Good Morning! Another Snowy Day on Tap.

Today is Tuesday, which came quicker then most Tuesdays, at least for me, because it was a state holiday yesterday, aka Presidents Day. All weekend I’ve had a cold, although now I feel like I am at least 90% back. A cold without a sinus infection for me is not a big deal.

Boreal Forest

Today, they are talking about 2-4 inches of snow on top of the snow already on the ground. With the easy and fast express bus, I don’t really care that much one way or another. There might be traffic tie-up and be quite delays come the evening, but I don’t see the world coming to an end over this snow storm. By the end of the week, it’s supposed to warm up and be quite rainy. But it will get rid of a lot of the snow, as the city sewage treatment plants overflow into the Hudson River.

Setting Sun

Winter will continue to drag on, although we are down to 30 days until the first day of calender Spring. Four years, I lean-to camped on the first day of Spring, but realistically it will probably be until the the beginning of April before I go camping. My first major trip won’t be until mid-April, but I hope to get out at least one night before then.

Snow on tap today, before it's starts to warm up by the end of the week.

Rising and setting times for the Sun – February and March 2013

Sunset from Camp

The days are rapidly getting longer, with later sunsets at these table show.

February 2014

Length of day Solar noon
Date Sunrise Sunset This day Difference Time Altitude Distance
(million mi)
Feb 1, 2014 7:09 AM 5:09 PM 9h 59m 07s + 2m 21s 12:09 PM 30.4° 91.607
Feb 2, 2014 7:08 AM 5:10 PM 10h 01m 31s + 2m 23s 12:09 PM 30.7° 91.621
Feb 3, 2014 7:07 AM 5:11 PM 10h 03m 56s + 2m 25s 12:09 PM 31.0° 91.634
Feb 4, 2014 7:06 AM 5:13 PM 10h 06m 22s + 2m 26s 12:09 PM 31.3° 91.648
Feb 5, 2014 7:05 AM 5:14 PM 10h 08m 51s + 2m 28s 12:09 PM 31.6° 91.662
Feb 6, 2014 7:04 AM 5:15 PM 10h 11m 21s + 2m 29s 12:09 PM 31.9° 91.676
Feb 7, 2014 7:03 AM 5:16 PM 10h 13m 52s + 2m 31s 12:09 PM 32.2° 91.691
Feb 8, 2014 7:01 AM 5:18 PM 10h 16m 25s + 2m 32s 12:09 PM 32.5° 91.706
Feb 9, 2014 7:00 AM 5:19 PM 10h 18m 59s + 2m 34s 12:09 PM 32.8° 91.722
Feb 10, 2014 6:59 AM 5:20 PM 10h 21m 35s + 2m 35s 12:09 PM 33.1° 91.738
Feb 11, 2014 6:58 AM 5:22 PM 10h 24m 12s + 2m 36s 12:09 PM 33.5° 91.754
Feb 12, 2014 6:56 AM 5:23 PM 10h 26m 49s + 2m 37s 12:09 PM 33.8° 91.771
Feb 13, 2014 6:55 AM 5:24 PM 10h 29m 29s + 2m 39s 12:09 PM 34.1° 91.788
Feb 14, 2014 6:53 AM 5:26 PM 10h 32m 09s + 2m 40s 12:09 PM 34.5° 91.806
Feb 15, 2014 6:52 AM 5:27 PM 10h 34m 50s + 2m 41s 12:09 PM 34.8° 91.825
Feb 16, 2014 6:51 AM 5:28 PM 10h 37m 33s + 2m 42s 12:09 PM 35.2° 91.843
Feb 17, 2014 6:49 AM 5:30 PM 10h 40m 16s + 2m 43s 12:09 PM 35.5° 91.863
Feb 18, 2014 6:48 AM 5:31 PM 10h 43m 00s + 2m 44s 12:09 PM 35.9° 91.882
Feb 19, 2014 6:46 AM 5:32 PM 10h 45m 45s + 2m 44s 12:09 PM 36.2° 91.902
Feb 20, 2014 6:45 AM 5:33 PM 10h 48m 31s + 2m 45s 12:09 PM 36.6° 91.923
Feb 21, 2014 6:43 AM 5:35 PM 10h 51m 17s + 2m 46s 12:09 PM 36.9° 91.944
Feb 22, 2014 6:42 AM 5:36 PM 10h 54m 04s + 2m 47s 12:09 PM 37.3° 91.965
Feb 23, 2014 6:40 AM 5:37 PM 10h 56m 52s + 2m 47s 12:08 PM 37.7° 91.986
Feb 24, 2014 6:39 AM 5:38 PM 10h 59m 41s + 2m 48s 12:08 PM 38.0° 92.008
Feb 25, 2014 6:37 AM 5:40 PM 11h 02m 30s + 2m 49s 12:08 PM 38.4° 92.030
Feb 26, 2014 6:36 AM 5:41 PM 11h 05m 20s + 2m 49s 12:08 PM 38.8° 92.052
Feb 27, 2014 6:34 AM 5:42 PM 11h 08m 10s + 2m 50s 12:08 PM 39.2° 92.074
Feb 28, 2014 6:32 AM 5:43 PM 11h 11m 01s + 2m 50s 12:08 PM 39.5° 92.096

March 2014

Length of day Solar noon
Date Sunrise Sunset This day Difference Time Altitude Distance
(million mi)
Mar 1, 2014 6:31 AM 5:45 PM 11h 13m 52s + 2m 51s 12:07 PM 39.9° 92.119
Mar 2, 2014 6:29 AM 5:46 PM 11h 16m 44s + 2m 51s 12:07 PM 40.3° 92.142
Mar 3, 2014 6:28 AM 5:47 PM 11h 19m 36s + 2m 52s 12:07 PM 40.7° 92.164
Mar 4, 2014 6:26 AM 5:48 PM 11h 22m 28s + 2m 52s 12:07 PM 41.1° 92.187
Mar 5, 2014 6:24 AM 5:50 PM 11h 25m 21s + 2m 52s 12:07 PM 41.5° 92.210
Mar 6, 2014 6:23 AM 5:51 PM 11h 28m 14s + 2m 53s 12:06 PM 41.8° 92.233
Mar 7, 2014 6:21 AM 5:52 PM 11h 31m 07s + 2m 53s 12:06 PM 42.2° 92.256
Mar 8, 2014 6:19 AM 5:53 PM 11h 34m 01s + 2m 53s 12:06 PM 42.6° 92.280
Note: hours shift because clocks change forward 1 hour
Mar 9, 2014 7:18 AM 6:54 PM 11h 36m 55s + 2m 53s 1:06 PM 43.0° 92.304
Mar 10, 2014 7:16 AM 6:56 PM 11h 39m 49s + 2m 53s 1:05 PM 43.4° 92.327
Mar 11, 2014 7:14 AM 6:57 PM 11h 42m 43s + 2m 54s 1:05 PM 43.8° 92.351
Mar 12, 2014 7:12 AM 6:58 PM 11h 45m 37s + 2m 54s 1:05 PM 44.2° 92.376
Mar 13, 2014 7:11 AM 6:59 PM 11h 48m 31s + 2m 54s 1:05 PM 44.6° 92.400
Mar 14, 2014 7:09 AM 7:00 PM 11h 51m 26s + 2m 54s 1:04 PM 45.0° 92.425
Mar 15, 2014 7:07 AM 7:02 PM 11h 54m 20s + 2m 54s 1:04 PM 45.4° 92.450
Mar 16, 2014 7:05 AM 7:03 PM 11h 57m 15s + 2m 54s 1:04 PM 45.8° 92.476
Mar 17, 2014 7:04 AM 7:04 PM 12h 00m 10s + 2m 54s 1:03 PM 46.2° 92.501
Mar 18, 2014 7:02 AM 7:05 PM 12h 03m 04s + 2m 54s 1:03 PM 46.6° 92.527
Mar 19, 2014 7:00 AM 7:06 PM 12h 05m 59s + 2m 54s 1:03 PM 47.0° 92.554
Mar 20, 2014 6:58 AM 7:07 PM 12h 08m 54s + 2m 54s 1:03 PM 47.3° 92.580
Mar 21, 2014 6:57 AM 7:09 PM 12h 11m 48s + 2m 54s 1:02 PM 47.7° 92.606
Mar 22, 2014 6:55 AM 7:10 PM 12h 14m 43s + 2m 54s 1:02 PM 48.1° 92.633
Mar 23, 2014 6:53 AM 7:11 PM 12h 17m 38s + 2m 54s 1:02 PM 48.5° 92.660
Mar 24, 2014 6:51 AM 7:12 PM 12h 20m 32s + 2m 54s 1:01 PM 48.9° 92.687
Mar 25, 2014 6:50 AM 7:13 PM 12h 23m 26s + 2m 54s 1:01 PM 49.3° 92.714
Mar 26, 2014 6:48 AM 7:14 PM 12h 26m 21s + 2m 54s 1:01 PM 49.7° 92.741
Mar 27, 2014 6:46 AM 7:15 PM 12h 29m 15s + 2m 54s 1:00 PM 50.1° 92.768
Mar 28, 2014 6:44 AM 7:17 PM 12h 32m 09s + 2m 53s 1:00 PM 50.5° 92.795
Mar 29, 2014 6:43 AM 7:18 PM 12h 35m 02s + 2m 53s 1:00 PM 50.9° 92.821
Mar 30, 2014 6:41 AM 7:19 PM 12h 37m 56s + 2m 53s 1:00 PM 51.3° 92.848
Mar 31, 2014 6:39 AM 7:20 PM 12h 40m 49s + 2m 53s 12:59 PM 51.7° 92.875

 

To be sure, the days are getting longer, and will speed up the increase in daylight until the first day of calender spring in March.

Nice Truck.

What can I say? I just sometimes enjoy looking at videos of sweet lifted trucks.

Efficiency and Clean Air Cars Standards Didn’t Make Cars Boring

Sometimes it is claimed that fuel efficiency standards and clean air regulations will lead to cars being small, boring, and unsafe. But that’s contrary to what history says.

car-weight

Cars got smaller in the 1970s and early 1980s, but over time grew bigger and more powerful than ever before, all while using less gas than their predecessors.

72grancp_filtered_filtered-vi

dodge-300_key_2

Just a reminder of the fact that fuel economy standards don't force people to buy expensive, little cars, that are unpowered. Cars are as powerful and as roomy if not more roomy then the beasts of the early 1970s.

Finally Succumbed to the Cold Going Around the Office

The past few weeks there has been a bad cold going around through the office. I responded by drinking lots of orange juice, washing my hands thoroughly, using lots of hand sanitizer,  and trying to avoid chewing on pens and putting things in my mouth that shouldn’t be there.

It worked for a while. But this weekend, I’ve finally gotten the cold. It’s not awful, but I also don’t feel wonderful either. I might go out hiking at Five Rivers this evening, but right now, it’s pretty cold out and I don’t feel great. Sucks though, that I had to get sick on the weekend.

sick-puppy

 

I tried my hardest not to get the cold going around the office, but I seemed to have finally got it for the long weekend.

They Paved Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot

9824448813_26ef2a3f20_oA few months ago I stumbled across this photo on the AlbanyGroup on Flickr. It is of the Northway Exit 1, shortly after it was constructed in the mid-1960s, prior to construction of Crossgates Mall.

The the Pine Bush at that time seems largely wild, although there are some newer housing subdivisions in the distance. The Northway and Thruway Interchange seem somewhat out of place, and once can only imagine what these wild lands must have looked like before these superhighways were overlaid over this area that once was mostly dirt roads, the wilds at the outskirts of the city.

Within a decade, much of this land would be filled in with Washington Avenue Extension’s many strip malls and Crossgates Mall. These wild lands would be lost, at least temporarily to parking lots, suburban office buildings, and shopping centers.

Similar scenes can be seen across more rural portions of New York. What happened in the Albany Pine Bush can happen anywhere.

Look now and speak up before it’s gone.

An old-1960s photo of the Northway and Rensselaer Lake reminds us what the Pine Bush looked like before it's heavy development, and is a warning for future generations.

Climate Change Isn’t a Religion

“It snowed a lot in February in Albany, NY.
Therefore, Climate Change is …”

Blowing Snow

I have heard a lot of statements like that lately, mostly from people who believe that the the weather is evidence of their views on the political questions of day. I have to chuckle a bit.

Politicians like to believe that they have god on their side, and any policy they are perusing is the morally-right thing, backed up by evidence. Most politicians would rather not acknowledge their views are primarily about oppressing people who are different from the group that are they belong to in their community.

Snow Drift Against Mountain Background

There is science and there is politics. 97% of Climate Scientists say that Climate Change is occurring. There is more debate on what the specific out year impacts of that climate change, or what will be the long-term impact. Even more controversial is what we should do about climate change, if anything at all.

Science doesn’t tell us what is right or wrong. It can simply give us predictions of the future what is likely to happen. We are free to disagree on whether or not we should act on those permissions or if the cost of action exceeds the cost of non-action.

The fact it snows heavily in February, at rates compared to earlier years, doesn't say much about Climate Change except that people are trying to exploit weather for a political agenda.