Chemistry World

Anyone have members' access to Chemistry World? I'm trying to see what this says.

Comments

[RETEPHSLAW]

Bishop,

I pressed on your word "this" and managed to read the contents.

Have you managed it yet?

Peter Walsh

[Nick]

http://mclean.ch/climate/Eng_Scot/Fig_02_CET_anomaly.gif

Is one of the graphs. It's a distortion. By not using the average as the cross over line between red and blue, it gives the impression that high temperatures are a recent phenomenom.

[Bishop Hill]

Oops - wrong link. Try again.

[RETEPHSLAW]

That's better...he said.

Now I cannot access it! So I hope someone can help His Grace.

Peter

[Gareth]

A bit of googling suggests to me Oxonpool's comment at 3.22pm on this post has been published. That is as much as I can determine without access.

[Gareth]

Apologies for failing to close the hyperlink.

[PaulM]

The hockey stick illusion

I should like to advise Nick Hewitt, reviewer of AW Montford's book The hockey stick illusion: climategate and the corruption of science (Chemistry World, September 2010, p63) that I really cannot agree with him that 'Readers of Chemistry World will have far better things to do than read this pedantic book'. Although I have not been a member of the RSC for a couple of decades, as one who practised the profession of chemistry for many a long year, I wholeheartedly recommend AW Montford's book. I find Hewitt's use of the word 'denier' to be notably unhelpful. Those of us who remain unconvinced that man's activities produce dangerous global warming have that essential trait of a scientist: curiosity.

F Molloy

By email

Ed. We have had several letters on this topic. Sadly, the debate surrounding the issue of anthropogenic climate change is unlikely to be resolved to everyone's satisfaction within the letters page.

[Bishop Hill]

Thanks Paul

[The Pedant-General]

It speaks volumes that the URL is redirected to a page named "_denial.asp"

:-)

[pesadia]

Thank you F Molley for speaking out in support of scientific curiosity.
The final paragraph from (presumably) the editor is tantalizing

[Sam the Skeptic]

pesadia Oct 12, 2010 at 2:02 PM said:
"The final paragraph from (presumably) the editor is tantalizing"

Agreed, but you must admit he has a valid point. The letters column of any publication is where the totally convinced meet, er, the totally convinced. One side or the other. Whether climate change, student fees, or the defence cuts, I doubt that anyone's mind has been changed by the letters column.
It's interesting that the scientific "establishment" (a juxtaposition of words, in my opinion, on a par with 'police intelligence', 'fun run', and 'airline food') continues to denigrate by ad hom those who choose to take a different view.
My training was not in the sciences but I was always taught that nobody has a corner on facts and that there is always a new idea round the corner that just might turn out to be right. Insulting those who disagree with you will almost certainly end in tears, probably your own.

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

A bit off topic, but it appears that there are a number of strange people running around in chemistry -- even if they aren't chemists. Here is a beaut. Did you know that airplanes kill far more people with their exhaust while cruising at 35,000 feet than they do in accidents. Why, some non-chemists sat down with a computer and simulated it. Why the ACS has anything to do with this sort of thing is beyond me.

I kid you not HERE

[Jiminy Cricket]

@don... I am truly flabbergasted by that link

We report simulation results indicating that aircraft cruise emissions are implicated in increased premature mortality on a hemispheric scale.

Maybe we are missing something, maybe this is just one Class Object ("subroutine" in old speak) in the creation of our own Deep Thought computer program. Just another 5 trillion objects required running in perfect synchrony and harmony, before the Chaos theory is revealed and the meaning of life is apparent.

Don is there any money in this? I am sure I can think up a few more that "add" to the understanding of our complex planet?

[Latimer Alder]

@don pablo

'it appears that there are a number of strange people running around in chemistry'

Sorry to disagree with you, but the article you cite was written by engineers at Fen Poly, Cambridge. No proper chemists involved.

LA, Bachelor of Arts (Chemistry), Oxon.

[Nick]

The funding councils are awash with cash. Hence all this 'climate research'.

If you're into beavers, what better than to get some of the climate cash so you can do your research. All you need to do is submit the application, "I want to research how the mating habits of beavers are affected by climate change"

Just watch for papers and you'll see this all over the place. Almost worth a blog

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Latimer Alder

Read on lad -- I say "even if they aren't chemists" and it is the ACS that published it.

[Latimer Alder]

Don Pablo

Its been a long time since I were authentically a lad.....but even then engineers weren't 'around' chemistry. Any more than fish are professional cyclists. That the ACS has some weird publication offshoots is a matter for that organisation.

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Jiminy Cricket

Don is there any money in this? I am sure I can think up a few more that "add" to the understanding of our complex planet?

Hey, all you need is a computer and you too can do "research" without the benefit of collecting data. Why get your hands dirty and have to put up with all those airport security check points going to strange places to "collect data" when you can sit in your office and "do research".

Ain't technology wonderful? Hell, yes, there is money in it. We should get together and start a research group. I think Nick has a great idea about beavers -- everyone loves beavers, but loggers. But the loggers are cutting down all those trees and so are obviously in the pay of the big paper mills and lumber yards. Beavers are even better than polar bears because the polar bears kill seals.

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Latimer

No offense meant as everybody is a "lad" at the pub in Ireland -- including me and I am almost 70. And the ACS is the ACS. They own the journal and they control it. Let them clean their house. I am sure 99% and then some of the chemists of the world would be upset by the article, as you and I are (I have a minor in biochemistry). But the society needs some new management, I think.

[mojo]

This may prove useful. Or, y'know - not.

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2795.txt

[Mike Post]

Don Pablo

The address given in the peer-reviewed (?) paper, University of Cambridge, Trumping Street CB2 1PZ, U.K does not exist.

[RETEPHSLAW]

Bishop, you might like to moderate this comment about Bob Ward. I do realise that you, and all of your friends who contribute to your blog are polite to the nth degree. I am also polite, most of the time, and you humour me. [But not this time, I'm afraid. Snip]

Peter Walsh

[Latimer Alder]

@mike post

Its Trumpington Street.

Taken from their website

Cambridge University,
Department of Engineering,
Trumpington Street,
Cambridge CB2 1PZ,
United Kingdom.

[Don Pablo de la Sierra]

Latimer Alder

See, you can trust a real chemist to get it right. Wonder what else they got wrong? It was a good find, Mike Post

[Robinson]

If you're into beavers, what better than to get some of the climate cash

I love beavers. I could think of a few clubs in Prague to spend the cash in too....