Winza

Thanks to the bushfires in Northeastern Victoria. The EPA is detecting PM10 levels of over 100 micrograms per cubic metre and most of Melbourne is covered in smoke full of random particles. I cannot even see the buildings in the CBD even from Richmond Station.

The smoke is infiltrating every building around here - the shops, the garage, the bedroom, the bathroom and particulates are probably accumulating in my lungs.

WTF!!!? I hate this. Can someone please generate some winds that will blow the smoke away or import some fresh air from elsewhere???

As Melburnians are getting ready for stage three water restrictions, I shall review the impact of drought:

Food prices increase.
Water shortages mean that I therefore cannot have long showers. (I used to have 20 minute long showers 5-6 years ago, now shortened to 5 minutes).
I cannot wash my car with a hose
I cannot enjoy my garden - the lawn is becoming yellow
I can use it as an excuse for not doing the dishes and not doing the laundry
Daddy talks me into environmentalism.. Sometimes I wish he could shut up about it..
My fear for drinking treated effluent grows..
My desire for a rainy day grows stronger each day. Dreaming of the freak storm in Feb, 2005.
Hopefully this would generate more jobs for grad envscis like me. But it may also mean more competition for jobs. Sigh….

This article here talks about deliberately injecting particles in the upper atmosphere to counteract the enhanced greenhouse effect.

My first reaction was HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.. I could not stop laughing at the concept…

If these particles will be placed in the upper atmosphere, I have no doubt that they will cause severe consequences to human health and the ecosystem around us. The funniest thing though from the comments in the article is that some people are considering the idea of pouring SO2 into the upper atmosphere. I guess people like them have no brains and are trying to choke us to death. Adding more stuff anthropogenically into the atmosphere will cause more and more problems, disrupting the feedback mechanisms of solar radiation and eventually the whole biosphere will be dead. This exactly reminds me of how T’s friends suggested that eating 5kg of pollen would cure allergies.

To me, carbon sequestration sounds better. But that may activate other geological processes. Haha. We’ll leave the engineers to work that out. The politicians tend to screw things up and the environmentalists don’t do anything except for blaming people and complaining.

‘Air shower’ set to cut water use by 30 percent

Good timing. We are on a drought now and we need something that allows us to save water and to cut water bills..

Via engadget

The Age reports that the Liberal party promises to solve the water crisis by building a dam on the Maribyrnong River. They must be joking - using the same old method to alleviate water shortages.

Even if it relieves the problem, about 10-20 years time, the water problem kicks in again and then another dam is built and the cycle starts again. And in 500 years time, we get an array of dams along the river. Gee…that would be cool. A dam won’t do much anyway as precipitation is pretty much affected by El Nino, which isn’t 100% predictable these days even with science. In HK, water can be brought from China, but it is impossible in Australia since interstate cities are on drought too and we are isolated from other countries. Despite this, it is probably better than the Do nothing solution from the Brack’s government. If the water crisis is not solved any sooner or if they find an alterative that will cost taxpayers heap, I’ll be leaving to HK - for good (just joking).

If I played the same scenario in simcity, the mayor (me) would go bankrupt and the citizens would move into neighbour cities. And then it’s game over. That just wouldn’t happen in real life.