What are the effects of crackpot addiction on scientific discourse?

[jmeps]

They are.

Just not here.

Okay point taken. Let them go play elsewhere.

 

[zoki85]

And if you scare them off where is the fun?

No need to scare them. I would rather create new subforum with name "Crackpot corner". All crackpots' posts would be sent there, not deleted :)

 

[Borek]

I would rather create new subforum with name "Crackpot corner".

Feel free to do so, http://crackpot-corner.com/ seems to be available.

 

[Bandersnatch]

No need to scare them. I would rather create new subforum with name "Crackpot corner". All crackpots' posts would be sent there, not deleted :)

Yeah, the sentiment is nice, but the sad reality is that they would come there and either complain or peddle their wares, thus compromising the integrity and good standing of PF.

In my personal opinion, it's better to use their ephemeric presence on PF to fuel one's creative side. Maybe distill what you saw into an epitaph(and post it in this thread!), or write a solemn ode to the crackpots(in iambic pentameter) covering all the main points of their post without being explicit enough to attract the attention of them or their kin.

 

[Borek]

without being explicit enough to attract the attention

of Mentors.

 

[Bandersnatch]

of Mentors.

Hey, I was trying to be subtle!

 

[Borek]

In my experience being subtle on internet doesn't work.

 

[TurtleMeister]

Feel free to do so, http://crackpot-corner.com/ seems to be available.

Now there's an idea. I'll have look into that. I can even bring Bandersnatch on board to pick the most beautiful posts. I can then have them placed on the front page as the "Featured Threads", just like PF. But we cannot use a name like http://crackpot-corner.com/ because true crackpots don't believe they are crackpots. It would have to be a charlatan science forum. But wait... the internet already has those. Never mind.

 

[Bandersnatch]

There was one earlier today, who drew a diagram of a magneto(i.e., a bicycle dynamo) and wanted to send it to space where, he claimed, no air drag would mean it'd never stop producing electricity. He called it "vacuum energy". Because it involved energy and vacuum, obviously.

 

[mfb]

Now there's an idea. I'll have look into that. I can even bring Bandersnatch on board to pick the most beautiful posts. I can then have them placed on the front page as the "Featured Threads", just like PF. But we cannot use a name like http://crackpot-corner.com/ because true crackpots don't believe they are crackpots. It would have to be a charlatan science forum. But wait... the internet already has those. Never mind.

I think the idea was to present selected crackpot theories there. You don't need the actual crackpots on the site.

There was one earlier today, who drew a diagram of a magneto(i.e., a bicycle dynamo) and wanted to send it to space where, he claimed, no air drag would mean it'd never stop producing electricity. He called it "vacuum energy". Because it involved energy and vacuum, obviously.

And because you cannot create a vacuum on earth. And because all power plants just use fuel to counter air drag. Funny thing.

 

[collinsmark]

I remember one that made me cringe tears. The claim was that water refracts light because light travels slower in water than in air <...so far so good...>, and that's because water has mass and due to Einstein's general relativity the light undergoes gravitational time dilation when in water and thus travels slower <gahhh! cringe Ahhagggg >.

Fortunately, it was on a different site than PF.

 

[collinsmark]

< --- Possibly off topic post --- >

There was one earlier today, who drew a diagram of a magneto(i.e., a bicycle dynamo) and wanted to send it to space where, he claimed, no air drag would mean it'd never stop producing electricity. He called it "vacuum energy". Because it involved energy and vacuum, obviously.

That reminds me of wonderful experiment that should be taught to children in science class.

Materials:

• Dynamo (could be a magneto system attached to a wheel, or could be a hand crank dynamo system).
• Light bulb (an incandescent light bulb might work best: something with relatively low resistance and is not too sensitive to varying voltage. If necessary, connect the bulbs in series and/or parallel such that the combined rated voltage roughly matches the dynamo's voltage when cranked really hard. I.e., you want the bulb/bulbs to light up, but you don't want them to burn out).
• Switch and wires (allowing you to connect the dynamo to the light bulb, and switch the circuit open and closed).

Instructions:

(a) Have the student crank the dynamo with the switch open (no current flowing to light bulb/bulbs). The student will likely say, "oh, this is easy! :)"
(b) Flip the switch, closing the circuit, all else being the same (now the light bulb lights up when the cranking occurs). The student now has to apply significant effort to turn the crank, and likely says, "oh, this is not so easy anymore. "​

It might be the first time the student realizes that leaving the bedroom, kitchen and/or hallway lights on means that somewhere, someone or something needs to put a lot more effort into turning a crank.

</ --- Possibly off topic post --- />

 

[TumblingDice]

</ --- Possibly off topic post --- />

No way! It's a "two-fer"! :)
1) It truly is an excellent demonstrative - I agree with the "wonderful" and "should be taught" parts.

2) But it can be viewed on topic if you take a moment to remember how crackpots view the world.
With his creativity fueling the addiction, I can see B'snatch posting a video of this experiment, ... with the knife switch strategically oriented vertically upward rising above the wiring platform, and the light bulbs pointing downward so filaments are below the platform. The demonstration is done just as you've described and the proper explanation provided.

O.K. Hook is baited and in the water. Time to sit back, smile, relax, and... How long do y'all think it would it take someone to post their alternate theory, that the electrons didn't have to be pushed up the hill until the switch was closed?

 

[OmCheeto]

I read an old thread yesterday that had me laughing.
The author asked if energy was "flat", based on the following argument:

E=Mc² implies E=M m²/s²
And since distance squared defines a plane, energy is therefore flat.
​

I suppose by that logic, mass can be considered time squared?
M = E * s²/m²

So mass is flat time?

 

[Tosh5457]

I remember this recent one:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/theory-for-gravity.770841/

 

[zoki85]

Nice. :D

 

[Bandersnatch]

Hmm, I wonder, does a programmer who just needs "an equation" describing 3-dimensional time evolution of a cyclic universe, so that he can casually lend his skills to write a program calculating the totality of the past and future history of the universe/multiverse(it's a bit hard to follow), qualify as a crackpot or is just somewhat naive?

He did drop the phrase "Einstein's idea" a few times, which is as good an indication as any, but his demeanour was so confusing, that I'm not sure if my junkie bone is justified in tingling.

 

[Drakkith]

Try a web search for skycentrism.

*gasps for breath*

I did it... oh god I shouldn't have but I did... what has been seen cannot be unseen!

 

[HomogenousCow]

Never forget that crackpots are the forefathers of science.

 

[Drakkith]

Never forget that crackpots are the forefathers of science.

No they aren't.

 

[phinds]

Never forget that crackpots are the forefathers of science.

Actually, I think they are the foreSKIN of science ... best cut off and tossed.

 

[Dale]

Ha! I was a little surprised Dale went along with it.

Yeah, normally I would just have deleted it, but Bandersnatch's plea was surprising enough for me to leave it visible.

Sorry Bandersnatch, crackpots tend to have a very short half-life here and the usual decay mode is deletion. That is part of the design of the forum and, by design, is not likely to change. Engage with promptness if you desire, but recognize that your responses to the nonsense will generally be deleted along with the nonsense.

 

[Bandersnatch]

No worries, I understand. I actually like it the way it is - it feels like being on a safari among dodos. I get to see them before they go extinct.

 

[Drakkith]

No worries, I understand. I actually like it the way it is - it feels like being on a safari among dodos. I get to see them before they go extinct.

Crackpots never go extinct. They're like gussied up cockroaches...

 

[OmCheeto]

Crackpots never go extinct. They're like gussied up cockroaches...

Oh! Halloween is coming up. I've never seen anyone dressed as a gussied up cockroach.

hmmm...

per google; No results found for "gussied up cockroach".

Yes!

:D

 

[DiracPool]

As if it was a good-hearted, bening thing.

Well, in all your highfalutin and erudite arrogance, nobody has seemed, after even 50 posts, to catch that our hero has misspelled "benign" in the original post. Especially since "I even stooped as low as to sneer at his horrible, horrible English." :p

 

[Bandersnatch]

Curses! I am undone.

 

[DiracPool]

Curses! I am undone.

I'm sure it was just a typo..:D

 

[davenn]

Bandersnatch,

You missed getting a response into this thread before it was closed ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/my-dad-proved-string-theory.788260/

Definitely the best one for Dec 2014, maybe the whole year ;)

Dave

 

[OmCheeto]

Bandersnatch,

You missed getting a response into this thread before it was closed ...
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/my-dad-proved-string-theory.788260/

Definitely the best one for Dec 2014, maybe the whole year ;)

Dave

Greg really needs to upgrade the "timestamp" thingy.

+/-60 seconds really doesn't tell us how entertainingly fast that thread was locked.