tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post115634175660445681..comments2024-03-28T04:15:44.459-05:00Comments on nanoscale views: A scam, or self-delusion?Douglas Natelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-1156423483383559932006-08-24T07:44:00.000-05:002006-08-24T07:44:00.000-05:00Alison, I'd have to agree, but even on a continuum...Alison, I'd have to agree, but even on a continuum it is legitimate to draw a line somewhere and say "beyond this lies madness." The only difficulty is where to draw your line, a matter of personal preference. But I think we can agree that Steorn is way off on the wrong side of everyone's line. What scares me most is the people who are (a) too ill-informed to select where to draw a line on their own, and (b) consider line-drawing to be an illegitimate activity (i.e., you scientists and your "Laws").<BR/><BR/>Richard says hi, by the way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-1156389239970535782006-08-23T22:13:00.000-05:002006-08-23T22:13:00.000-05:00I'm old and jaded but it seems to me that the Steo...I'm old and jaded but it seems to me that the Steorn hype is on a continuum with facts at the other end and many scientific papers and proposals near the middle. We all sling a lot of bullshit to get money, although admittedly some are more guilty than others. The difference between Steorn and the usually proposal intro ("This obscure work on spintronics has important implications for future magnetic recording technology . . . ") is a matter of degree, not black and white. While it's true that Steorn's claims are actually impossible, a lot of the stuff that arrives in my mail is <I>very</I> unlikely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-1156363541569307422006-08-23T15:05:00.000-05:002006-08-23T15:05:00.000-05:00Speak for yourself, Dan - I prefer to think of mys...Speak for yourself, Dan - I prefer to think of myself as "steeping" in ignorance.Douglas Natelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-1156360987686945702006-08-23T14:23:00.000-05:002006-08-23T14:23:00.000-05:00It is fun to make a joke like the one in the previ...It is fun to make a joke like the one in the previous comment. But the truly scary fact is that there are quite a few people who actually feel this way. The Houston Chronicle science blog covered this Steorn story last week, and that sort of response (but with tongue not in cheek) was not uncommon. It is amazing how few people actually understand the meaning of the word "theory" as it is used in the scientific community. We are awash in ignorance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com