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Air India Flight 171 - Flawed EE Bay Water Ingress Theory

Air India Flight 171 - Flawed EE Bay Water Ingress TheoryRichard Godfrey, in many videos on the...

Air India Flight 171 Accident Summary - Key Findings

Air India Flight 171 Accident Summary - Key FindingsThe purpose of an air accident report is to...

Air India Flight 171 - Ask The experts

Air India Flight 171 - Ask The expertsAn open letter to H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., Chairman and Chief...

Air India Flight 171 - The Vital Seconds

Air India Flight 171 - The Vital SecondsThe Timeline - Vital Seconds.This timeline is constructed...

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Patrick LockerbyRSS Feed of this column.

Retired engineer, 79 years young. Computer builder and programmer. Linguist specialising in technical translation. Interested in every human endeavour except the scrooge theory of accountancy. Interested... Read More »

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Rhubarb May, Or May Not, Fight Cancer

Rhubarb May, Or May Not, Fight Cancer

Feb 14 2010 | comment(s)

Rhubarb May, Or May Not, Fight Cancer

Current news reports about cancer-fighting chemicals in rhubarb may lead some people to think that eating a lot of rhubarb is a good idea.  Bad move!  Rhubarb is widely renowned as a laxative!

Researchers have found that the traditional favourite, like many red vegetables, contains cancer killing chemicals.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Eating baked rhubarb could help fight cancer, research suggests.
The Pragma Hypothesis

The Pragma Hypothesis

Feb 13 2010 | comment(s)

The Pragma Hypothesis

A speculation on the possibility of the accurate prediction of future, hind-sight based, historical worldviews, and the application of such prediction to the current climate change debate.

Pragma - mass noun: the practical outcome of a decision-based action as viewed from a historical perspective.  Pragma is to science and politics as karma is to spirituality.

"This is not just some intellectual argument between people who think they know the answer, we are talking about the future of the globe.

...
Scientific Evidence Of Your Own Awesomeness

Scientific Evidence Of Your Own Awesomeness

Feb 12 2010 | comment(s)

Scientific Evidence Of Your Own Awesomeness


Do you like to share awe-inspiring articles with your friends, like the many [New York] Times readers whose habits are analyzed in a new study? Or do you have other motives?


Jonah Berger and Katherine A. Milkman, researchers at the Wharton University of Pennsylvania, have been analysing the New York Times most e-mailed articles list.  They have been trying to determine what factors contribute to making an article 'most emailed'.


It appears that NYT readers like to share news about positive, long and intellectually challenging topics.  Most of all, the study indicates that people most like to share topics that inspire awe.
Dairy Farmer Makes BS Claim

Dairy Farmer Makes BS Claim

Feb 11 2010 | comment(s)

Dairy Farmer Makes BS Claim

The Utah House has passed a resolution questioning the science behind global warming.

Rep. Mike Noel, the Legislature's chief climate-change skeptic, declared Thursday that global warming is a conspiracy to control world population.

The House Natural Resources Committee then approved a resolution that expresses the Utah Legislature's belief that "climate alarmists' carbon dioxide-related global warming hypothesis is unable to account for the current downturn in global temperatures."
Of Snakes And Oil

Of Snakes And Oil

Feb 11 2010 | comment(s)

Of Snakes And Oil


A headnote explaining the need for the footnotes

The author not wishing to superimpose an overabundance or superfluity of operose terms, has subpended copious footnotes for the edification of the non-indigenous benefactor of the globalisation of the English language.
-----------------------------------------------

Sarah_Palin says:
"... global warming studies that now we're seeing [are] a bunch of snake oil science."
Some Gems Of Comment Spam

Some Gems Of Comment Spam

Feb 11 2010 | comment(s)

Some Gems Of Comment Spam

We get a few spam comments here, promoting all sorts of rubbish web sites.

Currently, we seem to be targeted by people who want to do our writing for us.  Now, given that scientificblogging.com is promoted as "The world's best scientists. The internet's smartest readers" one would think that we know a thing or two already about the art of writing.

The writing style in many spam comments is absolutely hilarious.
I have decided to save some gems for posterity.  I will add more gems as they arise.