From: labiche@crchh561.BNR.CA (Maurice LaBiche)
Subject: Re: Preventing hurricanes
Reply-To: labiche@crchh561.BNR.CA (Maurice LaBiche)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1992 17:38:36 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.064927.6739@cs.umb.edu>, sasha@ra.cs.umb.edu
(Alexander Chislenko) writes:
|>
|>   OK, suppose a hurricane releases 8 Gigatons of energy - Pat Fitzpatrick
|>is a professional meteorologist, and I'm not, so I won't argue with this
|>figure.  But does it mean that we can't weaken it?
|>   Here I have to repeat two points that Pat chose not to notice:
|>
|>   - How much energy is there in the hurricane on THE EARLIEST STAGE of its
|>     formation when we can notice it?
|>
|>   - Taking the chaiotic and unstable nature of the process into account,
|>     it might be effectively controlled with energy equal to a tiny portion
|>     of its own.  Also please note that all influence methods I suggested
|>     use *external* sources of energy, and, hence, can be still orders of
|>     magnitude smaller.
|>
|>  These were *the main points* of my post!
|>
|>  Of course, it is ridiculous to try fighting to big a thing when it is
|>too late - just as it is stupid (does this word match 'ridiculous' in
|>politeness? - I think yes) not to think of alternatives.
|>
|>  There is no minimal limit to the cost/effect ratios of processes we
|>may want to control. How difficult is it to stop a pandemia when it is
|>a single virus? To prevent forest from burning when it is a single match?
|>
|>  The optimal ratio depends on the nature of the process, as well as timing
|>and character of influence.   There is no doubt that a hurricane can be
|>controlled with a force many orders of magnitude smaller than its own.
|>
|>  The question to a real professional is: how much smaller, and whether
|>we can organize and afford it.
|>
|>  You must be a good professional to come up with an answer.
|>  But it takes a *child* to understand the question!!!
|>  If there's nobody here to do it, this planet is really doomed. :-(

What, so any child will tell me that the Planet is doomed to destruction
from Hurricanes?  I thought Man's meddling with the Planet has caused/worsened
many natural disasters already, but let's go ahead and screw with the weather
since we've already screwed the land and the air we live on.  I think one of 
the main problems with western civilisation is western man's inability to
learn to co-exist with our natural environment, 'It must be controlled!'.
WHY, why can't we learn about it and learn to deal with the changes presented
by nature.  No we've got to shape this earth to suit our whims.  It is a nice
idea to try and control things but western man should learn that this is
at some point impossible.  It would be better dealt with if western man would
get its shit together and understand all we've learned about natural disasters
so that people aren't incouraged to live in these areas.  But, hey, life is
just one big risk anyway.  

|>
|>  Alex Chislenko.
                                     

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maurice LaBiche (Mo.L.)         |   labiche@bnr.ca
Bell Northern Research          |   Part of Northern Telecom 
Richardson, Texas               |   i'm really in Texas
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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