Sherlock Holmes is the invention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The highly logical detective had an almost uncanny ability to form deductions based on the slightest bits of evidence. Where others might see nothing more than some cigarette ash on a carpet, Holmes could identify the type of cigarette smoked and form conclusions as to who was doing the smoking. A muddy footprint might seem to offer no clues; but to Holmes, it would be an open book.
Continue readingCancel Culture and Richard Stallman
In the fallout from the news about Jeffrey Epstein and his human trafficking, Richard Stallman made some comments that were deemed offensive. Because of this there was a clamor for his hide; he was evidently compelled to resign from his Free Software Foundation and his post at MIT. This seems like bullshit to me.
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Victims Of Their Own Success
These days, many people adamantly refuse to take a vaccine, claiming that the vaccine can do more harm than the illness it is meant to combat. It is true that there is a risk of adverse reactions to vaccines, as with any other medication. Many people consider this justification for refusing the vaccine. They’d rather take the risk of the illness, since that risk appears to be quite small.
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Posted in Science, Social Commentary, Wokism
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Nikola Tesla
I’m tired of hearing about Nikola Tesla. He wasn’t the noble crusader and misunderstood genius many people try to make him. I have often been called stupid or ignorant for saying this. I have often been told to look into Tesla’s history, as though I hadn’t already done that. Some people just won’t accept the possibility that they haven’t learned the facts.
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The Sky Is Blue
OK, Captain Obvious here, trying to make a point.
Some people who profess an interest in science make claims such as, “The sky isn’t really blue,” and then go on to explain how the sky really isn’t blue. They’ll refer to things such as Rayleigh Scattering, wavelengths of different colors of light, yadda-yadda-yadda. It’s all wonderful, and they’re no doubt right about all their nattering, except… the sky stubbornly remains blue.
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A Rule Of Thumb
Where did we get the phrase, “Rule of thumb?” One common explanation is that it refers to a legal precept that states a man was entitled to punish his wife with a stick no thicker than the thickness of his thumb. This explanation is widespread. The notion is bizarre, which encourages people to share it. Spousal abuse has been widespread and accepted throughout much of history. It is easy to imagine that there might have been legal limitations on the accepted severity of the abuse.
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Posted in Little Questions, Rants
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Conquering Mountains
When someone climbs to the top of a mountain, he is often said to have “conquered” the mountain. What bullshit.
If an ant climbs to the top of a building, has he “conqured” it?
Posted in Social Commentary
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Boiled Frogs
There is some sort of motivational concept which says that if you put a frog into cold water and slowly heat it up, he won’t notice it, and eventually he will be boiled. If you throw the frog into boiling water, he’ll immediately jump out. The idea is that problems that grow gradually may not be recognized. This is silly.
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Disappearances
There are some websites and documentaries that are concerned with the disappearances of people in national parks. The gist of this seems to be that an unusually high number of people vanish mysteriously, never to be seen again. Sometimes later on their remains are discovered. Sometimes some of their possessions are found, but no body. No one knows what happens.
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Scientism
Some while ago I was a member of a science-oriented online group. I noticed that many of the people in this group seemed to treat science as a sort of religion, rather than as an intellectual pursuit. I especially noticed that there were many unkind comments directed against people who believed – or claimed to believe – that the Earth was flat. Most of these comments were simply ridicule. They did not offer any evidence to show that the Earth was spherical.
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