RoR: Forum

I like your sense of humor. (That probably doesn't speak well of you.)

Post 1

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 12:13pm

It's because he can't walk on water when it gets too deep... ;-)

Post 2

Monday, February 22, 2010 - 1:44pm

Announcing the formal retraction of the paper from the journal, Siddall told the Guardian,, "It's one of those things that happens. People make mistakes and mistakes happen in science." A formal retraction was required, rather than a correction, because the errors undermined the study's conclusion.

"Retraction is a regular part of the publication process," he said. "Science is a complicated game and there are set procedures in place that act as checks and balances."

Yes, especially redundantly politicized political science, pretend Cargo Cult science, when the perps get busted.

Post 3

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 5:45pm

Fred,

I just learned on Limbaugh today about "Cargo Cult"s -- i.e., primitive tribes which got modern merchandise shipped to, or (accidentally?) dropped on, them and then held mystical ceremonies in order to get "the gods" to drop more cool stuff.

Pretty ingenius metaphor to adopt, I think.

Also, I heard that Lake Erie froze over for the first time in 15 years. Is that true?

Ed

Post 4

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - 5:56pm

http://www.nardu.com/lake-erie-frozen/

Post 5

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 5:29am

Ed, your post reminded me of the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy

As long as what falls from the sky is of some value to the people and it isn't a "one of a kind" to fight over, eh?

(Edited by Bauer Westeren on 2/24, 5:31am)

Post 6

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 6:26am

Ed:

Rush is just a little late in finding this gem, but that is OK.

http://www.lhup.edu/~DSIMANEK/cargocul.htm

CARGO CULT SCIENCE by Richard Feynman

Adapted from the Caltech commencement address given in 1974.

regards,
Fred

Post 7

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 8:35am

I read or saw something about "cargo cults" last year. They were, perhaps, the first true Liberal Democrats.

jt

Post 8

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 8:54am

Fred,

Good link. Wished he used a larger, better font.

jt

Post 9

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 4:20pm

You'll love this, Ed. One of my sister's all time favorite movies. The Gods Must be Crazy.

Post 10

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 5:16pm

Bauer and Teresa,

I loved the movie when I saw it. My friends and I would make fun of the bushman who shouted something that sounds very much like the question:

"how much I owe ya?!"

... as if he owes the South African white guy some money. That, in itself, was funny to joke about. Watch it again, closely, and you will see this funny coincidence, too. I'll bet you that it is even contained in one of the 11 YouTube videos to which Teresa linked ...

Ed

Post 11

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 5:40pm

I found the phrase that sounds like my question. It looks like I'm mistaken. It was from another guy, singing (not from "Xi", the bushman):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIh2xngHNnM&feature=related

That kills the irony (bushman totally unaware of "money" -- asking how much he owes), and also the humor.

Ed

Post 12

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 8:33am

Ed:

"Cargo Cult Science" is also a metaphore for taking on the veneer of science, but not the essence of science, which Feynman describes in his 1974 talk at Caltech.

Gee, they are wearing labcoats just like real scientists.

They show slides, they got graphs, even 'hockey stick' graphs.

They just don't have much science, its all political science, and even what 'science' they claim to have is poisened with politics.

But, they know it, and some scintilla of yet remaining human honesty makes then shinny, and refer to what they are doing as 'soft science.' As if. As in, 'not really science.' But, since they've disclosed in the fine print that it is 'soft science' or even worse, 'dismal science', it is full steam ahead with the tribal politics.

"Political science" so admires the veneer of 'science' that it even calls itself a 'science.' Why? Because that marketing veneer is useful politically.

Cargo Cult science is not science, and since the Feynmans and Sagans and other effective popular spokesmen for science passed away in the 90s, 'political science' has managed to over run even science.

Can you imagine if Feynman was still alive today, what he would be saying about modern political 'scientific' debate?

His students have let him down. We've let him down.

We could solve the world's energy problems by harnessing Feynman spinning in his grave.

Post 13

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 9:12am

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 11:53am

He's remembered for the 'O' ring ice water demonstration at those hearings, but his real insight was the following, and it is and has been missing in public policy of all types:

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Appendix F:

Personal Observations on Reliability of Shuttle by Richard P. Feynman

"...If in this way the government would not support them, then so be it. NASA owes it to the citizens from whom it asks support to be frank, honest, and informative, so that these citizens can make the wisest decisions for the use of their limited resources.

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."

It's not just 'technology' that is true about.

(Edited by Fred Bartlett on 2/25, 11:54am)

Post 15

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 11:54am

Good find, Fred...

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 12:23pm

On 'pseudo science,' Feynman didn't know it at the time, but he was talking about Al Gore, who once took 'a' course with Revelle, and became this age's leading authority on Global Warming.

Never mind that Revelle spent a lifetime studying the topic, and at the end of his career, when his conclusions embarrassed Al Gore, Al Gore the political 'scientist' threw Revelle under the bus, and pulled his lawyer-ed up crap to bury Revelle.

So, here is one strange world: The Nobel Committee once gave Feynman a Nobel Prize...and also Gore.

Feynman would have turned it down, if the publicity for doing so wouldn't have been worse than for the publicity of taking it. He once suggested that, as a courtesy, the committee should quietly contact candidates and ask them if they want the prize, before it is announced.

Al Gore latched onto that thing like a vulture on carrion, waving it in the air until his fingers bled.

Two totally different tribes...

Post 17

Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 12:47pm

well, one an individualist, the other a tribalist...

Post 18

Friday, February 26, 2010 - 7:02am

http://www.stephenwolfram.com/publications/recent/feynman/

This is a link to a very interesting discussion of Feynman by Wolfram.

The common thread of 'complexity from simple rules' is evident in much of Feynman's public talks, as well as obviously Wolfram's NKS.

Post 19

Friday, February 26, 2010 - 8:48am