Comments on: Memories: Rogan and me http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:26:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Smee http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-135043 Smee Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:07:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-135043 This video has been removed due to terms of use violation. ??????? This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.
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]]> By: Sir Gallahad http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-134141 Sir Gallahad Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:31:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-134141 What really bothers me is how prevalent this belief is. I have met people who looked at me like I was crazy for believing the landings were real (as if it's a matter of "belief"), after I looked at them like THEY were crazy for believing that it was a hoax. It's ridiculous. Rogan, by the way, is no philosopher. He's just very well versed in BSing. He has put himself on this all-knowing pedestal because of his few times doing DMT (and who knows what else) with Doug Stanhope. Doug described it as feeling like you suddenly know everything (paraphrasing), well I guess Mr. Rogan never let go of that belief. Look at some other DMT heads like Terence McKenna.. that guy was a magnificent talker and could at times make you feel like history really will end in 2012, with a giant UFO in the sky brought on by the Gaian mind. IMO Rogan should just go back to commenting on greased baboons slapping each other around the caged hexagon and leave science to rational people. What really bothers me is how prevalent this belief is. I have met people who looked at me like I was crazy for believing the landings were real (as if it’s a matter of “belief”), after I looked at them like THEY were crazy for believing that it was a hoax. It’s ridiculous.

Rogan, by the way, is no philosopher. He’s just very well versed in BSing. He has put himself on this all-knowing pedestal because of his few times doing DMT (and who knows what else) with Doug Stanhope. Doug described it as feeling like you suddenly know everything (paraphrasing), well I guess Mr. Rogan never let go of that belief. Look at some other DMT heads like Terence McKenna.. that guy was a magnificent talker and could at times make you feel like history really will end in 2012, with a giant UFO in the sky brought on by the Gaian mind.

IMO Rogan should just go back to commenting on greased baboons slapping each other around the caged hexagon and leave science to rational people.

]]> By: Marty http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133525 Marty Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:34:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133525 I'm not a scientist so I could be wrong about this but isn't it relatively easy to locate an objects location in three dimensional space by triangulating it's radio signal? Why do I never see that argument brought up, of have I missed it? If this is the case then every notion monitoring the craft would be screaming bloody murder if craft wasn't where it was supposed to be. But then I do forget the "facts:" They were all in on it, even the nations we were trying to "fool," and there really was no craft since it was all filmed at a studio in Huston or area 51. lol I’m not a scientist so I could be wrong about this but isn’t it relatively easy to locate an objects location in three dimensional space by triangulating it’s radio signal? Why do I never see that argument brought up, of have I missed it? If this is the case then every notion monitoring the craft would be screaming bloody murder if craft wasn’t where it was supposed to be.

But then I do forget the “facts:” They were all in on it, even the nations we were trying to “fool,” and there really was no craft since it was all filmed at a studio in Huston or area 51. lol

]]> By: The Ill Tempered Klavier http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133488 The Ill Tempered Klavier Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:21:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133488 @Kingfish You are right that the moon rocks are fundamentally different. The short answer is all terrestrial rocks contain water. The moon rocks contain none. Over at the original Badass-Tronomy site in the "Moon Hoax" section you'll find a fuller explanation as well as links to all the details of why the moon rocks just ain't from around here. @Kingfish

You are right that the moon rocks are fundamentally different.
The short answer is all terrestrial rocks contain water. The moon rocks contain none.
Over at the original Badass-Tronomy site in the “Moon Hoax” section you’ll find a fuller explanation as well as links to all the details of why the moon rocks just ain’t from around here.

]]> By: Luca Masters http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133462 Luca Masters Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:14:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133462 A bit off-topic, but I feel like addressing the '800lb/$35bil' response. My initial reaction was, 'So? If they want to pay over $43 750 000 (mark-up for profit!) for a pound of moon rocks, let them.' But then I realised a better reason not to: the US doesn't have mining rights to the Moon. We can take bits and pieces for scientific purposes, but to start auctioning off parts of the Moon is very wrong, and opens up the entire Moon for auction by foreign powers. A bit off-topic, but I feel like addressing the ‘800lb/$35bil’ response.

My initial reaction was, ‘So? If they want to pay over $43 750 000 (mark-up for profit!) for a pound of moon rocks, let them.’

But then I realised a better reason not to: the US doesn’t have mining rights to the Moon. We can take bits and pieces for scientific purposes, but to start auctioning off parts of the Moon is very wrong, and opens up the entire Moon for auction by foreign powers.

]]> By: Ow! My irony gland! | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133415 Ow! My irony gland! | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:48:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-133415 [...] figure indeed. Joe Rogan, the topic of that article, is certainly intelligent. But even smart people can fool themselves. I have to say, though, that the philosophy he espouses in the article makes some sense… [...] […] figure indeed. Joe Rogan, the topic of that article, is certainly intelligent. But even smart people can fool themselves. I have to say, though, that the philosophy he espouses in the article makes some sense… […]

]]> By: Kingfish http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-67842 Kingfish Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:43:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/01/31/memories-rogan-and-me/#comment-67842 Alas, I discovered Penn’s radio show after it was off the air, and I’m only just now listening through an archive of the podcasts. So, that’s what brings me to BAD ASTRONOMY. Leaving aside Rogan’s demeanor and Von Braun’s politics, I was particularly interested in one thing, the rocks. Isn’t there a fundamental difference between Apollo’s samples from the moon, and any Lunar material that might be lying around on Earth, in this case Antarctica. Is it not the case that the rocks brought back by the Apollo missions are demonstrably products from a vacuum environment, while any Lunar material gathered on Earth would display obvious effects of exposure to the atmosphere, centuries of wind, rain, and so on? This has been my understanding, am I mistaken? And I think you presented yourself well. “Debating” conspiracy theorists is only any fun, and potentially successful, if your intention is to demolish their arguments, while simultaneously demoralizing and humiliating them personally. This is a fiendishly difficult thing to do, if you are trying to be polite. (It can be done though, I refer you to James Randi, who has a long string of outstandingly polite victories to his credit.) Alas, I discovered Penn’s radio show after it was off the air, and I’m only just now listening through an archive of the podcasts. So, that’s what brings me to BAD ASTRONOMY. Leaving aside Rogan’s demeanor and Von Braun’s politics, I was particularly interested in one thing, the rocks. Isn’t there a fundamental difference between Apollo’s samples from the moon, and any Lunar material that might be lying around on Earth, in this case Antarctica. Is it not the case that the rocks brought back by the Apollo missions are demonstrably products from a vacuum environment, while any Lunar material gathered on Earth would display obvious effects of exposure to the atmosphere, centuries of wind, rain, and so on? This has been my understanding, am I mistaken?

And I think you presented yourself well. “Debating” conspiracy theorists is only any fun, and potentially successful, if your intention is to demolish their arguments, while simultaneously demoralizing and humiliating them personally. This is a fiendishly difficult thing to do, if you are trying to be polite. (It can be done though, I refer you to James Randi, who has a long string of outstandingly polite victories to his credit.)

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