Zoe: Yeah? Thought you'd get land crazy that long in port. Wash: Probably, but I've been sane a long while now, and change is good.

'Shindig'


Natter 52: Playing with a full deck?  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


tommyrot - Jun 19, 2007 2:57:54 pm PDT #3815 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

All different flavors of suck?


DavidS - Jun 19, 2007 3:15:44 pm PDT #3816 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

All different flavors of suck?

Untrue buckaroo!

Protoscience is basically theories which haven't been proven yet. So when Newton has a eureka moment with an apple it's protoscience until we can prove it. Not all protoscience becomes Science, though. Often (usually?) it's proved false.

Freudian psychoanalysis is also considered protoscience. It has elements in it (such as the theory of the unconscious) which cannot be proved scientifically. It may be true, but can't be proven yet.

String theory may yet wind up as Protoscience, I guess. The Grand Unification Theory of physics is protoscience.

Tectonic plate theory was fringe science originally. It was an alternate theory to scientific orthodoxy that was eventually proved correct.

Pseudoscience are things which look scientific but have an unscientific basis. Like Intelligent Design.

Junk Science is false science which is agenda driven. That is, the result is determined beforehand and the facts are rearranged to meet that result.

In sum: fringe and protoscience are a bit whacky, but often become real science. Pseudoscience and Junk Science are of the suck.

Also, Proto-Clown liked to smash things.


DavidS - Jun 19, 2007 3:23:10 pm PDT #3817 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Who knew about the Brights movement?

Do our local atheists need "a positive-sounding umbrella term, bright, to describe various types of people who have a naturalistic worldview, without casting that worldview as a negative response to religion"?

This sounds like Jen to me:

Co-founder of the Brights' Net Paul Geisert coined the term, and Mynga Futrell defined a bright to be "a person whose worldview is naturalistic—free of supernatural and mystical elements. A bright's ethics and actions are based on a naturalistic worldview."[2]

Not that Jen needs any particular labels. Oh, and some people object to the name:

For example, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry published an article by Chris Mooney titled Not Too "Bright" in which he stated that, although he agreed with the movement, Richard Dawkins' and Daniel Dennett's "campaign to rename religious unbelievers 'brights' could use some rethinking" because of the possibility that the term would be misinterpreted.[8] The journalist and noted atheist Christopher Hitchens likewise found it a "cringe-making proposal that atheists should conceitedly nominate themselves to be called 'brights.'"[9]


Nutty - Jun 19, 2007 3:25:10 pm PDT #3818 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

We talked over the brights, a couple of summers ago when one of them did a piece for the NYT op-eds. At the time, I recall being irritated with needing a marketing message.


DavidS - Jun 19, 2007 3:26:04 pm PDT #3819 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

At the time, I recall being irritated with needing a marketing message.

How can we package you without proper branding, Nutty?


billytea - Jun 19, 2007 3:27:46 pm PDT #3820 of 10001
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

How can we package you without proper branding, Nutty?

Just add the disclaimer. "Warning: may contain Nutty."


DavidS - Jun 19, 2007 3:28:10 pm PDT #3821 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Nutty's Logo


Sean K - Jun 19, 2007 3:50:42 pm PDT #3822 of 10001
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

These are all good band names.

I kind of think they'd make better album names, but either way, I like them and agree on principle.


tommyrot - Jun 19, 2007 3:56:58 pm PDT #3823 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

I hate the word 'bright'. It simultaneously sounds new-agey, scifi-ish, and condescending to believers.

eta: Oh, and it makes me think of Lite Bright


Emily - Jun 19, 2007 4:10:58 pm PDT #3824 of 10001
"In the equation E = mc⬧, c⬧ is a pretty big honking number." - Scola

I finished my book! Go me!

...do I know what it said? Er, not really. But I'm on my timeline. Tomorrow is reserved for going through my... 40 readers' flags to review important information, make notes, and talk it over with next-door!Teacher. Thursday and Friday I have all-day workshops and the three tests are on Saturday. Oy.