Congrats to anyone lucky enough to get the full show. I did 7 years ago, and it was amazing.
Also, cell phone cameras are so much better than 7 years ago. And it helped I had a good filter, someone lent me the glass from a welder's safety goggle.
Here's another kind of eclipse: the Loony Eclipse. This is where millions of human lemmings (many describing themselves as "environmentalists") burn millions of gallons of fossil fuel, creating billions of pounds of GHGs, to get somewhere to witness a 20 minute show, all in the midst of an anthropogenic, biosphere killing climate emergency. And none of this is noticed as being the least bit odd.
I suppose it depends on what value one gives to an experience and the memory of it. When I was young I passed up opportunities to attend Woodstock, see the Grateful Dead, and listen to Janis Joplin in Texas, opting instead to purchase records that I could listen to many times (my decisions in that era based not on carbon footprints but on practical economics). In retrospect I think all three were major omissions. Conversely I'm glad I expended carbon to see the Grand Canyon in person and to stand at the base of a giant redwood. I have neighbors here in Wisconsin who drove 7 hours to be in totality in Indiana yesterday; they say it was a life-changing experience for them and for their young children. I've read the same opinions elsewhere; totality is a several log powers different experience from being under a 95% eclipse.
Regardless of whether it's not logical or proper, it's certainly not odd, it's people, it's what they do. The Sun was so angry it mooned them. xoxoxoBruce
Bruce, I suppose we can say ecocide is "odd" or just normal human behavior. The former proposes we have a problem and the latter a predicament. If it's a predicament, then by all means let's party. But let's not play games and pretend we're serious about a livable planet.
As to "Woodstock": I just can't imagine this line of thinking will be very persuasive in the not too distant future; that is, with polar ice gone (albedo implications noted), clathrate methane deposits gasified, gigatons of tundra biomass gasified, oceans dying and dead, major cities at 140 degrees, food supply drastically declining, weather events intensifying (drought, floods), etc. In a best case scenario we remain in the Goldilocks zone and vertebrate life survives all this, but in the meantime there's human misery (to once again make the mistake of dwelling on one chosen species) on a scale that's hard to imagine.
In view of all this, are people going to look back at 2024 (along with the last 30 years of "climate awareness" in conjunction with profligate consumption) and think, "I'm sure glad people chose to burn a zillion barrels of oil in order to view a solar eclipse, along with the million other diversions they enjoyed, week-in-and-week-out." That would require an extraordinary generosity of spirit.
I saw a similar meme that added "Alpaca lips" at the bottom.
I was fortunate to live and work within the path of totality yesterday. Seeing the increasing coverage was neat, but then seeing the total eclipse was something else. We could suddenly see the sun's corona and some solar flares.
I was one of the travelers for the eclipse and yes, I burned a lot of gas getting there and home. My only excuse - Once in a lifetime event - well twice. and my photos fall in the lower left box on this - https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/types_of_eclipse_photo.png
My point is not to pick on this one event. It's the aggregate impact of the "five Earth's per capita" lifestyle. Why not apply the "specialness" logic to any and all human activity: Cruises get me in touch with the ocean. Flying to Vegas for a car race unites me with humanity. Taylor Swift has a mega-carbon footprint, but spreads joy. I flew to Europe to walk the Pilgrimage of Saint James and it made me feel more spiritual. Going to the Super Bowl and flying across the globe to the Olympics helps me appreciate the character building virtue in competition. Every bit of this sounds like nonsense to me, even without a climate emergency, but with a climate emergency it's beyond nonsensical. Insane is a better word.
I remember this from a few years back. Source: https://twitter.com/astrokatie/status/518697246305439745?lang=en
ReplyDeleteI always have doubts about tweets being original, but that one appears to be valid. Credit applied. Tx, anon.
DeleteThoroughly enjoyed the 87% eclipse in DC.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to anyone lucky enough to get the full show. I did 7 years ago, and it was amazing.
Also, cell phone cameras are so much better than 7 years ago. And it helped I had a good filter, someone lent me the glass from a welder's safety goggle.
Here's another kind of eclipse: the Loony Eclipse. This is where millions of human lemmings (many describing themselves as "environmentalists") burn millions of gallons of fossil fuel, creating billions of pounds of GHGs, to get somewhere to witness a 20 minute show, all in the midst of an anthropogenic, biosphere killing climate emergency. And none of this is noticed as being the least bit odd.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends on what value one gives to an experience and the memory of it. When I was young I passed up opportunities to attend Woodstock, see the Grateful Dead, and listen to Janis Joplin in Texas, opting instead to purchase records that I could listen to many times (my decisions in that era based not on carbon footprints but on practical economics). In retrospect I think all three were major omissions. Conversely I'm glad I expended carbon to see the Grand Canyon in person and to stand at the base of a giant redwood. I have neighbors here in Wisconsin who drove 7 hours to be in totality in Indiana yesterday; they say it was a life-changing experience for them and for their young children. I've read the same opinions elsewhere; totality is a several log powers different experience from being under a 95% eclipse.
DeleteRegardless of whether it's not logical or proper, it's certainly not odd, it's people, it's what they do. The Sun was so angry it mooned them.
DeletexoxoxoBruce
Bruce, I suppose we can say ecocide is "odd" or just normal human behavior. The former proposes we have a problem and the latter a predicament. If it's a predicament, then by all means let's party. But let's not play games and pretend we're serious about a livable planet.
DeleteAs to "Woodstock": I just can't imagine this line of thinking will be very persuasive in the not too distant future; that is, with polar ice gone (albedo implications noted), clathrate methane deposits gasified, gigatons of tundra biomass gasified, oceans dying and dead, major cities at 140 degrees, food supply drastically declining, weather events intensifying (drought, floods), etc. In a best case scenario we remain in the Goldilocks zone and vertebrate life survives all this, but in the meantime there's human misery (to once again make the mistake of dwelling on one chosen species) on a scale that's hard to imagine.
In view of all this, are people going to look back at 2024 (along with the last 30 years of "climate awareness" in conjunction with profligate consumption) and think, "I'm sure glad people chose to burn a zillion barrels of oil in order to view a solar eclipse, along with the million other diversions they enjoyed, week-in-and-week-out." That would require an extraordinary generosity of spirit.
I saw a similar meme that added "Alpaca lips" at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate to live and work within the path of totality yesterday. Seeing the increasing coverage was neat, but then seeing the total eclipse was something else. We could suddenly see the sun's corona and some solar flares.
I was one of the travelers for the eclipse and yes, I burned a lot of gas getting there and home. My only excuse - Once in a lifetime event - well twice.
ReplyDeleteand my photos fall in the lower left box on this -
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/types_of_eclipse_photo.png
My point is not to pick on this one event. It's the aggregate impact of the "five Earth's per capita" lifestyle. Why not apply the "specialness" logic to any and all human activity: Cruises get me in touch with the ocean. Flying to Vegas for a car race unites me with humanity. Taylor Swift has a mega-carbon footprint, but spreads joy. I flew to Europe to walk the Pilgrimage of Saint James and it made me feel more spiritual. Going to the Super Bowl and flying across the globe to the Olympics helps me appreciate the character building virtue in competition. Every bit of this sounds like nonsense to me, even without a climate emergency, but with a climate emergency it's beyond nonsensical. Insane is a better word.
Delete