Chart demonstrating slow startup for new light bulbs

Thanks to Ed Thurstan for the results of his neat experiment comparing the light up time of the new-fangled fluoro bulbs compared to the perfectly OK old incandescent bulbs that we now can not buy.

As Ed says:

My 75W incandescent bedside lamp bulb finally failed. So I installed a Philips 18W “Ambiance” fluoro, which is claimed to be equivalent to 100W Incandescent bulb. It emitted a dull glow befitting a mood light in a funeral parlour.

After waiting several minutes for sufficient light to see what I was doing, I set up an experiment with a digital camera to measure the light intensity from the fluoro, and compare it with ancient 60 and 75W incandescent bulbs still working around the house.

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I set the camera on a tripod, aimed at a spot illuminated by the lamp. I set the camera to take a shot every 15 seconds, with the aperture and ISO fixed but the shutter speed allowed to vary to maintain a constant exposure.

Then I ran each of the three bulbs through a trial to see how long each took to achieve their maximum intensity from when the lamp was switched on. So the shutter speeds give a direct measure of light intensity.

Finally I normalised the results relative to the maximum intensity of the fluoro being treated as 1.

Christchurch coldest day recorded at 0.4 degrees C – that is since 1863

It must be remembered that the period of our instrumental weather data is short when compared to say the ~15,000 years since the last ice age.

We must also remember that cold records are set in the face of the ever expanding urban heat island (UHI). So cold records are more remarkable than warm records that are assisted higher by the ever increasing UHI.

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Thanks to Kiwis for tip off re NASA image.

No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics forming political party in Canberra

No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics are wanting ACT residents to become members.

The No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics is a centrist political party, registered nationally with 800 members Australia wide, and wants to be registered in the ACT for ACT elections by June 30th.

At the next ACT election on 20th October 2012 we will campaign primarily on the issue of the wastage of money by the current ACT government on “green programs” and other ideas that do not clearly benefit the environment, and cost ACT residents money.

We believe these wasted funds should instead be used to provide better ACT services across many areas. If you live in the ACT and would like to become a member we can sign you up for free membership before June 30th and send you monthly newsletters to keep you in touch.

To download a pdf application form.

You can scan and email completed forms to – nocarbontax (at sign) exemail dot com dot au
Or mail to Mr E Chvojan – PO box 1349 Fyshwick, ACT 2609
Authorised by Leon Ashby, 270 Chambers Rd., Mount Gambier, SA 5290

Hypocrisy of the month – Indonesia

Indonesia has asked Australia to explain how an alleged people smuggler, known as Captain Emad, was given a refugee protection visa in Australia.

You have to love Indonesia – who have been waving boat people through to Australia for years – harbouring all manner of people smuggling activity – and they go public to increase the Australian Govt’s acute embarrassment at the stunning revelations aired on the ABC’s Four Corners program.

Incidentally I have updated my monthly boat arrivals graphic – still looking for data for 2008 to July 2009. It shows the scale of the boom in arrivals in May.

Remember the Four Corners program will be replayed on Saturday 9 June at 8.00pm on ABC News24.

Fallacies in the reasons given for the extra tax on mining in Australia

It is said by Treasury and our GreenLabor Govt in their justification for extra taxes on the mining sector that minerals are non-renewable – and to be sure once you dig out a ton of mineral – nothing grows in its place.

But this GreenLabor view is very simplistic and misleading way to see mineral resources – like a buried treasure chest of coins with the mining company in possession of some secret code which leads them to the chest where they proceed to wreak great profits by selling the property of the people.

In reality metal orebodies tend to be zones with higher grade sections surrounded by haloes of successively lower grade ore.

If the lower grade orebodies are not adjacent they might be further distant along a known mineral belt. So the history of mining shows that in practical terms we are never going to mine minerals out. While a defined orebody will be depleted by mining – history tells us that mineral exploration on average will more than replace this from somewhere – albeit at a slightly lower grade.

The simplistic and harmful Govt view also completely overlooks the facts of huge advances in mining technologies – using copper as an example history tells us that globally we have more copper reserves than we did in 1900. – And of course mined ore grades have declined over a century but technology has enabled us to produce copper at a lower real price.

All rather contrary to the Govt & Club of Rome dogmas that resources will run out at some specified year.

This publication has some excellent graphics – of which I have picked three linked below.

Schodde RC, “The key drivers behind resource growth: an analysis of the copper industry over the last 100 years”, Presentation to the Mineral Economics & Management Society (MEMS) session at the 2010 SME Annual Conference, Phoenix, Arizona March 2010.

p10 of 26 – Copper endowment has grown 25 fold in 100 years
p 14 of 26 – Copper grade mined has fallen for 100 years
p 21 of 26 – Over the last 100 years, the real price and cost of copper has halved

So to sum up – I am saying that there is no rational case for higher taxes on mining compared to any other industry.

Extra taxes on mining will only tend to drive investment offshore.

There is no free lunch – the Govt might grab extra taxes to redistribute to its constituencies – but unless all countries enact identical extra taxes – overall Australia will end up weaker with a proportionally smaller mining industry.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard blusters at the mining industry

I have just read “Boom is not yours, PM tells miners” – as if the industry is not aware that State Govts own the mineral rights and issue leases/licences under various terms to competent companies/organizations to explore for said minerals.

Then if payable minerals are discovered – mining leases are negotiated to develop same and royalty payments are made back to the State. That is the basic system the great majority of nations use to develop their mineral resources.

There are examples of where Governments form State owned mining companies – the old USSR of course comes to mind – China – and I think in Chile Codelco is State owned – PNG owns OK Tedi Mining – and South Africa has recently launched a state-owned mining company – Namibia has made moves in that direction too.

I am sure readers might suggest other examples. I have no issue with States who invest in minerals alongside the private sector.

I would say to the PM and her Govt – why not form Aussie GreenLabor Mining Ltd if you think there is so much easy money to be made – pay off some of the huge debts you are building up on the Aussie Bankcard.

Another quicker way to get mining would be to buy some beaten down mineral exploration companies on the ASX – some are selling for only the value of their cash – then you get a structure, staff, ongoing projects basically for nix.

See how easy it is to find another Broken Hill, Mount Isa, Kalgoorlie, Cadia, Hammersley Iron or the next great coal-field.

Remember your own Labor history from the Whitlam years – recall the example of Rex Connor who trod a nationalist path with mineral resources – learn from the disaster that overtook him.

How the Australian Bureau of Meteorology can get vital issues wrong

I have been looking at the BoM’s new iteration of adjusted Australian temperature data – ACORN SAT. Taking a look at the pdf report 049 “Techniques involved in developing the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) dataset”
p 86 of 104 Table 8 – Urban classification of ACORN-SAT locations.
– we see

My eye is drawn to to Canberra Airport 070014 classified non-urban. It just seems delusional for the BoM to fail to recognize that UHI affected air from the steady growth of Canberra has been steadily impacting airport instruments at least since WWII. – Not to mention the booming Airport Brindabella and Majura Business Parks – the suburb of Fyshwick and town of Queanbeyan. Not to mention warm air wafting around from the tons of burnt jet fuel and avgas – all of the above effects increasing over the decades.
A photo series here shows the growing business parks development at the airport itself.
image 6 of 16 shows the instruments in the top left – I have marked a copy looking east – business building to south – Fairbairn RAAF to the far left – BoM instruments new site is just above the red “BoM”. Frames 1, 2 & 4 have good views of the business park.
I am working on station by station comparisons of the various BoM adjusted versions over the last 2 decades. If anybody has ideas examples to use, please email them in or let me know.
A 2010 post on UHI at Canberra Airport.
the Google map images seem to have reverted to some odd old version ?

Olympic Dam mine expansion end of year deadline could be doubtful

In not even two weeks the sentiment in the South Australian Government has changed from

BHP likely to meet Olympic Dam deadline: Weatherill – 18 May 12

to

SA warns BHP over Olympic Dam approval – 29 May 12

I note the SA Mines minister speaking tough about not bluffing – but I wonder if a more cooperative and quiet relationship between Govt and BHP is needed at this time of global financial uncertainty and turmoil.

The Olympic Dam mine expansion could make South Australia into a minerals superstate. Deadlines set with the best of intentions in 2011 should not get in the way of BHP and SA getting this thing up when the time is right.

Does the SA Labor Govt have to emulate Canberra Labor ?

Cheering news at last – sackings at the Department of Climate Change

Not far enough though – but a start.
Department Secretary Blair Comley announced job cuts were imminent and far greater than had been originally forecast.
“Only a week ago, Kate Lundy said she was pleased there would be no forced redundancies”, Senator Humphries said today.

Primarily exposing faulty methodologies behind global temperature trend compilations