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I have no doubts about climate change, regardless of all the news that it either doesn't exist, isn't a problem, or is a small problem and is being solved.
To me it is not only real, I believe it will, unfortunately, be the end of mankind. More details on my page at 2040.
When I worked at KFTY TV 50, I was learning from a guru of old school TV broadcasting. An award winning (if I remember right it was an award he won for a technique he invented) top TV engineer, who previously worked for many years at a station in southern California before retiring in the north. KTLA if I remember right.
He had an amazing collection of knowledge, and was only lacking in newer digital technology. He understood some of the basics, but didn't get into it.
Anyway, so I just trusted and believed everything I learned from him. And I have no doubt all of it was correct, except one thing I now know is wrong.
He knew of "burping battery chargers", and made a point of that we use them. This form of charger was developed for NiMH batteries if I remember right. I don't think they were NiCads. The theory was that the battery should be discharged, then on charging it up, the charger would stop at certain points and discharge the battery a small amount, then further charging. The intent is to increase the charging lifetime of the batteries. Or something.
Anyway, with AI available I asked a chat bot about it. It came back with, if true, a detailed story of the guy who invented the burping battery charger, and how he I guess kind of corralled himself into a corner where he had to continue to insist his technology worked.
I was informed that oil bubbles up from the middle of the earth. Only one person has ever said that to me. And I'm not sure why. I am guessing it was just to imply that there is an endless supply of oil available.
When I asked an AI chat bot about it, the response made it sound like others have said this, as though it's a known "theory". Any way the chat bot and I could "joke" about these idiotic things. So the joking around part was just made up nonsense by the chat bot, but the information about others having said this, looked as though it was real.
A full teakettle boils faster. Literally, the belief is that a teakettle has to be filled to the maximum physically possible, in order to achieve the fastest times to boiling. Quarter full, half full, would take longer according to this person. And the only one I've ever heard say this. And maybe one of the only people I know using a teakettle on a gas stove still.
The AI chat bot I was using for the oil thing also agreed this doesn't make sense.
No specifics, but just food cooked or heated in a microwave oven is rendered unhealthy.
And this was from 3 specific people. I just ignored it, I knew it was nonsense. And eventually with AI available, I asked it, and it had found information about the "proof" behind this theory.
Someone posted somewhere about an "experiment" with 3 plants, and giving them water. Two got water that was heated in microwave and cooled, and a different one got straight water.
3 different types of plants, pots, ages, etc. One was already looking unhealthy. The regular water was applied to the healthiest plant, the microwave heated water to the other two, which eventually perished. Nothing about heating up the other water and cooling it, so that's already a big difference. But this has no scientific basis.
I just thought funny to add to the list. This is from the cartoon strip "Peanuts". And not anything real, just some belief made up by one of the characters that he would regularly mention.
This is some vague concept around the holiday. I guess the bunny is the one who supposedly hides the eggs children are supposed to go seek. In a tradition around the holiday. But just for telling kids, or used in stories or something.
So the tooth fairy is an abstract character that is used for an abstract tradition I know of. I don't remember if my parents did this, but I think not.
When a child loses a baby tooth, it is placed under the pillow of the child. While the child sleeps the parents substitute money for the tooth, and claim the tooth fairy did it.
Well known figure used around a holiday. May have some basis from the distant past, but is not a real existing being. Mainly for children, and to explain presents appearing overnight.
Although seemingly harmless, and is a social thing, I sometimes wonder about the effect of a child believing in such a thing, and then later find out the parents were effectively lying. Although there have probably been other discoveries in the meantime.
See also religion.
And to be clear it is not that I think the theory is wrong.
(Or I guess it's really a collection of theories. Maybe there is one base theory. In any case I have no definite easy definition in mind.)
What little I've learned sounds possible, but also how we are deriving the information brings me to wonder where are false conclusions being made.
In any case atomic theory is a usable model for trying to explain the universe in general, and is invaluable for the many things mankind does with the material world. Unfortunately most of it involves long term damage to the planet, and also no shortage of short term damage (war for example). But is quite impressive how we have broken things down, and what we can build from them.