Comments on: Seeing things http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/ 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. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:40:17 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Matt M http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181818 Matt M Thu, 07 May 2009 20:32:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181818 @AndyD No, she got it wrong...it actually spelled DOG. @AndyD

No, she got it wrong…it actually spelled DOG.

]]> By: Marvin Rabbit http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181727 Marvin Rabbit Thu, 07 May 2009 17:00:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181727 The Ms-mbc story could be taken word-for-word, with the picture, and published by The Onion. If I read it there, I wouldn't even think twice. "... the griddle has been taken out of service and placed in a shrine in a storage room." That's some beautiful satire writing! The Ms-mbc story could be taken word-for-word, with the picture, and published by The Onion. If I read it there, I wouldn’t even think twice.

“… the griddle has been taken out of service and placed in a shrine in a storage room.” That’s some beautiful satire writing!

]]> By: James E. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181721 James E. Thu, 07 May 2009 16:45:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181721 What ever the reason they ran the story you would think they would get their facts strait. "UFO spotters are claiming they have spotted an alien skull on Mars after NASA beamed back satellite images from the planet." It was not a "satellite image", it was transmitted by satellite communication. "Internet forums are full of chatter about the picture, taken by a panoramic NASA camera known as Spirit." The rover is named Spirit, not the camera. I know this is a small detail here, but if they can't get this right how can we trust the information in the more important stories? Allowing this type of misinformation to persist, saying "you know what they meant", that allows leaps of logic like the one taken by anti-vaccine people when they went from Thimerosal in vaccines causes autism to vaccines causes autism when the Thimerosal was removed. Science is biased on facts but we communicate those facts by language. If you dilute your language and allow that to be imprecise and accept its rules as suggestions, then you dilute the facts that are being relayed, making them useless. What ever the reason they ran the story you would think they would get their facts strait.

“UFO spotters are claiming they have spotted an alien skull on Mars after NASA beamed back satellite images from the planet.”

It was not a “satellite image”, it was transmitted by satellite communication.

“Internet forums are full of chatter about the picture, taken by a panoramic NASA camera known as Spirit.”

The rover is named Spirit, not the camera.

I know this is a small detail here, but if they can’t get this right how can we trust the information in the more important stories?

Allowing this type of misinformation to persist, saying “you know what they meant”, that allows leaps of logic like the one taken by anti-vaccine people when they went from Thimerosal in vaccines causes autism to vaccines causes autism when the Thimerosal was removed. Science is biased on facts but we communicate those facts by language. If you dilute your language and allow that to be imprecise and accept its rules as suggestions, then you dilute the facts that are being relayed, making them useless.

]]> By: Naked Bunny with a Whip http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181714 Naked Bunny with a Whip Thu, 07 May 2009 16:23:43 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181714 I once had an albino puff in a bowl of Cocoa Krispies. Is this an omen? I once had an albino puff in a bowl of Cocoa Krispies. Is this an omen?

]]> By: Tom http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181690 Tom Thu, 07 May 2009 15:26:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181690 "two Mexican wrestlers staring at a griddle they think has the Virgin Mary on it. " Now I know, religion is fake.... “two Mexican wrestlers staring at a griddle they think has the Virgin Mary on it. ”

Now I know, religion is fake….

]]> By: Todd W. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181688 Todd W. Thu, 07 May 2009 15:23:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181688 Finally, proof that X-Com: UFO Defense was a training simulator! Finally, proof that X-Com: UFO Defense was a training simulator!

]]> By: Chris http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/comment-page-1/#comment-181686 Chris Thu, 07 May 2009 15:20:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/06/seeing-things/#comment-181686 The rock looks like Baby Dinosaur from the Dinosaurs TV show. Them Martians sure loved our sitcoms. The rock looks like Baby Dinosaur from the Dinosaurs TV show. Them Martians sure loved our sitcoms.

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