I’m on a necessary two week road trip to meteorology related trade shows to show some of my technology and content. Unfortunately times being what they are, the trip was more economical with me driving and hauling equipment than it was to fly and ship. I’m now beginning to question that decision after my 13 hour drive from LA to Albuquerque today. On the plus side, I got to see the section of I-40 that was the inspiration for the fictional town “Radiator Springs” in the Disney animated movie “Cars”. The wind sculpted terrain was right out of the movie as I passed into New Mexico.
But even though I’m away from blogging a lot, every cloud has a silver lining. There’s a 5 day lapse between the two shows, and I’m going to use that time to fill in some missing stations for the surfacestations project if I can.
Our first paper on the station surveys is in late stage peer review, and I hope to be able to announce it soon. This work would go towards a second paper being planned. I can’t go into any more detail on it at this time.
But if anyone can help with the road trip expenses for those 5 days, there’s an orange donate button on the right sidebar.
Of course I’ll post the station surveys as I get them, there’s bound to be an entertaining BBQ or a/c unit somewhere in the mix next to a climate monitoring station.
Evan Jones has been providing planning support, and I thank him for his preparation in getting candidates cataloged. As you can see in one of my previous trips, I’m a glutton for punishment.
Guest authors with ideas are encouraged to submit stories while I’m chasing stations.
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@CRS, Dr.P.H. says:
March 2, 2011 at 7:23 am
Same here, we use to purchase news media daily, weekly and monthly, now nothing save for one gardening mag and that’s not being renewed due to the eco- greenie push/nagging/preaching they do, thereby allowing our budget to make donations to worthwhile bloggers.
NatGeo just sent us a ‘half off’ for their yr. mag subscription – we declined it.
Safe trip. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait for your “Surface Station” paper.
PayPal-ed you twenty bucks for a ½ tank of gasoline. ☺
Clive
From the frozen plains of Western Canada … where spring is not about to happen in the foreseeable future … bah!
If you take the same route back, be sure to turn off into Winslow, AZ. The town was the prototype for Radiator Springs and bears much of the same “charm.” Even the few traffic lights go to blink-yellow after midnight. When there, checkout the La Posada Hotel, an upgraded Santa Fe Fred Harvey railroad hotel whose restaurant features fresh elk which is to die for.
Happy trails!
Is the much vaunted Berkley study acknowledging your input from Surface stations ???
And if not why not ??
INGSOC raises an interesting issue, Anthony. I also am an old fuddy duddy, and do not put money into my I-pad-ped-pid-pod-pud, or raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry, girlsenberry,blackberry etc none of which I own, or would own. I also don’t kindel or facebook or trep, tweet, twitter, whatever.
And I don’t have any paymates, paybuddies, paychums, ot the like.
So I could also ante up via the time honored checkie; I usually use a bank cashiers check, so that hwhoever finds it, doesn’t think I printed it out with my computer drawn on th ebank of nomoney.
Some place to send valuables would be a good idea; although my favorite Uncle is doing his damndest to prevent me from having any.
Have a safe trip; and I second the five minute roadnap; I have a 50 year old funny story about roadnapping, but you will have to wait until one day I send it to Reader’s Digest for their Life in These United States section.
My favorite song from “Cars” is “Life is a Highway”, I believe that is the correct name.
Anthony, you are certifiably mad. I have no idea how you manage to do all that you do. And this is the last straw:-
There’s a 5 day lapse between the two shows, and I’m going to use that time to fill in some missing stations for the surfacestations project if I can.
Shadow- I love Winslow and have stayed in the La Posada many times. It’s a great getaway from PHX.
I will point out to you and the Good Doc that it is my understanding that cars was based on/inspired by the old stretch of Rt. 66 from Seligman and Kingman via Peach Springs (sound familiar?) Valentine, and Hackberry. I mention this not to split hairs but to recommend a drive on that section for anyone who has not done so. Like maybe Anthony on the drive back? 😉
Anyway Dr Roy Spencer’s February anomaly is up now at -0.02C here http://www.drroyspencer.com/latest-global-temperatures/
Amazing they can do it with such accuracy.
I just donated to help the surface stations project. Thanks Anthony.
Ed
If you have a little ‘me’ time, try to make it up to Los Alamos/Bandelier, or Georgia O’Keefe’s ranch. Gorgeous country.
“Take It Easy” – Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey from LP “for Everyman” – also “Redneck Friend” – a great rocker and “Ready or Not.” Kind of a country flavor for wide-open spaces.
Road trips can be great, if you let them. I love music for a soundtrack.
I also love the way “Cars” was researched and done.
Enjoy the driving. It might be better than being Federally groped and fondled, or radiated.
I hear of plans to institute DNA scans next summer in airports to fight human trafficking, which will not work unless they have everybody in the system. What a great excuse to build a DNA database on the whole population. Think of all of the other ways they could use this information.
Of course, they assume that human trafficking is primarily done through airports and not across our open borders.
And, since when is human trafficking the responsibility of the TSA? There is no way that collecting DNA would make the skies any safer.
Just another government grab and invasion of rights and privacy. I’ll be driving from now on unless I can borrow a plane.
Modest tip deposited, limited only by my no longer working status. Have a good trip.
For the Canadian cheque question: The Donate link mentions PayPal. So if you connect PayPal to your checking account, you can donate/purchase through that service. Or, visa.ca says that “Visa Reloadable Prepaid cards” are available, so you could use one of those to isolate online purchases from other payments.
I think 5 in one day is my personal record too. Nothing like that kind of concentration left to me within reasonable driving distance.
Good hunting.
Your continuing dedication to good science and thoughtful communication benefits those of us like me who have a “pedestrian” scientific background (I got a D in organic chemistry and a C in physics, so switched majors as a kid). Great work on the award, and the surface stations project is vital. We love you, Anthony. Thanks for shining light on the darkness. Safe trip.
Have a safe and hopefully productive trip, though your timing could have been better for choosing to do a lot of driving, the crude price just busted through the $100/brl mark this morning. I wouldn’t worry too much about light postings, they’ve managed to stay at a level that is still hard to stay on top of through your other recent necessary absences. For a little perspective on that point, your recent post listing on the sidebar has 15 items going back to Monday. I made a little venture into hostile territory over at RC and this is their 15th most recent post
Overheard in the newsroom
Filed under: Reporting on climate — group @ur momisugly 12 January 2011
Reporter doing a phone interview: “Please slow down, professor. You’ve been researching this topic for a decade. I’ve been researching it since lunchtime.”
From here (h/t Josh).
Comments (pop-up) (214)
If you broke half of Willis’s fingers, he’d still be able to keep ahead of those guys all by himself.
Welcome to the state! You’re just an hour down the road from me here in Santa Fe. Unfortunately, the view from I-40 from Albuquerque to the state line is far from picturesque. It beats the scenery going east from Albuquerque toward Texas but if you want to enjoy some real scenic beauty take a little road trip up to Santa Fe. This town is absolutely nuts…but if nothing else, it’s beautiful. I don’t imagine you’ll have a lot of time available for sight seeing but this is a very pretty state.
“But if anyone can help with the road trip expenses for those 5 days, there’s an orange donate button on the right sidebar.”
Done
Thanks for all your efforts Anthony – safe journey and good look at the shows.
Slightly OT, but if your looking for extra content, W.M. Briggs has another interesting addition to the chronicles of the Unintended Consequences of Environmentalism up at his site
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=3544
Evidently the requirement for low flow toilets is creating a massive stench problem in the sewer system of San Francisco because the reduced flow isn’t moving solids out of sewer mains. The proposed solution? Massive injections of BLEACH into the mains. Satire is indeed becoming a dying art, because nobody could invent stuff more ridiculous than the news.
Anthony,
Please, credits on the marvelous painting? Artist? Is it a real location? Title?
Thanks,
Blue skies,
Kip
Regarding donations, a VISA card works fine for me. Seems it would work from Canada, no? Not sure about the currency conversion though.
Copy the money order thing. I was trying to get away with not having to go further than my mailbox to slip some toonies to Anthony. However, I’ll gladly stop in and grab a cashiers cheque or money order next time I’m in town, but I’m still at a loss as to where to send it… Is there a PO box or something? I can understand Anthony’ caution in putting any addresses out there, and PO boxes aren’t free. So if there is no way of sending funds outside of paypal I’ll just have to spend the money in the usual way and give it to The Ministry of War and Finance; my personal Piranha Fish, Mrs INGSOC.
Thanks for the tips folks!
Looking forward to the announcement of both papers. The suspense on what the second paper is will be good for learning patience.
[Waits.]
So what is the second paper?