I’m often amazed at the reach this blog has been getting worldwide. Last month, I found it hitting almost a quarter million visits. This month it is on track to exceed 300,000. And you never know who will drop by. For example MIT’s Richard Lindzen dropped by a few days ago and offered some insight and a graph.
Along those lines I’ve recently been given an offer of a sit down visit with one of the principal organizations and investigators of climate science today. I won’t say who just yet, (except to say it is not Al Gore) but I can say that the offer is genuine and exciting.
It also comes with a price tag, since I have to fund the travel, hotel, etc. myself.
When I first set out to do the surfacestations.org project, I did so with no expectation of funding. I rather like it that way because I think that when you are handed a wad of cash with the expectation of producing a result in exchange, sometimes the pressure of doing so can be a detriment to true curiosity and discovery. I once worked in a University environment, and I saw the pressure to produce.
But this visit I’ve been offered is going to take a bit of cash to do, and rather than beg supporters I have what I hope will be a better idea. I don’t like begging, but I do like providing useful things for meteorology.
So here’s my pitch. I have a weather radar program for the USA NEXRAD network, and a darn good one at that. It’s called StormPredator. Knowing that I have many people that frequent this blog who enjoy meteorology and severe weather tracking, I’m hoping those of you that like the work that I do will consider buying it to help fund my trip. You get something, I get something, we both win. Plus I’ll have one heck of a blog report when I get back from this meeting.
My idea for Stormpredator came from my working with old WSR-3, WSR-57, and WSR-74 weather radars with round PPI scopes. I wanted to create a weather radar program that anyone could use, not just a “met head”. I wanted a weather program that would be useful, educational, and fun at the same time.
It looks like this:
Besides round PPI mode, it also can be setup in a rectangular presentation. It has 3D topography for the entire USA, and can track and animate storms, do popup and email alerts, provide ETA estimates, forecasts, satellite imagery, and even send pictures to your website or cell phone. It’s loaded.
It is used by storm trackers, 911 centers, dispatch centers, TV stations, radio stations, schools, amateur radio operators, and just regular folks that like to track storms.
It has a boatload of features. Check them out here.
There is no subscription fee for the radar or other weather data, and the program will operate using any type of Internet connection. It is also inexpensive for what it does, at $39.99. (or $10 more for a CD ROM version).
If watching the weather interests you, I hope you’ll consider buying a copy to help me fund my trip. Thank you for your consideration.
If you don’t live in the USA, and can’t use the program above for that or any other reason, but would like to help out, I have provided a donation page via PayPal on the surfacestations.org website.
I also just ordered a copy of your program. I am happy to support your activity. Your web site has been a great addition to the climate discussion sites. It is a pity, however, that your program only runs on Windblows! It would be great to have Mac native version — pretty soon you could also sell it for iPhones making it very useful for people out and about wanting to know what is happening with approaching weather.
REPLY: Thanks Peter, we send oics to cell phones now with this program, but maybe an iPhone version with the new SDk would be useful.
You might try advertising as well. I am not sure how much revenue 300,000 visits would create but you would be surprised how much people pay for a click. Also, companies like Google will find the advertisers for you.
The money is in the tip jar. It’s a pleasure being educated by you and the rest of the blogers (even the ones that may not agree with you).
Thank you.
REPLY: And my thinks to you sir!
Look JohnA uses a pseudonym for very similar reasons. Half the internet uses personas and such and the other half puts there real names on things. You can make a case for either and I’m not saying that I’m certain the “real name” brigades are wrong. however it is normal behavior to use a pseudonym as long as you don’t go creating multiple idents, talking to yourself, etc. It’s just accepted.
All that aside, I really think you should leave this kind of commingling of your little business projects with the skeptic advocacy aside. It just makes us look even sketchier as skeptics. We’re publishing in E&E and on blogs. And we have people running home businessess combining them into their skeptic blogs.
TCO: I understand what you are saying, but I could also make the same argument about NASA GISS, running an AGW advocacy blog on the nickel of a known eco-promotional public relations organization. They shouldn’t mix science and advocacy by involving outside organizations.
I have not needed to ask for money until now, and what most people don’t know is how much this project has cost me and my business in cash outlay, infrastructure use, lost business time, lost opportunities (chasing weather stations instead of sales), and personal time and money. If I had not drawn on my business infrastructure, the surfacestations.org project would never have happened.
The difference between my blogs, and say people like Tamino, (who works from home by his own mention) is that they don’t have to make or buy tools, pay for travel, buy equipment, run a server, pay monthly rent for a dedicated co-location for a high bandwidth picture gallery server, etc. Tamino, Rabbet, Atmoz, Deltoid, the whole bunch gets their server and bandwidth for free. The kind of work they do where they are just writing words and making graphs doesn’t need the travel, field work, or measurment equipment like my projects.
Steve McIntyre and myself are the only individuals that I know of (Warren Meyer maybe but don’t know for sure) spending personal money for investigation and presentation of our ideas and projects. McIntyre paid a boatload to get BCP core samples analysed and another boatload on travel, plus his monthly server fees. I use my personal and business resources too. The only freebie I get is this blog from WordPress.
I don’t have the luxury of a retirement income, or grants, or a government job. I have to work my butt off every day to support my business, my employees, and my family. I can’t just easily separate it all especially when I have to trade off business and family time to do this research.
If it bothers you TCO, or anyone else, there’s little I can do about it. Heck, If I overly worried about critics, I would have stopped my efforts long ago.
OK I’m offline again for awhile, writing from laptop at a Starbuck’s hotspot
Peace.
I’m gonna see how much trouble I’ll be in if I spent more money (hmmmm, if I stay home tomorrow instead of going to Sam’s . . . I think I can make it work).
You asked for help (and there is no shame in that) and I’m working on it, but in the mean time I have one bit of advice–don’t listen to TCO.
Steady as you go. (Old Navy saying.)
REPLY: Thanks Larry, I appreciate the support and the risk it entails.
Who is william carlos williams?
Sorry, but this argument makes no sense. Anthony is a private individual who is doing all this on his private time. It’s perfectly within his right to advertise his private business on his private blog. I don’t see how in the slightest it makes skeptics (which I’m guessing you mean skeptical of AGW, since all scientists are supposed to be skeptics) look sketchy at all, much less sketchier.
Ok back home. No more Starbucks hotspots. Comments will get updated with regularity now.
Anthony: One CAN transfer miles and it is NOT a standby ticket. Back in my consulting days, used to do this all the time for team-mates that lacked miles but had lonely girlfriends.
Moshpit: Very good points. I think it would be good for our host to spend time with the agency. Maybe he will do a better job in the future because of it. He bothers me a lot sometimes with being clueless, but on the site survey, just spending some time talking to these guys would be time well spent.
Larry: All back emergency, drop the anchor, sound collision.
REPLY: My sister is a stewardess for United, and she says United routinely puts miles passengers on standby. Been there done that myself with United. Not sure about other airlines.
“Maybe he will do a better job in the future because of it.” I’d point out that I’m doing this because our “agencies” are not. Am I perfect? No. Clueless? Probably not, but I do write for a broader audience, so if I get too bollixed up in writing details, that leaves many scratching their heads. Remember who I am – TV weatherguy.
On the plus side, I am making steady headway. Slow and steady winds the race.
HELP WANTED: I am trying to purchase (or plunder) a full copy of this story, mentioned here on this forum:
A Washington, D.C. resident John Lockwood was conducting research at the Library of Congress and came across an intriguing headline in the Nov. 2, 1922 edition of The Washington Post: Arctic Ocean Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt.
The article mentions “great masses of ice have now been replaced by moraines of earth and stones,” and “at many points well-known glaciers have entirely disappeared.”
REPLY: Why not write the Washington Post directly? They have morgue services.
Dude: I’ve generated and used hundreds of thousands of miles on multiple airlines. You get a regular ticket. Your stewardess sis is not in the know. And there are a lot of other airlines that fly into Dulles, BWI or National, from Sacramento or SFO or Oakland.
REPLY: Dude, TCO, I don’t even know why we are arguing about this. FF miles have all sorts of rules and restrictions, blackout dates, travel destination limitations, requirements for advance notice, etc.
My experience is different than yours. Thus, I’m not going to risk missing the appointment. When you get invited, you can sketch out your own travel plans, in the meantime I’ll do mine in a way that ensures arrival.
Oh…and yeah, I know you’re a TV weather guy. Good luck with the site surveys. I think at least the pictures are some useful work product. (not all the blather about air conditioners mind you). And don’t put on airs because Steve allows you to post unsupervised. You’re still pretty much a garden vbariety skeptic who doesn’t know tough math or have a shrewd mindset like SM or an open one like JohnV or Moshie. But you are a nice guy.
REPLY: Well since you have that opinion, I’ll paraphrase Forrest Gump; “I may not be a smart man, but I know what truth is.”
Hi Anthony,
I am a Mac User, but will buy a copy and donate it to our Library. Checks in the mail.
Russ
REPLY: Thanks Russ.
It must depend on who is providing the miles. I’ve had miles from CapitalOne and directly from United, never a standby ticket.
Now, my dad worked for United for 33 years, now retired. He still gets Companion Passes, and they DO travel standby.
Thanks for your advice on the Washington Post article I am trying to get, Anthony. I have been trying them without result yet.
REPLY: See the main page. I found what you seek and posted it.
Hi Anthony-check your site out at least every other day-excellent on many levels.Never made a comment until now , most of the stuff is way outside my field but not outside my interest or basic understanding.Made a small donation( wish it could be more) hope it helps.Keep up the good work and be congratulated on the excellent tenor of your website-cheers from OZ–brett
REPLY: Thanks Brett, much appreciated.
Anthony,
Best wishes for a safe trip. Enjoyed meeting you in NY. Money in jar; mac user.
Chuck
REPLY: Thanks Chuck, much appreciated. It is nice to have met you too!
On the chance that there’s a herd effect, I’ll note that I too have hit your tip jar. Thank you for your work on this topic.
REPLY: Brent, I Thank you sincerely.
Dear TV Weather Guy/garden variety skeptic/ye of the simple but closed mind who dare not put on airs:
Money in jar; linux user.
Harold Vance
REPLY: Thanks Harold, I apreciate it.
Thanks for all of your amazing work.
You’ve provided much fodder for conversations that begin “You won’t believe what I saw today!”
Have a great trip.
REPLY: Thanks meesh, I’ll have a report at the end of April.
Hey ANthony, just downloaded my registered copy of Storm Predator. Pretty neat application! Now if I can figure out how to get it out of mini-mode 😉
And it runs great on Vista, hehe.
All in.
Hi,
Keep up the good work. Donated on surfacestations.org from Techco Sales. I think TCO would argue with a sign post.
REPLY: Thanks Jim, I appreciate it.