Sure, it was nice of MediaPost to put up an article about Discover Magazine’s new look and new blogs. Press coverage is good!
But they managed to do so without ever actually, y’know, linking to us here. That’s kinda weird.
And they called my blog offbeat! Offbeat? What am I, syncopated?
Still, any news is good news, right? And the article is actually pretty nice. And I should also thank the gazillion blogs who mentioned our migration to DM, too. We’re still working on tweaking it, and I’ll have updates here as progress is made.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Maybe if you skipped the Randi testimonials, the Dr. Who lovefest, and gratuitous name dropping and stuck to “astronomy” they’d know how to promote your site a little better.
I hope your gabsite is not a preview of where the magazine will be headed. That would be an unfortunate decision.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I think a certain Lurker takes the BABlog too literally, sometimes.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Couldn’t help but notice the add for an astrologer at the top of the page.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
@ Lurker
Thankfully, myopic and irrelevant commentary such as your little drive-by snipe has very little bearing on this blog’s success, neither in the past, in the present, or going forward. And more’s the better.
This blog’s addition to the Discover family is a step forward as far as I’m concerned.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
“myopic and irrelevant commentary such as your little drive-by snipe” Gee, I have been a Discover Mag fan for a long time. It wasn’t until this supposed “astronomy” blog showed up that people like you dropped in. As I said in my previous post, I hope this is not a signal of the mag’s new direction. This used to be a serious magazine with a serious website. Now it seems they are going for fluff.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I have to agree with Lurker; my interest in the BAblog has waned over the past year, with all the Randi, Dr. Who, and other diversions like the editorial process about the book and “*squee*”, etc. It’s more like “No Astronomy” these days. While I agree with a lot of Phil’s views, that’s not enough for me to spend my limited blog-reading time for content I value less and less.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Why is there an Astrology ad on the top of the webpage? I think it is kinda inappropriate for an Astronomy website.
Nooo Astrology is infiltrating Astronomy!
Screenshot:
http://img249.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=16974_BA_122_369lo.JPG
July 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
@ Lurker
“people like me”… care to define? Or are you only interested in vague, immature generalizations? Or are you just, as I suspect, the lowest form of troll… the drive-by sniper troll who’s only intent is to make negative, pointless, fact-starved commentary and then saunter off…
So… care to shed some light on what “people like me” are? And fair warning… I may just be inclined to vigorously defend myself.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I gotta agree with you, Celtic_Evolution. (I’m DISCOVER’s Web editor.) We ♥ BA. If Lurker is still around, I’d tell him that the magazine is not going to become like Bad Astronomy—we see the blog and the magazine as two complementary works that function in much different ways.
As for the MediaPost article, there are, uh, a few other miscues in there. The first sentence of the second graf has three errors itself: Our science & politics blog is “Reality Base” (not “Reality Based”), Melissa’s last name is “Lafsky” (not “Lasky”), and her other blog is “Opinionistas.com,” not (”Opinionista.com”). A hat trick!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
“people like me”… care to define?
You are doing a marvelous job of self-definition, @Celtic_Evolution. Read your own words. If the shoe fits.
Now… some astronomy, please.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
@ Another Lurker
If that is your opinion, however misguided and erroneous it may be, of this site and its contents… then you are welcome, as is anyone else, to stop coming here (oh, and of course, stop taking your precious, limited blog reading time to post comments about how you’re wasting your time here… seems like… well… a waste of time). Since it’s clear from your brief, inaccurate synopsis of the site that you aren’t much of a regular reader anyhow, I doubt it will feel like much of a loss for you.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
As I suspected, Lurker… all air, no substance.
Moving on…
July 8th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
There’s a pretty nice full page promotion of the five new blogs in the August issue of DM, too.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I’m sorry to say, Lurker, that long before moving to Discover, the BA Blog had it’s own community of nerds who like discussing skepticism, nerd culture and goofball stuff along with the astronomy. We think it’s *fun*.
If Discover didn’t want some *fun* in their blogs, they shouldn’t have enticed Dr Phil over here with sportscars and supermodels.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
@Amos Kenigsberg
I hope you are right and that this unfortunate trend on your website won’t affect the magazine. Unfortunately, as magazine sales slump, the temptation is to bloggify them. It is obvious that this website has increasingly less interest in its namesake’s tradition and more interest in putting fluff and silliness out for the sake of generating web traffic. I am certain that the blog editor will soon take to mocking people’s religious beliefs as he has in other instances. [sigh] Another print magazine begins the downward spiral toward inanity.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
“I am certain that the blog editor will soon take to mocking people’s religious beliefs as he has in other instances.
Ahhh… and Lurker’s mask finally comes off… I knew there was something familiar….
July 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
The BA blog has always has been about skepticism as well as astronomy. With the recent attacks against science through out science a lot of science blogs have to fight against it. The stuff on TAM is just shows how geeks are like most other people just smarter. The only problem I have at the moment is that there are no links like on the old blog, I know this site is still a work in progress so I will wait. Since I am a big Doctor Who who use to read discover (still like just got out of the habit) I like the combo.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
@ Lurker
Discover is a “serious magazine”. I’ve been a subscriber for at least 15 years but I would never describe it as serious. How about “occasionally serious, magazine that frequently veers into pseudoscience.” Granted, the coverage has been better the last couple of years, but I won’t quickly forgive them taking me on an Amazonian adventure searching for a living giant ground sloth, all the while sneering at those stuck up, close-minded “real” scientists. Bringing some critically thinking skeptics on board can only improve things.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
@ Andy Beaton
Oh, we like the fun. But for the record, I *wish* it had only taken sports cars and supermodels to lure Phil on board…
July 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Davidlpf –
I’ve held off on complaining about the absence of the “blog-roll” and other anti-anti-science links that Phil had on the old BA site because he sort of mentioned it in a previous post and left it that he’s still considering that aspect of the site… I’m allowing for a break-in period before lodging formal complaints…
But I’m with you… I wants ye olde blog-roll back!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Lurker: Do you seriously think that you are so important that what you want should be considered more than the wishes of the fairly large long term fan base?
July 8th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
@Noadi says “Lurker: Do you seriously think that you are so important that what you want should be considered more than the wishes of the fairly large long term fan base?”
I was reading the magazine before anyone was blogging – anywhere. I guess that makes me part of the “long term fan base”, yes?
July 8th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Phil,
One of the tweaks I’m hoping for is the box that used to surround your postings in the comment section. Any chance that’s going to reappear?
July 8th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
@ Noadi –
I’m all for open commentary and suggestions… even constructive criticism… as is Phil, I’ve no doubt. But that’s not what Lurker’s after… and constructive criticism in the hopes of improving the site is not his goal… I think it’s become pretty clear what his problem is, specifically, as I pointed out earlier.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Dear Lurkers,
There is a solution that will allow all involved to be happy. There are two separate portions of this solution:
1) Those who enjoy reading the Bad Astronomy Blog, continue to read and enjoy.
2) Those who do not, click the little red ‘X’ and move on to something else.
Now, if I am completely mistaken let me know, and I will apologize and alert the appropriate authorities, but I don’t think there is anyone at Discover holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read BA.
Further complaints at this venue will be met with rudeness and mockery. Of course, if that’s your thing…
July 8th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
@Celtic_Evolution you can try and read my mind if you wish. It obviously won’t help since you haven’t a clue what “my goal” is. So let me save you some time and state it again:
I simply want to read about astronomy stuff. And science. No pseudoscience or scifi gossip.
When Phil writes about hard science he’s just great. All the other stuff is noise and belongs on some partisan site like Drudge.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Celtic_Evolution: Did I come across too nice or something? That wasn’t my intention, I think Lurker is either a troll or has such an enormous ego that he thinks he’s the only one Discover should make happy. Thus my asking how important he thinks he is.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
@Celtic_Evolution:
Your tone appears to be overly defensive, lashing out against commenters who are not 100% in agreement with the content of recent blog posts, to the point of claiming that I say things I did not say. At no point did I “post comments about how [I'm] wasting [my] time here”. I have enjoyed BABlog for a few years, and was simply commenting on the ratio of astronomy-related articles to fiction-fan-related articles has dropped noticeably in the last six to nine months.
I spend the time to comment here because I have enjoyed the content (and continue to enjoy) some of the content here, enough to spend the time to respond to your comment, and to look some of this stuff up. If you want to argue about that in a mature manner, by all means, do so.
A sample of the posts from the last few days (since the post entitled “Declare”) shows that just over half of them are astronomy, “Bad Astronomy”-style movie reviews, etc. The others are frankly a bit more fluffy (ie, Phil gushing over Dr. Who, without the BA-style lens).
July 8th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
@ Lurker
“I simply want to read about astronomy stuff. And science. No pseudoscience or scifi gossip.”
Excellent! I’m g;ad to hear that and I’m glad we agree on that. In the meantime, I would suggest that you do the following: feel free to take in Phil’s writings on astronomy and science and whatever else interests you… and in the event that Phil, writing on his blog, decides to post something on blog that you don’t care to read… do what most sane, rational people would do and simply don’t read it! And certainly don’t waste your time commenting on said topics. There… I think that’s fair.
Oh… and no amount of mind-reading was necessary… you gave yourself away… almost as if you couldn’t help yourself.
@ Noadi –
No, no… I know what you were saying… just wanted to clarify that none of us are against the idea of constructive commentary and criticism, in general.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
@ Lurker
All you are going to accomplish by continuing this is to make a bunch of people think your a troll and the other things that go along with being a troll that I wont mention. I may not always like what Phil talks about, but its HIS blog. Let the man talk about what he wants (or type in this case). You don,t have to read it. Also many others have said this but apparently it doesn’t hurt to repeat. If you don’t like it, leave.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
@BradB ["HIS blog"] and @Celtic_Evolution ["his blog"]:
I thought this was a DISCOVER blog.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
@ Another Lurker –
If I seem defensive, it’s a responsive posture… sorry you’re confused by that…
you said, regarding this blog: “that’s not enough for me to spend my limited blog-reading time for content I value less and less.” How did I mis-interpret that, again?
And again, I think you fail to understand the purpose of a “Blog”…
July 8th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Phil was invited to write for DISCOVER. I have a felling Discover knew what he was going write about before they invited him, I think the BA said the CEO of the comapany that owns Discover was Doctor Who fan.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I would suggest that no one post any more comments on this particular article. DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!!!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
@ Lurker
“I thought this was a DISCOVER blog.”
Yeah… in the same way that my house is really the bank’s house. I’m still gonna decorate it the way I want. You understand the difference?
July 8th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Steven H
*sigh* you may be right… can’t help myself sometimes.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
@Steven H
Good point. Cant help it at times. Its so boring at times when at work
July 8th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
@Celtic_Evolution and @Steven H – Phil says he is going to Comic con. I am not certain that you want to go out of your way to offend trolls given that they are regular members of the audience at such events and pay for the tickets that pay his airfare and speaking fees …
July 8th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
great point, Lurker… *rolls eyes*.
Dagnabbit… I did it again… ok, ok… that was the last one… I swear, Steven H.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
@Celtic, yeah right, you know you can not help it.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
@Celtic_Evolution
You misinterpreted by claiming I posted comments that stated I felt I was wasting time here, when I never expressed such a sentiment. The fact that I respond to your line of questioning, and take other people’s comments into consideration shows that I do not “fail to understand the purpose of a ‘Blog’”. I am a “lurker” because by the time I read most of the articles and comments, there isn’t much to add. I have no need to see my name in print, or get into yet another Internet flamewar. This case was different. I saw the original “Lurker” comment, and I chose to express support for an idea that apparently doesn’t have much popularity here, if it had any influence at all to Phil and his editorial decisions.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
@ Another Lurker
I’m not considering replying to you as “feeding the trolls” because I don’t consider you on the same plane at this point with Lurker #1, based on your commentary. Nor do I care to argue a trivial point with you beyond this point… all I will point out, in my defense, is that I took your comment: “that’s not enough for me to spend my limited blog-reading time for content I value less and less”, and interpreted it in a shortened form as “that’s not enough for me to waste my time here”. I think it was reasonable to infer my interpretation from your comment… however if that was not your meaning, I apologize and retract my characterization of your post.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Lurker–
Here’s a thought. If a post is off-topic to your own definitions of what *my* blog should be, then don’t read those posts. I don’t think it’s that big a drain on your time to look over the categories a post is listed under.
I will continue to write what I feel like writing. Since the very day I started it 15 years ago, my site has been about critical thinking as well as astronomy. The other posts (Doctor Who et al) are a fraction of the science/skepticism posts.
As far as worrying about offending people who attend Comic Con… nope. If you are offended, that’s not my problem. It’s yours. Don’t go to my panel. Don’t read my blog. Find some other blog that is all astronomy all the time. You have dozens to choose from.
I cannot please everyone, so I don’t try. I write to please myself, and I have found over the years that a whole lot of other folks like it that way. Those who don’t tend to go away. That way, everyone is happy.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
[...] You can read the rest of this blog post by going to the original source, here [...]
July 8th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
@[A-Za-z ]*Lurker
I’ll be happy to mock your religious beliefs if you like.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I cannot please everyone, so I don’t try. I write to please myself, and I have found over the years that a whole lot of other folks like it that way. Those who don’t tend to go away. That way, everyone is happy.
I get asked from time to time, why I write certain article on my own blog. Whether someone’s blog is big like Phil’s or small like mine, that quote above really sums up what any blog is all about. Anyone who doesn’t understand that really doesn’t understand blogs.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
@Phil Plait Right now the goofy stuff uses 40-50% of the space on your blog. So I have to do a lot of “overlooking”.
You are right though: there are other websites that take the science much more seriously – as this magazine once did. Oh well, it is their website to throw away.
As for the Comic con joke about trolls – everyone got it – except (apparently) you
July 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I agree with Phil, if you don’t like the topic, don’t read it. There are articles that I scan, that, quite frankly I could care less about. Those articles i skip. There are articles that I may disagree with the writer on, or those responding. I can either choose to respond, knowing that I will get into a flame war, or choose to take a pass. I think the more mature response is to let it go. After all, Phil’s been doing this for 15 years, and I don’t think he’s going to change now.
July 8th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Lurker said As for the Comic con joke about trolls – everyone got it – except (apparently) you
Um… I didn’t get it either. Was there something to get?
July 8th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
What I would like to know is how long Lurker has been reading the BABlog?
anyone who has been reading Mr. Plait’s blog for any amount of time should know about the stuff he writes about. Discover mag. invited him and several others to move their blogs to the D.M. site, and as far as I know none of the bloggers were told they had to change their content or writing styles.
Phil Plait has been writing about stuff from super nova events to the Mars projects to debunking the “moon landing was a hoax” people to T.V. and movie reviews( that includes the pointing out of both good and bad science), and much more for a long time. And even tho I’m not a fan of Dr. Who, I do enjoy Mr. Plaits enthusiasm(sp?) for it and reading his comments. It’s nice to see that A big shot professional astronomer enjoys some of the same stuff little ol’ me does.
for Lurker, if you haven’t read the BAblog before that’s fine. It just means you don’t know what you are talking about in the context of this blog. If you have read his blog before then you know what he writes about and should have left the site a long time ago if you didn’t enjoy it.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
@Lurker~
I think Discover (and Phil) made an excellent choice.
I only ever read the Discover magazine, never the website. Now that Phil’s blog is on Discover, I seem to spend a lot of time reading science articles on discovermagazine.com (I would be willing to bet I am one of many). Discover didn’t have to change the content of their site, and by adding some GREAT blogs, I am sure over just a few days they have had a lot more people look at the rest of their site. Sounds like a smart move to me!
Oh, yeah, and you don’t have to look unless you want to. It looks like you do read the rest of the articles, and spend time whining about it. I don’t understand why people whine so much. I don’t watch Doctor Who, I can tell in about one second if an article is about that, so I move on to something I like (which is just about everything else because Phil is so awesome).
@Amos Kenigsberg ~
Seriously, SMART MOVE!!! It’s actually really bad for me because I already read all of Phil’s stuff, but now I end up on the rest of the site and can’t seem to stop reading! This is a good thing, I’m sure a good deal of the people who read Phil’s blog have been dong the same thing. Science is awesome!!
July 8th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
@MarkH
Yeah, I somehow end up reading a lot of the Doctor Who posts. I swear that one of these days I might end of watching it because of Phil… It’s true that a lot of us nerdy people like a lot of the same things (I say nerdy in an ultra-loving-super-sexy-everyone-should-be-a-nerd kinda way).
That’s why we love this blog!
July 8th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Wait, what? What did I just step in? Ewww, gross! Somebody has been feeding trolls around here! Anyone have a broom? I’d love to help with the cleanup!
July 9th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Ahh, speaking of Dr. Who… Here’s a classic clip with the Cybermen…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p36YMOB8wq0
July 9th, 2008 at 6:04 am
C’mon, folks. Let’s be nice. Lurker has a right to his/her opinions without having resident posters calling him/her names. And Lurker, YOU be nice. You started this “love fest” with your very first post. There are many more constructive ways to bring about change than your approach.
This is a serious blog with some non-serious posts. It IS Phil’s blog (please don’t anyone call him “Dr. Phil”!), and it’s not really about astronomy, per se. It’s about science, truth, and science fiction, as well as Phil’s opinions on whatever he wants to write about. And those of us who have been around him for a while (~48 years, in my case) know that Phil can’t be totally serious for more than a few minutes at a time. He deals with people who are a bit loony (sorry about the name calling) or have their own agendas that are hazardous, even toxic. If you take those people too seriously, your head will explode.
I understand that you are looking for more science content, but DM knew what they were buying, and who the audience was/is. Don’t rile the animals just because you are unhappy. You aren’t going to change the blog content, no matter what you say.
If you aren’t happy with this blog, just ignore it.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:28 am
To eat and live plain ingredients can do. It’s spice and sauce that makes life worth living.
To eat and live spiritually (allow me this apt christian image) plain astronomy can do. It’s Doctor Who, Torchwood, StarTrek, Firefly… that makes life *spiritual* in a way true astronomers know how to appreciate.
Phil, like no other, is a master chef, and in the image of Celtic_Evolution above, a master decorator of his house, where we are guests who love or leave.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Honestly, if you like absolutely everything that Phil writes, it means that Phil isn’t doing his job properly.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I believe the universe was created by a rubber poop monster, and the Internet exists to put people down anonymously.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Ok, everyone remove their pocket protectors, dental retainers, and other sharp geek appendages and lets all have a group hug in support of Phil and celebrate our geekiness. Contrarian opinions are hereby forbidden.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Syncopated?
No!
Contrapuntal, however, is a real possibility.
Gary 7(aka a jazz percussionist)
July 9th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
well at least they said you were “off beat” rather than you “Beat off”
July 9th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Epic fail.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Contrarian opinions
AKA “childish whining”.
I feel bad for Lurker, who is forced by some bizarre compulsion to read all material in a publication. The rest of us don’t understand that sort of pain because we are capable of reading headlines and skipping articles that don’t sound interesting.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am
@Naked Bunny with a Whip
You folks all take yourselves – and this blog stuff – far too seriously. Get a life. Oh well. Poking sticks at the animals in the cage is no longer entertaining….
July 10th, 2008 at 11:33 am
@ Naked Bunny with a Whip:
To be fair, whenever I see anything posted by someone with the name “Naked Bunny with a Whip”, it has my attention! ;0