Not seen that episode. So where do this High voltage spark come from, is it from the gun or the prongs that enter the body?
If from the gun then it would have to have been fired close to the petrol vapours to ignite.

The prongs are charged with a high voltage which can cause a discharge spark, in the same way that nylon combs will through hair, but at a much higher energy. The embedded Taser barbs are not in contact, and tracking of the spark can occur over the surface of the skin or clothing.

Tasers run at 50,000 volts for the initial incapacitating shock, dropping to a repeated 1,200 volts for sustained effect. For comparison, the spark plugs in a petrol engine use 20,000 volts for air/fuel ignition.

Steven

On an episode of ‘Mythbusters’ they showed how police had accidentally set fire to a farmworker with a Taser, whose clothes had been contaminated with nitrogen fertiliser. So it is known that Tasers have a potential for igniting the clothing of its victims. It must have been obvious that such a high voltage spark would most likely ignite petrol soaked clothing. In those circumstances, a disabling spray, or an old-fashioned truncheon, might have been the better option.

Steven

Australian sea level data highly exaggerated

The Australian government has been accused of exaggerating sea level rises, stating that Australia will experience a one metre rise by 2100, when the evidence shows a likely rise of 0.13m, about five inches.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/04/26/australian-sea-level-data-highly-exaggerated-only-5-inches-by-2100/

Fig.3

Plots 2 and 3 are from tide gauge records. Plot 4 is a reconstruction of sea level changes. Plot 5 is from satellite data.

Plot 1 is the claimed sea level rise as given by the Australian government.

The authors of the report criticising the government conclude:

In view of the data presented, we believe that we are justified to draw the following conclusions:
(1) The official Australian claim of a present sea level rise in the order of 5.4mm/year is significantly exaggerated (Figure 3).
(2) The mean sea level rise from Australian tide gauges as well as global tide gauge networks is to be found within the sector of rates ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 mm/year (yellow wedge in Figure 3).
(3) The claim of a recent acceleration in the rate of sea level rise cannot be validated by tide gauge records, either in Australia or globally (Figure 3). Rather, it seems strongly contradicted.
The practical implication of our conclusions is that there, in fact, is no reason either to fear or to prepare for any disastrous sea level flooding in the near future.

Steven

As for the graph i pointed out the correllation between the post blue line predictions and the actual temp as represented by the black line. A point i note you ignore. Presumably as it does not fit well with your belief.
– about only a third of the model temperatures are superficially correlated, if you look carefully

The numbers show climate change is occuring, this will be in part due to natural cycles; the numbers also show a significant increase in the last two hundred years, a time period that coincides with industrialisation.
– this period also corresponds with a large growth in: population, agriculture, urbanisation, and deforestation, all of which have had an impact on the environment; but we have enormously advanced in terms of human knowledge and welfare, we do not wish to go back to the primitive standards of pre- industrialisation, which seems to be the aim of the greens

It is only logical if the only element one is concerned for is oneself and ones immediate future. At times, such as when confronted by a bear or pack of wolves, that is a necessary human response, it would be uplifting to think that at some point the majority of the human race could raise themselves (dare one say evolve?) just slightly above this very limited and limiting viewpoint
-yes, if only the greens could raise their game by looking at observed reality and not the fantasies produced by incomplete computer models

Just a reminder of the planet’s temperature cycles where we are at a relative low point…

Steven

All good daily fail stuff…

…On one level it’s the fear… illustrated here by many attitudes to human causes of climate change…

The graph was from the Climate Committee and the DM pointed out that it was misleading. Is that not the role of the press? Or do you prefer it that everyone meakly accepts the government’s ex cathedra proclamations?

On the issue of fear, a French philosopher, Pascal Bruckner, recently caused a storm amongst the leftists and environmentalists in France, when he published his work, ‘Fanaticism of the Apocalypse’, attacking the green movement as fearmongers. http://m.afr.com/p/lifestyle/review/scorning_the_propaganda_of_fear_35NPhGM05z5vuBNPRHVobI

“I do not attack ecology per se,” Bruckner says of his book. “I attack that degraded religion which emerges from it and turns into a culture of fear, hatred of progress and well-being.
“Why must we renounce all the joys of life under the pretext of global warming?”

If even leftist philosophers are entering the debate against the scare tactics of the green doomsters, we must be getting close to the end of their fading but malevolent influence.

Steven

http://www.energytribune.com/75990/margaret-thatcher-global-warming-provides-a-marvelous-excuse-for-global-socialism

This is a timely article on the late Lady Thatcher and the global warming issue.

Even the EU now has doubts about AGW.

The EU is seeing the error of their ways. “The European Environment Agency said, in 2011, the assumption “that biomass combustion would be inherently carbon neutral…is not correct…as it ignores the fact that using land to produce plants for energy typically means that this land is not producing plants for other purposes, including carbon otherwise sequestered.”

Some realism at last from the EU.

Steven

Really don’t like the look of the “new” forum. What was wrong with the old one? This one, as far as I can see, there’s no ‘Reply to Thread’ icon, you have to go to the last post and click ‘Reply with Quote’ even though you don’t want to quote that person’s post – very annoying. But not as annoying as after you click ‘submit post’, you visit your new post on the thread (which is fine) but then, you have click on ‘Forum’ at the top left of the page to then to go all the way through the particular forum you’re posting on…

…and why does everything look so crammed and small even on a 17″ screen?

It’s sh*t!

Ta!

Edit: Just seen the ‘Reply’ thingy.

P.S. It’s still sh*t!

For the additional benefit of the support team, a few comments:

The ‘Reply with Quote’ appears even if you are not logged in, but the ‘Reply’ only appears when logged in. This needs resolving.

There is both a ‘Reply’ link and a ‘Reply to Thread’ button, they both do the same. Not a problem, just that it is not good practice.

The icons in the thread lists are too close in colour. Light grey and light blue for read and unread, with what appears to be two shades of orange for the ‘hot’ topics. Not good choices and with no user control of the colour, nor whether they are shown at all.

The forum home page is stylistically naff. The thick horizontal blue bars are just wasted space, accentuated by too small a font. Redesign.

There are new user features in this release, but without commensurate user control over those features. This goes against recommended software practice.

The above are basically the result of not getting user requirements agreed before embarking on a new development. Hope this helps.

Steven