Michael Tobis (mt)
PhD atmospheric/oceanic sciences 1996 but a bit rusty.
Opinionated.
Main topics: climate, sustainability, Canada, AI and ML, journalism.
Also: roots music, art, healthy plant-based food.
Please think like a planet!
https://initforthegold.blogspot.com
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)"A federal judge on Friday ruled the Energy Department violated the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who reject the scientific consensus on climate change to work in secret on a sweeping government report on global warming." Gift link.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Cold outbreak/ disrupted jetstream? Not necessarily more likely in a changed climate. Disputed among experts. Tired of seeing this posed as consensus. More moisture available to exacerbate the clash of airmasses? Yes. Clearly exacerbated by climate change. So, a complicated climatological story.
- If this storm is as severe and consequential as people are suggesting, the recovery process will depend to a considerable extent on the capacities and resources of the US federal government. Watching with interest. Wishing the many affected people good luck and strength.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- The UK government has quietly released a report entitled "Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security" assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696e0e... Notable for Canada: a "realistic possibility of collapse" of the Canadian boreal forest ecosystem starting as soon as 2030
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- You don’t have to love everything about Mark Carney (or the Canadian Liberal Party) to appreciate how valuable and timely his speech was today.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)
If we had a halfway decent opposition party in Canada, they’d endorse the words Carney used today, and then hammer him relentlessly on implementation or lack thereof. - Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)We can build walls or we can be more ambitious — and build something better, stronger, and more just.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)Suspiciously asking my wife who's funding her anytime she criticizes me
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- This is only the beginning. Future agentic pizza ordering systems will order your pizza for you, pay for it out of your bank account, and then eat it for you.
- Individual resistance to authoritarianism is futile, and this futility is the key to authoritarianism's power. Collective resistance to authoritarianism is powerful and is the source of hope. But it makes no sense in an individualistic calculation of costs and benefits.
- The concept of "freedom" is a many-sided one and nowadays only the individualist side of it is commonly discussed, especially in English-speaking countries. But a free people is more than a collection of self-driven individuals. It is free to make decisions about its collective fate.
- "Live your life as nearly as possible to how you would live if you were free" (Walesa) does have a libertarian ring to it nowadays but living in total indifference to others isn't what he meant. Walesa's movement was called "Solidarity" after all. Solidarity is an unselfish kind of freedom.
- Today I am reminded of Lech Walesa's advice before the Soviet empire collapsed (look him up if you're too young to remember) that in an autocratic state you should live your life in the closest approximation one can manage to how you would operate if you were free.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- CPC position on the China deal: as always start with Liberals bad, why Liberals bad? Appears they settled on: because we are not doing the bidding of the US government, who might treat us even worse than they’re already doing! Cowardly. Can’t help but wonder what Diefenbaker would think!
- Some observatoons from my newly enshittified Facebook “reels” feed: Foremost, rightwing propaganda is pitched to a high-school kock mentality. The vast majority of rightwing videos are narrated by hot young men and hot young women. The dominant attitude is smug superiority. But that’s not all…
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Due to a glitch in the algorithm Facebook is now showing me the vile explicitly racist hate videos that aren’t meant for people like you and me. Most reasonable people don’t see this stuff and have no idea where all the fascist ideation is coming from. In case you didn’t know, it’s Facebook.
- I don't have advice for Americans right now. Given the US abandonment of not least UNFCCC and IPCC but even, for practical purposes, NATO, I think we in the rest of the world should discuss frankly how to minimize the damage and hold on to what we can of what's left of civilization and nature.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)Three ghosts take Pierre Poilievre on spiritual journey through time to no effect
- People expressing admiration for this monstrosity further erode my already meager confidence in humanity. I am hoping at least it’s some sort of AI nightmare but getting a sense from comments that it’s real, and that people actually like it. We are doomed.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Extremely interesting - a very simple model with enough complexity to explore a range of future scenarios.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)Someone remake “It’s a Wonderful Life” but Mr. Potter believes that hoarding is morally required so he can devote resources to delivering a far future with trillions of humans while George Bailey is like, “Gosh Darnit! What if taking care of people today is what takes care of people in the future?!”
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- I should probably let everyone know about my discovery that substituting chick pea flour (besan) for half the flour in your latkes adds an excellent crispness to the surface. (But don’t go 100% besan or they become unrecognizable as latkes.)
- I’m pretty sure I saw the Smothers Brothers episode that got them yanked off of CBS on Canadian TV. So there’s a precedent.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
- Hey fellow old people! It’s a serious influenza outbreak. We’ve learned how to wear a mask and avoid crowds. Time to do it again.
- Reposted by Michael Tobis (mt)[Not loaded yet]
