Base data on Global Warming

[Data Origin- Hadley Climate Research Unit Temperature anomaly (HadCRUT) - UK - sourced from this site]

The blog gets traffic based on 'Global Warming & Stefan-Boltzmann related searches. Seems a lot of folk are taking the trouble to do some research for themselves into the subject. That has to be a positive thing.

This site and this one, had some comments that made for interesting reading. But more to the point, it referenced the sources of the most basic data - the monitoring points for measuring the Earth's temperature. It is THAT data which should drive comment and debate, not the politics and fashion of a bandwagon effect for those who let others do their thinking for them.

So what are those sites, and what do they say.

Visit them for yourself. They are; The Hadley Center for Climate Prediction (UK Met Office), data here; NASA's GISS (Goddard Institute), data here; UAH (University of Alabama in Huntsville), (data) (A really good background article here); and RSS (Remote Sensing Systems), (data).
[NB - I'll update this with more information in days to come - but this is an interesting start - please look critically and don't just look for data that supports your perceptions].

(A UAH Newsletter had this interesting observation;
"All leading climate models forecast that as the atmosphere warms there should be an increase in high altitude cirrus clouds, which would amplify any warming caused by manmade greenhouse gases," he said. "That amplification is a positive feedback. What we found in month-to-month fluctuations of the tropical climate system was a strongly negative feedback. As the tropical atmosphere warms, cirrus clouds decrease. That allows more infrared heat to escape from the atmosphere to outer space." [Dr Roy Spencer].

Tuesday Thin Jet

Another great pic from Alex's portfolio. RAAF 707 Tanker/Transport.

Not many left. To be replaced by these, A330 based MRTTs - Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft.

The farewell art work on the tail is impressive. And those turbojets sound pretty impressive on full song too.

Wednesday Bugsmasher. (Isn't she boo'ful?).

Fighters, and newer aircraft like the C-17 get a lot of attention, but these lovely ladies have long been the true workhorses and often unsung heroes for the RAAF. This is an 'H' model, we also have the 'J' variant in service.
(From the camera of Alex).
My time in the RAAF was spent first on these, and later these as well (11 Sqn and later 492 Sqn. - great aircraft for a tech - several tonnes of electronics to keep you interested).

[Update 21May08: Image re-uploaded - link to Alex's album didn't work too well!]

Zorba meets the Dreamtime

This is a bit of a Youtube hit apparently, some Aboriginal dancers doing 'Zorba';

...and not to forget the original.

Getting better - sans Appendix.

Hi All. Thought I should get back to posting again and try to explain my absence of the last few weeks from the blogosphere.

The quick story is that I suffered a ruptured appendix, which was (eventually) detected, removed, and I'm now recovering.

Want a longer explanation?
I first presented to the local Medical Centre thinking I had food poisoning or something in late March, had blood tests (which showed an elevated blood white cell count), and then an ultrasound (to cross off appendicitis as the problem).
The ultrasound didn't find anything wrong with the appendix (though I'm now told ultrasound is not the best tool for checking the appendix - a CT scan is). It did find a few other problems, including a hernia in the 'area of pain'. Aha! I was then referred to a surgeon for a hernia op. Sorted (or so we thought). Trouble is - I continued to feel progressively more and more unwell, becoming 'profoundly unwell' (I put it down to a virus or something, and tried to 'work through it').
Eventually, at work a week or 2 later, I ran into the proverbial brick wall, utterly fatigued, and feeling the worst I can recall feeling , ever. I went home early (1 1/2 hr drive), and rested. I think that is the day my appendix ruptured.
Next day, felt substantially better (I'm now told that is common after the appendix 'lets go') went to work, but again cut the work day short - not due to pain - which strangely, I didn't have a lot of - but fatigue. I just ran out of puff. That was Friday, tried to make a medical appointment, but none available until Monday. Spent the weekend resting, but feeling worse, and worse.
As this site puts it, I was VERY fortunate (perhaps someone is looking after me?). The body has a defence mechanism, which thankfully kicked in and saved me from septis, and probably saved my life;

"...Occasionally the body is able to control an appendiceal perforation by forming an abscess. An abscess occurs when an infection is walled off in one part of the body....
...The most serious complication of appendicitis is rupture. The appendix bursts or tears if appendicitis is not diagnosed quickly and goes untreated. Infants, young children, and older adults are at highest risk. A ruptured appendix can lead to peritonitis and abscess. Peritonitis is a dangerous infection that happens when bacteria and other contents of the torn appendix leak into the abdomen. In people with appendicitis, an abscess usually takes the form of a swollen mass filled with fluid and bacteria...".

Monday, saw doctor, who packed me off to the Hospital Emergency Department. Things moved quickly from there, blood tests, CT scan, admission to hospital.
They didn't operate immediately, I was 'stabilised' first (which seemed to involve nuking my system with several antibiotics and 'stuff'). I was operated on on the Tuesday (my first ever general anesthetic).
I woke up in recovery with canulas, drips, catheters, drains, oxygen hoses in my nose, and, surprisingly, not feeling bad at all (Due it seems to 4 hourly morphine shots for the next few days - that worried me, as I didn't want ANY chance of getting too dependent on that particular medication. They wound it back for me).
Spent the next week or so in hospital (the nurses at Bowral Hospital are GREAT! - as was the emergency staff and my surgeon and anesthetist, who explained everything that had happened, or was about to).
I'm now back at home, slowly recovering (getting looked after by wife and daughter). I've lost (besides an appendix), about 10kg. Still very wobbly and fatigued, but improving daily. Hopefully back to sort of normal (and work), soon.

Absence Explained!

Hello, Daughter here.

Just a quick note of explanation as to my Dads lack of posts lately. He's in hospital tonight awaiting surgery to remove his appendix tomorrow morning. He's been unwell for a couple of weeks now (thus no updates), which was incorrectly put down to a hernia.

Wishing him a speedy recovery! Will let you know how he is in a few days.

(Good) Friday Fat Jet.

Prep for an early morning run.
From the camera of Alex.

Quite big inside. And I also particularly like this stunning photo. Art.

Update: 22Mar08. Peter (Worldman) left this message;

"Well, I guess that you know by now that I am a "plane" freak. Though the biggest one I ever flew myself (as a pilot) was "only" a Piper Cherokee 180 (a long time ago). But I have given the virus to my son who now (with some 4'200 hours) will leave... "Swiss" to join Emirates on an A330. Which fills me with pride.". [Edited - slightly shortened by Phil].

Congratulations Peter (and to your son as well of course). It is a very fortunate soul that, in this world, gets to follow their dreams and has a profession or job that they love. Some know what they want to do from an early age (good on 'em). Some of us still aren't quite certain what we want to do 'when we grow up' - even at middle age! (Ah well - "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (From a John Lennon song I think).

Airstream pictures (US 'Grey Nomads').

In Oz these days we have a phenomena known as the 'Grey Nomads'. Over 50's who pack up and hit the road, usually in caravans (trailers), but some in motorhomes, converted buses, even just living in a tent.

Daughter found these folk (Jacquie and Dave), and thought I'd like the site, and the story. I did like the site and story Thanks Britt. Very much.

I suspect the similarities, and contrasts of the touring experience in the US and Australia would be an interesting study.
Two worlds similar yet different. (Who doesn't dream of doing Route 66 - that icon of not just US, but worlds 'road trips' one day?).

So best wishes for a wonderful trip. Great pictures.

(And here's to Norton the wonder dog).

Tibet.

The world is seeing things happening in Tibet (they have been for ~50 years, it's just a bit more obvious currently). Just like we've seen things happen in Burma a short while ago, and Zimbabwe. Like the world saw things happen in Rwanda, or the former Yugoslavia. Like things continue to happen in the Congo.

Will the world, be it collectively, individually, or by it's 'representatives' in the UN do anything to help the Tibetan people?

I'll wager No. Sadly, in the world of Realpolitik, China's size as a trading partner, and it's growing presence on the world stage will mean a few tut-tuts, and frowns, but probably not much else.

Is that right? How can it be? The larger question though, is how can humanity's collective conscience, and disapproval of all that goes on that is bad - in Tibet, Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe (and Goodness knows what else where we are prevented from seeing) - be brought into play to change for the better.

Puss Remembers.

Found this via Tim Blair's blog. More history here.

I vaguely remember reading about this many years ago. Seems these guys (back in the 60's/70's) acquired a large cat, reared it until it got (not surprisingly) too big to keep in suburbia, and then had to release it back to the wild. (Story checks out - it's true!).

They were told that 'Christian' wouldn't remember them when he had settled back in to the wild.

But Christian DID remember them.

Your feelgood story for the day. It's hard to maintain that 'dumb' animals don't have feelings or memories when you see things like that. Be it a dog, or a puddy tat, or any one of many pets you can have, sometimes dumb animals clearly aren't that dumb.

Friday Flat Jet, Friday Fat Jet (plus vid links).

Some like cars, bikes, or boats. But, IMHO, planes are the ultimate big boy's toy. A Top Fueler pass may be one of life's experiences, and ZZTop nice n loud is pretty good.

But there just isn't anything that can quite compare to a fast jet, low, on full AB.

These photos, again, some of Alex's great work. (Now 4 C-17s on the hardstand as I understand it. Thats 250, 500, 750, 1 billion dollars worth of aluminium lined up in a row!).

As promised, some vid links;

An F-111 doing some party tricks (New Year's eve (I think). And Evans range.

This is a nice little compendium. (Knuckleheads behaving ba... er normally).

And Something for Peter and pumuckl (the Swiss,interestingly, fly much the same aircraft Australia does - F/A-18s, and we used to fly Mirages).

And just to show that other than western air forces fly fast too.