I'm Going to be a Meterologist

[pdub]

Or however that's spelled. That's a fancy term for a weatherman. Or a weather guesser, or whatever. They actually award college degrees for that, being able to guess the weather. I'm going to retire in less than two years and instead of going away to die, that's what I intend to do. I'm going to guess the weather.

Here in eastern Tennessee this week, we had a firestorm in Gatlinburg on Monday, tornadoes on Tuesday and floods everywhere on Wednesday. Did the guessers see any of that coming last week? Of course not. NO they didn't, and no human can.

One of the most fascinating things I've ever seen was on TV, a learning show about the weather. Our atmosphere was compared to non-linear chaos and there's no way to predict it.

Non-linear chaos. The guy on the TV show even set up a lab display to explain it. Put a beaker full of water on top of a burner. Start it heating up. As the water begins to warm, it begins to circulate. It's cyclical. If you could tag an individual water molecule inside the beaker and plot its path, you could work out an equation to accurately predict where it will be in the cycle at any given time, as long as the temperature remains constant.

Turn the heat up, it goes faster. But you can still adjust the equation to predict where the water molecule will be, it's cyclical.

Turn the heat up wide ass open and the water goes into a rolling boil. Game over. Bets are off. No more cyclical equations. Non-linear chaos. That is our earth's atmosphere, per that educational show.

Sort of like a day at work. But some folks get paid just to predict it. That's where I'm going when I retire, an afterlife of sorts. I'm going to predict the weather. Who's in with me on this? We can be a team.

[68scott385]

I take it you have never looked at the classes required to be a weather guesser? For the classes they must take to be a certified weather guesser they could be a dozen other things that are much more respected. I do not envy those in your area.

Dylan, "It doesn't take a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
Who knows who/what he was referencing with the line? It wasn't a meteorologist.

[Dan Barlow]

I'm in with you PeeWee . Now we just need to get the car pool thing figured out . 😎 I hope it's going to be sunny today .

[DanStokes]

I agree with the non-linear chaos thing and given that I think it's pretty amazing that our local folks do a reasonable job of getting it right as long as they don't look TOO far out in time. At about a week into the future they're at least close most of the time. But yes, meterology is a no-bs scientific pursuit that requires LOTS of math and science. That leaves me out (I don't DO math).

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

even a circle is a line.

its the chaos part that is confusing...

[oletrux4evr]

Only weathermen and politicians keep their jobs in spite of their performance records.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I heard this today.

A Native American in Michigan wondered if this winter was going to be harsh. As his elders seemed to be pretty consistent at weather-forecasting, he went to his chief and asked about the weather. The Chief went to the elders who said that prediction was something they no longer knew how to do but that he should ask the weatherman. The chief called the weatherman and asked what the winter was going to be like, the weatherman said he wasn't sure, but it looked like it was going to be pretty cold. The chief reported this to the tribe member, and the tribe member thought "you know, I should start preparing with a bit of extra wood." A month goes by and it's still warm. The member goes back to the chief and says "what's up with the weather?" Chief says "I dunno, I'll check with the 'elders'". Chief calls the weatherman and the weatherman says "well, it's getting clearer, it's going to be a tough winter." Member gets the news and piles even more wood. A month rolls by and the same question "why is it still warm?" Chief asks the weatherman and the weatherman says, "Oh it's getting clearer, it's going to be really cold." Chief tells the member to button up, so the member then stockpiles everything. Another month goes by, it's still warm, and the member asks again "why?" of the chief. The chief calls the weatherman and says "it's still warm" the weatherman says "oh my, you really need to bundle up, it's going to be the worst ever." The chief, finally asks "but how do you know this?" The weatherman responds "I see the Native Americans stockpiling wood so I know it's going to be terrible this winter."

[Monster]

even a circle is a line.

Only the circumference, the middle bit is area !

[pdub]

Only the circumference, the middle bit is area !

That's about the only thing I can remember from school - Pie are square.

But most pies these days seem to be round, which is why maybe I'm so lost and adrift....

[SuperBuickGuy]

this sad thing is pie


Kinsey Pie (after all, all girls from the south have 2 names)

[Dan Barlow]

She's a beauty .With thr long long .....ears !

[SuperBuickGuy]

they're also adorable as puppies when they trip on those ears

[pdub]

they're also adorable as puppies when they trip on those ears

She IS a beauty. Bless her heart!

[Deaf Bob]

If the smoke from my chimney blows south, it's cold..
If it blows north, gonna rain
Blows east, stormy rain
Blows west cold, maybe snow
If my face gets wet when I go outside, it's raining..
Simple!