-colour renderings in real-time is a thing at airports, at least during times of Fever ... although a few different means are used to detect and corral sick travelers. But see also Under the right conditions, humans can see infrared. Quote The Experiments in Infrared An international team of scientists decided to experiment with humans and lasers. They used different infrared lasers to flash light at people. The flashes were carefully calculated so that each would give people the same amount of photons streaming towards their eyes, but those photons would come in different intervals of time. A short amount of time meant the infrared photons came in a flood. A long amount of time allowed photons to trickle through the subjects' retinas. Inside the human eyes are photopigments - pigments that change structure when they get hit by a photon. The part of the photopigment that changes its structure is the chromophore. It is shackled to what's called an opsin. Give a chromophore just the right amount of energy, and it changes its structure, cutting the opsin loose and starting the process that ends with what we call "seeing." The only photons with the right amount of energy to change a human chromophore are in the 390-720 nanometer wavelength range. Infrared, in the 1000 nanometer wavelength range, is too big and too low-energy to knock a chromophore into changing its shape. But if huge amounts of infrared photons flooded the eye over a short period of time, two infrared photons could hit the chromophore at once. Their combined energy is enough to cause it to change its structure and allow people to see what they otherwise wouldn't. Two 1000 nanometer photons add up, energetically speaking, to one photon of around 500 nanometers - which is in the green range of the visual spectrum. So infrared light, if concentrated enough, would leave us seeing green. Of course infrared 'sight' is displayed in certain still and video cameras, and in military headsets and visioning systems (though not all low-light cameras utilize infrared 'detection' they may use a kind of infrared radar to compute and display 'night vision'). Some jurisdictions use infrared technology to (potentially) harass heat-shedding residents and businesses. Though that might sneak under the gate of the flabby but current term Fake News. Quote Boston officials had hoped to have aerial and street-level photos taken across about four square miles of the city this winter using infrared cameras that would show heat loss in the city homes. Officials planned on sharing the photos and analysis with homeowners, and were hoping the findings would increase enrollment in efficiency programs and also create business opportunities. But, the project hit a snag when the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts raised concerns that the infrared cameras would reveal information about what’s going on inside the homes. Sagewell’s cameras can take up to 20,000 images of homes per day. -- and who hasn't considered "night vision" for his vehicle? From the magic workshops via ExtremeTech.com. Quote How passive night vision works: long range, simpler image The Audi night vision sensor, hiding behind the grille Night vision systems use an infrared sensor typically in the grille to look for warm objects in the roadway. The sensor is a video camera that captures the infrared spectrum just above visible light. The sensor outputs the moving image to a dashboard display. Increasingly, that’s coupled with sophisticated algorithms that detect humans and large animals, and most recently, that sound an alert. This is the case for all night vision technologies. The majority are passive night vision systems. Think of passive meaning efficient, not weak or submissive. They measure the heat generated by living objects without the need for additional illumination. Warmer objects show up as lighter images on the car’s LCD, colder objects show up as dark. In between dark grays are the road and rocks emitting heat from the sun into the evening hours. It’s a bit like looking at a photographic negative (see the image at the top of the story). Passive night vision is one of the technologies (along with light amplification goggles and scopes) that excited a generation of Americans watching Gulf War surgical air- and missile-strikes in glowing green hues on CNN. (Less exciting it you were on the ground at the time.) Passive night vision wins hands down for claimed range, up to 1,000 feet or 300 meters. (At 60 mph on a country road, that’s theoretically more than 10 seconds of travel time.) Passive systems work better in rainy and foggy conditions. The majority of cars use passive sensors, including Audi and BMW. On the downside, passive systems work less effectively at warmer temperatures. They sense polar bears against snow better than camels against sand. BMW for instance says the upper range for effectiveness is 98F (35C). They’re also mounted low in the grille or under the bumper, so much so that when you pull up to a traffic light, you’re almost looking up to the level of the exhaust system on the car ahead. Lugers would appreciate the view. Active night vision (in a Mercedes-Benz) How active night vision works: shorter range, lifelike images Active night vision systems use an infrared illuminator, sometimes part of the headlamp cluster, to light up the road in the IR spectrum. The image can be higher-resolution than passive. Roads and buildings show up better. That’s why drivers initially think they’re watching black and white TV of the road ahead. With active night vision, it’s possible to mount the camera higher in the car, in the rear view mirror cluster, for a better view. As with normal headlamps, the range of active night vision systems is reduced in rain, snow or fog, and effectiveness falls off with the square of the distance. The lifelike image might induce some drivers to think they can steer by the night vision display alone; it’s just not possible except maybe for a few seconds on country roads where the illuminator clearly shows the pavement centerline and edge markings. The biggest drawback with active NV is range, an estimated 500-650 feet or 150-200 meters. That’s still two football fields in length. Some automakers employ a fusion method for night vision, joining passive and active sensing, Currently Mercedes-Benz does that (photo above). The display is typically a positive not negative monochrome image. Edited March 16, 2017 by william.scherk Reason for edit available only in infrared: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 (edited) 5 hours ago, BaalChatzaf said: The Constellations of stars are an optical illusion. If you mean the Zodiac, as traditionally "observed," more a pre-cognitive identification, or a just-about-good-enough naming/framing scheme for navigation ... it is not really an illusion so much as a shorthand. If you want to get to Island X from here, you must use Scorpio as your dusk heading and Sagittarius at dawn. I truncquote you to make a point that your language was just a bit imprecise. That which we have named of the Zodiac and other apparent patterns in the night sky, are illusions only as 'maps.' Celestial navigation in the human journey was at least a step up from prehuman navigation. And who is to say that our pre-human ancestors did not use transiting 'constellations' as seasonal guides ... ? Michael, I think, is illustrating the point that there is no 'illusion' involved in multiple perspectives -- that a distant sentient radar-eyed civilization would not see the same celestial patterns visually as earthlings, but could use intelligence, math and physics to gain the very same three-dimensional model of ' constellations' in universe as we have. Our mutual 'illusions' would converge upon the same celestial mechanics. POV diversity! My favourite celestial navigation aid is RuPaul. Bob, I will take your point insofar as the Zodiac or any 2D star-map reflects "groupings" as real groups -- rather than artefacts of our tiny lenses and narrow parallax. But even the radar-eyed species would confront an apparently 'flattish' scheme of things early in their intellectual journey. And, for better or worse, they may too have lived through a rule of 'Sky Gods' just as brutal and irrational as our darkest ages. Edited March 16, 2017 by william.scherk De-balkanized a few things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 16, 2017 Author Share Posted March 16, 2017 47 minutes ago, william.scherk said: POV diversity! William, On this we agree. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 1 hour ago, william.scherk said: POV diversity! I think of it as like to the practical advantages of two eyes -- with them our visual cortices can calculate off the parallax to give us a visual-mental 'feel' for depth in our field of vision. Without two we could constantly mis-estimate depth, distance relationships and scales. With viewpoint diversity, you can add a thousand more eye-witness reports of the events in your personal viewfinder, explore depths unknown, to stretch the metaphor. This may not work within a political context, where the one-eyed man is often king. And it doesn't explain spiders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 4 hours ago, william.scherk said: If you mean the Zodiac, as traditionally "observed," more a pre-cognitive identification, or a just-about-good-enough naming/framing scheme for navigation ... it is not really an illusion so much as a shorthand. If you want to get to Island X from here, you must use Scorpio as your dusk heading and Sagittarius at dawn. I truncquote you to make a point that your language was just a bit imprecise. That which we have named of the Zodiac and other apparent patterns in the night sky, are illusions only as 'maps.' Celestial navigation in the human journey was at least a step up from prehuman navigation. And who is to say that our pre-human ancestors did not use transiting 'constellations' as seasonal guides ... ? Michael, I think, is illustrating the point that there is no 'illusion' involved in multiple perspectives -- that a distant sentient radar-eyed civilization would not see the same celestial patterns visually as earthlings, but could use intelligence, math and physics to gain the very same three-dimensional model of ' constellations' in universe as we have. Our mutual 'illusions' would converge upon the same celestial mechanics. POV diversity! My favourite celestial navigation aid is RuPaul. Bob, I will take your point insofar as the Zodiac or any 2D star-map reflects "groupings" as real groups -- rather than artefacts of our tiny lenses and narrow parallax. But even the radar-eyed species would confront an apparently 'flattish' scheme of things early in their intellectual journey. And, for better or worse, they may too have lived through a rule of 'Sky Gods' just as brutal and irrational as our darkest ages. The ancient Chinese had a somewhat different constellation map. The saw in the sky The Ox, The Tail, The Heart, The Dragon... and such like...Nature provides the dots and human beings connect them as they will..... Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_constellations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 Joel Pollak from Breitbart coined a beautiful term for how the media constantly commits credibility suicide. He calls it "Jenga journalism." Blue State Blues: Donald Trump Exposes Media’s Jenga Journalism This means for days (or weeks or months) the media piles on a target with lots of flimsy speculation and innuendo and treating all of it as if it were fact. That's the Jenga tower. All someone clever has to do is figure out which block at the bottom of the tower will make the whole thing come tumbling down, then pull out that block. President Trump took to this game like a fish to water. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 Ba’al wrote: The ancient Chinese had a somewhat different constellation map. The saw in the sky The Ox, The Tail, The Heart, The Dragon . . . end quote On the last episode of the TV show, “Grimm,” the grimm, a man who can *see* people who are really a hybrid of human and beast, and his ex-wife both step through a mirror into another dimension or reality. The night sky was different. Spooky! Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.scherk Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Just heard Fake News CNN is doing polls again despite the fact that their election polls were a WAY OFF disaster. Much higher ratings at Fox — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 Hmmm. One wonders where he 'just heard' that CNN is doing polls again. Quote Trump dismisses a poll that doesn't exist for coming from an ... Washington Post-36 minutes ago What's more, CNN's polls (conducted with pollster ORC) were generally in line ... She ended up winning the national popular vote by 2.1 points. Trump's approval rating drops to 37 percentHawaii News Now-1 hour ago Donald Trump praises Fox News, rips 'fake news' CNN over ratings ...Blasting News-3 hours ago Could be this ... CNN reporting on Gallup polling. Quote (CNN) President Donald Trump's job approval rating has dropped to 37%, while 58% of Americans disapprove of his performance so far as president, new Gallup figures show. The approval ratings, Trump's worst since taking office two months ago, come as FBI Director James Comey is expected to tell lawmakers that there is no evidence for the President's unverified claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the election. All in all, another great day for the 'finely tuned machine.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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