One down, one down, two to go...

[pheloniusfriar]

I finished a quick introduction to Ruby on Rails called "Web Application Architectures" from the University of New Mexico through Coursera (one down), but have had to give up on the "Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided" course from The World Bank (one down). It had some neat stuff, but their quiz and assignment deadline structure didn't work for me. The first three weeks had the flexibility I needed and reasonably generous deadlines (I had to use one "late day" of ten to get full marks on a quiz), and I even turned in the first peer reviewed assignment (it works by you having to anonymously review two or three other people's assignments and your anonymous peers review yours... a process that works surprisingly well when computer grading just won't work). Unfortunately, and bizarrely, the fourth week had one day of leeway before the hard deadline (which was this morning) and the main project is due tomorrow... there was no way I could do it with my schedule. I will say that it was a valuable course because I am now armed with a considerably better knowledge of the specifics of climate science that prove that human activity is overwhelmingly responsible for global warming. I am going to further arm myself by taking a course through the EdX platform called "Making Sense of Climate Science Denial" from the University of Queensland in Australia (one to go). I don't know that I will have time to complete the coursework, but I will consume the information being provided. Given the climate (if you'll pardon the pun) of the wholesale muzzling of scientists (including statisticians) in Canada by our current government, I'm sure a better understanding of this phenomenon will help me by providing tools to combat this terrifying trend. I am also continuing to work on the Stanford Online human physiology course "Your Body in the World: Adapting to Your Next Big Adventure" (two to go).

In more pedantic news, I got the last wall built in my basement that was required to guarantee a cat-free area of the house and I can start to properly set up my workshop, music studio, and a games area down there. Before you get the wrong idea, it's a tiny house with a tiny basement and all of the things I have described will be (yeah...) tiny, but they will be distinct and I hope will open up sorely missed avenues for creativity and relaxation. It's a lot of work to go, but now I can start on the job at least! I am also nearly where I want to be for the way my bedroom is set up (a proper bare desk for doing my homework on... a thing I realize I need so much so I can focus... I can't focus especially if there is a computer available on the desk) — it is more of a sleep, relaxation (got a couple of Poäng chairs along a wall, very nice), and study area now than a data centre and R&D lab, heh.

"Denial101x: Making Sense of Climate Change Denial | UQx on edX | Course About Video" (Watch on YouTube)

Comments

[arlie]

You lasted longer than I did in Turn Down the Heat; I'm finding Making Sense of Climate Science Denial a lot more useful. Paradoxically, much of the usefulness is not in explaining the deniers, though there's some of that; much of it is in answering questions that are taboo among climate change partisans. (Asking them is prima facie evidence of intent to troll, in my experience, and thus partisans feel the need to drive the "troll" away.)

Note for the confused - a "climate change partisan" is someone with an ill-informed and mostly religious or political belief in the reality of human caused climate change. They can be distinguished from those with informed opinions by many traits, notably treating all pro-environment actions as (equally) effective against climate change in particular. Many of those I encountered appeared to be focused on reducing the amount of plastic bags entering the waste stream. (No action against other sources of plastic waste, improper disposal of such waste, or anything actually relevant to climate change :-()

Apparently I could have got my questions answered if I'd framed them as "how do I deal with this <expletive> who persists in asking ..." Who'd have thunk it :-(

in other forms of Denial

[kweenbee]

Seeing your link made me think of this doozey I heard today on CBC radio while at work.

I give you a creationist who found 60 million year old fossils while still believing the earth is only 6000 years old.

Enjoy :)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/alberta-creationist-finds-60-million-year-old-fossils-while-digging-calgary-basement/article24692589/