Actually, this is just the tip of the iceberg (so to speak).
A while back I posted an article on simulation and its drawbacks. I am an electrical engineer, and I have see the pitfalls. I have also seen people tweak simulations to get what they want.
Now, if only that worked in the lab when you actually build the circuit.
http://pulse.typepad.com/countercolumn/2005/01/index.html Scroll down a little as the screen is not displaying properly.
I've read recently that any set of initial conditions that are fed into the climate models yield global warming. Back to the drawing board one would think.
I think the computer models have "cried wolf" once too often for anyone to take them seriously anymore.
Here's a website that points out that many of the world's glaciers are advancing. The author links to all of his sources.
http://www.iceagenow.com/Growing_Glaciers.htm
As the author of the above points out, not only are many glaciers advancing rapidly, but the Antarctic snowpack is growing by 5 feet in thickness per year.
The real fear in my opinion would be global cooling. One source I read said that the Earth's mean temperature may have dropped by 10 degrees in as little as 30 years.
Thanks for the interesting article on simulations. I have used simulations in my job for years, but put your trust in them? As a systems engineer, we have analysts who very much desire that their model and their advice be used, but we never do until the model is "verified". Recently a model of a pressure vessel exploding turned out to be about a factor of two too low in energy. when we actually tested it, we blew the lab setting apart. So much for models.
I have had a lot of experience with ISPICE models too, it almost seems that anyone can become an electrical engineer these days. But you are right to build and test the actual circuit.