My second day at the American Geophysical Union conference was entirely different than the first, mainly due to the fact that all of a sudden I found myself unable to do photography. Even though I had made extensive photographs in sessions and during talks last year, this year I was informed after my first blog post on Monday that I was no longer allowed to make any photography in these events. Apparently, this year AGU has put in a event-wide kibosh on photography. Readers may recall from last year’s reports that I made extensive use of photography which enabled me to recall some of the technical details and comment on them. It really puts a crimp on my style of reporting because I’m very visual mainly due to my lack of auditory skills and having photography helps me remember what transpired. Now, with no photography, reporting becomes even more difficult.
Now, I can understand that the American Geophysical Union is running a private event and when you run a private event you get the control how that event is portrayed to the public. But, at the same time asking reporters not to photograph things like posters with highly technical details in a place like Moscone Center which is a public venue owned by the city of San Francisco borders on infringement of a free press. While I will comply with this requirement it does force me to limit myself in my reporting which is going to be a loss for everyone.
Of course not everyone got the “no photography in sessions” memo delivered as I did:
Polar bear as poster child of #climatechange seems distant & exotic, in fact it's here & now. @MichaelEMann #AGU14 pic.twitter.com/0dSE8tzKfw
— Prof. Kimberly Nicholas (@KA_Nicholas) December 16, 2014
On the plus side, I was told that photography in the hallways outside and of signs and displays for the public is fair game. So I decided to concentrate on those things that I could photograph yesterday. It is unfortunate though that I will be unable to give you a photo of the sneer Dr. Michael Mann gave me when he discovered that I was sitting just two rows behind him at the sessions that he and John Cook, Dana Nuccitelli, Katharine Hayhoe, Chris Mooney, and Dr. Jeff Masters presented in the basement of the Marriott Marquis in the meeting room that was the furthest walk from the main AGU venue at Moscone Center. I am unsure if the distance of separation for that venue was intentional or accidental but I can say that unlike last year the sort of condescending alarmism that group of people pushes didn’t seem to be part of the mainstream event.
During this event that I attended….
Dr. Jeff Masters said (and I Tweeted):
At #AGU14 session on communication with @MichaelEMann @dana1981 and @jeffmasters1 who says"imagery is important"…Ironic I can't show any!
— Watts Up With That (@wattsupwiththat) December 16, 2014
Indeed, “imagery is important”, so here is the photo imagery from the hallway I’m allowed to present:
More free beer at #AGU14 post sessions pic.twitter.com/INFJPfwdfv
— Watts Up With That (@wattsupwiththat) December 16, 2014
Beer station 2 #AGU14 pic.twitter.com/ibQ8GhEGhw
— Watts Up With That (@wattsupwiththat) December 16, 2014
Beer station 3 #AGU14 pic.twitter.com/g0aUiiQ4qb
— Watts Up With That (@wattsupwiththat) December 16, 2014
I also happened across Dr. Peter Gleick on the Moscone West 3rd floor, and was able to capture his contempt on camera:
And like last year, AGU 2014 was funded by “big oil” such as Exxon-Mobil and Chevron, as this poster just feet away from Dr. Gleick demonstrated yet again:
It sure would be nice to be able to report on the science of AGU with photography, other than what goes on in the hallways.
Sigh.
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UPDATE: Gavin Schmidt says the obvious, as I demonstrated above:
https://twitter.com/theAGU/status/545298138551308288
I agree. All scientific meetings have (or should have) this policy. People here who are surprised simply never attended such meetings.
No photography at poster sessions, although some state that you can ask the person at the poster for permission. In any event this is 2014. If you want a copy of the poster it is usually available in a variety of ways, just ask. Some even give you the internet site on the poster, so you can get an instant copy on you cell phone! Please get with it. No annoying photography at poster sessions. We are there to discuss and learn.
At presentation sessions it became even more unpleasant. We get idiots standing up with their iPads to video the session. They don’t care being in front of you. Then we get people getting up and snapping pictures with their iPhones. They don’t care about the distraction.
We don’t need a bunch of people snapping pictures at scientific meetings and disturbing presentations and discussion. Just get your pictures in the corridors!
Peter Gleick looks like a out-of-sorts Bilby caught in the headlights of an SUV.
Anthony queries the convention organizers about Doctor Mann’s event:
“But Dr. Mann, Cook, Nuccitelli, and the others had their session…”
“Their session? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s where those kinds of sessions are this year.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the session, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Anthony, “yes I did. It was in a disused lavatory in the basement of the Marriott Marquis hotel, with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”
(With apologies to the late Douglas Adams)
lol
Alex Trebek: “What is Forty-Two?”
Loved your “oscillation overthruster” above, :)….
but, need help here… “Forty-two” ?
Vi heav spaiz hoo teik pixz of klimat postres.
And zen teik OVA ZA VORLD!!!!
Yah! oont nayxt zee ohthayr vorld…
??
och, yoooo noooh…. daht vahn zee modayls tayl ahs ees thayr
(hic)
On many conferences ALL the oral presentations and posters are collected from the authors and put online, for example http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/sorce/news-events/meetings/2014-sorce-science-meeting/science-program/meeting-agenda/science-program-abstracts/
AGU should simply do the same. Disk storage is extremely cheap. If an author objects to having the presentation online, the paper should be rejected and not allowed presentation.
{found plastered in big red letters all over Dr. Svalgaard’s calm-voice-of-reason comment above when he quietly posted it on the AGU community bulletin board}
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“AGU *!* AGU *!* DISCLAIMER: The AGU does not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed by its members …BUY MORE BEER *!* BUY MORE BEER *!*”
{you didn’t know AGW gets a percentage, did you, heh, heh}
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
………lol, especially those that make excellent sense and promote TRUTH.
@ur momisugly Dr. Svalgaard — Hear, hear! (I move the question…. and vote… “Aye!”)
(Glaedelig Jul og Godt Nytar! #(:))
talk about a Freudian slip…. oh, I just wonder which word it was… 🙂
The principal application of geophysics is in the search for oil and gas, and most research in geophysics is done in that direction.
So it would be surprising indeed if there were no oil money at the conference.
I agree. Don’t see what is wrong with oil and gas companies to support this meeting, exhibit at this meeting and recruit scientist and engineers at this meeting.
If you attend a neuroscience meeting you will see plenty of support from the pharmaceutical industry.
No press passes? Surely the media would have the ability to take photos. Maybe not. Unfortunate that they would have a conference and not want the broadest possible coverage, even if controversial. After all, controversy is what makes it newsworthy. If they were all going there to agree on already known facts, well that would be a total bore, and not worth reporting. Not even worth attending actually.
Plenty available for the press:
http://news.agu.org/press-release/agu-fall-meeting-abstracts-and-sessions-now-online-book-hotels-by-14-november/
In Eastern Europe, during the communist years, it was forbidden to look at newspapers, the official ones, which were more than two years old.
Since history changed. All the time.
In a public library, you asked once, it was explained to you. You asked twice, and you had to show an ID. Or leave fast…
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If sessions are off the record, the speakers can let themselves go:
In five years, the Moscone center will be under water.
And we’ll grow bananas on Nob Hill, ….