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Posted by Trish Brown on July 15, 2009, 6:57 am
Nickname unavailable wrote:
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> Hi Trish. Great to see you online. Actually I tried to ring you
> yesterday, as I hadn't seen any sign of you for ages, but the phone
> went straight to message bank.
I was probably on the phone to Mum. I've *finally* managed to pick her a
bunch of rhubarb from my garden and she rang to say how nice it was (she
stews it and has it on her Weetbix). Can I just say 'bleargh'?
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> I was going to call again later, but
> forgot. Well, I got into a long discussion with a visitor about Mac
> computers. I'm wanting to get a new laptop, and I'm wondering if Mac
> is a good way for me to go.
Oh my stars Darren! (Samantha Stevens, copyright 196something)
I *love* Macs, but I don't know whether you'd be in the mood for a
learning curve at this lite stige. Macs are far easier, far more polite
and *far* more in keeping with your quirky personality (LOL!) But to be
honest, you'd be looking at a whole change of software ($$$) *and* a
period of adjustment, which you might not relish at this moment. Mind
you, you've got a whole term to go before end-of-year, so it mightn't be
that big of a problem. Not being negative, just devils' advocate. You
know how I love Macs!
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>
> As for climate change, it's a natural phenomenon, and it's happened
> many times. However, I would find it difficult to believe that human
> activity over the last couple of hundred years has had no effect on
> this natural process. I'm coming to believe that in fact we're a
> couple of hundred years into a new period of mass extinction. I
> suspect that over the next few thousand years, perhaps less than that,
> the vast majority of current life forms will become extinct. Of
> course the world will survive, and new life forms will evolve, as has
> happened after the earlier mass extinction episodes.
Yep. I'm with you on that one. Evolutionarily, species have been through
many of these periods of flux and it has always been a time of paucity
followed by mind-boggling diversity. The earth's been looking after her
own for a lot longer than we know about, that's for sure. Having said
that, though, I agree with the Global Warming camp that emissions and
other pollutants (hot water/steam, acids, nitrogenous products etc etc)
all need to be firmly capped and soon. The fact remains, whether you
believe in GW (my jury's out - I really don't have a complete opinion
either way) that greenhouse gases and their ilk are simply toxic. As you
know, my own opinion is that a return to a slower, simpler, humbler way
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of living wouldn't hurt the developed world. But that's just me. ;->
>
> It bothers me that when forecasts are made about temperatures or sea
> levels in a hundred years' time, people just say "Who cares? I won't
> be here." We can't afford to be that uncaring about those who'll
> follow us.
>
> Johnno
Yep! Selfish attitude. A line from one of my favourite poems springs to
mind:
'And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs'
Sigh. Isn't that lovely? Gerard Manley Hopkins.
PS. How come your tag thingo says 'Nickname unavailable'? You are
utterly and irrevocably 'Johnno'!!! IMHO. ;-D
--
Trish Brown
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Posted by F.James Cripwell on July 15, 2009, 12:48 pm
Trish Brown (pmcbrown@internode.on.net) writes:
(snip)
show/hide quoted text
> The fact remains, whether you
> believe in GW (my jury's out - I really don't have a complete opinion
> either way) that greenhouse gases and their ilk are simply toxic. As you
> know, my own opinion is that a return to a slower, simpler, humbler way
>(snip)
> Trish Brown
Sorry, Trish but this is just plain wrong. I agree completely that we
must limit toxins as much as we possibly can. But at normal
concentrations CO2 is simply not toxic. The more CO2, up to say
1200ppmv, the better plants grow. And they use less water in the process.
You may know that people who grow plants in greenhouses often
artificially increase the CO2, simply because this yields a better
product. Jim.
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Posted by Trish Brown on July 15, 2009, 5:42 pm
F.James Cripwell wrote:
show/hide quoted text
> Trish Brown (pmcbrown@internode.on.net) writes:
> (snip)
>> The fact remains, whether you
>> believe in GW (my jury's out - I really don't have a complete opinion
>> either way) that greenhouse gases and their ilk are simply toxic. As you
>> know, my own opinion is that a return to a slower, simpler, humbler way
>> (snip)
>> Trish Brown
>
>
> Sorry, Trish but this is just plain wrong. I agree completely that we
> must limit toxins as much as we possibly can. But at normal
> concentrations CO2 is simply not toxic. The more CO2, up to say
> 1200ppmv, the better plants grow. And they use less water in the process.
> You may know that people who grow plants in greenhouses often
> artificially increase the CO2, simply because this yields a better
> product. Jim.
>
ROTFL! Of course you're right, Jim! I was thinking in terms of
'pollution' in general. We (here in N'cle) have major problems stemming
from industrial wastes (including CO2, but also including lead and
sulphur derivatives from decades of smelting, sintering, cooling and so
on). A decade after the departure of our major industrial concern (BHP),
the ground where the plant was is still seriously contaminated. So much
so that people still aren't allowed on the site!
We have aluminium smelting plants, several major fertiliser producers,
coal stockpiling (the dust!!!) and all sorts of minor chemical plants in
our (small) region. Effects ranging from chronic asthma to pitting of
the duco on cars to depressed IQs of children in lead pollution areas
are commonplace. Here in N'cle, we still have gouts and gouts of toxic
stuff being puffed into our atmosphere as well as hot, acidic water
being pumped into our river. It's getting better, but *so* slowly.
--
Trish Brown
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Posted by Bruce Fletcher (remove denture on July 15, 2009, 6:43 pm
Trish Brown wrote:
show/hide quoted text
> We have aluminium smelting plants, several major fertiliser producers,
> coal stockpiling (the dust!!!) and all sorts of minor chemical plants in
> our (small) region. Effects ranging from chronic asthma to pitting of
> the duco on cars to depressed IQs of children in lead pollution areas
> are commonplace. Here in N'cle, we still have gouts and gouts of toxic
> stuff being puffed into our atmosphere as well as hot, acidic water
> being pumped into our river. It's getting better, but *so* slowly.
>
As a teenager in the 1950s I remember the rivers in our part of
Derbyshire (Peak District) being polluted with chlorine from the
factories that produced printed cloth (Calico Printers Association -
CPA). Nowadays those same rivers are pure & clear because all the
factories closed over 20 years ago
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney UK
"Pieces of 9! pieces of 9!" Parrotty error
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Posted by ellice on July 15, 2009, 1:43 pm
show/hide quoted text
> Nickname unavailable wrote:
>> Hi Trish. Great to see you online. Actually I tried to ring you
>> yesterday, as I hadn't seen any sign of you for ages, but the phone
>> went straight to message bank.
>
> I was probably on the phone to Mum. I've *finally* managed to pick her a
> bunch of rhubarb from my garden and she rang to say how nice it was (she
> stews it and has it on her Weetbix). Can I just say 'bleargh'?
>
>> I was going to call again later, but
>> forgot. Well, I got into a long discussion with a visitor about Mac
>> computers. I'm wanting to get a new laptop, and I'm wondering if Mac
>> is a good way for me to go.
>
> Oh my stars Darren! (Samantha Stevens, copyright 196something)
>
> I *love* Macs, but I don't know whether you'd be in the mood for a
> learning curve at this lite stige. Macs are far easier, far more polite
> and *far* more in keeping with your quirky personality (LOL!) But to be
> honest, you'd be looking at a whole change of software ($$$) *and* a
> period of adjustment, which you might not relish at this moment. Mind
> you, you've got a whole term to go before end-of-year, so it mightn't be
> that big of a problem. Not being negative, just devils' advocate. You
> know how I love Macs!
Software changes may be inconsequential. I don't know how it is in
Australia, but here, and on the web via the Apple Store - there is an
Education store. If you're in school, or your child is, you can buy thru
that, and a lot of software is incredibly cheap. I got my Office suite for
$89. Also, upgraded all my Adobe stuff that way. And there is discounted
pricing for machines.
The other thing - most standard software, like Office, Databases, Photoshop
- run essentially the same way on a Mac. There is some difference in key
stroke shortcuts which "power" users notice. My DH is a big-time Excel guy,
and will notice some differences with a couple of menus, but it's minor.
The other thing - if it's a new Mac, and you have a valid Windows OS that is
installable - you can do that and put anything special on it.
Finally - with some of the software companies you can upgrade/switch to the
newer version from your older one, and do the upgrade to the Mac OS.
Upgrades being much cheaper than whole new versions. All things to think
about.
*snipping the rest*
Ellice
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> yesterday, as I hadn't seen any sign of you for ages, but the phone
> went straight to message bank.