Oct. 30th, 2003

gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (South Park)
OK, I've seen this claim in the papers and on the net. Rather than reproduce reams of idiocy, I shall boil it down to one to sentence:

:We need to manage the forests or they'll all burn down."

To call this stupid is just the beginning. I really want to hunt these people down and ask them what they thought happened for the approximate 650 million years that the forests were around before we showed up? Go to Yellowstone. See where the devastating fires hit several years back. It's all regrowing.

Now, this debate has been pushed to the fore by the current late-season wildfires. Here is a clue for the ecologically impaired: California is supposed to burn. It is part of the ecosystem here. Regular fires help the soil, and encourage new growth. So, while I'm saddened at the loss of life and people's homes; if you built your house in the chaparral the damn thing had better be fireproof! Because when the winds hit 75mph, and the temperature spikes past the century mark, things will burn. It happens every year.

Also, don't use explosive plants as decoration in fire zones. Eucalyptus trees, for example. The bloody things go up like torches, and will explode when the sap boils. Juniper bushes. Cut into them, and they are dry as bone. Use native vegetation; you'll be giving yourself a chance. If you live on a large plot, clear away brush. Or hire someone to do it.

You would think people would figure this out.
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
The Grand Master of Hard SF has passed away at the age of 81.

Not only a great author who was one of the first to see that the real universe held wonders enough for a hundred stories, who was also a teacher, instructing high schoolers in those wonders for forty years.

Speaking with him at Con Jose, and having him listen to my ideas and play with them remains one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. For everything he meant to fans, and generations of students, he was a quiet, unassuming man who loved talking to children as much as he loved writing.

He will be missed by us all.
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Coloring Book)
Found in several journals. Which makes me a sheep following the herd. Cool.

Which Biological Molecule Am I? )
gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Lego)
Vikings star Randy Moss to profootballweekly.com after his blind lateral to Moe Williams for a touchdown against Denver: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing that happens every so often."

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gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry

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