Earlier this year I had mentioned that I had been blogging on Watts Up With That for over 10 years straight. Because of that I felt the need to take a sabbatical this summer, and I asked readers for some help in doing that. Many, many, people generously responded with offers of help, offers of visits and lodging, and many other things. I’m eternally grateful to all those who have stepped up to help to keep this website running during my absence, as well as those who made my rest and relaxation possible. We added a crop of new moderators who have kept comments flowing, and I thank you for what is essentially a thankless job. I want to give particular thanks to our own Charles the Moderator a.k.a. CTM, who has kept WUWT populated with stories while I took some much needed rest. I also want to give thanks to the many guest authors who have contributed stories and to our regular authors Eric Worrall and David Middleton who have regularly published stories here. If I’ve missed anyone, it’s not intentional.
Those of you that have been watching closely have noted that I have published a few stories this summer (when the mood struck me) as well as recently a series of stories for hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I also outlined the excellent adventure Charles and I had watching the total solar eclipse. I have to tell you that was truly the experience of a lifetime.
As of yesterday (Monday 10/2) I’m officially back and I feel good. I’m recharged and I have some fresh ideas that you’ll see taking place here on a regular basis. I also have a book in the works and another new project which I will outline at a future date that holds promise for putting climate modeling and climate modelers feet to the fire.Details on that will be forthcoming in a future post.
Amazon Deal: 44% off on Universal OBD II Scanner Car Engine Fault Code Reader
In the short term I’d like to ask our readers to take a moment to look at the sidebar and the advertisement for the Q-Lav. This is an invention marketing of our own Charles the moderator, and I’m running this ad as a favor to him in thanks for all he has done. If readers have a need for such a device I urge you to take a moment and purchase it. He also has a very special chocolate that prevents gastrointestinal distress for people that are sensitive to certain types of sugars. It’s called Crotter’s Best.
Some of the things that you’ll see in the coming weeks:
- Some site reorganization – for example some of the reference pages are getting a bit stale due to broken links, I will be working on those
- A new front page format – the current format does not keep stories front and center very long and as a result useful conversations often get pushed out of sight. A good example is the recent story on a random walk analysis of temperature data which has scrolled off the main page after just two days.
- In-line ads from Amazon.com – (an example is above) these will be fairly unobtrusive and will link to deals of the day and lightning deals, and of course things like Climate related Books. Dr. Roy Spencer’s recent success in publishing two eBooks on Climate and Hurricanes owe their success in no small part to WUWT readers. This is a no-additional-cost way for readers to support WUWT, as it nets small percentage of each Amazon purchase.
- Regular features will return – such as “quote of the week” and “climate craziness of the week” plus some new features.
- Comment submission improvement – some comments end up flagged that should not be, some tuning is needed to keep the flow going while weeding out junk comments or comments that violate site policy
Of course, I’m open to suggestions any of you might have for making WUWT better and more effective. Leave a comment if you have an idea.
Again, my sincere thanks to everyone for all of your help, let’s make the next 10 years is even better!
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I hope I’m out of moderation at some point to celebrate this excellent news. Welcome back.
CORRECTION:
“CTM” should read “~ctm”
Reply: I know you think you’re joking, but actually you’re not ~ctm
(☺)
I’m sorry but this reply has gone over my head. Not for the first time 🙂
First?
Welcome Back!
Mac
YES! Welcome back, though I have been following your FB postings.
I’m glad that you are back. WUWT is a beacon of sanity in unruly surroundings.
All the best from Sweden.
And Canada
And welcome back from Anti science Scotland
Welcome home.
Yes and here’s a little ditty from the Rocky Mountain Trio …
…. of course it’s the Appalachians that run through the Bluegrass State, but I was thinking of the Osbourne brothers rendition of that famous bluegrass song “Rocky Top”, erm … and even though that was about Tennessee. but let’s have that too, and make it a real old Country welcome back to Anthony !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n9prNixjbg
Trio?
Speaking of “Rocky Top” Bluegrass songs:
Though this might fit better with Anthony’s return from bleary street.
“Thoroughly African Man”;
https://youtu.be/Zan_pn4ctGM?t=163
A nice message to start this beautiful fall day.
Anthony, It’s good to have you back. And from your post it sounds like your sabbatical was just the change you needed at that time.
If you don’t mind my asking; some time ago, you related to us your struggle with your hearing issue. Since that was some time ago, I’m curious as to how that is working out for you.
I’m finding people whispering around me of late, and then suggesting I need my hearing checked. It would be nice if you could update us on that experience.
Thanks.
G
George:
Keep in mind that that your family may actually be whispering, so as not to disturb you.
My Father was quite deaf in his later years. Some was age related, most of the real damage to his hearing occurred during his Navy service.
In any case, my family got it into their minds that my hearing was similarly and seriously affected.
To the point where they scheduled me a visit with the hearing doctor.
I insisted that my wife also get her hearing checked.
The results? I did lose the ability to hear the highest frequencies. But very little hearing degradation over the rest of the frequency spectrum.
Which does explain why certain electronic gizmos beeping fail to bother me; e.g. the battery charger signaling a full battery.
But the rest of my hearing was in excellent shape.
Turns out my wife’s hearing has degraded across the normal frequency spectrum and her hearing is slightly impaired.
Spouse and kids have not mentioned my hearing since.
No! I do not mention my wife’s hearing, ever!
I already know her opinion regarding ‘her’ ever wearing a hearing aid; so, I’m not going there.
Best of luck with your hearing, George.
Thanks AT-K.
I actually have a 33 1/3 RPM LP disk which has a 20 kHz sine wave recorded on it. And when I bought it, I could actually hear that tone. I some how doubt that I can hear much above ten kHz any more. I guess I should get that out and play it.
My best LPs still sound better than my CDs. There are several recordings, where I have a /CD version re-mastered from the same tapes used to make the original LP version. And yes the LP version sounds better (no quantization noise).
And a pipe organ still sounds like a pipe organ, both highs and lows. My stereo system has real speakers; that CAN reproduce a 32 foot Organ pipe; unlike those Bose two inch cube sub contra bass woofers, and can do it with about 4Watts of Amplifier power.
But I do have a problem hearing speech either on TV , but not on the radio. Clear diction seems to be the distinction.
G
Anthony,
The guest authors should be thanking you for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the “world’s most viewed site on global warming and climate change”!
Regarding the QLav… I was beginning to worry that it was one of those ads geared toward my Google searches! LOL!
Hahaha, QLav, you too! Maybe subliminally they are trying to tell us den!ers we are full of something….
David said exactly what I wanted to say:
The guest authors were great, they should also be thanking you for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the “world’s most viewed site on global warming and climate change”!
And most of all thank you Anthony, you are the book of knowledge on the science and climate file.
I agree! Thank you!
I was trying to find the price, and couldn’t. For some of what I’ve been since my recent surgery, it sounds like I could use it; but I don’t want to buy it without knowing how much it costs.
Not to belittle the sterling efforts of Charles the Mod. on here, but his “Q-Lav” is nothing new is it ?
Sorry Charles, old bean, but You did not invent this. Actually a search for the “Q-Lav at Amazon turned up the vendor page which lists many alternative devices, some of them at less than 25% of the price you ask.
https://www.amazon.com/QLav-Personal-Hygiene-System/dp/B001FRMHWQ
it serves the same function as this …
or even this …
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/1000/4b/4b2dd5d9-9416-408a-8923-08db038a0941_1000.jpg
,,,,many others
Research is the thing surely, before committing oneself to any recommendations, or even the expense of producing and “inventing” a thing, which already exists in profusion in the marketplace. I am sorry Charles, but this isn’t going to make you millions, or even fund your expenses. Better luck next time, and research is the key.
The Editor,
Wow. What a nasty little rant. He didn’t invent the squirt bottle either, but then again, he never claimed to, and birthing units all over the US have been giving them to new mothers for decades. HIS design has a patent. That makes HIM it’s inventor. And it’s been around for 12 years.
Now go review product development, and patent laws, and inventions and come back when you’re ready to be a grown up.
Anthony did something (oh hail thy mighty), I am now getting ads of Asian Singles, much preferred to the Qlav.
Very old news, the ed.
Ancient technology, though not immediately obvious in modern market places.
Air Force, Navy and NASA issues similar gear to pilots. i.e. if there isn’t an installed device and tube immediately available.
You could make your own using coconuts and bamboo tubes, if you’re averse to CTM’s ads.
Haha yes, ATheok, but coconut shells a bit hard to squeeze though, and I liked your piece about Ronnie Burthe, and the “Anger” …. – reminded me of someone from my own past 😆
…but why are mostly all of these portable bidet things colored blue?
This Google image search shows a great variety of devices,
https://goo.gl/D8Fqbc
… and whilst CTM’s large capacity Q-Lav might be handy in a home bathroom situation, it is reportedly quite heavy when full, and indeed fairly bulky for the camper/hiker. I quite liked the look of the very small nozzle attachments for ordinary drinking water bottles, as these could even fit in a jacket pocket perhaps.
…and Aphan, don’t get the wrong end of the stick, though I’ve no idea what you are about, since the blog you link to in your moniker, is marked as private and unviewable. I’m sure that CTM finds his device personally useful, but I disagree with Charles’ assertion that his is “The Best Portable Bidet on the Market”.
Maybe though, Al Gore would find it’s larger capacity most useful for washing all the cr*p away that emanates from that other orifice of his which is above his waist level ? Why not actually send him a complimentary example, with full instructions of course. 😉
What’s wrong with the good old personal xylospongium, like the Romans used ?
That’s my preference anyway, but no vinegar please !!!
😀
Re: The Editor::
I use an old neti pot. That way I get both ends sparkling clean.
David’s comments are right on track. The guest authors owe Anthony their thanks and appreciation for creating a popular well read venue that promotes the discussion of climate science data and issues and allows the exposure of climate alarmist propaganda for all to see.
Dave, you usurped my any comments. Numerous fantastic geologic posts..Many thanks too to Ant for delivery.comewhat here maintaining the necessarilly spectrummed. It’s not ill noted.
Welcome back, and may your refreshed state always be refreshed.
Hmm. At first I thought the QLav was a lava lamp….
It’s sad to think science is in such sorry state that WUWT is necessary. That said, thank goodness for WUWT. Thanks for being there for us Anthony.
You are “allowed” to post pictures of the wonderful not-over-heated scenery you saw.
Welcome Back!!!
Welcome back.
The planet is a little safer today. Advocacy-driven fake science news has a steeper hill to climb as of this week.
I was wondering yesterday when you’d be officially back. I’m glad you got some R & R and are back in the saddle again. Many thanks for your on-going efforts, along with those of the content generators and moderators.,
Welcome back
Your dreams were
Your ticket out
Welcome back
To the same old tropes
That you laughed about
Well, the names
Haven’t changed
Since you hung around
But the trolls
Have remained and
Haven’t turned around
Who’d have thought they’d lead you
Back here where we need you
Yeah, we tease you a lot
Watts, we got you on the spot
Welcome back
apologies to John Sebastian
+1
Try this one from Wikipedia — It’s a bit older but I think it fits well with the operating philosophy of the WUWT blog site:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_of_the_Copybook_Headings
The Gods of the Copybook Headings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“The Gods of the Copybook Headings” is a poem published by Rudyard Kipling in 1919, which, editor Andrew Rutherford said, contained “age-old, unfashionable wisdom” that Kipling saw as having been forgotten by society and replaced by “habits of wishful thinking.”[1]
The “copybook headings” to which the title refers were proverbs or maxims, extolling virtues such as honesty or fair dealing that were printed at the top of the pages of 19th-century British students’ special notebook pages, called copybooks. The school-children had to write them by hand repeatedly down the page.
That’s one of my all time favorite poems. It’s sad that humanity never learns…
With apologies to Kipling….
As surely as water has wet me,
and fire has often burned,
My heart was just brightened with gladness,
to hear Anthony Watts has returned!
BallBounces,
Thanks for the chuckle. I needed that after the debacle we call yesterday.
WOOT!!!!!!!!!!
WUWT!!!!!!
Anthony, glad you are feeling better and refreshed, stay well!
WE LOVE YOU ANTHONY
this is how happy we are- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dQK8TCTuTY
Welcome back, Anthony! Thank you for all you do. Also thanks to all of you who made Anthony’s sabbatical possible.
Charles, there is a small typo on your website, on the “The QLav” page. I think you mean “friendly”, rather than “frienly”. Although, I must admit that I am frequently surprised at how often I have to get orientated with regard to the English language, and the many words I do not know (or believe are misused).
Great to have you back say all South African skeptics
Welcome back! Glad to see that you are refreshed, charged up and ready to go. Have at’em!
Welcome home and keep up the good work. The site was in good hands while you were away.