As you may have noted, the rate at which I have posted new stories in the last couple of days has tapered off, and likely will remain at a lowered rate in the immediate future.
The reason is twofold:
1) Like many people in this country, I’m getting hit economically. My weather business needs my attention more than ever to keep it running and my family supported. The volume of email alone I get daily asking for advice, files, help with research etc. since starting the blog is overwhelming as it is. Often I find WUWT creeping into my business hours, and this can’t continue under the current economic situation. Thus I’m limiting my interaction to late nights and weekends.
2) I’ve realized that WUWT, while important in it’s own right, being now the number one climate related blog (in terms of traffic) on the web has also become a hungry monster for my time. So, what time I have had in the last few days has been focused on the surfacestations project. I’m making a push to get a majority of stations (my goal is at least 75%) surveyed so that a dataset with a better spatial distribution of stations exists. Right now we still have some big holes in it, particularly in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Getting stations surveyed and this project database more complete is a much better use of my available spare time than moderating some of the daily philosophical arguments and news items of this blog. I hope my team of crack moderators will be able to fill in the gap and continue to offer postings of relevant stories while I focus on this.
John Goetz and Denise Norris have made some really valuable story contributions to this readership, as has Evan Jones. I hope they’ll be able to continue.
Some folks have commented that becuase I’ve posted my “How not to measure temperature…” series, that I’m only focused on finding the badly sited stations. While they are a dime a dozen and often visually entertaining, actually what we want to find are the BEST stations. Those are the CRN1 and 2 rated stations. Having a large and well distributed sample size of the best stations will help definitively answer the question about how much bias may exist as a result of the contribution of badly sited stations. Since the majorty of sttaions surveyed so far seem to be CRN 3,4,5 with CRN1,2 making up only 12% of the total surveyed stations thus far, it is important to increase the sample size.
So while WUWT will continue to have news and science items of interest, my focus will be getting surveys done, so we’ll see more items on the surfacestations project.
On a related note, I wish to sincerely thank all those that have generously donated to the surfacestations.org project to offset travel expenses. Thanks to that, recently I was able to complete all of the state of Nevada USHCN stations.
If you want to help, signup to help survey some stations. at www.surfacestations.org
Also look for some updated survey instructions soon. Thank you all for your help and consideration
– Anthony
Your news will make my boss happy.
My morning ritual is coffee, Dilbert, WUWT and then perhaps some work. I guess I’ll have to start work earlier some mornings.
Are you absolutely sure you have to feed your family?
Anthony,
Thanks for everything. Take care of you and yours first….we’ll see if we can get you some survey help here in Texas!
Anthony,
We all have the empty pockets situation to some extent so yours is understood.
I was going to post some desert island black body climate cosmology that the visiting non scientists might find interesting if only to see that it isn’t really rocket science. If that is ok; I’ll do that. I could post a series of related info that might be helpful to the same group.
If you are going into temproary hibernation, it would keep some blood flowing here till you pop back in; I promise to be good and courteous.
George
REPLY: Go for it. – Anthony
Keeping priorities in order is important. Where would WUWT be were it not for your business or the surfacestations project?
You could probably get some good stories just from the surfacestations project. Just look at the interesting finding on part 75 — was there a change in temperatures in Nebraska, was it bad siting, or was it a result of instrumentation changes through the installation of a number of MMTS packages in an area in one year?
And then there is that project involving Anthony’s Army. Bet we could see some interesting posts on that over time as results start to come from that deal.
So keep the priorities in order; would rather see a slimmed down WUWT than none at all!
by the way, where can i buy to support the cause!
we are with you anthony. thanks for putting your family first….it is worth it!
Anthony you and your family are number one in our minds and hearts. We all understand the pressures that our current economy brings and will continue to bring upon all of us. Thank you for all your work and thank you to your family for supporting you in your efforts.
Desert Island Black Body Climate Cosmology
Some of the the non-scientist frequenters might find this informative. Can you figure out anything useful on a desert island without Google/iPhone/Hpcalculator.
Actually you can learn a lot of stuff with just what you may have learned in School.
Well everybody knows that the surface temperatureof the sun is about 6000 K, and somewhere you may have learned that it approximates a black body radiator (of electromagnetic wave energy), which means it radiates according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law Wtot = s T^4 where s is the Stefan Boltzman constant, which we don’t know and sans Microsoft word, so no Greek sigma (σ), giving the total radiation in Watts per square meter in all directions. You should have learned that the sun is 864,000 miles in diameter with a surface area 4pi x r^2
So the total solar emission is sT^4 x 4pi x (432,000)^2. Sorry about those rod/stone/fortnight units old chap, but that’s the answer. Now all that energy passes through a sphere of radius 93,000,000 miles out where we are, so at earth orbit about the sun, the energy density must be sT^4 x 4pi x (432,000)^2 / 4pi x (93,000,000)^2 which is sT^4 x (432,000/93,000,000)^2 = sT^4 /46,345 Watts/m^2
Bloody clever mate!, fixing that odd units problem.
Now we read somewhere that the solar constant out here is 1368Watts/m^2 so in fact we can now calculae that:
s = 1368 x 46,345 / 6000^4 = 4.892 E-8 W/m^2K^4
Well the actual value is 5.6697E-8 which isn’t too bad for scratching with a stick on a desert island beach. The problem is in the solar temperature which is not exactly 6000. but more like 5783 or thereabouts.
We can also calculate the “insulated black body temperature” in earth orbit. What I mean by that term is an insulated cavity where sunlight enters an aperture and energy can only exit that aperture, and its radiation will be sT^4 where T is now being sought.
Well we know that s x 6000^4 x 4pi x (432,000)^2 = s x T^4 x 4pi x (93,000,000)^2 so we have T^4 = 6000^4 x (432,000/93,000,000)^2 = 6000^4 /46345
Now don’t you wish you paid attention when they showed you in 8th grade how to calculate square roots (with a stick in the sand). So do that twice and you get that :
T =6000 / 14.672 = 408.9 K. Well it would be 394.1 if we used the slightly lower sun temperature. So an ideal insulated black body could get up to 121 deg C if you remember that absolute zero is -273.15 C..
Now that number is only of academic interest but the conductive BB temperature is of real interest because that is what a black earth could reach receiving the sun over an area of pi x r^2 and radiating over an area 4pi x r^2, so we have to divide that 394.1 by the 4th root of 4 which is square root of 2 (1.4142) and we can do that in our head and come up with 278.7 K , which is close to 5.5 deg C. That’s not bad, but for the earth we have to consider the reflective loss due to albedo, which is 0.367 or thereabouts, so only 63.3% of that sunlight sticks and we need to multiply by 4th root of 0.633 or 0.892, to get
278.7 x 0.892 = 248.6 which is about -24.5 C.
And that is pretty close to the earth temperature sans GHG (water vapor) warming.
Not bad for a stick in the sand, and some 50 year old memories.
Next time I’ll tell you a bit more about the nature of black body radiation; which is very germane to earth’s climate and the earth/sun link; besides it is one of the truly remarkable physics theories and really was the birth of the whole “Quantum theory” of modern Physics; yes you can understand it; even if you’re a lawyer.
George
this is my favorite web site but please take care of ur family and self!! I hav learned so much thank you.
TerryS (16:14:00): Are you absolutely sure you have to feed your family?
That is the special kind of line which expresses more genuine concern and appreciation than a dozen “sorry”s or “get well soon”s.
We owe you, Anthony; and as TerryS says… Are you absolutely…
PearlandAggie:
The little rotating anemometer/weather vane link along the right side of the page has some neat gadgets.
For under 60 bucks you can buy a datalogger that records temperature/humidity right to your computer. You can compare reality with what the TV weather news says. There are lots of other interesting weather gadgets, too.
Some folks also donate a little cash once in a while. For the cost of a fast food meal or a tank of gas, we can help this great site thrive — and do something worthwhile to get the truth out over the constant roar of the media.
Al Gore will probably have to spend $10,000 of his $300 million ad budget to counter every dollar donated here. That’s getting some bang for your buck!
OK Everyone, time to pull together. A trip to the donate button on the right.
Any thoughts as to bringing a little advertising to WUWT? Perhaps, that would be counter productive to your cause, but there are advertising solutions out there that don’t outright suck such as the deck… http://decknetwork.net/
TerryS (16:14:00) :
Hmm. WUWT interferes with my work too. Interest in this blog really took off this summer, right before the economy tanked. Now, I know correlation doesn’t imply causation, but if Anthony cuts back a bit and the economy improves, that’ll be good enough for me. 🙂
Let some of these peps put out for some topics,
and give Mr Watts some time off for good behavior
Thank You
Tim
Good luck. I’ll miss your regular posts.
REPLY: I should emphasize that I’m not stopping, just scaling back a bit. -Anthony
Thanks
Please, take care of your family. Like you, If I don’t take care of business, I’ll soon find myself semi-retired.
And I hit the Button.
I am reading that everyone on this blog is a tremendous well wisher. Please do what you need to do to bring in the family support and to develop your weather business. At the same time, you must know that the scientific truth of properly positioned surface stations that accurately measure temperature day after day, year after year, is one of the most important contributions to the future of this country as well as our earth. This blog has the value it does because it expresses your personality and integrity.
I hope your readers, including myself, contribute on a subscription basis — so much per month — to keep all of this going. We will be contributing to a better future, one that includes the love of truths and science — what I consider to be a “classically liberal” stance that also has been labeled “conservative”. I suggest that you make the contribution/subscription aspect more straight forward and up-front on the blog; can you include credit cards in addition to PayPal to which I have an adversion?
WhatsUpWithThat is one of the “must reads” every single morning for me. It seems that quite a number of others recognize the value and the community that you have created, Anthony. I feel that “we” are part of an adventure to correct temperature data from which we can decide — politically — where to put our tax dollars regarding the adjustments needed for REAL climate change. It is well worth the expense and the effort. Many. many thanks.
Nonscientist here…I banged the flipper on the donate button. Hell…this site has given me so much in terms of enlightenment, entertainment, and just plain common sense, it’s a damned small thank you for all of that.
Thanks, Anthony…take care of business.
This will sort itself out.
Standing by for instructions for helping on stations in Ky.
I need to say something here. I think.
This site gets 800,000+ hits every month. Somehow I doubt I’m the only one in the TN/MS/AR region.
A few months ago, I took a vacation day to do a few surveys in eastern Arkansas. It required a few late nights to get everything prepared, print out everything, borrow a GPS device, make my contacts, track down the curator & schedule the appointment, etc.
But here’s the thing: I was halfway through the CPA exam at the time. I had a two-year-old plus a two-MONTH-old who was still waking up every 2-3 hours for a bottle. My wife & I both work full-time. And yet, I still found the time to do it.
Yeah, the term “late night” didn’t mean anything at the time. There was no “night.” 🙂
I live by a philosophy that was printed on a sign in a barber shop. There are 3 types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.
I’m no scientist. A lot of discussions here are completely over my head. And yet I can read the comments on this blog and easily discern which category the far majority of you fall into, and it’s the same as I.
So here’s a challenge for the readers in my region: Fill in the map. Even if you can only do two surveys like I did. Or even one. No one here can convince me that your daily obligations are so overwhelming that you don’t have the time to volunteer, because I bet I’ve had more on my plate than you have.
And I’m going to issue this challenge to some other people I know as well.
A few weeks ago, I was copied on an e-mail exchange between about 20 family members & friends who were dissatisfied with the outcome of the election. The whole, “Whoa is us” attitude really ticked me off.
Maybe some of you know some people like this. I’m about to fire off an e-mail to them and challenge them to either get involved or quit copying me on these stupid e-mails. I’m sick of hearing the whining.
If you want to make a difference in this world, get off the couch and do something about it. Make things happen. If you want to watch a football game this weekend, I bet you’ll find the time.
Take the time to survey one of these stations and make a difference. Where are you folks in my region?
Sorry if that came off as lecturing. I’m just sick of the daily bombardment of e-mails from “victims” who spend all of their time whining and none of their time “doing.”
I’ve had your site linked for the longest time to mine, but I had almost forgotten about you. Sorry!
Anyway, at first I spent my time blogging about Ecofascists, but as we got closer to the election I spent most of my time on politics (go figure). Now that the election is over I’m going to start doing more debunking of Ecofascism. However, I have spent soooooo much time doing research on Obama I thought I would share at least one of my entries before I switch back over to my original intent. For those of you that are interested in this sort of thing, please take some time to work your way through “Obama The Next Great Communist Leader?”. This is NO joke. Here’s the url…
http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/obama-the-next-great-communist-leader/
Thanks Gio-
Anthony: I went shopping for weather gadgets a few days ago, but haven’t had time to complete the task yet. It’s time consuming. Every item has to be viewed to get an idea of the capabilities (which provide an external temperature or humidity reading?). The USB recorders look interesting, but I don’t know if I can leave it plugged in for use as a probe.
So, shoppers: When surveying gadgets, be prepared. Notepad. The main map is only a rough guide. Expect to look around to locate the sensor which you want. But with a little effort, we can complete the survey and keep better track of what’s going on outside.
Sell ads, ads and more ads.
I’m in Spokane, WA…. In looking at the surfacestation.org list it doesn’t seem that sites around here have been surveyed. I’d be willing to survey some. If you give me the site identifiers I’ll look them up and survey them.
Thanks.
There’s a “donate” button on the page if you look around. I just tested it, it seems to work. This site and surfacestations are important assets in community participation and discussion of various scientific topics. I find a donation here to be much more rewarding overall than, say, a subscription to SciAm or other publications.
Just my $0.02
You should slap some Google adsense ads up to make some $$$. This will help you out financially. It will at least cover your hosting costs.
Thanks for the info. I hope you can keep everything going, Anthony. I frequent WUWT regularly not only to read your posts but also what all the discussants have to say. Even if you don’t add anything new for a while, I have much to read from the discussions.
WUWT is a most enriching site. You are making a huge contribution to our understanding of the climate and much more as well.
Thanks
PS I’m from Canberra Australia
Focus on what’s really important – the Surface Stations project!!
I prefer one good quality scientific report a week over 2 or 3 trivial, though fun, reports per day. Besides, I’m sure you can find some awfully competent volunteers to moderate and post items in your place. Delegate!
Concerning donations, I’m already involved enough as a taxpayer in bailing out everything else that moves.
Here’s a list of posts I would not have wasted my time on over tha last week or so.
1. Litigious Lunacy
2. UK brought to standstill as five inches of snow…
3. Weather Channel nixes “Forecast Earth”, possibly Cullen
4. Weather Channel axes staff
5. NOAA’s U.S. Winter Outlook Calls for “Variability”
6. Nevada USHCN Station Surveys are done
7. Weblog Awards
8. Another dumb climate stunt from NBC – climbing Kilimanjaro
9. Truly inconvenient truths about climate change…
And so on. Frankly I also find the “How not to measure temperature…” to be getting tiresome. It’s like watching the same TV show over and over.
And let’s not forget to mention the cow with the flaming rear-end awhile back.
AEGeneral
Right on. I couldn’t agree more!
I wonder if Pierre sees any contradiction in giving advice on how to run this site, and then saying he can’t donate?
I feel your pain! I do. But taxes are involuntary. This is voluntary, and we’re making a difference.
More and more news portals are referring to this site — to the immense consternation of those demanding that we must remain alarmed over a non-existent problem. And remember that the real purpose of the AGW scare is to jack our taxes way up. A few bucks in the kitty goes a long way in helping to change public perception.
Times are tough for most everyone these days, but donating the cost of a happy meal isn’t going to make a difference in anyone’s standard of living. Plus, it will make you feel good. Really.
As far as the articles go, these is plenty of hard science posted here. If anyone wants all heavy duty science all the time, Climate Audit might be their cuppa tea. But it can be pretty heavy slogging with the math and all.
This site fills a need; it’s entertaining, and I for one really enjoy some of the more lighthearted articles, the ones that show how really ridiculous the AGW promoters are. You can feel their intense frustration at the fact that the planet isn’t doing what they want. It’s cooling, not warming, dang it all!
Finally, looking at the number of comments on an article gives a rough idea of the article’s popularity. It shows what interests people. There aren’t many blogs, science or otherwise, that can generate 500+ comments on articles, like the one last week on GISS manipulating/massaging the raw temperature data.
No doubt James Hansen is grinding his teeth at the fact that word is getting out about his unsupportable refusal to allow the taxpaying public any access to the raw data they paid for. To me, that alone is worth sending along a few bucks.
All I need is one new story a day !!!!
You do GREAT work here !!!
Keep it up and good luck!!
Gee, thanks for the input, Mr. Pierre Buzzkill. Other than all the stuff he posts about you like this site just fine. I’m like that with ESPN. It’s a great network, except for the sports shows.
I hit the tip jar. I think you should turn off the computer and go get hammered in Vegas for a week. Or switch from inspecting weather stations to inspecting microbreweries.
And when you come back? More flaming cow-butt, please!
🙂
“Times are tough for most everyone these days, but donating the cost of a happy meal isn’t going to make a difference in anyone’s standard of living.”
Except maybe Anthony’s, if it means it makes this all a bit easier.
C’mon Pierre…$10 isn’t going to break your budget, or anyone elses.
Anthony,
I’m having the same problem with my small blog. The economy has put a huge load on my time, focusing more energy on my business.
Thanks for all the great articles.
Smokey,
I see your point.
I’ll give it some thought.
I will do all I can to help, Anthony. My wife will tell you how much this sight means to me !! The world is very heavy if you try to carry it on your own, and it is time that I helped. Unfortunately, it will be in Canadian funds, sorry about that. ;^) , every little bit helps.
Anthony,
It’s OK to stop for a breather, and family is always always first. Be missing the pith, but glad you’ll be giving us some grief!
From someone who is old enough to be a gran’pa – enjoy your kids while you can, too soon they depart childhood and have to deal with things like the AGW hoax.
Mike
Pierre, my grandmother was always reminding me of my manners. So I pass on that reminder to you. I would suggest that you read this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People. You could also ask for advice from Judith Martin, known as “Miss Manners”, on how to give advice so that it comes across as meaningful and helpful. Yes?
I agree with Smokey 100%.
Anthony, publish your bank account (all data for international transfer).
Maybe you could do the same set up as wikipedia at the moment or create a donation button.
Pierre Gosselin, Are you serious? This is a volunteer blog that was not put here to serve your needs. The list of posts you feel are trivial is condescending and obnoxious, and you top it off by saying you will not donate! You must be a real asset to the area you live in. Quick to point out flaws but unwilling to throw in a buck or lift a finger.
… then we can afford to buy more goodies from Anthony! But then Anthony will have resources to post more and the economy will slow… have to pace that negative feedback loop.
It would be OK with me to have ads under all the right-column stuff. Particularly if the ads are automagically selected based upon the content. It will be entertaining to see how often GW paranoia ads appear versus rational weather ads, as well as providing a challenge to the selection software in figuring out what ads are relevant to the content. I have bought a number of books about earth sciences in recent years, and I’m open to suggestions.
Selling books on the site would actually be a good way to increase site revenue/sustainability.
I think a lot of publishers give you a ticky for any sale originating from you, and I would gladly buy books like Crichton’s, or many other “climate” books from a site such as this, as opposed to Amazon.
Also something you could delegate, Anthony.
Hope you eat too much turkey with your family tomorrow 😉
Cheers.
Like Steve, list the Ky sites or give a link to them and I can start on them.
To add, somewhat, to those ganging up on Pierre, I think he doesn’t completely understand swhy this site is so popular. Sure, the surfacestations work is important, and Anthony should be encouraged to devote his efforts there first, if he has to make choices about how to allocate his time and effort, but the general news stories bring a lot of people here, and stimulate a lively community of interest in the ensuing discussions that take place. I, for one, hope that continues. And I’m sure that Anthony realizes that is a major reason for WUWT’s popularity. There are several other good blogs focused on substantive, but more narrowly focused, kinds of issues (think here of The Blackboard), which do not generate near the kind of broad based interest and traffic as WUWT. Do we want WUWT to become another one of those? That’s what would happen if it focused only on the surfacestations project.
Hey, Anthony, you know, I’m in Arkansas. I am just as harried for time these days as anyone, but if you want to prioritize the stations in Arkansas that need surveyed, I’ll see if I can find any time to help out.
Basil
Anthony,
I am almost done with a major project and will be free to help in Texas and other areas starting this week.
Hey, we’re building a community here!
Seriously, every one of these comment sections are informative and educational. I see the same people participating, and am getting to know many. The overall subject matter is excellent… unlike other forums I participate in, WUWT has given me some great ammunition to use while deprogramming friends and relatives. Deprogramming is an interesting word, it was used to define treatment of cult members.
Just a few years ago I too was an AGW fanatic. I couldn’t believe the stupidity of unbelievers… after all, AGW is self-evident. Right? Sure it is! Thanks to a few brave souls posting useful information on personal sites, I began to see AGW as what it is. I went through all the phases: denial. anger. bargaining. I’m already down at Acceptance, and am much happier for it.
I’d like to see a topic where we can all post our personal stories, bio, background, epiphany-moment, etc. It might be a lot more useful for the AGW-programmed visitors to see that we’re not all hummer-driving redneck Exxon employees…
Putting ads everywhere on this blog might not be the answer. It will distract people from the real issues but mostly you could end up with ads that might create problems for the seriousness of the articles/dicussions.
From what you were saying, it is not really a question of money, but rather the lack of time… as there is only 24h in a day 🙁
You know very well that this site is getting more hits than ever and this is growing as we are starting to see WUWT on other websites and even the news now.
So, what you will need most likely are people willing to put the time in for you. Lots of good and smart people would be willing to help I am sure to maintain and make this blog grow with the trend. Start building your volunteer team.
It is more important to get the reality news out to the people than to see this site slow down and eventually shut down… because as you know, if there are not new stories regularly, people will start looking elsewhere.
I’m in Cnetral OK and would love to volunteer some time and gas to cause! Let me know what I can do to help…
Best site on the web….
Anthony, do you have an updated version of the xls file showing the
stations and their ratings?
REPLY: I’m working on catching up with that, way behind. Lots of time involved checking and double checking involved to make sure the correct station was surveyed, etc. – Anthony
Anthony, your blog is great, we need it and I have learned a lot from it too. Take care of your family, and we will all keep faithfully reading and waiting for new information. A local club in my town had a speaker come in who was de-bunking all the energy myths. The true information is now in the hands of scientists like yourself and the truth-seekers in blogland, especially now since mainstream media has fallen for and chosen only to report the myths. It may be that the “truth” is going underground…I wouldn’t be surprised.
Anthony,
Until I began reading your blog I had no idea how flawed the data set was. I always just assumed the AGW crowd was using a natural cyclical temperature maximum to promote their agenda. It never occurred to me they were actually fudging the numbers.
I have since begun to read everything I can on AGW, solar activity (or lack there of), and non anthropogenic sources of atmospheric carbon. I now recommended your site to everyone with whom I converse about ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’.
We are all feeling the effects of the current economic condition: as someone recently said “this is worse than getting a divorce; I’ve lost half my net worth and I still have my wife!”
Until now, I have been freeloading all of this great content. I won’t miss the $20 donation, but I hope that enough other people will feel the same way and can help you stay afloat (even the AGW acolytes who come on to debate the point).
Jim
This site has grown tremendously. Sorry you don’t approve of much of the content, but a great many obviously do. And a great part of the power “How Not to Measure Temperatures” is the repetition, itself. It is repeated over and over and over. That’s the point. I think I can speak for the vast majority here when I say I read them with great eagerness and actively look forward to them.
And yes, there is considerable absurdity involved in the issue. And a lot of politics. That has become part and parcel to the “secular” discussion. And this can hardly be attributed to the skeptical side of the argument.
Can you accept ads on your site? You could make WUWT a money-maker instead of a time-taker.
Reply: not with the current hosting setup ~ charles the moderator
Now hold on here – all you self-appointed preachers and experts on manners.
1. I made a donation awhile back.
2. I can recall bad manners from the other side, but I’m not gonna bring up the details.
3. I took the time to give my opinion and critique on how to rationalise this website. Maybe it’s worth nothing, but this website also got it for nothing.
Just trying to help.
4. It is Anthony himself who said “Surveying stations…is much better use of my available spare time than moderating some of the daily philosophical arguments and news items of this blog.” I AGREE! There’s been enough chaff, as implied by Anthony here himself. Anecdotes aint gonna move the ball an inch.
5. This is business. If people can’t take a little critique in running a business, then they should join a union, or get a government job.
6. I run a business too, and there are times when you can say things, and times you should not. Believe me, saying things here isn’t going to affect my future a single bit. So I say what I want. I shoot straight, and the consequences be damned. If people want to whimper about it – not my problem.
7. I donate to several good causes every year. But I can’t donate to everybody. There are people out there with little to eat or nothing to wear. I think Anthony is resourceful enough to get his own funds without having to take handouts.
Other desparate people would be far better served with donations.
8. I use my real name here. You want my phone number too?
9. Finally, if people don’t want me taking the contents of this website for free, then the contents shouldn’t be offered for free.
Honestly speaking, I think Anthony ought to make this a subscription website. $50 a year! I’d still be here. What about the rest of you?
If you have something else to say to me, then at least use your real full name.
Now, I hope I didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. If so:
http://www.ccacc.ca/
Evan jones:
Sure it’s interesting, but aren’t these stations posted at the surface stations website?
Like I say, Evan, I only said what I’d like to see changed. It’s my single opinion. Of course it’s not going to match everyone’s preferences.
Readers should just take it or leave it, and please spare all the moral haughtiness and lectures on manners.
I paid my dues this year. So let me speak my mind.
And Evan,
I could give a rat’s butt about disappointing you. I’m not here to seek your good graces. Who are you, anyway?
Don’t get me wrong – but think about how you sound. Or is it rule here that I’m not allowed to disappoint certain people?
May I, from acros the Atlantic, join in the general chorus of tributes to what Anthony (and his ever-growing phalanx of expert readers) has achieved with WUWT in the past two years, On an issue of world importance it has become a site of world importance. When nine days ago, thanks to WUWT, I devoted my weekly column in the London Sunday Telegraph to Dr Hansen’s confusion over the October temperature figires this was linked by so many websites across the planet that it now tops the list as the ‘Most viewed’ comment item on my paper’s website for the entire year. That is a small measure of just how much interest is now building up in the sceptical end of the AGW debate (some ‘consensus’). We are all in Anthony’s debt. May he not run into any of his own, and manage to keep us posted on key issues when he can.
I was going to make a post about being disappointed, but facetiousness often falls flat online.
Evan, Pierre, you know you are both valuable participants here.
~ nuff said.
Anthony,
1. You need to have 2-3 Associate Editors to take the load off you with clear direction of the stories you want posted.
2. You need to add Google Adsense Ads to your page. With the amount of traffic you get, you can then justify working on it once you start to see the profits.
I am 100% Anthony.
Anthony, it is clear that you have a very large following of individuals who care deeply about you and your site and the science such that we all want to give you advice to keep you the way we want you. Whatever you need to do is fine with me. I will subscribe $10.00 per month — an annual subscription amount to a quality journal — to keep WUWT going. I hope others will join me. An effort can begin in a volunteer mode, but then perhaps the business of life must take over. I would enjoy ads for books on all the varieties of science about weather, climate, and earth’s history of change in this regard, but I imagine your reward would just be pennies.
Michael Bently said a profound truth — enjoy your kids every single day; they grow up too fast.
And Pierre is a grouch — I’m glad he softened a little.
“CodeTech (10:02:38) :
Hey, we’re building a community here!”
I believe that is the important thing at this site. It fosters collaboration. It provides a vehicle for average people to get involved. People can ask questions and often someone else around here knows the answer or at least has an opinion if they don’t know the answer. There is a certain synergy with this site that is rarely found but of tremendous value.
This is sort of a community workshop where people can come and help out on a project but it is also kind of like the place with the pickle barrel and a checker board where people can stop in and share news, banter opinions, etc.
Mr. Watts has started something really great here but he also has his “day job” to tend to. That is understandable, particularly today with the economic uncertainties of late. Lets not muck the place up too much.
The body of work here, for that is what it is, is deep and broad. It grows organically, succours the newly awakened and sharpens the regulars’ tools. Between those poles it is also a record of a multitude, shifting from one phase to another, awakened to the possibility that our governments, representatives and scientists are human, that we can be fooled by them, but we may be empowered to penetrate that fog. With a little help from our friends.
This blog is destiny waiting to happen. The impetus is yet ponderous but we shall see Watt we shall see. As this NH winter progresses more and more will become sceptical of CO2 as Eschaton. A storm is coming.
If there were merely one post a week many people would visit the back catalogue, to be presented with the spectrum of human climate science, from hilarity to obscurity, and to see and perhaps perform further forensic investigation into physics, the universe and mad scientists.
It is a reflection of the owner, long may he prosper, that visitors find here a haven of sanity, brotherhood and restraint to which I could direct even my daughters for guidance, in the safe knowledge that they will encounter no profanity, no vulgarity and little inanity such is the diligence and judgement of Anthony and the Mods. They may also become enlightened and invigorated by the variety of positions taken, personalities displayed and argument enjoyed herein.
To a clement future. Thank you, already.
All,
I did a little spread sheet work comparing The list of stations used by GISS
and the List of sites visited by Surface stations. While the latter list is not presently current, I found this. GISS uses nightlights to classify sites as
Rural or Not Rural ( small town and urban) I looked for the following:
1. sites that have not been surveyed ( or had the survey results posted)
2. sites that were RURAL according to nightlights. I found 133 such sites.
These would be great sites to visit.
A. To test whether or not nightlights “works” as a proxy for no UHI
B. To potentially increase the number of CRN1 sites in the database. Without more CRN1 and CRN2 sites, a statistical analysis is more difficult.
I’ve mailed Anthony the list in excel.
Also, GISS use MORE than USHCN, there are about 1200 or so USHCN sites
in the station list for GISSTEMP, and about 700 or so other stations.
I have a list of these as well sorted by nightlights.
Pierre,
“Honestly speaking, I think Anthony ought to make this a subscription website. $50 a year! I’d still be here. What about the rest of you?
If you have something else to say to me, then at least use your real full name.”
Ok…I’m confused. You don’t want to donate, but you’d gladly pay a subscription.
Have I got that about right? ;*)
And frankly, I donate to several causes as well…local food pantries, etc…but I honestly believe that WUWT does much more important work. So if I donate to other causes, I can certainly donate here.
Consider my $50 membership paid, btw.
JimB (as in Butler…cuz I guess that’s important now?)
Pierre, If I have offended you please accept my apologies.
We are all entitled to our opinions.
I have removed the statement to which you object.
George – Loved the physics-cosmology post, very entertaining to us science types
Steven Mosher – are there any sites in SE NH, NE MA or SE Maine that I could survey?
philwilson12@
comcast dot net
PhilW.
by my notes which come from the last update 4/08
USHCN=177174
GHCN=42572619006
RIPOGENUS DAM ME
45.88 -69.18
MMS ID= 10268
DAM OUTSIDE AND 28.0 MI WNW OF PO AT MILLINOCKET, ME
MAX-MIN THERMOMETERS
45.88333 -69.18333
Nightlights = 1.
Also, Eastport, which is rural but has nightlights = 2
Anthony is sending me an updated list. I’ll try to update my list ASAP.
And as Anthony has noticed, I have not been posting much recently as well, for similar reasons. A lot of folks around me lost their jobs in the past couple of weeks, but somehow I survived the cut. Fortunately, their good work did not go away. On top of that, I coach high school sports in the fall and winter, so I have had little thought time outside of work.
I do have a list of “interesting things to look at” and I am hoping to go through that during the holiday lull. Maybe I will find something worth posting 🙂
PhilW. Bethleham NH.
I have over 500 on my “must visit” list. these are sites that rate as
nightlights = DARK(1) or nightlights=DIM(2). there are around 130
nightlights =1 sites that have not been surveyed and over 370 nightlights=2 sites that have not been visited. Lot’s of rural and small town sites that need visiting.
Hey… I just bought a USB TEMPERATURE DATA LOGGER… As an IT guy it should come in pretty handy! Thanks Anthony for all that you do.
“” philw1776 (15:23:00) :
George – Loved the physics-cosmology post, very entertaining to us science types “”
Phil, thanks for the comment; I plan to add a good bit more relating to Black body radiation theory which is very much central to the basic question; is the planet warming up (dangerously) or not, and do humans have anything to do with it.
And although the scientists who come here may find it a little bit “childish”, I think it is important to help the non scientists who are every bit as concerned as we are, to appreciate that the central science is not hard to understand if it is explained to them in a manner they can grasp.
One thing is for sure; we scientists are not going to prevail in this battle without the support of others equally concerned, who aren’t scientists. We need to help them gain confidence in the positions they are taking too.
Frankly I am disgusted by the stance some scientists are taking; simply to keep their grant dollars coming in from somewhere.
I don’t know beans about PDOs and ENSOs but I’m confident in the climatologists who do; but I do understand thermodynamics, and radiation theory; a good bit about atomic and molecular spectroscopy, not much chemistry, and I do understand feedback, having worked for decades in analog circuit design.
Luckily my computer does my donkey work for me ( Optical Mouse Optical design), so while it is thinking for me, I can pop in here and try to help others.
George
Pierre, while a straight shooter (or talker) may feel good about being brutally honest and capable of running a ship, what would the result be if a different leadership (or communication) style were applied that incorporated a more egalitarian tit for tat? What size ship would you be on then? What cargo would you be hauling then? What change could you bring about then? How many would you convince to follow you then? I was just suggesting what grandma always said, “You can catch lots more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Often times, the leadership style being used makes the business of leadership change from “I am the leader of this business” to “I am the leader of a growing business”. I have a hunch that Anthony’s numbers are growing because of an egalitarian leadership style. Why not follow his example?
One of the best side effects of this blog with it’s broad readership is that it gives those of us in the peanut gallery a sense of hope, that all is not lost and that humanity is not a flock of sheep blindly following the Algoreans over the cliff. It’s good to know that there are a wide variety of people, from a wide variety of places who disagree with AGW. It’s nice to know I am not a lonesome kook who just wastes his time spitting into the wind. This blog has developed a sense of community for the regular readers, such a sense that one is not afraid to make a post even if it means we may expose our own lack of knowledge of a subject. We might even attempt some humor from time to time.
On the subject of Google Adsense, unfortunately Anthony would have no control over those ads. You would likely see ads promoting AGW propoganda books and such. The only way to eliminate that is to constantly monitor those ads and block each specific URL link. That is an impossible task.
Hey Anthony – and everyone and that includes people I disagree with too –
This is my most precious link. Diamonds scattered on the floor here, as I said a while back, so long as we keep the right balance between building science and building community.
My own website readership has grown in leaps and bounds and I’m sure it’s in no small measure due to links here. I too was once an ardent AGW. I’ve learned so much. And being semi-retired, I’ve got time on my hands.
I try to see what parts of the science need taking further, and how I (self-taught and still a beginner – like the best! – like Willis Eschenbach!) can help – and from this, our forum has grown. I recently “hived off” an interesting topic that was OT for Steve Mac on his website (“Co2 residence time”), but was clearly of interest to several readers. I’d like to offer this facility in general – any topic that’s OT to your thread but germane to reclaiming Climate Science, encourage folk to post them over atour forum.
I’m still thinking about how we can get skeptical Climate Science onto a proper wiki basis, and I’m going to start a thread on this at our Forum. I love overseeing the forum but want to see the path beyond a forum where “the buck stops with me”. I guess many are thinking about this blog Anthony – can we move it into being a blog owned by the climate skeptics’ community – without losing the personal touch and quality!
Hope this helps.
Please allow me to try one more time.
I am simply agreeing with Anthony. That’s all.
“Surveying stations…is much better use of my available spare time than moderating some of the daily philosophical arguments and news items of this blog.”
Anthony has to make a call, and appears to me he wishes to focus on the meatier, less anecdotal (philosophical) stuff. And whether or not I donate, is my own business, and no one else’s. Again for those who disagree with my words:
http://www.ccacc.ca/
pyromancer76
“I will subscribe $10.00 per month — an annual subscription amount to a quality journal — to keep WUWT going. I hope others will join me. ”
Well, if Anthony should decide to levy a subscription fee – fine, then I’d pay it. But if he continues to offer it for free…then I say keep the money and give it to help starving kids.
There are so many options to raise money that Anthony could resort to – some have been mentioned here already by other readers.
Concerning leadership,
I’ve been running my own business for 15 years now, and doing quite well, thanks. Leadership isn’t about always blowing with the wind. In fact it’s a lot about being tolerant of people with other views and not assuming positions of haughtiness w.r.t. other folks.
But thanks for the business advice anyway.
I’m no scientist, but I can follow directions. I’m on the MS gulf coast, I’ll do whatever I can to check as many stations as possible down here and possibly next door in Alabama. Anthony, the work you are doing is more of a contribution to our society and the preservation of our way of life than maybe you realize. Thank you!
Not trying to steal readership from the estimable WUWT, but may I suggest an apropos post of mine on the general topic.
http://westinstenv.org/sosf/2008/11/21/no-trend-in-idaho-snowpack-over-the-last-75-years/
Comments welcome. And if I come up with more posts potentially suitable for WUWT, how might I shoot them at you all?
AnonyMoose (08:57:34) :
It would be OK with me to have ads under all the right-column stuff. Particularly if the ads are automagically selected based upon the content. It will be entertaining to see how often GW paranoia ads appear versus rational weather ads[…].
It would not only be entertaining, but I would find it pleasingly ironic that this site would be supported in part by AGW money!
Add some ads!
Down here in Austraya, I find I am also having to devote more time to my business than in enjoying and learning from this great site. As a non scientist I am trying to seek information from places without their own agendas and I would say this is most definately one of the best. Thank you for your work, Anthony
By the way, with only a few days to go before summer, we had a great snowfall last Sunday where I am in Orange NSW. Max. temp for the day was 8 degrees celcius.
Hope the economy improves for you soon
You in Australia do you not have economy crisis ?!
Dear Anthony,
you did such a great job, with WUWT and surfacestations.org,
You really should concentrate on your primare business and your family, indeed.
Everything else, of course, has to pace down.
Do wish you the very best.
Klausb
Anthony
I was directed to this site via Christopher Booker’s regular, stimulating and erudite articles in the Sunday Telegraph in which he so frequently mentions the WUWT site. You have a lot to answer for as I am now an (almost) fully committed AWG denier, to the despair of all my friends who have to listen to me quoting the experts on this site at the same time slagging off the European Union. You and Booker between you are worth your weight in gold and I trust the symbiotic arrangement will continue and flourish.
Tony W
….that should have been AGW. Mea culpa!