Climate change explained, and the myths debunked

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Mar 102013
 

The potholer54 YouTube channel has a lot of easily understood videos on science and highlights some of the lies and misinformation in the media and on the Internet. He says:

The main purpose of this channel is to explain in simple terms the conclusions of scientific research, and correct some of the unsourced crap we get fed on the Internet. I am a former science journalist (see the "Who I am" video) with a degree in geology.

In particular, potholer54’s series on climate change is simply unsurpassed when it comes to detailing all the nonsense out there on both sides of the so-called “climate change debate”. He says:

There is a lot of inaccurate nonsense about climate science written in blogs and the media, whether exaggerating the effects of climate change or seeking to undermine the science behind it. This series checks the sources of these claims and shows how they have been misinterpreted or deliberately altered. I have no expertise in climatology, I am a former science journalist, so checking facts is what I do. And I always cite these sources so you can check them for yourselves. Along the way, I explain the real science as relayed by researchers in published papers, in a way that makes it easy to understand.

I highly recommend you view this series if you want to know what’s really going on. The series is several hours long but is available in a handy playlist here:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2013

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IE10 does not colour manage correctly

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Oct 302012
 

Well, after my post on the abysmal colour management support built into IE9, I’ve now got Windows 8 and have tested IE10. Unfortunately it seems that IE10 is just as broken as IE9. Perhaps Microsoft don’t care about the “beautiful web”? More here:

Firefox browser and now Google Chrome browser on Windows 7 and on Windows 8 can be configured to be fully colour managed. These are a much better alternative to IE9 and IE10.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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The Lance Armstrong Myths

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Oct 222012
 

The Montreal Gazette gives a nice summary on the myths surrounding Lance Armstrong, such as Armstrong’s claim that he has never tested positive for drugs:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Trek Bikes and Lance Armstrong

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Oct 202012
 

The fallout of brands being contaminated with their association and support for Lance Armstrong continues. VeloNews has one such story:

I was going to say something negative about Nike but they just about retrieved themselves by their announcement that they were also dropping Armstrong.

Though Trek have now dropped Armstrong, the Greg LeMond situation still needs to be investigated. There is much that remains unresolved about the way that Trek Bikes allowed themselves to be influenced by Armstrong and the way that they treated LeMond. USADA’s Reason Decision at http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/ provides further background information.

In addition to their road bikes, Trek do make mountain bikes and some which are very fine; the Trek Fuel EX 9.9 being a prime example. Tempted as I was with a Trek Fuel EX 9.9 or even the burlier Trek Remedy 9.9, I think I’ll be sticking with a Santa Cruz as Trek’s involvement and behaviour still does not sit well with me.

My current Santa Cruz XC Carbon is a brilliant piece of machinery, and the excellence of the trail-oriented Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc make this a very temping bike. Of course it helps that Santa Cruz Bikes are not tainted with the Armstrong legacy.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Lance Armstrong, the USADA report and the UCI

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Oct 162012
 

I’ve gone through USADA’s Reasoned Decision http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/ which explains why Lance Armstrong is a cheat. The evidence against Armstrong is overwhelming and compelling; no reasonable person could come to any other conclusions than that Armstrong is guilty.

But what surprised me were the actions of the UCI as described in the Reasoned Decision. Something stinks at the UCI. The UCI’s tendency to sue or reject anyone who speaks out against the UCI or against Armstrong seem to have been explained by the conclusion I reached after reading the Reasoned Decision.

The UCI have a lot to answer.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Lance Armstrong can now be called a cheat

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Oct 112012
 

In my previous article on Lance Armstrong If Lance Armstrong cheated, can he be forgiven? at http://www.metalvortex.com/blog/2012/08/24/1002.html I said I was going to wait for USADA’s next step before commenting. That step has been taken.

Wow.

There is now a massive backlash in the media against Armstrong; the evidence overwhelming. It seems it is now safe to call Armstrong a cheat. A liar. A bully. Despite the good that his charity has done, he has also destroyed the lives, hopes and dreams of his teammates, his competitors and his racing fans. His attacks and abuses well known; those against Filippo Simeoni being an example. With his continuing attitude of denial, his refusal to accept responsibility, I can’t see how Armstrong can be forgiven. For those who sympathise with Armstrong, please, the guy has demonstrated that he is unsympathetic and unremorseful. A thug. Perhaps a psychopath[1].

LIVESTRONG? How about CHEATSTRONG? Or LIESTRONG?

1. psychopathy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has been variously described as characterized by shallow emotions (in particular reduced fear), stress tolerance, lacking empathy, coldheartedness, lacking guilt, egocentricity, superficial charm, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity and antisocial behaviors such as parasitic lifestyle and criminality. There is no consensus about the symptom criteria and there are ongoing debates regarding issues such as essential features, causes, and the possibility of treatment.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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The myth of acupuncture – beware Greeks bearing gifts

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May 212012
 

Science-Based Medicine describes the failure of acupuncture to evidence its claims of efficacy and that, despite this failure, acupuncture is increasingly popular with the general population, seduced by its apparent plausibility and its apparent antiquity.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Homeopaths – delusional, or deceitful, or both

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May 212012
 

There comes a time when it’s clear that only the delusional or the deceitful claim evidence for their case when, in reality, said evidence indicates the opposite. Homeopaths and proponents of homeopathy have exhibited such delusional/deceitful behaviours regularly. The Quackometer and Zeno’s Blog describe the most recent of these behaviours:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Oh dear. The College of Medicine.

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May 032012
 

DC’s Improbable Science has an article detailing the harm that the “College of Medicine” is causing:

Wow. You can see why David Colquhoun is angry. Something is rotten to the core.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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Not the truth.

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Apr 132012
 

Charles Darwin’s beliefs are not relevant to the fact of evolution which uses the scientific method to gather evidence. So I am not entirely sure what the religious are so keen to claim Darwin. Eric MacDonald explains clearly how Cardinal Pell is misrepresenting what Darwin wrote:

It would seem to me that Pell is deliberate in his attempts to misrepresent Darwin. Pell is not representing reality. But then what do you expect from a person that represents an organisation based on superstition, fairy tales and the cause of much evil and barbarity.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2012

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