Subtle Effects

Steve McIntyre ponders some deep questions about the Live Earth concerts.

Today I pondered the linkage between Shakira and climate change. We used to hear about chaos and the butterfly effect - you know, the idea that when a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, it can change the chaos trajectory. Maybe this was what Al Gore was trying to illustrate - when Shakira sings about moving her hips and then shimmies for emphasis, this isn’t about music promotion, it’s a science lesson about the butterfly effect using a South American singer for authenticity.

Shakira's hip movements are proven to considerably increase the temperature among male audiences. Probably that's the point Al wanted to make.