One of the ways to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus is to wear a mask over the nose and mouth. For some reason, this has resulted in many people losing their shit and in many cases becoming violent. I don’t get it.
Continue readingSettled Science
Occasionally I will hear that some issue is “settled science.” Often it’s in the context of a controversial topic such as climate change. The consensus among climate scientists is that climate change is real and man-made. They tend to dismiss skeptics as mistaken or ignorant. Sometimes, someone will say that this is “settled science.”
Continue reading
Posted in Science, Social Commentary
Comments Off on Settled Science
Generational Hostility
There are a lot of snide comments about people who, because of their age, don’t know things, or can’t do things. Older people natter on about “kids these days,” while younger people often dismiss elders as being technologically clueless. It’s all bullshit, and it’s just mean-spirited.
Continue reading
Posted in Rants, Social Commentary
Comments Off on Generational Hostility
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 answer.
Continue reading
Posted in Rants, Social Commentary, Wokism
Comments Off on Disagreement Is Not Bigotry
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 a possibility.
Continue reading
Posted in Science
Comments Off on Grey Goo
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.
Continue reading
Posted in Science
Comments Off on Tools and Rules
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.
Continue reading
Posted in Social Commentary
Comments Off on Tools And Rules
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 from their own fields into others. The DK effect is partly due to the person not knowing enough to understand the difficulties and complexities of the unfamiliar field.
From xkcd.com
Continue reading
Posted in Social Commentary
Comments Off on The Dunning-Kruger Effect
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 explain the lack of evidence.
Continue reading
Posted in Social Commentary
Comments Off on Conspiracy Theories
Reasons And Excuses
I’ve often felt annoyed, even angry at people who offer bullshit reasons for not wearing a mask. They cut down your oxygen. They harbor germs. They show that you’re living in fear. They show that you’re afraid to use your God-given right to be a dick. And so on.
Continue reading →