From: John K Clark (johnkclark@fastmail.fm)
Date: Mon Feb 23 2009 - 13:40:51 MST
On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 10:49 PM, Johnicholas Hines
<johnicholas.hines@gmail.com> wrote:
> Suppose a weather simulation can produce images
> that can fool people who have seen weather.
> Should you base your strategy against global warming
> on that weather simulation? I think the answer is no.
I think the answer is yes. If computer weather simulations weren’t any
good at predicting what you will see outside your window tomorrow then
there would be no point in making them. But perhaps I misunderstand you
and you were trying to say that a simulated heat wave will not heat up
you computer more than a simulated blizzard; if that was what you were
getting at then I agree.
A simulated flame is a perfectly real and objective phenomenon, but care
must be taken not to confuse levels. A simulated flame won't burn your
computer but it will burn a simulated object. A real flame won't burn
the laws of chemistry but it will burn your finger.
John K Clark
-- John K Clark johnkclark@fastmail.fm -- http://www.fastmail.fm - One of many happy users: http://www.fastmail.fm/docs/quotes.html
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