Search Results for: value of information

Knowing what the Earth will do next? Priceless.

When it comes to valuation…what is a product or service worth?…maybe the MasterCard folks say it best. Let’s paraphrase them. Cost of the Earth’s observing systems, satellite- and surface- based (ocean and land)? Some very few tens of billions of … Continue reading

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Community-level stress tests (with a nudge from AI).

“Civilization exists under geological consent – subject to change without notice.” – attributed (sometimes) to Will Durant. “If you are afraid to fail, then you should go and become a banker.” Yossi Vardi “A banker lends you an umbrella when … Continue reading

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A hidden gem at the AMS 2024 Annual Meeting? Rising Voices.

 “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”  – Mark Twain? (No, not really[1].) The AMS 2024 Annual Meeting reflected two major trends. The first is the rapid … Continue reading

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Regifting: personal (and meteorological) reflections on Christmas Day 2023.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” – John 3:16 NIV “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, … Continue reading

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Remembering Richard E. Hallgren, 1932-2023.

On November 5th, the Nation and the world lost a towering figure. Only a relative handful may have known his name. But all eight billion people worldwide owe Richard Hallgren a debt of thanks every day for his contributions to … Continue reading

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Anticipating (weather’s) chaos; meshing government- and for-profit weather services; and the elephant in this room.

Historically, monitoring weather and issuing weather forecasts and warnings has been the province of governments. But recently, both the incentives and the means for anticipating and coping with chaotic weather are growing in scope and variety. And so are the … Continue reading

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More (Chatbox-enabled) living on the real world

Two weeks later, still wrapping my head around that initial LOTRW “interview” with a simple AI chatbot[1]. Some impressions, beginning with the general but then focusing on climate-change science education: Regarding the big picture, in the case of generative-AI, the … Continue reading

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The Certainty Trap: weekend reflections on The Primacy of Doubt

“You lye, you are not sure; for I say, Woman, ’tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes.” – Toby Guzzle, a character in a play The Cobbler of Preston, by Christopher Bullock (1716) (“Nothing is … Continue reading

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Sigma Xi looks to refine and update concepts of science excellence. Bravo!

The new initiative comes at the right time – and from a welcome direction. But few today may know or remember that half a century ago, Alvin Weinberg, then a Sigma Xi member, offered a personal perspective on the subject. … Continue reading

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The U.S. Senate introduces a TORNADO Bill

[A tip of the hat to Taylor Cox, a meteorologist at KOCO in Oklahoma City, for bringing this legislation to my attention a few days ago. You can find her post here.] Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), … Continue reading

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