We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

No longer great minds

What great minds have met and advanced human knowledge under the banner of the Royal Society. Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Newton, William Herschel, Charles Babbage, Darwin, Einstein, Hawking.

Now reduced to petty power grabs by encouraging politicians to meddle in minutiae.

“Platforms and regulators should limit streaming resolution and default to SD, the authors urged.”

Pathetic.

12 comments to No longer great minds

  • GaryTaylorFanClub

    I expect climate obsessed Millennials to follow none of this advice.

  • GregWA

    but, but, but…CO2 is plant food! Why do these Greens want to starve the forests?

  • Snorri Godhi

    According to the article, at most 5% of 6% of carbon emissions can be eliminated by turning from HD to SD. That’s 0.3% of emissions. Perhaps Darwin was not very good at math, but most other FRS’s should be able to figure this out.

  • lowly, lowly, cook

    What happens if people decide to start going back to theaters because the quality is better than SD. Or even start buying Blu-Rays and having them shipped to their house?

    However, perhaps it would be worth it to pass a law limiting the BBC to SD content.

    You have to love the tone deafness of proposing to lock people down in their houses and then lower the quality of their streams.

  • Steve Lindsey

    ” University of East Anglia, ”

    Don’t they have form?

  • The descent of the Royal Society has been dramatic, and disgraceful. Some accounts of it here: https://www.thegwpf.org/?s=royal+society
    Such a shame.

    Meanwhile, decent, high-calibre scientists continue to discover reasons why there is no climate emergency, e.g. see https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/11/29/slight-beneficial-warming-from-more-carbon-dioxide/
    e.g. see https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/123559259/the-pacific-islands-which-are-growing-despite-sea-level-rise
    e.g. many papers, and growing, at http://www.co2science.org/subject/subject.php

  • Sigivald

    Build nuclear plants, you savages.

    (And stop confusing virtue-signaling in the West with effective measures to do anything.

    Because unless you guys have a plan to make China and India stop burning fossil fuels – or use only SD streaming lulz – you’re not doing anything.

    Reminds me of Australia’s perennial freakout about carbon emissions – from a tiny economy that doesn’t actually matter at all for worldwide emissions, to the extent CO2 matters at all*.

    * Which I still see no reason to believe is anything but “a lot less than I’m told but not zero”.)

  • Flubber

    Global warbling has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with power, control and immiserating the working and middle classes.

  • lucklucky

    Precisely Flubber.
    It is power and dependency.

  • Paul Marks

    Yes Steve Lindsey – the University of East Anglia is well known for Climate Data “Hockey Stick” FRAUD, which is why Mr Biden (amongst others) likes academics from there.

    The United Kingdom is presently 1% (one per cent) of C02 emissions and our emissions are falling – China produces vastly more C02 than anyone else, and its emissions are rising.

    And our “great minds” attack the British people – and totally ignore what China is doing.

    Again – Mr Biden would love what the “great minds” are doing.

    Sigivald suggests building nuclear power stations – I AGREE, but to do that effectively needs radical deregulations.

    Deregulation would reduce COST and IMPROVE SAFETY – both reasons why it is very unlikely to happen.

  • Ben david

    Uhhhh how would deregulation of nuclear power improve safety?

  • Paul Marks

    Ben david – because the regulations make the designs more complex and less safe.

    As Perry is fond of saying – the state is not your friend.