Bastardi's Wager 672
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the it's-all-a-matter-of-degrees dept.
from the it's-all-a-matter-of-degrees dept.
DesScorp writes "AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Bastardi has a challenge for climate scientists. He wants one or more of their rank to accept a bet about temperature trends in the coming decade. Bastardi is making specific predictions. 'The scientific approach is: you see the other argument, you put forward predictions about where things are going to go, and you test them,' he says. 'That is what I have done. I have said the earth will cool .1 to .2 Celsius in the next ten years, according to objective satellite data.' Bastardi's challenge to his critics — who are legion — is to make their own predictions. And then wait. Climate science, he adds, 'is just a big weather forecast.' Bastardi's challenge is reminiscent of the famous Simon-Ehrlich Wager, where the two men made specific predictions about resource scarcity in the '80s."
I am confident this thread won't become a flamewar (Score:5, Funny)
Re:That Bastardi! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I am confident this thread won't become a flame (Score:4, Funny)
It better not become a flamewar. Considering flamewars effect climate change it will influence the results.
I'm imagining... (Score:4, Funny)
I'm imagining myself so in love with physics that I could never imagine the possibility that I might want some money some day, or even provide well for a family. I'm imagining myself being suckered into a decade of grad school and postgrads by a professor who is on a decent salary. I imagine him telling tales of professors and the occasional 6 figure making physicist in order to excite the grad students, while glossing over the realities of the number of professorships and 6 figure salaries available compared to the number of grad students/PhDs. I imagine myself perfecting the raised eyebrow along with the expression and voice to make disparaging remarks about working for industry, and especially - (holds nose, dramatic pause;) engineers. I imagine myself buying into the hype for the first few years, and then spending the rest of my life wondering what I was thinking while either continuing to drink the koolaid or making the eventual break for freedom. Am I close?
Re:And For The Record... (Score:4, Funny)
only takes a small effort for him to think he knows bridge building, without ever actually having built a bridge.
Fixed that for you.
Re:Scientists will win, lose, lose, and lose (Score:4, Funny)