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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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UncleJ
New Member
41 Posts |
 Posted - 02/05/2006 : 21:42:49 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Ricky
On a math forum I currently visit, the following article was posted:
http://www.stanford.edu/~afmayer/
I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I am quite skeptical, especially when it comes to:
quote:
A number of outstanding scientific mysteries are definitively solved, including observations that lead to the concepts of 'dark energy' and 'dark matter'.
Although I have only read the first page and not the pdf/power points, which is extremely abstract.
I'll preface this with the fact that I'm a biologist, not a physicist so this is a little bit out of my area.
That being said, anyone who claims that “outstanding scientific mysteries are definitively solved“ gets a big “what you talkin bout Willis!”
Where is the experimental data for dark matter and dark energy? Even if there is some experimental data, the claim of “definitively solved” is just an invitation to be proved wrong!
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"The Church says the Earth is flat. But I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow on the Moon. And I have more faith in a shadow than in the Church." - F. Magellan
"I can't be a missionary! I don't even believe in Jebus!" - H. Simpson |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2006 : 22:10:54 [Permalink]
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| Time to whip out the Crackpot Index again, only because of the guy's style. There are a whole bunch of points right on the main (short) Web page, and he starts out talking about how long he's been working on his theory! Why is he doing lectures and writing a book instead of publishing articles in the appropriate journals? Why is he citing unpublished work? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Snake
SFN Addict
USA
2511 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2006 : 23:48:46 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Ricky
On a math forum I currently visit, the following article was posted:
http://www.stanford.edu/~afmayer/
I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I am quite skeptical, especially when it comes to:
quote:
A number of outstanding scientific mysteries are definitively solved, including observations that lead to the concepts of 'dark energy' and 'dark matter'.
Although I have only read the first page and not the pdf/power points, which is extremely abstract.
I didn't get past the 1st couple of paragraphs, sounds like those infomercials on TV where they ramble on but don't say anything important.
Last semester in my art class the theme was time, the research I did was about the String Theory which lead me to related areas of Physics. It's fascinating. I can give you some of the website, don't have them handy but on the PBS site is a great report about it. Anyway, the dark matter thing above might have something to do with it if you want to do a search. Then you can see what the heck that guy is talking about from a reliable source. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2006 : 16:55:41 [Permalink]
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Dave, I'm constantly amazed that the Crackpot Index (and its bastard offsping the Quack Index) works so effectively, despite being a non-scientific, rather tongue-in-cheek rule of thumb. And even a layman who doesn't follow the technical lanquage can usually apply it. It must tap intro some common chord in the crackpot mind.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/06/2006 16:58:22 |
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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2006 : 21:42:25 [Permalink]
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Ricky wrote:
quote:
The crackpot is normally a layman.
Maybe, but I like to think most laymen aren't crackpots. The crackpots seldom seem to write in Laymanese, but create their own idiosyncratic language.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2006 : 22:13:19 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Dave, I'm constantly amazed that the Crackpot Index (and its bastard offsping the Quack Index) works so effectively, despite being a non-scientific, rather tongue-in-cheek rule of thumb. And even a layman who doesn't follow the technical lanquage can usually apply it. It must tap intro some common chord in the crackpot mind.
Actually, that's pretty much all the Crackpot Index is, is a list of the most-commonly-seen mistakes and delsuions in crackpot theories. What's odd is that crackpot physicists seem to have a driving need to share their theories with the professionals (often with a sense of one-upping Einstein), whereas quacks seem to mostly just start marketing whatever nostrums they've got to the public. An article I read years ago, written by a professor of physics at some university or other, said that not a week went by where he failed to receive at least one unsolicited letter from some nutjob trying to disprove relativity without a single experimental result. I imagine that someone receiving enough of those letters with a little extra time on his/her hands and a bit of psychological curiosity would naturally categorize the ideas expressed in them. Well, I would... |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 18:20:32 [Permalink]
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Dave W. strummed: quote:
What's odd is that crackpot physicists seem to have a driving need to share their theories with the professionals (often with a sense of one-upping Einstein), whereas quacks seem to mostly just start marketing whatever nostrums they've got to the public.
Interesting! I suppose that means most of the quacks are lying crooks, while most of the crackpots are honestly deluded. If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather hang with the crackpots.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 18:24:35 [Permalink]
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Ricky wrote: quote:
Sure, HalfMooner, but my statement, "The crackpot is normally a layman," doesn't imply that, "most laymen are crackpots."
That's known as converse error or affirming the consequent.
Wha- ? Converse affirming the who?
Okay, I guess I do know that.
Are there many crackpots who are actual scientists in the field of their crackpot ideas? (I wanna hear about some genuine Mad Scientists!)
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/07/2006 18:28:48 |
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UncleJ
New Member
41 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2006 : 22:07:32 [Permalink]
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Cool stuff! Thanks, Uncle J!
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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