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Jim Hunt

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RIP David J C MacKay
« on: April 15, 2016, 12:16:16 PM »
For those unfamiliar with the name, here is a TED talk given by Professor David MacKay in 2012:



I engaged David in conversation on Twitter recently, having no idea how bad his condition was:

https://twitter.com/V2gUK/status/700739951244111872

Here is his last but one blog article:

http://itila.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/appendix-two-open-letter-to-directors.html

Here is my last "Tweet" to him:

https://twitter.com/V2gUK/status/719836947024322560

Here is his "Just Giving" page:

https://www.justgiving.com/davidjcmackay

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Everything Is Connected
« Last Edit: April 15, 2016, 05:46:27 PM by Jim Hunt »
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tombond

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2016, 02:49:35 PM »
Thanks Jim for posting this RIP.

I was really sad to see the passing of David McKay at just 48.  His work on emissions mitigation was groundbreaking.  The UK and the world has lost a true climate change/emissions mitigation champion.

His brilliant book is free and is on line and is a must read for anyone truly interested in climate change/emissions mitigation.

http://withouthotair.com/download.html

Some of David's quotes

"We need a plan that adds up. We need to stop shouting and start talking, and if we can have a grown-up conversation, make a plan that adds up and get building, maybe this low-carbon revolution will actually be fun. "

"We just need to understand the numbers. I'm absolutely not anti-renewables. I love renewables. But I'm also pro-arithmetic."

Also a short simple video by David




Neven

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2016, 04:19:16 PM »
Thanks for this, Jim. I had heard (can't remember where) that MacKay was ill, a shame that he left so early. I remember reading his book years ago and thoroughly enjoying his way of crunching the numbers (being something of an energy saving freak myself).
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Neven

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2016, 07:07:01 PM »
Nice blog post by Andreas Muenchow.
The enemy is within
Don't confuse me with him

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Jim Hunt

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2016, 07:21:50 PM »
A tribute in Cambridge's Varsity magazine:

http://www.varsity.co.uk/news/10069

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Jim Hunt

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2016, 10:43:05 AM »
Athene Donald's "Personal thoughts on the tragic death of Sir David Mackay, inspirational physicist."

http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2016/04/16/rip-sir-david-mackay/

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He was an extraordinary man who contributed so much to physics and wider societal issues during his tragically short life.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

Jim Hunt

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2016, 01:46:08 PM »
Mark Lynas in The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/18/sir-david-mackay-obituary

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As a mathematician, David’s expertise on Bayesian probability theory led to his dramatic intervention to help right a notorious miscarriage of justice, when the solicitor Sally Clark was wrongly imprisoned in 1999 after being accused of murdering her two babies. David was horrified that a key witness for the prosecution had misused statistics to tell the court that there was only a 1 in 73m chance that Clark’s babies had died naturally in cot deaths. He recalculated the probability and proved that Clark was far more likely to be innocent than guilty. David got involved in the campaign for her release, which was achieved after a second appeal in January 2003.
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Jim Hunt

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Re: RIP David J C MacKay
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2016, 01:48:35 PM »
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg