Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
1–10 of 32 posts
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#2The only thing they got wrong was where I said I was 'shocked'. I'm not shocked, I'm surprised, and disappointed by the quality of the code.
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#3Great presentation John. You made your points very clearly, and it seems very helpful for the non-experts watching.
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#4The only thing they got wrong was where I said I was 'shocked'. I'm not shocked, I'm surprised, and disappointed by the quality of the code.
No, I'm not shocked either. Mathematicians and scientists have no formal training in programming (at least in the UK). They're expected just to pick it up and get on with it.
They don't generally put in the necessary hours like the "self taught programmer" does, because they're generally not interested in programming itself. It's just a calculational annoyance that gets in the way.
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#5The only thing they got wrong was where I said I was 'shocked'. I'm not shocked, I'm surprised, and disappointed by the quality of the code.
No, I'm not shocked either. Mathematicians and scientists have no formal training in programming (at least in the UK). They're expected just to pick it up and get on with it. They don't generally put in the necessary hours like the "self taught programmer" does, because they're generally not interested in programming itself. It's just a calculational annoyance that gets in the way.
> Mathematicians and scientists have no formal training in programming (at least in the UK). They're expected just to pick it up and get on with it.
That's an unreasonable generalisation.
For one thing, many university courses in science and mathematics do seem to incorporate basic programming training these days, either as part of the course, or via other facilities that the university makes available to those taking such courses. Any programming skills acquired may or may not contribute directly to the grade of degree awarded, but that is a different issue.
For another thing, I can attest that some scientists do make an effort, because I have personally been paid by PhD students to tutor them in the appropriate programming techniques to implement their models soundly.
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#6The only thing they got wrong was where I said I was 'shocked'. I'm not shocked, I'm surprised, and disappointed by the quality of the code.
And this poor code leads to temperature data sets that could be flawed - data sets that form the foundation under the climate models and the conclusions of the IPCC reports. These reports in turn are used by many countries to base policy on. Are governments basing policy on flawed science?
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#7The unveilings of the CRU materials now also caused Al Gore to cancel his talk at Copenhagen. http://www.examiner.com/x-11224-Baltimore-Weather-Examiner~y...
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#8Having source code reviews via Newsnight is the ultimate confirmation in my mind that all of this should have been open source from the beginning. It would be trivial, and cost CRU nothing, to set up an open source project which would render scandals such as this impossible.
A subject like global warming is potentially of such high importance that it shouldn't be left to cowboy programmers to process the data. I could have said "amateur" programmers, but there are many amateurs out there who produce very high quality code.
Re: Explaining to BBC Newsnight some of the problems with the CRU code
#9The unveilings of the CRU materials now also caused Al Gore to cancel his talk at Copenhagen. http://www.examiner.com/x-11224-Baltimore-Weather-Examiner~y...
An inconvenient cancellation.