The Debunking Napster

Ivan Seeking

Hello Skeptics,
In an effort to provide a convenient reserve of ammunition, here we offer our skeptical friends a Napster for skeptic’s links; much in the same flavor as the UFO Napster. Please note that no arguments should be made here. This is only for links, quotes, and other specific references.

This Napster is intended for all subjects; not just UFOs.

This is not intended to limit the use of references in the normal course of discussions. This is just for your convenience.

Just like the UFO Napster, this is for everyone’s use. Please feel free to post good sources to either Napster.

Any posts made in violation of the spirit of these Napsters may be deleted.

Thanks,
Ivan

Ivan Seeking

UFO Skeptic
http://www.ufoskeptic.org/

CSICOP
http://www.csicop.org/klassfiles/Home.html

A nice addition from Zooby:
How to hoax a UFO.
http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~vdmeu...s/UFOfake.html

A debunking of Bob Lazar. Thanks Zantra!
http://www.serve.com/mahood/lazar/critiq.htm

I will add a few more to this post later

FZ+

A nice, indexed source of creationist claims - and why they are wrong.

http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/guide/index.html

A debunking of anything involving T von Flandern

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/RelWWW/wrong.html

Debunking of the face on mars, debunking of the debunking of the Apollo landings etc.

http://www.badastronomy.com/

selfAdjoint

The king of anti-creationist sites:http://www.talkorigins.org

Ivan Seeking

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...5/nseanc15.xml

Phobos

Skeptic's Dictionary...
http://www.skepdic.com/

Carl Sagan's baloney detection kit...
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/tps-seti/baloney.html

James Randi...
http://www.randi.org/

urban legends...
http://www.snopes.com/

The "Straight Dope"...(search the archives for a variety of subjects)
http://www.straightdope.com

Medicine & Health...
http://www.quackwatch.org/

Spotting bad arguments...
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

Phobos

and of course...
http://www.skeptic.com

Ivan Seeking

I thought it appropriate to display a little of the filtering that I do when considering UFO claims. This is a good example of a report that I can completely reject at a glance. This does not mean that I reject this with absolute certainty, but unless something else comes along to ignite my interest in this story, for me, it goes in the debunked file.

http://www.rense.com/general41/flying.htm

I find these pictures unconvincing at best. One method that can be used to gauge relative distance in a photograph is to look at the contrast between the light and dark areas of an object, and compare this to other objects in the picture that are at a known distance. The closer something is to the camera [or your eye], the greater the contrast between light and dark areas. As an object approaches infinite distance, the contrast goes to zero and the color of the object approaches the color of the horizon.

In these pictures, we see significantly greater contrast between the light and dark regions of the "saucer" as opposed to those of the planes. This tells me that this is a small object very close to the camera.

A Special Note: A completely new technology was recently patented that allows for focus at multiple distances in a single photograph or in a video. This will surely make possible an entirely new breed of hoaxes. This is also a real breakthrough for photo imaging of all kinds.

selfAdjoint

Here, courtesy of www.gnxp.com, is a beautiful takedown of Dembski, Behe, and ID .

Phobos

And the queen...
http://www.ncseweb.org/default.asp

Ivan Seeking

On television and in most of the current Roswell literature, this quote is often cited as evidence that Hoover had a continuing interest in the Roswell disc and the "other discs recovered". Here, thanks to some skeptical prodding by Zoobyshoe, it is shown that Hoover was asking about known hoaxes and not an alien craft.

Please see this handwritten entry by Hoover; page 45 of pdf#1 in the FBI UFO files.
http://foia.fbi.gov/ufo.htm

July 15th, 1947; responding to the urging of others for the FBI to stay out of the UFO business, Hoover writes the following:
Next, Hoover's memo is quoted and we see that the unreadable portion is the La. case. Please see the FBI pdf file; the first paragraph of p 38.

http://foia.fbi.gov/ufo/ufo1.pdf

Here is the definitive doc that shows clear knowledge by the FBI that the saucer in the La. case is "sixteen inches in diameter".
See p 4 of 79 of the FBI pdf #2:

http://foia.fbi.gov/ufo/ufo2.pdf

Ivan Seeking

Some nice discussions about skepticism are found along with some additional links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skepticism

wasteofo2

The website of a field cryptozoologist, who studies animals from bigfoot to the red wolf (supposed to be extinct in areas he's photographed and videotaped it)
http://cryptokeeper.com/

Andre

Philip Burns collects Earth catastrophists debunkers.

However looking at the work some textbooks are outdated.

mouseonmoon

UFOs: A Skeptical View

http://members.aol.com/tprinty/UFO.html
Tim Printy

links to 'usual suspects' and more....

Ivan Seeking

Hi Wabbiteer and welcome to PF.

You will find a number of "Napsters" or "Stickys" [like this thread] in many forums here. These are intended only for links and specific information. Please make sure that you're not in a Napster [like this one ] when posting comments. If you look below you will see the regular threads below the sticky threads.

Ivan Seeking

http://www.nature.com/news/2004/0410...041004-19.html