Dang, another 2-week gap
One of my goals for blogging DFT was to try to keep a steady flow of posts - what better way to keep people coming back, and attracting new readers, right? The more readers, the more comments, dialog, and a real learning experience! That’s what I wanted. But I am an engineer, and I do help get chips out the door, and on a regular basis, that requires putting in a crapload of hours, losing sleep, and not having time for anything else. I just went through another one of those. I think I need to stack up some writing ahead of time - next time…
Anyway, I’m still not recovered enough to write about anything technical, so I thought I’d just rant a little… hmmm where to start? How about Al Gore as a choice for a keynoter at a technical conference? As engineers, we should be eschewing opportunities to listen to politicians trying to shove “moral imperitives” down our collective throats. Here’s a guy so devisive he needs to uninvite the press to avoid a scene (the linked article written by somebody who was clearly having palpitations about possibly having to reproach the Gore people about the exclusion). Actually I think Gore needs a 12-step program to realize we don’t necessarily have the power to control the earth’s climate.
Actually, I know we engineers go where the money is. And if the money goes to cleaner energy (because the demand is there), I’m behind it. Let’s make it happen. But I don’t need someone to bestow me with the “moral authority” (because the science isn’t compelling enough).
End of rant. I’m going back to my job of changing the world, one scan chain at a time…
Stumble It!
Hi JohnF,
Interesting link about the Gore people apparently wanting to bar the press. Odd and troubling, indeed.
But it sounds like you would have hated last week’s SNUG keynote, too! Aart de Geus used global warming as an example of a complex and growing problem for man to solve, and compared it to the complex and growing problem of IC design, which engineers are solving.
It sounds like you don’t like the call to try to do something about climate change (or at least not a call from Al Gore). But as engineers/scientists, we should keep an open mind to the body of evidence and overwhelming scientific consensus that the climate is changing and human activity is a contributor.
(end of MY rant
Keep up the good blogging.
JohnB
Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have liked the SNUG keynote either… it’s a bandwagon at this point.
As far as climate change goes, I won’t disagree that it changes; just 30 years ago or so, we were worried about “global cooling”. But I disagree that human activity is a significant contributor, and I’m not convinced we can do much to stem the tide, if you will.
However, that said, if this “overwhelming scientific consensus” spurs R&D to alternative energy - I’m square behind it. Cleaner energy with a reduced dependence on foreign sources is enough of a motive for me.
I don’t trust politicians to guide scientific endeavor, just like I don’t trust them to spend my money - I seen ‘em do it!
Thanks again for the comments - I appreciate them!
JohnF