Comments on: Small stars midwife to big stars

By: Buzz Parsec

Buzz Parsec — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:39:01 +0000

I must admit I stole the concept of coulters from someone else. Read it in a newsgroup or website or blog or something, it might have been here. Someone said “Wow, that was really stupid. I could feel my brain cells dying…” and someone else responded something like “No, it wasn’t that bad. I’d only rate it 100 coulters or so. I’ve seen things much stupider…” It wasn’t clear to me from context whether a coulter was a unit of stupidity or a measure of brain cell death. C = ln(cells/second),
or something like that.

By: w1lp33

w1lp33 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:12:21 +0000

my god, thank you for linking to that “pathlights” website. ive been on it for an hour, and ive never been so entertained.

you get the usual nonsense creationist arguments, like evolution violoates the 2nd law of thermodynamics, but they go step further and add little gems like these:

“evolution teaches an upward arrow—all the way from nothingness, in the past, to present organization and ON INTO A GLORIOUS FUTURUE WHEN MAN WILL BECOME GOD, RULING THE UNIVERSE.” (emphasis mine)

awesome. i knew my high school science class was lacking…. not ONCE was i told that humanity would someday become omnipotent rulers of the cosmos.

i guess first we just have to break the back of that damned light. how dare you keep your speed unattainable to us godly men?!

By: Crux Australis

Crux Australis — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:08:34 +0000

Wow, that website is full of garbage! The parts on the origin of matter are particularly laughable. My favourite quote, regarding the expanding Universe: “Leaving its gravitational field. The center of gravity, by that time (assuming an expanding universe), would be on the outer perimeter of the universe, not at its center—so there would be nothing to draw it back to where it theoretically came from.”

That sound you hear is my mind, boggling.

By: Sergeant Zim

Sergeant Zim — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:13:46 +0000

“Megacoulters”

That’s a great term!!

I would guess that it refers to the general act of shutting down Scientific or rational evidence as a tool to support conservative position, right?

You could also create other units of measurement:

The Hovind (kilohovind, megahovind)- a unit of creationistic ‘thought’

Or even units of rationalsim:

The Sagan or the Hawking- a unit of Science

By: Monkey

Monkey — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:07:01 +0000

Wow. I read that whole, multi-font/bold/italics website this a.m. – People still believe the funniest things. The passion is astounding.

Consider the scientist who wakes up trying to find out more, to expand their knowledge….meeting a creationist on the bus who is reading the same newspaper from 40 years ago trying to tell the scientist the weather report. This is how I consider this debate. Im tired of being polite, id rather rip the paper out of the creationists hands, throw it to the floor….and give them a brand new copy of todays paper. Point to the weather report….”there…this is what is really happening….we figured this stuff out”

Baffled. Utterly baffled…..

By: Mister Earl

Mister Earl — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:39:57 +0000

Logic and Science are anathema to creationism.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:51:39 +0000

[Sesame Street Music]One of these things is not like the other,
One of these things just doesn’t belong…[/Sesame Street Music]

“These are generally pretty cold, just a few degrees above absolute zero (-450 Fahrenheit, -273 Celsius).”

Neat article, Phil! The Universe becomes even more fascinating the more we learn about it.