links for 2010-12-22
On 22 December 02010 with 1 comment
I really enjoyed Justin Gillis’ piece about Charles David Keeling in today's Times. It's about the guy who figured out how to measure carbon dioxide levels, and did so at Mauna Loa Observatory for decades, until his death. Gillis does a fine job of explaining the very, very simple science behind CO2's effect on the global climate, and interweaving that with the story of the work done by Keeling (a Republican, incidentally).
Humans, Neanderthals, Flores "Hobbits", and…Denisovians? Wow. It seems strange that there was a time so recently when there were so many kinds of humans, and now there's just us.
I'm increasingly convinced by arguments that the size of the House should be enlarged. This is what each state's delegation would look like if we added another 100 seats. I'm not sure that's enough—I think there's a lot to be said for doubling the size of the House.
These eleven verses have recursive quotations nested five levels deep. Good luck typesetting that in a way that readers can follow.
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