An unconcerned git and my reply.

So I was browsing through Economist.com as I am wont to do, especially when I have other things that have upcoming deadlines. Usually I ignore the comments section of the articles but on this page - a survey about a response to climate change I stumbled upon a bunch of comments that got me mad and made me register and write a scathing reply. There were more than a few that annoyed me but I honestly did not have the time.

So here is the Economist.com survey and the comments that lead to my response belong to Nightscroft Squire Maldunne who probably annoyed me mostly because he sounds like an intelligent educated man.

And here is my reply.

Sir, it is ridiculous of you to denounce certain statistics and figures without proper reason while throwing a few more in without context.
Firstly a 300ppm to 310ppm rise is not an increase of .001%, it is an increase of 3.33%.
Now to quote some real C02 stats. From 1960 to 2010, there has been a rise in CO2 concentration from 310 ppm to over 380ppm. IPCC modelling shows that under different scenarios CO2 concentration would be anywhere between 540-970ppm in 2100. That is at the very least a 100% rise, and at most a 250% rise in CO2 levels since pre-Industrial Revolution times.
Secondly, of the 4.2 billion years of Earth history that you mention - complex life on land has existed only for a few hundred million years. When the Earth did have CO2 concentrations of 6000ppm, there were any complex organisms for it to kill.
More importantly it is not the effect on human health but on human society as a whole that is a cause for concern.It is true that the rising concentrations of CO2 would hardly be toxic to humans. However the issue here is that a change in climate patterns and rising sea levels will cause unprecedented extreme weather events, flood low-lying areas, devastate farm lands, cause unparalleled levels of migration and cause regional and international conflicts for basic resources. So yes, it will be a cause of misery and will have significant economic costs associated with it.
Events like volcanic explosions and asteroids have caused some of the largest mass extinctions in Earth's history wiping away up to 95% of all life. That hardly gives us an excuse to say that since something bad can happen that we have no control of, we should not try doing the little things we can do to mitigate the change we are bringing. As for our anthropocentric attitude to warming, the increase in CO2 emissions is directly related to our use of fossil fuel, there isn't another reason explaining CO2s increase to its current levels.
So please next time, do take a minute to think over this before you decide to give up and not do anything about anthropogenic climate change. And if that does not move you, think about the displaced millions, whose lands will be flooded in Bangladesh and Maldives when more polar ice melt and the sea levels rise. Human decency should motivate us all to try to soften the blow as much as possible.

Day 44

So I opened this up for a new post. Then thought about it for 5 minutes. In the meantime my screen went dark. Still have nothing of note to share really. So this will have to do.

Oh wait I have something to get now. New episode!

Psych

Day 43

Got a nasty sore on my foot. One of those summer ones that I sometimes get. Guess I could gross people with out with a picture.
Also was quite disappointed that the Economist website has not moved onto a freemium pricing model. You would think getting all that money from those Apple and Android app subscriptions would have been enough.

Probably need some sleep - been a bit sleep deprived these past few days.

Day 41

Still unsure about what to do about what will henceforth be referred to as the Kindle quandary. There are new ones out. Mine broke. Fixing it would cost as much as a new one. But the Kindle Touch does not come out for another month. Or do I want the Kindle Fire tablet? It was so much easier when there was only one version and I didn't have to make a choice.

Remember the time back in school when you did not have to worry about exams and they were almost fun to take? If not, I kinda feel sorry for you.
So anyways its time for an anecdote. Sing along with me -

"Exemplum, exemplum,

An example from your own life,

But in this case its from my life

So its a Rizemplum."

Have a couple of exams coming up in the next few days. Honestly I have not been this relaxed about exams in 4 years. So I love having the old feeling back.

And we won. In cricket. Wiki that if you don't know what that is. I am looking at you white girl.

Day 37

Discovered a few new things really.
Colbert Report has a bunch of great writers. Honestly this was more of a reminder as I had fallen behind on the episodes this past few weeks.
All my favorite shows are back on the air(including one that I had completely forgotten about).
Also that there are few pretty good unknown new musicians out there and all I have to do is really look hard and try to find them.
And lastly that for some unknown reasons professors here are sick far more than anywhere else. Almost as if a sick day is a simple way to play truant. But of course they wouldn't.




Right?

Day 36

RIP Steve Jobs. I never liked Apple and that probably won't change in the next few years. But you were brilliant in every sense of the word.

Also a hint on why I don't end up updating this more often -  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guanner

Day 32

Its been quite a while. Have fallen behind on this. Figured out that it is close to impossible for me to keep on updating it daily - or recalling and writing down the last 20 or so days which I haven't updated.
So the updates will now happen when I can. Probably about that day too.


So went to a 'carnival'. It really was more of a gala/fair. Without the ferris wheel of course. It wasn't too bad. Good life advice - never try something new with high expectations. You are far more likely to enjoy yourself then. There was a bunch of musical performances, some even pretty good - a bunch of skits and stand-up acts and some pyrotechnics and photonics. It was packed. And I got glitter all  over myself. Actually it wasn't self inflicted. Oh and I wrote down GUAN in large purple letters on one of the walls. Never forget your roots. Also listened to John Legend and Lupe's collaboration. Great song.

Day 12

Monday was the day I was supposed to revisit the administrator.He was sick. Even rumors of him being hospitalized though. Had to suppress a sudden rush of vindictive pleasure upon hearing that. I wasn't being nice. Selfish reasons actually - he was the only one who could get what I wanted done. They hadn't even prepared a substitute for such an eventuality. Still another day of guan.

And the traffic was horrendous. It took over an hour, I could probably have walked the distance in that time.

Day 6

Two in a row. Go check the old post too. But I needed to catch up. And since there was as much guanning as the day before it even seems appropriate. There was one useful task of note though. I rearranged the furniture in my room. Haven't had to properly work in my room for a few years now. Will have to start soon. So got my desk out from the corner in the room. Also found an old swivel chair to go with the desk.The new arrangement makes my room look spacious. I like it. Won't have to worry about my computer overheating on the bed now.

Day 5

'Twas an even more unproductive day. Nothing done the whole day. I feel like I should apologize. To me myself of course. Only thing worth mentioning was that the architect showed up late at night. With the new floor plans. For the new block of apartments we are planning to replace our current abode with. Its logical and economically beneficial. Yet nostalgia often gets in the way. Its hard seeing the home that you have lived in for your whole life get taken down. I guess thats what memories are for.

Day 4

I finally got the administrative part done. I don't know what I was expecting but it was quite anti-climactic. Just got asked to show up again on the 17th. Especially since I had to stand in a queue for over an hour to hand in something that took me less than a minute to do. Didn't help that I also hadn't eating anything the whole day. On the whole it was a hot, tiring and completely unproductive day.