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The man behind the sphere, Freeman Dyson, is dead at 96:
Freeman Dyson, a physicist whose interests often took him to the edge of science fiction, has died at the age of 96. Dyson is probably best known for his idea of eponymous spheres that would allow civilizations to capture all the energy radiating off a star. But his contributions ranged from fundamental physics to the practicalities of using nuclear weapons for war and peace. And he remained intellectually active into his 90s, although he wandered into the wrong side of science when it came to climate change.
Degrees? Who needs 'em?
It's difficult to find anything that summarizes a career so broad, but a sense of his intellectual energy comes from his educational history. Dyson was a graduate student in physics when he managed to unify two competing ideas about quantum electrodynamics, placing an entire field on a solid theoretical foundation. Rather than writing that up as his thesis, he simply moved on to other interests. He didn't get a doctorate until the honorary ones started arriving later in his career. His contributions were considered so important that he kept getting faculty jobs regardless.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Bot on Saturday February 29 2020, @07:30AM (1 child)
> But his thoughts on climate change are irrelevant?
Yes they are. Leave speculation on models to kids and scientists. Climate change is about carbon quotes and laws and taxes which can topple corps as big as auto makers. The future financial landscape depend on it. So let the grownups work.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 29 2020, @04:20PM
You nailed it. The models are not 'there'. They change with the weather (hehe). But the important part is it is now about money. Not helping us.
Biggest change in years for 'climate change' the price of NG went below the price of coal. Adding taxes and derivatives will distort the market. Around 2010 when prices of oil were hitting 150 a barrel. That nearly 60% of the market was just in speculation. Not in real goods traded. Once the money guys wrung out what they could from that market the whole thing collapsed like the ponzi scheme it was. One whole country thought they could build a socialist empire upon it. That did not work either.
Is there some sort of 'change' happening. You bet. Is it anything like the models. Not really. They can not really tell me the global model 3 days out. Yet somehow magically they can nail the weather 30 years from now? Pull the other one.
So let the grownups work.
Having worked now with some of these 'grownups'. They are not anything close. It is bro's all the way down. They will suck your wallet dry and drive off in their fancy 100k car.