Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
Well, I finally bit the bullet and successfully got my own blog up and running. It’s called “Skating on the underside of the ice“.
The “About This Blog” page says:
My name is Willis Eschenbach. I am a generalist. My CV is here. This is a blog of my thoughts about this curious and mysterious universe.
I also write about climate science. There is a list of my posts located at Watts Up With That. Autobiographical posts are here, in reverse chronological order.
Misunderstandings are the bane of the internet. If you disagree with someone, please quote the exact words you object to. I can and will defend my own words, but I can only do it if I know which words you disagree with.
I strongly discourage speculations about motive, as I am often unclear on my own motives—how can I judge what drives you when I don’t know what drives me?
I also am not interested in “ad hominem” attacks, attacks “against the man”. That is to say , attack a person’s ideas all you want, but please don’t attack their person (morals, education, style, parentage, personal history, experience).
Finally, as I strive to remind myself, the fact that I am offended doesn’t mean that you are offensive. As such, your expressions of offense on your part may not have the desired effect. My experience of writing for the web is that no matter what I write, someone is always offended by my words …
I moderate this site myself, so there may be longish delays in comment approval. Patience is a virtue.
Opposing views are welcome as long as they are courteous.
Best to everyone,
w.
There are a dozen or so posts at my site. If you read them and you think they deserve wider distribution, there are a few things you can do. For those who find the site worthwhile, II would like to ask everyone’s assistance in getting my new site as much publicity and as wide a reach as possible.
First, if you like the posts I ask that you to click the button at the right side of each page that says “Follow Skating on the Underside of the Ice”. You’ll get email notification of new posts.
Second, please share the site or favored posts on Facebook.
Third, if you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to the site or favored posts. I’m @WEschenbach, you’re invited to follow me.
==============
I will assuredly continue to publish my scientific work here on WUWT. My blog is for my philosophical and political ideas and insights.
Finally, let me say that I have the best opportunity of any scientist I know. I get to do my research and my exploration in the full public view of all of the commenters and lurkers. The best part is that when I make a mistake, someone is sure to point it out, perhaps even politely, within the first few hours that the post is up.
This constant interaction provides me with what I see as absolutely invaluable ongoing course correction, constantly preventing me from investigating wrong ideas and following blind alleys.
So let me thank you all for your part in this continuing scientific enterprise. Science works by someone making a claim, providing all of the data and code, handing around the sledge-hammers, and inviting people to smash it. If it gets smashed, it goes. If it can’t be falsified, it stays … provisionally … until maybe someday somebody smashes it.
Now, for science to work like this, you gotta have people to hand the sledgehammers to, and that’s all of the guest posters and commenters and lurkers here. Y’all are an essential part of the continuing scientific enterprise here.
Anthony has provided the public arena. I and many others put our ideas in the bright light. You folks wield the sledgehammers. Science at its finest.
So, my best regards to everyone, check out my website.
w.
Willis , have read your contributions and followed your exploits to our oz , also have been there when you constantly sort out Griff and co and love your work .
Checking it out now. I never mist your climate contributions to WUWT Willis, so very interested to discover where else your mind has taken you.
Willis your website is now bookmarked, and placed second in my Global Warming folder, just south of WUWT.
So far it looks great and reads great! Congrats.
+1
It’s a great blog and already appreciated here in NZ. I’ve recommended it to several contacts here and in Oz so hope you enjoy it as much as we are going to. I especially enjoyed “How a Businessman Takes Over A New Industry.”
My only hope is that it doesn’t take away too much time from the great pieces you do for WUWT…we all learn so much from them.
Alastair,
A Canadian geologist now a Kiwi, are you? From old geologist myself.
Jan@8:41
Sorry Willis..a bit of topic but:
Jan, Yes, it’s true! Get in touch..see our website, we do astronomy/geology tours from our B&B in NZ:
http://www.stargazersbb.com
and please see booking page for our email address and send an email so we can be in touch again!.
Love the Blogs name (Skating on the Underside of the Ice);sounds like a NEW Pink Floyd song or something very heady! Congrats on the new Blog mate, Its about time!!
Good luck with your new blog, Willis. I invariably enjoy your style of writing so am looking forward to having yet more enjoyment in my life.
One very small word of caution though: I think it most unlikely that you will be able to anyway – and that is to publish too many articles per day. I LOVE WUWT but some some days (with maybe between 6 and 10 new articles appearing in one day) I struggle to keep up. The trouble is that many of them are so damned interesting, along with the comments, that I simply can’t stop myself from being glued to them.
Just checked out your blog and love it , it’s different but relevant .
Willis I always look forward to your posts on WUWT. They are always entertaining, insightful and informative. I work in the area of environmental and waste management and I can assure you there are as many ideologues in that field that need to be challenged as there are in climate Science. In my own small way I have been attempting to debunk commonly held views like you do .
If only we could have open debate without rancor and abuse as you promote we would be much better off and we would waste less resources chasing down green rabbit holes.
I look forward to your musings on this site and will definitely subscribe. I expect wide ranging eclectic mix of thoughts, philosophy and theories
All the best and have a great Christmas!
Badger from Oz
Willis I always look forward to your posts on WUWT. They are always entertaining, insightful and informative. Noel, you took the words right out of my mouse!
Congratulations Willis, I hope you get many hits as your contributions to the debate are both informative and interesting.
One thing though, it might be better if your CV was PDF or some other more portable format 🙂
“Skating on the underside of the ice”?
Never heard of, but with the right footwear these guys would possibly be able…
A mind-blowing video that went viral a couple of years ago:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIs00QjiJZQ
Amazing
Hillarious, but the bubbles gave it away!
Good luck Willis with your new endeavour.
Like me, you no doubt get paid by the word for your writing, by big frack, big wind and big oil. Big solar has been making approaches to me recently as well, so no doubt you are also in negotiation with them about a hefty monthly retainer.
As a result you will no doubt, like me, be able to employ a team of researchers, proof readers and publicists. The going rate for a moderator is about 5000 dollars a month and to maintain 24 hour attention you will need four.
It’s a great life being a sceptic and untold riches await those who become involved.
Tonyb
Get in line Tony. You’ll need to try harder 🙂
BTW, I think you meant to write “insolved” rather than “involved”?
Ok Willis… Here’s, what I think, is an appropriate question for your new blogosworld.
“Skating on the underside of the ice’… why isn’t it smooth like the topside?
lee
cos it is subject to wave action, currents and the tide?
tonyb
Ice crystals grow into the water branching as they grow.
Ice that forms on the surface (usually!) can’t grow upward and retains the flat shape of the water surface.
Also, the specific weight difference between ice and air is a lot bigger than between ice and water.
Harder to tie your laces?
Well good luck with it… just hope it isn’t arctic sea ice you are skating under…!
yep, it’s freezing fast.
and advancing on Svalbard. Oh, My!
Its going to be hilarious watching you post the NSIDC graph at the end of the month! 😉
But your posts are always clown-like.
Only to be expected after ‘Northabout’ burned all that diesel just squeaking out.
Foreshore … spikey stuff 🙂
http://s28.postimg.org/kezx0tr6j/Jaxa_Delta.png
http://s28.postimg.org/avq87d3ob/Jaxa_Extent.png
Griff-troll would bet on 1 Wadhams (1e6 km²) before 2017.
By the way, what happens when summer minimum reaches 1 Wadhams?
Pretty much nothing spectacular. Santa drowns, of course, and penguins, unless they can fly south, which we know they can’t, and polar bears will start hunting the most common land prey, humans, which is good according to Holdren.
/sarc – don’t tell me about the penguins
Way too much ice for my liking. Someone should do something to get rid of the rest of it. It doesn’t do anyone, any good, until it melts. I tried eating it… once! Gave me a tummy ache and I was hungy 1/2 hour later. Damn rotten ice. GK
One wonders if Griff gets paid per paste?
The open Arctic ocean will produce lots of “lake effect” snow and consequent albedo and cooling.
Congratulations, Willis. Your new site will be a great success! (I guarantee it… or double your money back. Promise.)
*************************
@Griff:
Why did you pick only the Arctic? The scare is about global warming.
Here’s a chart of global ice. It’s updated daily, and it should feed your confirmation bias:
Obviously, something is wrong with the sensors:
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.recent.arctic.png
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.recent.antarctic.png
Skeptics ask questions, Griff. Try questioning the ‘vanishing ice’ narrative. If you’re honest with yourself, you will find that there is nothing unusual or unprecedented happening. The ‘Arctic ice’ scare is just another false alarm.
dbstealey on December 13, 2016 at 10:30 am
Everybody can produce any chart of anywhat, dbstealey. For example:
http://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/INFOGRAPHIC-greenland-decline-12.12.16-climate.gov-%20700×502%20-%20inset.png
out of
http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/unprecedented-arctic-warmth-in-2016-triggers-massive-decline-in-sea-ice-snow
I know: for you it’s just “warmist propaganda”. With such simple-minded appreciations I can live.
No problem!
Bindi,
I asked Griff why he cherry-picked only the Arctic, and reminded him that the scare is over the global warming false alarm. Now you did the same thing, by cherry-picking ‘Greenland’.
Your source admits that their claim rests on an extremely short 37 years to support their claim that Greenland’s ice decline is a “record”.
Really? A “record”? What you both need is a little perspective:
http://www.climate4you.com/images/SummitAndCulture.gif
Congratulations, Willis. Your new site will be a great success! (I guarantee it… or double your money back. Promise.)
*************************
@Griff:
Why did you pick only the Arctic? The scare is about global warming.
Here’s a chart of global ice. It’s updated daily, and it should feed your confirmation bias:
Obviously, something is wrong with the sensors:
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.recent.arctic.png
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.recent.antarctic.png
Skeptics ask questions, Griff. Try questioning the ‘vanishing ice’ narrative. If you’re honest with yourself, you will find that there is nothing unusual or unprecedented happening. The ‘Arctic ice’ scare is just another false alarm.
Congratulations, Willis. Your new site will be a great success! (I guarantee it… or double your money back. Promise.)
*************************
@Griff:
Why did you pick only the Arctic? The scare is about global warming.
Here’s a chart of global ice. It’s updated daily, and it should feed your confirmation bias:
Obviously, something is wrong with the sensors:
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.recent.arctic.png
Skeptics ask questions, Griff. Try questioning the ‘vanishing ice’ narrative. If you’re honest with yourself, you will find that there is nothing unusual or unprecedented happening. The ‘Arctic ice’ scare is just another false alarm.
Good work Willis. I look forward to reading the blog
Willis, I’d just like to say, after reading your report of your latest south seas expedition, one or two photos of your native skin (body?) art would, in my opinion, be appropriate? It sort of grounds you and lends credence otherwise unavailable to your compendium of experience. Just an opinion.
Yeah Willis you should have a tattoo section, I think many people are interested in knowing about the lives of climate scientists such as yourself. I get here often and when I see you here,
I always know your scientific analysis is going to be what the typical (in my case) non scientist needs to understand about the science of climate change and physics in general. The steel shell experiment you authored really made me think about what is happening with our atmosphere. After studying the Trenberth energy budget and seeing your shell experiment I see how the green house effect works: more energy comes out of the earth, as a blanket of green house gases gets thicker.
This also proves that it is possible to put a blanket between a fire and the thing it is warming, and make that object warmer than if there was no blanket between them. That’s what a blanket does: warms.
I will be very interested in your blog when you talk about science especially.
Plus, I’m heading to the south Pacific next year (aboard ship of course) and would appreciate tips. My Mom will be with me (she’s 80) so I’ll need to be discrete.
Willis, best wishes with the new blog, have just followed you on twitter @digimus. One thing, on a mobile the blog title is unreadable against your header background.
I don’t mind the mystery …
w.
I intend to follow each day
I had already found and read your blog….commented….and forwarded a post to Facebook. Keep up the good work.
I will not be sharing anything on Twitter or Facebook but put a Google+ link and I would share by that.
This will surely be a valuable and noteworthy addition to the blogosphere. Congrats on your determination to beat “the system”.
I shall be a regular visitor.
Hope it works out for you.
Nice one, Willis, I just had a look and it is a really attractive site with nice readable print for us old geezers out there. I love your comments about how regime-change in the USA is putting the cat among the green pigeons. I hope the new administration will have a look at how your taxpayers’ money is being used by your embassy in South Africa to teach people how to show solar and wind in a positive light!
John Ledger
Thanks, John. It took me a long time to find a WordPress theme with geezer print, glad you like it.
w.
First noticed your great writing when I read your “Burning Man” post on WUWT 4 or so years ago.
I just sent a link to that post a few days ago to an old HS friend of mine. I will check out your blog – haven’t yet…it’s 3am here in the Baja. Good luck on your presentation this Wed. with AW in San Fran…
Good luck with it, hope it doesn’t detract from your scientific / climate elucidations.
Well done and all the best.
Wish I had your nous.
Keep the articles up here as well please.