* Posts by Ilmarinen

257 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Mar 2014

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EU law bods: New eCall crash system WON'T TRACK YOU. Really

Ilmarinen

Re: Illegal for whom, exactly?

"Who lobbied the bureaucrats?"

It seems that quite often the EU gives bungs to campaigning groups, especially Big Green NGOs, to lobby it for things that it then makes into laws. It appears that the Neonic pesticide ban is one recent example, complete with all the policy based evidence making that money can buy.

Ilmarinen
Unhappy

"the new system, which is free for all citizens"

Presumably paid for by the money fairy.

Like all the other unnecessary extra complexity that you get when you buy a car, forced on you by EU directive.

NASA prods sleeping New Horizons spacecraft: Wakey, wakey, Pluto's calling

Ilmarinen
Coat

Re: PLUTO.......Planet, planetoid, Celestial Body or what?

Please, not "Dwarf" - "Porg"

(Planet Of Restricted Growth)

The internet is less free than last year. Thanks a bunch, Snowden

Ilmarinen
FAIL

Re: Not actually shooting the messanger

RTFH: "The internet is less free than last year. Thanks a bunch, Snowden"

That is all.

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

" rogue sysadmin Edward Snowden"

Several people have already made the point that he is merely a messanger of the fact that the "good guys" are now actually rogue states.

I'd just like to add the following: "F**k Right Off"

What a pity: Rollout of hated UK smart meters delayed again

Ilmarinen

More here...

An interesting piece on the subject here: http://www.nickhunn.com/uk-smart-meters-delayed-again/

" This is not all bad news. It means that the growing population of consultants within DECC can look forward to what is fast becoming a never-ending gravy train of consultancy work, public consultations and project reviews. For the consumer it’s likely to mean even more unnecessary costs heaped onto future energy bills. But not until after the next election, so nobody in Westminster really cares."

Well worth a read.

h/t Bishop Hill Blog for link

Antarctic ice THICKER than first feared – penguin-bot boffins

Ilmarinen
Boffin

Re: Good, measury stuff

What does AGW stand for?

Anthropogenic - i.e. caused by humans.

In order to justify the Zillions (that's a 1 with a squillion 0s after it) of dollars being spent and committed to "de-carbonize" the world, a rational person would need to show that 1) The world was warming, 2) The warming was in fact Anthropogenic, 3) The warming was likely to be Catastrophic (as in "CAGW" - or at least a big enough problem to justify the proposed remedy) and 4) That it was possible to do anything meaningful to prevent the warming. Even then, they would have to show that adapting to any change was a worse plan than trying Canute-like to prevent it.

This is quite a tricky challenge, especially as there hasn't been much/any warming for about 2 decades, despite the continuing increase in CO2 (which is supposed to be the cause). Nevertheless, there are some people who still "Believe" in AGW.

These tend to be anyone who's job depends on maintaining the scare or who makes a nice profit taking the green subsidies, as well as the genuine but gullible folks who just want to "save the world". Most politicians and regulators of course love it as an opportunity to raise taxes, impose ever more laws and regulations and to subsidise their friends.

Ilmarinen
Happy

Good, measury stuff

We likes it, not like the making it up moddely stuff.

El Reg reanimates Cash'n'Carrion merchandising tentacle

Ilmarinen
Headmaster

/steel

the "Classic Reg" 500ml steel bottle looks like an ally one to me.

Toyota to launch hydrogen (ie, NATURAL GAS) powered fuel cell hybrid

Ilmarinen

Re: Hideously complex

Noooo - you don't need all that gubbins !

(nor the catalyser, lambda sensor, electronics, CAN bus, ECUs, etc, etc.)

Think carburetor and magneto.

Ilmarinen
WTF?

Hideously complex

Let's keep in mind that a car is essentially just a tool to move people & a few belongings from A to B & back. Four wheels, an engine, weather protection, heating (+ aircon in hot places), lights so you can drive at night. Maybe a radio to sing along to :-)

Even in a world where car manufacturers are now forced by regulations to add layers of unwanted complexity, this 1.8 tonne over-engineered monstrosity must take the biscuit.

(and don't even get me started on the stupidity of hydrogen as a fuel)

ZZZAP! Climate change means getting hit by lightning is likelier

Ilmarinen

Re: yebbut what happens if...

@ Rik Myslewski

Interesting data - but not scary "We've got a problem, folks" data.

The October time series that you link shows a trend of 0.69K/century and also shows the "pause" in warming.

October was warmer than last year, but February was colder. All the lines look prety much like random walks about a shallow trend line to me, i.e. quite different from the CO2 concentration trend line which IIRC only took off post war.

This tends to falsify the CO2 -> CAGW theory because, if it were true, one would expect the two to track much more closely. It looks like CO2 is not the dominant factor, something else is causing the (gentle and beneficial) warming.

Ilmarinen
FAIL

Re: evidence, evidence...

Aaah - the old "cherry picking which question to answer" trick.

Your link is to: "How do we know the world has warmed?" - I don't think anyone was disputing that it's warmer now than back in the 1850s.

My link was to evidence that it ain't been warming much or at all in the last 15 years.

Because you said that the people pointing out that there had been no warming over that period were "science-ignoring idiots".

Is it that we have to ignore just the evidence that tends to falsify the AGW hypothisis?

And I think that your anology is a bit silly too - I'd imagine it would be dificult to claim anything if someone were burning your head. I hope that isn't what you'd really like to do to anyone who disagrees with you :-)

Ilmarinen
Boffin

evidence, evidence...

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcrut4/diagnostics.html

It don't look very warmey to my eye. But then it's only the eye of a science-ignoring idiot engineer, so what do I know?

Ilmarinen

Re: An actual outcome of this...

This seems suspect. IIRC, lightning formation in cunims is a triboelectric effect caused by water droplets. If so, the ammount of rain ought to be proportional?

Also, in the comming thermogeddon, there is supposed to be more water in the atmosphere so presumably more will be circulating as rain too.

Perhaps I can get a bung from the EU to make a computer model to study this?

Ilmarinen
Joke

"the models predicted"

yada yada ... we're doomed - "when you get ignition, it can go big time" says "Climate Scientist".

My HOUSE used to be a PUB: How to save the UK high street

Ilmarinen
Go

Re: Planning conundrum

Absolutely Yes !

IIRC, the planning system is one of the last vestiges of the post-war Socialist nationalization program. The government nationalized your right to develop your own property as you saw fit and imposed a planning system that would allocate permissions as needed in the brave new world. Over time, this mutated into a system for saying "no" to most development and has thus created the market distortions that we see today. Why are houses so eye-wateringly expensive? Mainly because we have restricted the supply (that and increased the demand with increased immigration).

My personal experience with council planners is that they have a weird form of jargon-speak (e.g. "harm to the openness of the countryside") and are quite happy to lie and deceive when it suits them in order to reach the desired "no" answer.

(but we did defeat them and got our modest extension approved - Yes !)

Ilmarinen

Re: With you on this

AC said: "the Government give them the rest" to which I replied:

"the Government" can only do this by taking other peoples (aka "taxpayers") money - it has none of its own.

Also, I rather suspect that libraries & museums are a small part of what they spend. More than 50% of my local council spend is paid out in benefits.

Dodgy thruster won't stop Philae hurtling toward comet showdown

Ilmarinen
Go

Re: Approved standards

Godspeed, little hectograpefruit-sized science 'bot !

Consumer group SLAMS NASA for letting Google rent $1bn 'playground'

Ilmarinen
Facepalm

"blimps could float in and out, barely touching the sides"

Hopefully that would be barely *not* touching the sides - scrape - oops :-(

Met Office: 2014 was fifteenth warmest on record

Ilmarinen

Re: daft regulations

Same in England. Barking mad.

Unfortunately this is what happens when the Politicos drink the Green Cool-Aid. Sound bite promises are made, these get translated into Acts of Parliament, (often via Directives) which get distilled into regulations and suddenly we notice that we are forced to live in air-tight homes, or can't buy proper light bulbs, or have our hard earned spaffed on wind power subsidies.

Tumbrels, tumbrels - where are the tumbrels?

Having a Web Summit? Get some decent Wi-Fi!

Ilmarinen
FAIL

And ? So ?

Bit disapointed with this article. I thought it was going to be *why* the system failed and *how* to set up a large scale WiFi system that worked.

Instead of just a little winge.

Hey ho. Sorry, there it is.

Virgin 'spaceship' pilot 'unlocked tailbooms' going through sound barrier

Ilmarinen

Re: Over-Speed lock

Just guessing: the feathering tail is intended to be deployed at high speed in the rarefied atmosphere of near SPAAACE, not the 200-300 mBar at 30-40,000 ft. Probably the speed would then decrease gradually during re-entry. The combination of high speed and dense atmosphere might over-stress the structure, either directly or by producing a violent un-commanded pitch up.

It will be interesting to read the accident report when it gets released.

Data protection laws come to the rescue of poor, underpaid UK MPs

Ilmarinen
Coat

There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever...

... of any wrongdoing by Honorable or Right Honorable Members in their expenses claims.

Oh good, that's OK then. I'll get my coat...

UN: Fossil fuels should be terminaated 86 years from now

Ilmarinen

Re: IPCC Credibility

Basically, it's NOT a scientific organisation

It's the *Inter-Governmental* Panel on Climate Change, i.e. a political organisation.

Some "science" does go on but, e.g. when they finalize the Summary for Policymakers, it is done by closed door negotiations with the press excluded (but Green NGOs included).

I think it's most unlikely that they would ever find that there isn't a scary problem as their salaries and prestige depend on confirming that there is one.

Donna Laframboise wrote an informative book on it which makes an interesting read - Recommended.

Pitchforks at dawn! UK gov's Verify ID service fail to verify ID

Ilmarinen
FAIL

They can't even get *paper* right

Just helped a (east European) neighbor fill out a UK drivers licence application...

The form says to complete section A & B or some such - but the sections are *numbered* 1, 2, etc. Sections A, B, etc are the f***ing *instructions*.

Hanging really would be too good for them.

Boffins who stare at goats: I do believe they’re shrinking

Ilmarinen
Joke

Ha Ha !

More "Global Warming" trolling...

(is this like the one about having to cary fish up mountains by llama because of Climate Change (tm) ? )

Edward who? GCHQ boss dodges Snowden topic during last speech

Ilmarinen
Big Brother

British values

"My staff are the embodiment of British values, not a threat to them"

Bla bla bla, they go shopping, have a drink down the pub and "help children in local schools".

As I expect did Stasi operatives, the NKVD, thoes lovable German folks and indeed, any of the tools of rogue states throughout history. That didn't make the work they were doing good or right.

As a Brit, I would not agree that spying on the population 24/7 is the embodiment of British values, and I *do* think that it is a threat to them.

South Korea faces $1bn bill after hackers raid national ID database

Ilmarinen

Re: Scrap the whole system

Never been to Korea - but being required continualy to produce "your papers" or ID card is I think a sign that the Gov thinks it owns you.

Britain’s snooping powers are 'too weak', says NCA chief

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Re: Public confidence?

Some Anonymous Coward wittered "the recruitment processes that resulted in Snowden getting recruited also allowed an unknown number of other half wits into the bit barns" to which I replied:

Nope, don't think Snowden can be described as a half wit. He clearly understood that his government had gone rogue and the risks of exposing what was going on. I think better descriptions would be brave, public spirited and patriotic (as someone upholding his country's constitution when his government was trashing it).

DVLA website GOES TITSUP on day paper car tax discs retire

Ilmarinen

Re: I don't understand

No you don't understand.

Govt demands money from punter in the form of car tax. Govt should make it possible for punter to actually pay said money at any time - not just only days or weeks before it's due.

In most normal transactions you pays your money and gets the goods or services - why should HMG be different (other than usual incompetence)?

Scrapping the Human Rights Act: What about privacy and freedom of expression?

Ilmarinen
FAIL

Re: Slightly amazed

"What the UK needs is a party that returns to socialism"

I don't think that it ever had one, but the previous nearly socialist ones still managed to run out of other people's money to spend. And the current clowns are still carrying on the same, running up debt and spaffing our hard earned cash on foriegn wars, high speed trains, spying on folks, aircraft-less carriers, diversity outreach co-ordinators, etc, etc.

I think we just need much less government, much smaller Government - EU, central, county and local - and many fewer laws and regulations. These people are not in their trade for our benefit, merely for their own self importance and enrichment or a nice easy job and good pension.

Bring on the tumbrills, that's wot I say.

Ilmarinen
Happy

@ Nigel Whitfield.

Thanks for the pdf link. We like people who do facts and evidence :-)

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Politicians - bless 'em

IIRC you have to sign up to the ECHR to be a member of the EU or of EFTA so we would have to invoke Article 51 and negotiate our exit from the EU or just renege on existing treaties, either way without the option of joining EFTA. Might make trade a bit difficult.

But then, this is just conference grandstanding by an uninformed and ignorant politician, and we know how tenuous their relationship with truth and honesty is - remember "Call me Dave" and him "vetoing" that "treaty", or that guff about "renegotiating" our "relationship" with the EU? - all make believe.

The mainstream media seem equally clueless most of the time.

BBC Trust candidate defends licence fee, says evaders are CRIMINALS

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Should be broken up and sold

An independant, truthful and unbiased broadcaster might justify a compulsary licence charge. Sadly, the Beeb is none of these things - more like the broadcast arm of the loss making Guardian newspaper. Leftist, statist and with its "naratives" and agenda.

Not fit for purpose, a waste of money. Break it up and sell it off.

Snowden shouldn't be extradited to US if he testifies about NSA spying, says Swiss gov

Ilmarinen
Black Helicopters

Re: Nice idea in theory, but...

We may theorise about what a sensible, logical US administration would do, it having considered all options and posible consiquences. That is not the same as what the fools might actualy do.

Uber, Lyft and cutting corners: The true face of the Sharing Economy

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Re: That was a good article

Disagree - I thought it was two pages of waffle without much of a point. Sorry Andrew, but there it is.

I don't approve of cab licensing (with permits costing BIG sums in the major cities) - it's just a Guild-ish restraint on trade, to advantage of the licensor and the (prety lowly skilled) supplier to the disadvantage of the customer.

Uber alles.. NOT: Berlin bans taxi ride app over 'safety' fears

Ilmarinen
Devil

Rent Seekers

What a surprise that Cabbies and "licencing authorities" aka "Government" don't like anything that busts the current scheme.

Rent seekers all, desperate to protect their incomes by restricting customer choice; and no better than the medieval guilds.

(PS: no "parasite" icon, so have a "spawn of Satan")

UK.gov wants public sector to rip up data protection law

Ilmarinen
Unhappy

Re: Not Good

Hello, I'm from the GOVERNMENT. I'm here to help you...

F O A D !

( I wish they would )

Climate: 'An excuse for tax hikes', scientists 'don't know what they're talking about'

Ilmarinen

Re: when

Tax and spend explains it. Think who's money it is that Government is spending.

Tax Joe & Jane Public (or hide the tax in fuel bills) and spend it on subsidies for your mates in Big Green. HMM and the EU both give bungs to "Environmentalist" lobby groups so they can lobby them for more Green regulation.

We are doomed !

I did look at your link but it appeared to be just a blog post. IMHO the CRU data is likely to be more reliable. Do go look :-)

Ilmarinen

Re: @Cipher - In the 1970s...

er...

London's Calling - The Clash 1979

"The ice age is coming"

and as I recall, this was what "Boffins" were indeed saying.

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Re: when

What is "the deniers' opinion" ?

To me the phrase looks like a combination of an ad hom attack and a straw man argument.

As an engineer, I've had lots of people (including scientists) tell me porkies about scientific things over the years, so I like to check out the data. When I look at the surface temperature records (freely available at CRU) I can easily see that a) "climate" (or certainly Global Warmth) changes over time and b) the claimed Catastrophic Warming isn't happening (in fact, contrary to predictions, it's not been "warming" for nearly 2 decades).

So count me in with the folks who are just a bit skeptical about anything that "Climate Scientists" say, especially when they aren't even scientists but Greenpeace, WWF, Prince Charles, the Beeb, etc. And I would be surprised if anyone except a politician wouldn't agree that politicians will use prety much anything as an excuse for more taxes ;-)

(but well done for correct use of apostrophe)

The Sun took a day off last week and made NO sunspots

Ilmarinen
FAIL

NOAA said...

Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?

Meanwhile, back at the data, it hasn't been very warmy for nearly two decades.

Missing heat hiding in deep oceans? Or maybe down the back of the sofa?

NASA aborts third attempt at finally settling man-made CO2 debate

Ilmarinen
Thumb Up

Good Good !

SPAAACE! is good.

As is an article about spacey CO2 stuff without any mention of Global Warming (tm) or Climate Change (tm)

(you did mention "climate" once - but I think you got away with it)

Maybe we'll find out why it's not been warming for nearly two decades :-)

San Francisco issues SMACKDOWN on parking spot sale software

Ilmarinen
Thumb Down

Re: Makes someone happy?

"that still doesn't mean it should be legal."

I think that's the wrong way around - it says that you should need government permission to do stuff: Anything not allowed is illegal.

I think it ought to be that the government should generally mind its own business and only prohibit things as an exception.

Just my 2₵

Assange™ makes fresh bid for FREEDOM from Scotland Yard's 'physical encirclement'

Ilmarinen

Re: Assange should be held accountable

Oh dear -

"nothing to hide, nothing to fear" eh?

Thought we'd dealt with this one. Do keep up!

British boffin tells Obama's science advisor: You're wrong on climate change

Ilmarinen
FAIL

Oh no!

Mr Anonymous Coward quotes the highly reliable Grauniad and says it's worse than we thought, it's warming I tell you !

Whereas the dodgey data on the CRU Temperature Data page shows some pretty pausey looking graphs - Central England Temperature, CRUTEM4, HadCRUT4 & HadSST3. Have a look and see. I guess they'll have to update that lousy data.

Call me a Denialist, but I can't be arsed to deal with the other two points.

Ilmarinen
FAIL

Squint Graph

Have a look at the graph shown at 0:26 in the Holdren youtube clip. If you pause it and hold a straight edge to the zero line you'll see that the graph is canted upwards. This has the effect of making the warming trend line appear steeper than it is.

Must have been a mistake, Shirly? Obama's boffin definitely wouldn't wouldn't do policy based evidence making or anything like that. And he certainly wouldn't have picked the start point of the time series to make that line scarier.

But- oooh look - you can see the start of the non-existant "pause" over the last decade of data. Who'd have thought it?

Mobe-orists, beware: Stroking while driving could land you a £4k fine

Ilmarinen
WTF?

MiniJust - Here to "Protect" you

I saw a graph the other day of accidents over the time period 1991 - 2010. You could really see the spike in fatalities as cell phones became ubiquitous - not.

I think the "How govt works:" sub-title is about right, plus they just make stuff up and claim it's "evidence".

Bring on the Tumbrels, that's wot I say.

Marc Andreessen: Edward Snowden is a 'textbook traitor'

Ilmarinen
Big Brother

I think not:

It's the US Gov and its NSA that is the the traitor - to Mr Snowden, and to all the decent citizens of the US and the "free" world. Not the other way around. Unless of course your "textbook" was written by the East German Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi.

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