Valleys and Troughs

Does east coast snow dispel Al Gore's "hysterical global warming theories" once and for all?

Global warming, like so many hot-button issues, just can't be simple. On the one hand we've just witnessed the close of the hottest decade ever recorded by man, while on the other it's winter and thus marginally cold outside, leading many to justly question the validity of all the climate change talk that folks just can't seem to ignore in peace. Incidentally in the past year North America was the only continent to actually experience cooler temperatures - which fact alarmists will try to manipulate to explain why so many Americans aren't willing to swallow the pill:

That is no doubt one reason why Americans — or at least conservative Americans — have grown in skepticism this year: They have been bombarded with anti-scientific disinformation on “global cooling,” while at the same time failing to personally experience a very warm year.

But is it really so wrong to be a skeptic? A decent-sized portion of the east coast of the United States has just been shaken to its core by record-setting snowfall. Surely you've heard of the snowpocalypse? Or maybe snowmageddon? True to form our elected officials are wasting no time in embracing the opportunity to take some long overdue pot-shots at - who else? - Al Gore. From CBSNews:

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, also got in on the fun. He and his family built an igloo in Washington and adorned it with cardboard signs reading "Al Gore's new home" and "Honk if you [heart] global warming."

Riveting stuff. We certainly understand the inclination to [heart] global warming, and don't feel as though one should be persecuted for one's beliefs. Climate change apologists will wring their hands and cite "facts" and "research" to impress upon us the idea that this event is essentially, utterly, indisputably meaningless, but certain among us remain unconvinced. Like Sean Hannity, the Voice of the People:

Yes. Al Gore and, moreover, the Kennedy's and their flying saucers, have for too long dominated American discourse on climate change with their hysterics and their theories. We can't speak for anyone other than ourselves, but we're thankful that this discussion is still ongoing. After all, it's not as if we're running out of time.

TROUGH

Lindsey Vonn, others to compete in 2010 Olympics.

With the Winter Games set to start in just three days in Vancouver, despite logistical difficulties regarding not having enough snow, it's never too soon to start brushing up on who's going to be competing. Take Lindsey Vonn, for instance, America's celebrated alpine skier and gold-medal favorite. In addition to winning back-to-back World Cup titles in '08 and '09, she is featured in the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, out now.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory. We have to commend her more than anything for standing around in the snow in a bikini. Clearly she has what it takes to be a champion. Anyhow it'll be exciting to see the Games in Vancouver of all places, especially since we have one more glorious reason to pull for America.

VALLEY, big-time.

via SI.com

Wolverines not long for this earth, if you believe in all that global warming malarkey.

We're all familiar with Marvel's rendition of Wolverine. That's a given. Superhuman healing factor, retractable claws, adamantium-infused skeleton and a once-promising but since-tarnished film portrayal by Hugh Jackman. A solid argument could be made that he's Marvel's most fearsome and tenacious hero. Unfortunately his namesake hasn't enjoyed as much success of late. Scientists (who seem only to bombard us with news that makes us feel bad, always) have announced findings that indicate wolverine populations are dwindling due to the decrease in snowfall brought on by warmer temperatures.

Research shows wolverine numbers are falling across North America. Their decline has been linked to less snow settling as a result of climate change.

The study is the first to show a decline in the abundance of any land species due to vanishing snowpack.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Not for one of nature's most feared and respected predators. Not that any creature deserves to suffer the effects of human-induced climate change (yes, despite the sentiments of the average American, we are still acting on the presumption that climate change is actually happening), but the wolverine? The inspiration for maybe the most badass fictional character of all time? It takes a particularly disconnected and almost willfully ignorant populace for news like this to skitter by as a BBC News sidetab. We like to think we shrink from proselytizing, but the endangerment of a species that not only represents everything that is wild about the wilderness but has also engendered Weapon fucking X is almost too much to swallow. We're surprised Sarah Palin isn't shooting them from a helicopter as we speak. If only there existed a band of costumed mutant do-gooders whose sole raison d'etre revolved around setting to rights wrongs such as these. Unfortunately we can look only to ourselves on this one. For shame.

TROUGH

via BBC

NASA's Puffin concept not quite a flying car, but still awesome.

We've long considered the greatest disillusionment of adulthood to be the realization that we will not likely live to see flying cars (if anyone ever will) as promised so often in our youth and discussed here before. Yet NASA refuses to let the dream wholly die, and if their latest incarnation of the personal flying machine isn't quite what we had in mind, we're not exactly going to split hairs. And so we have the Puffin:

The Puffin is something of a personal V-22 Osprey, complete with vertical-takeoff and landing capability (but minus the squad of
Marines). But rather than tilting the rotors forward for horizontal
flight, the whole craft -- cockpit and all -- pitches forward, meaning the pilot flies from a prone position. During takeoff and landing the tail splits into four legs that serve as landing gear, and flaps on the wings deploy to keep the aircraft stable as it lifts and descends.

Let's be clear about this. We are completely behind this effort, and believe wholeheartedly that anything which brings us closer to personal, everyday flight is a major step toward the pinnacle of human achievement. And with a theoretical top speed of 300 miles an hour and a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet the Puffin, at least in concept, is formidable. But it's really more of a miniaturized helicopter than an actual flying car. This is a delicate but significant distinction. Flying cars are sleek, they are round, one operates them as one would a car that is simply not at the mercy of gravity. To wit:

This is of course one of countless fictional incarnations of the flying car, but it's a fairly true representation of what we're looking for. And we know we're not alone in this. Whether or not NASA's vision of the flying machine is a stepping stone on the path to realizing our dreams remains to be seen. We can only hope that in the future toward which we are going, we won't need roads.

VALLEY?

via popsci

Scientists announce finding new "super-earth" for the win.

It always astonishes us when we come across news like this and find that it hasn't resulted in mass hysteria or the founding of new religions. Or at least more media coverage than is devoted to how many women Tiger Woods has had sex with. A super-earth! Have we not collectively dreamed of finding something like this since the dawning realization that the universe did not, in fact, revolve around our own planet? We have. The details:

Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-like planet that is larger than our own and may be more than half covered with water, according to a study published Wednesday in the science journal Nature.
The so-called "super Earth" is about 42 light years away in another solar system and has a radius nearly 2.7 times larger than that of our planet, according to the study by the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.
The discovery of the planet, called GJ 1214b, represents a "major step forward" in the search for worlds similar to the Earth, added the University of California's Geoffrey Marcy in a commentary also in Nature.

Jaysus. There are all sorts of reasons why researchers are hesitant to imagine that life may exist on the euphoniously named GJ 1214b, including estimates that the surface temperature ranges upwards of 500 degrees fahrenheit. Yet the density of the planet suggests that it is made up of about 75% water, which is encouraging. The research also points to "tantalising hints that the planet has a gaseous atmosphere." Man. That actually is pretty tantalizing. We certainly aren't alone in believing that nothing represents all the glorious possibilities of our existence more than finding life somewhere outside of earth, and findings like this are encouraging at the least. Now pardon us while we take to the streets to indiscriminately set cars on fire.

VALLEY for all mankind.

via yahoonews

Avatar is shaping up to not suck, if you can believe it.

We've been following the discussion surrounding James Cameron's Avatar for a while now, on a personal if not a public level, and in the past few days a surprising trend has taken shape: amazingly, people are reporting that - despite reasonable assumptions otherwise - it's actually pretty good. It's held up with an 84% on rottentomatoes, maintaining its lofty rating well after the oft-skewed early sample-size period has passed. And a couple days ago the people at Defamer went so far as to issue an apology for all the Avatar-bashing they've done over the past few weeks:

Hollywood goes for epic in just about every tentpole it churns out, but somehow the ginormity of a Transformers 2 or a 2012 production, leave them feeling small — with a shrunken spirit and core that quashes their monstrous pretensions. Avatar, while certainly not without flaws, manages to create a sense of true epic scope in which the journey becomes greater than the sum of its effects.

They go on to say that Avatar is not without a certain cheese-factor, but it is overshadowed by the magnificent spectacle of the film. Which defense we can probably get behind. And so we will see it, and approach it with an open mind, as we attempt to do with all things. If nothing else, it will probably be an entertaining diversion, which is something we can all use in times like these.

VALLEY, it seems.

via Defamer, as we said.

Morning Marginalia: the oldest Santa.

Because we love Christmas so damn much, we thought we'd share with you a little something of it's history: the oldest santa ever:

Known as the "Blue Santa," the object was made circa 1884 by The American Marble & Toy Manufacturing Company, which burned to the ground in 1904. The figurine is 2.5 inches tall.

We weren't kidding, by the way. We believe Christmas to be the single-greatest concept ever engendered by Man, and are glad to celebrate its heritage in any way we can. Eight more days!

Xmas VALLEY.

via discoverynews

UPDATE: Norwegian mystery light show still unexplained.

Not all that long ago we posted about the mystery light spiral that has captured (some) global attention since it appeared inexplicably in the night sky.

A blue light first appeared from behind a mountain, and created a giant spiral in the sky within seconds. Perhaps even more baffling, a green-blue beam of light appeared to shoot from the center. The entire display remained in the sky for a good ten to twelve minutes--enough time for photographers across Norway to shoot hundreds of images and capture video.

At the time it was explained away by some news agencies as a failed Russian missile test, but the Russians, who we're sure are perfectly trustworthy in situations such as these, have denied conducting any such tests. And while that's still the most likely scenario according to most opinions held by the sorts of people who sit around trying to figure these things out, other possibilities include a falling meteor or perhaps the first sign of the apocalypse. Either way, we'll continue to monitor the situation with as much attention as we can spare. Which, believe it or not, is not as much as you might think. Check out the incredibly poor-quality yet still marginally-disturbing video below for an idea of what the beginning of the end of the world will look like, when filmed with a handheld digital camera.

via popsci

TROUGH

Morning Marginalia: Robin Hood trailer.

It's been a long time since Ridley Scott's Robin Hood - starring Russell Crowe - was announced, and we remember reading somewhere that it was delayed for the usual reasons (read: dead hooker in Ben Affleck's trailer). Pretty standard role for Crowe, who's joins up once more with Scott after the pair worked together on Gladiator all those years ago. Cate Blanchett plays Maid Marion, which is an interesting choice. If nothing else, we know that Russell Crowe has the ability to carry a period-fiction piece. It is what the man does.

VALLEY

National Geographic gives us 10 reasons to step back from the ledge.

Continuing with the theme of wrapping up the past year, we direct your attention to National Geographic's Ten Environmental Wins of 2009, which should be pretty self-explanatory. Polar bears in our mind stand as sort of the quintessential environmental issue of our time. Their very existence is bound up entirely with habitat which is disappearing due to human encroachment (we all likely know something of the ANWR debate) and of course global warming. Yet there is some slightly encouraging news on the horizon:

In October the U.S. government proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers) of land, sea, and ice along Alaska's north coast as critical habitat for the polar bear, which is listed as threatened with extinction under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

"That is a huge, positive affirmation that losing the polar bear is unacceptable," said the Center for Biological Diversity's Cummings. "If we are truly going to protect this habitat, we are going to have to deal with the climate crisis."

All well and good, until Sarah Palin decides she wants to start shooting Polar Bears from helicopters and writes a book about how awesome it is. There are other notable stories, including a decrease in the rate of deforestation in Brazil, which is pretty encouraging. Any list of this nature is sure to conjure conflicting emotions. On the one hand it's great to see that we as a global people are making progress toward not wantonly destroying the earth, yet it also points out how much damage we've done and how tenuous our progress really is. Still, good news is good news, we feel. Let's hope it's a sign of things to come.

VALLEY.