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Category: BLAG
Posted on: February 14, 2009 11:40 PM, by ERV
PZ provides mentorship.
Bora provides eternal encouragement.
Nisbet is an endless fountain of lulz.
But John Lynch bought me beer, and introduced me to Piers Hale-- quite possibly *the* coolest tattooed, pierced, history of science professor on planet earth.
Thank you John!!! You survived OK Creationists, tornadoes, and a random gunman... Hope you can come back soon!
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Comments
Hah! You're welcome. Keep in contact with Hale ... he's one of the good ones.
Posted by: John M. Lynch | February 14, 2009 11:58 PM
I just went to Hale's website and saw a cartoon of Charles Darwin fighting Jesus H. Christ, and the Darwin prtrayed was the young Darwin. For that alone, Hale gets a capital W from me.
Posted by: The Science Pundit | February 15, 2009 2:14 AM
*portrayed*
Posted by: The Science Pundit | February 15, 2009 2:15 AM
Hale seems like he would be a cool guy, at least to talk with. I wonder what his politics are, though?
Nah, sometimes you can predict such things by a person's research interests.
Still would be interesting to talk with.
Posted by: William Wallace | February 15, 2009 10:05 PM
Well, since Wallace doesn't actually have any research interests, I guess we can't predict anything about him ... beyond the obvious.
Posted by: John M. Lynch | February 15, 2009 10:36 PM
Actually, Wally does have research interests; he's a well-established FCN.
Posted by: Eric Saveau | February 15, 2009 10:56 PM
Eric, what's FCN?, Fucking Creationist Nutter perhaps.
Posted by: John Phillips, FCD | February 15, 2009 11:09 PM
Fringe Conspiracy Nut.
Posted by: Eric Saveau | February 16, 2009 12:02 AM
Though I like your take, as well.
Posted by: Eric Saveau | February 16, 2009 12:04 AM
Cheers, and yes, both are equally apposite in this case :)
Posted by: John Phillips, FCD | February 16, 2009 12:12 AM
I am not really a conspiracy nut. I am more of a coincidence theorist. Coincidences (and other events) provide fodder for conspiracy theorists.
You might call me "fringe," perhaps, in the sense that I don't know anybody else who understands the various ways conspiracy theories form, to the extent that I do.
For example, sloppy reporting and a strange coincidence regarding Zacarias Moussaoui and the co-pilot of Paul Wellstone's ill fated flight, Michael Guess, lead some extreme left wingers to conclude that the government killed Paul Wellstone.
The coincidence was that Michael Guess, the co-pilot, previously worked at the flight training center in, coincidentally, Eagan, Minnesota, and that Zacarias Moussaoui went to learn how to fly (but not land) jets at that training center before 9/11.
While at the flight training center that Michael Guess worked at, Moussaoui stole a power point presentation left at the flight simulator by Michael Guess, but it was reported in the media as being "747 software". It was, in fact, a power point presentation, but to a reporter, what's the difference between a power point presentation and software on a 747, and to a conspiracy theorist, what's the difference between 747 software and flight simulation software?
It's like a game of telephone.
Interestingly, Zacarias Moussaoui was previously in ERV's part of the country, in Norman, OK, where he somehow acquired Nick Berg's email address and password, and used it. Nick Berg, you might recall, was later beheaded in Iraq in May of 2004 by, according to the CIA, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Strange coincidences, sloppy reporting, and intentional disinformation are conspiracy fodder.
Of course, you all have been programmed to ignore any information when you here the word "conspiracy" in settings unrelated to grand jury charges. But if you look into the above, you might start not only scratching your heads, like I do, but also wondering why people like Philosophy Professor Emeritus James Fetzer at the University of Minnesota, Duluth (not Morris), continue to report easily debunked untruths, even while understanding, researching, and publishing on the topic of "false information".
As far as research interests, I enjoy signal processing, communications, and cryptography, and related topics.
I am still considering looking into genetics.
Posted by: William Wallace | February 16, 2009 2:02 AM
P.S.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, as your time could be much better spent than I spent my time figuring these things out. I understand that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example, was an entertaining television series, but one I never saw.
Posted by: William Wallace | February 16, 2009 2:24 AM
Nisbet bashing is still funny. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by: Matt Heath | February 16, 2009 10:03 AM
As far as research interests, I enjoy signal processing
I strongly encourage you to pursue that, as your signal-to-noise ratio has thus far been horrifically low.
Posted by: Eric Saveau | February 16, 2009 12:57 PM
Erm, excuse me, but is this the same Piers Hale who was quoted in the Oklahoma Gazette as saying that creationism is popuular in the US _because_ we have separation of church and state?
Posted by: Rob Abiera | February 16, 2009 10:08 PM
He was misquoted. Typical sloppy journalism.
Posted by: John M. Lynch | February 16, 2009 10:22 PM
Misquoted or not, the first amendment, specifically, freedom of religion and speech, is certainly a factor, in my view. Creationism wasn't really an issue in Communist China.
Posted by: William Wallace | February 16, 2009 11:09 PM