http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 11:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 3:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
I don't get it.]]>Nov 30th 2007 4:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 4:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/]]>Nov 30th 2007 4:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 11:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Al Gore never claimed to be inventor of the internet. ]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
Looks like that's a matter of interpretation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_gore#Internet_and_technology

"Gore stated, 'During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the internet.'"
]]>Nov 30th 2007 1:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
Swear to god, people blow this Gore thing out of proportion. Can we all agree that the internet as we have it today would not be what it is without government assistance? Can we agree that Al Gore actually played a role in getting the internet on the floor for discussion? Some might say he took the initiative in congress to get the ball rolling.

Oh, and hey look, I just plugged two computers together and CREATED a network. Did I invent it? No. Jesus, people who really take that to mean he invented it need to take a reading comprehension class.

I really don't give a crap about Gore but stuff like this is just stupid.]]>Nov 30th 2007 5:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Dec 2nd 2007 7:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 5:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segway]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 3:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 6:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
But 6 BILLION people can hurt the earth in a lot of very bad ways. Have you ever seen a polluted lake or river, or a clearcut forest, or a smogbank over a city? Yeah, it's pretty clear that we can screw things up pretty badly. ]]>Nov 30th 2007 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 1:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/-global warming exists
-if it exists how strong are the effects and how much is natural
-if it is even possible to stop
-if it is possible, is it economically feasible to fix

I hate pollution as much as the next person, honestly, but I don't think we should rush into bankrupting the world to fix something before we are 100% sure of all those things I said above.

Think of it this way. Before a drug is allowed to come to market, it must under usually a quadruple blind study. One group lans the study, another administers the drug to patients, another observes the effects on patients, and a fourth analyzes results. These people are never allowed to communicate with each other and usually don't even know who the other groups are. Environmental research has no such thing, and the concept of peer review absolutely pales in comparison to the rigors of blind studies. All I want is certainty, beyond reasonable doubt, that all this global warming stuff is true before we spend a gazillion dollars on it. And the first step in that is truly independent and blind studies.
]]>Nov 30th 2007 1:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/I thought people like weo were joking for a long time. then i googled "flat earth society".

depressing, ain't it?]]>Nov 30th 2007 4:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Even if human activity ISN'T negatively affecting the environment permanently, there is already ample evidence that it IS affecting the quality of life for everybody. Polluted lakes prevent many recreational activities, air pollution aggravates a host of respiratory conditions, water pollution depletes a very necessary natural resource, etc. Looking at the problem that way, you are either investing a "gazillion" dollars to improve the quality of life for everybody on Earth with the possible benefit of saving the Earth, or you're allowing the quality of life to continue to deteriorate and potentially dooming mankind.
Also, it's ridiculous to say that spending any amount of money on anything would bankrupt the world. In a worse-case scenario, you would bankrupt several nations and distribute their wealth to the rest of the world. Since most R&D seems to be done in large nations anyway (US, Japan, EU) even that scenario is highly unlikely.]]>Nov 30th 2007 2:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
I would recommend you do some research before spouting off; reading wikipedia at the very least would be helpful.

First of all, quadruple-blind is a spurious term. In the pharmaceutical industry, randomized clinical trials (RCT's) are used to reduce bias and confounding factors in the attempt to prove or disprove efficacy. The best way to do this is by employing double-blind strategy, whereby the patient does not know what treatment he receives (one part blind) and the doctor does not know what treatment he administers (other part blind). Triple- or quadruple- blindedness is spurious because it's not possible for someone to analyze the results of a study without knowing the full details of that study.

For discussion's sake, let's take the analogy further. In order to have a double-blind global warming study, we would need two earths. On the first earth, we would have only wind-power and global economy where CO2 was only naturally produced (respiration, volcanos, et al.) On the 2nd earth, we would have life as we currently know it. Then, we would have to have two sets of observers in space stations orbiting each earth. The observers know nothing about what's going on on the surface but may take measurements of air quality, temperature, CO2 percentage, etc. Based on their observations over several millennia, statistical analysis would reveal whether global warming is inextricably linked to man-made production of CO2.

You can see by the ridiculousness and impossibility of the situation that RCTs are not useful in the scope of environmental study. The scientific community can at best make intelligent and informed assumptions from measurements and models. It is up to them to do "good" research, and up to us to hold them accountable.

brett]]>Nov 30th 2007 2:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
I think I wasn't perfectly clear... I wasn't suggesting that we needed a control group. I was suggesting that when climatologists gather their data, it is often very dirty. They have to make assumptions about that data. Anomalies are removed, geographically local factors are adjusted, etc. When there is no separation between the people collecting the data, analyzing (and frequently changing the data), and interpreting what it means, bias is the inevitable outcome.]]>Nov 30th 2007 3:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 4:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
also @ everyone who says we can't hurt the world and that global warming isn't real

http://xkcd.com/164/ truly sums it up.]]>Nov 30th 2007 4:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.nanosolar.com/)

Not sure what it could be. Hope it is not a let down. Remember all the hype before the Segway came out that it would be "earth-changing" - everyone was speculating that Kamen came up with everything from fusion to a perfected stirling engine, and it turned out to be a fancy scooter.]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 3:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
Less heat loss = less need for heat production = less power production = less greenhouse gases.

It'd make sense b/c it's not super-sexy, so it could be developed without a whole lot of media buzz until they really want to trump it up.]]>Nov 30th 2007 3:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
Energy that we pull from the environment around us, DOESN'T cause any forms of warming. The energy was already on the planet, you just moved it around. The entire basis for something like global warming is that energy from the sun is being trapped here.]]>Nov 30th 2007 8:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
Even if this isn't what they're announcing, I think that the little wind-energy bars that can charge a laptop and a cellphone in unwired rural areas will be just as life-changing for many. Especially if it's practical to have a few strung together to operate, say, a refrigerator.]]>Dec 1st 2007 3:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
"One word: Ginger"

but you beat me to it.]]>Nov 30th 2007 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
"Buddha! Zeus! God! Somebody help me!

Satan, you owe me!"]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/Nov 30th 2007 12:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/mystery-climate-saving-invention-to-be-unveiled-at-swanky-dinne/
"which is set to go down later today in London"]]>Nov 30th 2007 12:17PM