about bugs extracting gold... we have been doing so fo many years in fact... just Google "bacteria used in south african gold refining" and let the lesson begin...
I hate journalist that are sloppy in fact checking... especially when it comes from a favorite on line read like Gizimodo. Let us then remember this quote...
[Bacteria are the] dark matter of the biological world [with 4 million mostly unknown species in a ton of soil]. Edward O. Wilson
Showing posts with label junk journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label junk journalism. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Oi Vey!!!
This would be serious, fortunately she was saved by the police in spite of the headline!
The quote is fitting and classic as well!
"As electronic journalism came to be evaluated for its cost effectiveness, the network world began breaking up." Roger Mudd
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Junk Science
Seems as if NASA blew it again... so much for alien life forms.
When I read about their "discovery" I had a small smidgen of doubt, mainly because I know that South African gold mines use a arsenic tolerant bug developed by the Microbiology Dept of Stellenbosh University under Prof. Douglas E. Rawlings, this bug has been un use for many years in fact in the gold extraction process. Australia also developed similar technology. Something did not ring true... I suppose the NASA team never used Google...
I have a feeling NASA was using this to garner favor for more funding.
This is not the only junk science NASA has had a part of... the AGW scandal has used false data from faulty satellites to try an prop up their failing cause among others.
A real shame that an organization that managed to put a footprint on the moon is now stooping to cheap sensationalism to stay afloat. Just like the Global Warming Fanatics...
In fact organisms that thrive on Arsenic are more commonplace than we think. Life has a way of finding the strangest places to thrive in it seems.
"Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard Feynman
When I read about their "discovery" I had a small smidgen of doubt, mainly because I know that South African gold mines use a arsenic tolerant bug developed by the Microbiology Dept of Stellenbosh University under Prof. Douglas E. Rawlings, this bug has been un use for many years in fact in the gold extraction process. Australia also developed similar technology. Something did not ring true... I suppose the NASA team never used Google...
I have a feeling NASA was using this to garner favor for more funding.
This is not the only junk science NASA has had a part of... the AGW scandal has used false data from faulty satellites to try an prop up their failing cause among others.
A real shame that an organization that managed to put a footprint on the moon is now stooping to cheap sensationalism to stay afloat. Just like the Global Warming Fanatics...
In fact organisms that thrive on Arsenic are more commonplace than we think. Life has a way of finding the strangest places to thrive in it seems.
"Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool." Richard Feynman
Friday, October 08, 2010
27 Neutrons
Once again the mediocre journalism displayed on Internet News sites rears its head.
“It would take a deliberate action ...to fire this,” forensic analyst Albert Wessels said in testimony.
The force or pressure on the trigger needed to be 27 neutrons or 2.8 kilograms to fire the pistol.
“This most beautiful system [The Universe] could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Isaac Newton
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Island Missing, presumed lost by faux reporter.
"For the first time, an inhabited island has disappeared beneath rising seas. Environment Editor Geoffrey Lean reports."
When I read this I said to myself this smells like Lutkefisk and I was right, this island in the Ganges is part of a the world's largest river delta which by it's very nature is a changing land form, just one good flood and it can be changed overnight, this fact I did not even have to look up as it is elementary geology and common sense.
Which brings me to the point, the Island "disappeared" more then 10 years ago as far as I could find out! As the picture of the delta shows there are thousands of islands, some new some old, it is the nature of a delta as the inhabitants of New Orleans also found out during Katrina... water will always find the path of least resistance and wash away the weakest part of the land. I also believe that the disappearance of this island was due to the local people abusing the mangrove forest which helps stabilise the silt the land id made of.
Now once again a reporter has been exposed for fake reporting. This of course makes me question all reports henceforth from this source. Geoffry has done himself and the world a disservice by faking news.
The Town Crank also had the same idea as I did and posted this comment on his blog;
"It seemed to me that there could possibly be another explanation than "rising seas" to explain the disappearance of Lohachara Island."
He also searched the Internet like I did and exposed this report as a lie within seconds.
I am not saying that man had no influence in the ecology of the region but to blame it on Global Warming and supposed rise in sea level is sheer insanity.
When I read this I said to myself this smells like Lutkefisk and I was right, this island in the Ganges is part of a the world's largest river delta which by it's very nature is a changing land form, just one good flood and it can be changed overnight, this fact I did not even have to look up as it is elementary geology and common sense.
Which brings me to the point, the Island "disappeared" more then 10 years ago as far as I could find out! As the picture of the delta shows there are thousands of islands, some new some old, it is the nature of a delta as the inhabitants of New Orleans also found out during Katrina... water will always find the path of least resistance and wash away the weakest part of the land. I also believe that the disappearance of this island was due to the local people abusing the mangrove forest which helps stabilise the silt the land id made of.
Now once again a reporter has been exposed for fake reporting. This of course makes me question all reports henceforth from this source. Geoffry has done himself and the world a disservice by faking news.
The Town Crank also had the same idea as I did and posted this comment on his blog;
"It seemed to me that there could possibly be another explanation than "rising seas" to explain the disappearance of Lohachara Island."
He also searched the Internet like I did and exposed this report as a lie within seconds.
I am not saying that man had no influence in the ecology of the region but to blame it on Global Warming and supposed rise in sea level is sheer insanity.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Eh? Polonium, Balonium.
Whoever wrote up this screed over at News24 or their affiliate deserves to be fried in a nuclear reactor! I am no rocket scientist nor nuclear physicist but this Q&A is full of baloney.
Take for instance this howler...
"Q: What constitutes a dangerous dose of radiation?
A: Radiation is measured in Sieverts, named after Rolf Sievert, a Swedish physicist who worked extensively on radiation doses. Mild radiation sickness can occur with exposure to 0.5 to 1 Sieverts - as little as one-millionth of a gram - and a dose of 80 Sieverts or more is thought to result in immediate death. A dose of four to 10 Sieverts - less than a gram (0.04 ounces) - could cause death in two to four weeks."
Umm... one millionth of a gram of what precisely? Polonium? Uranium? Americium-241? which by the way is 10 times more dangerous than Polonium-210.
Once again the MSM has not done it's homework and is spouting a lot of pseudo science to make itself look important! and they say bloggers are not professional or qualified to comment on matters of current interest!
Here is another... actually the first question and it's pathetic half answer...
Q: What is radiation?
A: Radiation is the transfer of energy. There are two basic types of radiation: Ionising Radiation - in the air, water, food, soil, and in all living organisms. Most of the radiation absorbed by humans comes from natural environmental sources. People also are exposed to radiation through X-rays taken for medical reasons."
They do not even mention what the other type is but ramble on about natural radiation and x-rays...
This is what Wiki has to say on the matter...
Radiation in physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles. Various types of radiation may be distinguished, depending on the properties of the emitted energy/matter, the type of the emission source, properties and purposes of the emission, etc. When used by the general public, the word "radiation" commonly refers to ionizing radiation.
They should just have pointed the reader to the relevant Wiki page as far as I am concerned, that would have made it clearer than the muddy puddle they presented.
Take for instance this howler...
"Q: What constitutes a dangerous dose of radiation?
A: Radiation is measured in Sieverts, named after Rolf Sievert, a Swedish physicist who worked extensively on radiation doses. Mild radiation sickness can occur with exposure to 0.5 to 1 Sieverts - as little as one-millionth of a gram - and a dose of 80 Sieverts or more is thought to result in immediate death. A dose of four to 10 Sieverts - less than a gram (0.04 ounces) - could cause death in two to four weeks."
Umm... one millionth of a gram of what precisely? Polonium? Uranium? Americium-241? which by the way is 10 times more dangerous than Polonium-210.
Once again the MSM has not done it's homework and is spouting a lot of pseudo science to make itself look important! and they say bloggers are not professional or qualified to comment on matters of current interest!
Here is another... actually the first question and it's pathetic half answer...
Q: What is radiation?
A: Radiation is the transfer of energy. There are two basic types of radiation: Ionising Radiation - in the air, water, food, soil, and in all living organisms. Most of the radiation absorbed by humans comes from natural environmental sources. People also are exposed to radiation through X-rays taken for medical reasons."
They do not even mention what the other type is but ramble on about natural radiation and x-rays...
This is what Wiki has to say on the matter...
Radiation in physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles. Various types of radiation may be distinguished, depending on the properties of the emitted energy/matter, the type of the emission source, properties and purposes of the emission, etc. When used by the general public, the word "radiation" commonly refers to ionizing radiation.
They should just have pointed the reader to the relevant Wiki page as far as I am concerned, that would have made it clearer than the muddy puddle they presented.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Floored Nuke
"Chubu Electric Power Co. officials investigating the shutdown have found a 53cm by 12cm blade that was broken at its base and had fallen onto the floor, said industry ministry spokesperson Kazuhiro Nakajima."
Fallen to the floor? How does that happen?
Sometimes the total lack of comprehension on the part of journalists reporting an incident astounds me!
What really happened is that the blade broke off and fell into the bottom of the turbine housing where it could have caused further damage. A world of difference between the housing and the floor I would say... I suppose this is what you get when you assign a apprentice journalist to a technical press conference...
Fallen to the floor? How does that happen?
Sometimes the total lack of comprehension on the part of journalists reporting an incident astounds me!
What really happened is that the blade broke off and fell into the bottom of the turbine housing where it could have caused further damage. A world of difference between the housing and the floor I would say... I suppose this is what you get when you assign a apprentice journalist to a technical press conference...
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