SilasBarta comments on The Popularization Bias - Less Wrong

21 Post author: Wei_Dai 17 July 2009 03:43PM

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Comment author: SilasBarta 17 July 2009 06:38:20PM 0 points [-]

That looked to be interesting until I glanced down at Figure 1, which reads:

Entropy and biodiversity are mathematically equivalent, making tropical forests the most entropic [entropy exporting] environments on Earth.

Eeek! Tropical forests the most entropy-exporting? Not, say, the 1000 C regions below the earth's surface? Not volcanoes or geysers?

Comment author: timtyler 17 July 2009 07:05:38PM *  -1 points [-]

Volcanoes and geysers are mostly uncommon, intermittent phenomena. Some volcano craters do stay pretty hot, for extended periods, though - it's true.

I'm not sure about how to measure the rate of entropy dissipation within the Earth - but I'm not sure it radiates as much heat from the surface as ultimately comes from the sun.

The insides of nuclear reactors, and other power plants are probably the most entropic places of all - again, per unit area. Whether those count as "environments" could be debated.