On Tim Flannery's "Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet," and LinkedIn Is Now Officially the Most Annoying Social Networking Site

So Tim Flannery, author of one of the best books about global warming, The Weather Makers (2006), has a new book out, which sounds like its subtext is environmental disaster—Here on Earth: A Natural History of the Planet. While the book by Hertsgaard (Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth) I’m reading has a tendency to get rather maudlin and overwhelmed-with-foreboding, Flannery’s The Weather Makers was fascinating in its grasp, and explanation of, the complicated science behind why we know what we know, or why we can make an informed estimate of the mayhem that can be caused by a warming planet. I rate Weather Makers as one of the best books about warming, which makes me want to read Here on Earth.
Meanwhile it was announced with some fanfare that LinkedIn is now the 2nd most popular social networking site, and all I can do is groan. I’m on LinkedIn, big deal. I get frequent reminders of people wanting to be linked to me, and I do, but so what. We have a debt crisis, turmoil in Europe (brought on by more debt they’ll never be able to repay, but no one wants to admit that), Tea Party morons who think the solution to everything is lower taxes for the rich and cutbacks on social programs, and then there’s social networking, which keeps us busy looking at those kitten videos and aren’t they cute?