Author Archives: muser

Disagreement Is Not Bigotry

Some years ago, a woman asked me whether I was in favor of gay marriage. I said that I was not. This led to her becoming angry with me over my obvious homophobia and bigotry. Clearly I gave the wrong … Continue reading

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Grey Goo

There is a new and highly speculative concept of nanotechnology, the creation of functioning machines that are extremely small, possibly even microscopic. At the moment we are not able to make such machines, but some scientists consider it to be … Continue reading

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Tools and Rules

These are some basic principles I use to help sort through the various topics and suggested explanations. Using them can simplify discussions.

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The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Briefly, the Dunning-Kruger (DK) effect is the erroneous self-assessment of skill, knowledge, or other qualities in a field that is not the person’s area of expertise. This can be laymen grappling with an unfamiliar discipline, or experts who have strayed … Continue reading

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Conspiracy Theories

Bielefeld Conspiracy theories strike me as an attempt to hold on to a cherished idea when there is insufficient evidence to support it. Rather than consider that the idea is wrong, a person clings to it and invents reasons to … Continue reading

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The Revenge of Schrödinger’s Cat

Quantum theory has produced an assortment of results that fly in the face of common sense. Particles that can be waves, particles that can be in two places at once – or nowhere at all – our being unable to … Continue reading

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Cottingley Fairies

Before There Was Photoshop In 1917, two girls borrowed their father’s camera and took some photos in their back yard. When the photos were developed, they showed several fairies dancing and playing in the yard as the girls looked on. … Continue reading

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The Sphinx

The Sphinx Until recently, the Sphinx wasn’t considered much of a mystery. There it sat, right by the Great Pyramid, a large but ordinary-looking sculpture located close to one of the most mysterious structures ever built. Sure, the Sphinx might … Continue reading

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UFO’s And Auto Mechanics

I find it annoying when people accuse those who disagree with them of being stupid, crazy, afraid, or otherwise flawed. The assumption seems to be that no one could possibly disagree with them on rational grounds. This is arrogant bullshit.

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Ten Percent

Over the years, I’ve been told over and over again that we only use 10% of our brains – and how wonderful it would be if we could learn to use the other 90%. Sometimes the numbers vary – down … Continue reading

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