Save the Planet a.k.a. Save Ourselves

With Copenhagen 2009 around the corner, the climate change debate has picked up again. And since the number of skeptics concerning climate change abound... its seems like an uphill battle. 29 climate scientists from around the world just released the Copenhagen Diagnosis - and not surprisingly, the icecaps are melting at a faster rate than models predicted earlier. And yet, we will have people who say, these are all "lies", it is a vast political conspiracy of the climatologists, and so on. Why is this message so hard to send home?

One problem with the entire climate change "movement" is its' positioning and marketing. We are told that we have to "save the planet", and the response to that from many people is "why? I like my life as it is, why should I make changes today that might affect the planet someday."

What's at danger is not the planet - the planet has survived a lot and will continue to survive in the coming eons. If astronomer's hypotheses hold true, we know what will eventually happen to the planet - it will get swallowed by the sun when the sun "goes supernova". So we should not be aiming to save the planet. We should be aiming to save US (as in humankind, not United States).

Who will die when the oceans rise above comfortable levels? People on the coastline, people in islands, people in New York. Who will suffer when foods are scarce? Developing countries, followed by developed countries. When resources are depleted, and countries go to war over resources - who will be killed? Humans. If WE want to keep OUR species alive, and if we want to keep our future generations from an awful life, we need to make changes today.

It should not be "Save the planet", it should be "Save Ourselves".

An author I enjoy, and respect: Sir Terry Pratchett

For an avid reader like me, it is a pleasure to enjoy the books of an author who is still alive, and actively churning them out. I am very happy about living at a time when Terry Pratchett is actively writing. Terry Pratchett's fiction - discworld, and beyond - are a part of my life, and it is rare (for me) t0 love someone's books when the author is still churning them out. My favorite authors before Pratchett - starting from Enid Blyton to Ayn Rand and JRR Tolkien, passed away much before I laid eyes on their works. Sadly enough, Douglas Adams, passed away before I could relish getting to know him, and look forward to his new writings.

So, Sir Terry Pratchett is special to me. As much as I savor the anticipation of a new book by PTerry (as he is often known), I also savor getting to know him better through his interviews, and his articles about life. For someone who gets so involved in their books as I do, it's almost imperative to have some measure of respect or connection with the author to love the books. I know I should be able to view the work of art beyond the artist (and all that jazz), but I can't. Not in books, and not in music. Impressionist Art, yes. And thus, am so glad, that today, I also respect Terry Pratchett as much as I savor his fiction.

I respect him because he, in all honesty, does not try and turn his discworld into non-science fiction novels (although I think they are "fantasy"). He is forthright, bright, and speaks his mind. After being diagnosed with Alzheimers, he has done all he can to increase access for the medicines for everyone. And today, he spoke out for "assisted suicide". Here is a link to a rational piece on assisted suicide, spoken from an intimate vantage point, and as usual, great reading. Scroll down to read his article, after the journalist's "synopsis".

Practhett on Assisted Suicide: I'll die before the endgame

Name my PhD thesis

Having an appropriate name for your entire thesis is necessary - and I don't mean the name you will print on your manuscript, resume etc. I mean a name you can swear at, like, REALLY swear. It's like blasphemy, you need to be able to take the name of God in vain when you have stubbed your toe. As Sir Terry Pratchett put it in a nutshell (like always) : "It takes a very special and strong minded kind of atheist to jump up and down... and shout, 'Oh, random fluctuations-in-the-space-time-continuum!' or 'Aaargh, primitive-and-outmoded-concept on a crutch!"

In the same vein, cursing and screaming at "Referral Equity" needs a kind of commitment I can't put into anything else other than writing on Referral Equity. So, I need a name for my thesis. Suggestions in the comments section, please. :)

Five impossible things to do in New York

In order of increasing impossibility:

5) Go to a starbucks cafe near a prominent subway. Pick two grouchy men. Try and get them to move so you can plug your laptop in.

4) Walk on the left side in Times Square or Walk on the biking side on Brooklyn Bridge

3) Stand in the middle of the pavement unsure about where you want to go. Turn left, then right - take a couple of steps in each direction

2) Maintain your N-S-E-W orientation after coming out of a subway.

And finally,

1) Pick a midtown subway. Evening rush hour. Right after a subway has stopped. Walk in the opposite direction of the flow. Upstairs.

Just try it. Just do.

Usage is the best form of flattery

I was extremely-extremely pleased to find that four of my photographs from my Flickr account are being used on the internet by others. One in a someone else's blog, two in enotes (one for Indiana University, second for Penn state), and the fourth in Wikimedia. Flickr rocks! That's one sensible acquisition made by Yahoo!

Here are three of the links (yoo-hoo):

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flight_1549_on_barge.jpg

http://www.enotes.com/indiana-university-guide/indiana-university-2497786321

http://www.enotes.com/penn-state-guide/penn-state-2714052177

Update: Flight 1549

Now pulled out and resting on the NY sidewalk beside the Hudson, Flight 1549 looks like a model plane. Not like something pulled out of a river, if you get my drift. Like the Intrepid, Flight 1549 can become a permanent fixture of NYC. Leave the aircraft there, and convert it into a cafe, with a small museum section. What better marketing can U.S. Airways get?

Miracle on the Hudson: pulling out US Airways Flight 1549

From my apartment, I get a good view of the attempts to pull out US Airways Flight 1549


In this pic, you can see the structure on the left built in the last 24 hours to pull out the aircraft. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to stay in the warmth of my apt, and take a picture without the crane structure right in front....