Recent Comments

1. about 13 hours ago on Frank and Ernest

   Yeah, I think the giant panda is a lost cause, in the sense that it is now dependent on human protection to survive. If humans were to disappear, its habitat would not magically go back to the way it was 20,000 years ago, and, honestly, it is too much of a specialist. It’s the generalists that survive.

   But I take it you’re one of the ones who expects to control a discussion by emotion. You tell me that 99% of all species that ever existed on Earth are now extinct, but neither of us wakes up in tears each morning because the nimravidae and multituberculata are extinct.

2. 1 day ago on Frank and Ernest

   A problem with what? That 99% of all species are now extinct. I suspect the percentage is much larger, maybe 99.9999%, though it is also probably impossible to be precise. In part this is because many (most) species are not represented in the fossil record, and in part it is because the concept of “species” is not as precise as most people think.

   Or do you mean a problem with the giant panda going extinct? That’s admittedly disappointing, but it’s also inevitable. The panda has basically gone down a dead end. Species that overspecialize might do well for a time, but their prospects for surviving change (and change always comes eventually) are poor.

3. 1 day ago on Frank and Ernest

   Also, your answer sounds A LOT like “let them eat cake”.

   But you left off nuclear. Windmills might be fun for chopping up those bats that have survived white nose syndrome, but if you really want a non-fossil-fuel solution to our energy needs, you’re going to have to have a nuclear component. Fusion is still 40 years away (and it always will be), but there’s a lot to be said for thorium.

4. 1 day ago on Frank and Ernest

   99% of all species that ever existed on earth are now extinct. So now you want me to worry about the giant panda?

5. 1 day ago on Frank and Ernest

   It depends on how those are handled, including who makes the decisions and how quickly this goes. Just because you want your son to grow doesn’t mean you should put him on the rack.

6. 2 days ago on Frank and Ernest

   Very true.

7. 2 days ago on Frank and Ernest

   Oh, and my point stands regarding the difference between modern and ancient attitudes towards nature.

8. 2 days ago on Frank and Ernest

   If you want to protect the environment, protect the economy. There is no more dangerous animal than a hungry man.

9. 2 days ago on The Duplex
   The Shashue of Liberty sounds about right.
10. 2 days ago on Frank and Ernest

    That really is the different between the ancient world and the modern world, or whatever we call this current mess. The ancients knew that nature is strong and dangerous and could easily destroy them and bring their best efforts to ruin. Moderns think that nature is a delicate butterfly that man will crush unless he is very, very careful.