I get email.
I get a lot of email. Most of it is from people who have questions about astronomy; they heard about some event coming up, or some doomsday scenario, or just were wondering about something and want an answer.
It’s hard to answer all the questions, but now I may not have to: I can send folks the Astronomy Stack Exchange, a user-driven Q&A site. It’s actually set up in a clever fashion, where people can vote up or down on specific answers.
This site is based on the Stack Exchange sites, which are becoming very popular. For example, there’s also a Skeptic Exchange, too! So if you have a question, you might want to check there first, and if it’s not there, you can always submit it.
July 3rd, 2011 at 7:50 am
And if any of you happen to see a familiar name there, an upvote on answers is always appreciated.
Especially on this answer at the moment. I am attempting to collect a specific badge with this answer (Necromancer).
July 3rd, 2011 at 9:06 am
Thanks for the link. That site is awesome!
July 3rd, 2011 at 9:46 am
You get email from me too – or at least you *should* be because I’m sending them – mostly tips on possible stories you may want to blog on. I’m never quite sure if you’re getting these or not. I suppose you are and I suppose you’re getting them from lots of other folks and sources too but .. I’m uncertain of this.
Can you give us an idea what you do and don’t get so we don’t waste our time sending you stuff you get a 1,001 times already please BA?
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:31 am
So, do you spend any time giving answers on the Astronomy Stack Exchange, Phil?
July 3rd, 2011 at 10:43 am
@Dustin (#4), I have been in that StackExchange since early beta, and I have not seen anyone that would match Dr. Plait’s usual nom de plume or mode of operation.
July 3rd, 2011 at 11:09 am
My sister in law with three kids just broke up with my brother (He left her) and she said there is no use buying new things for her house because he took almost everything with him, because she believes the world is going to end next year. I mean how could these people believe such garbage? She needs a lecture and I told her you would probably give her one lmao.
July 3rd, 2011 at 5:43 pm
There is also a section of reddit devoted to questions of a scientific nature.
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/
July 4th, 2011 at 9:06 am
There’s also a section of the Bad Astronomy/Universe Today Forum for that purpose:
http://www.bautforum.com/forumdisplay.php/8-Space-Astronomy-Questions-and-Answers
July 4th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
“It’s actually set up in a clever fashion, where people can vote up or down on specific answers.”
That may not be so clever once any climate change denier or religionist/creationist/ID or sundry other crackpot guild gets to trumpeting up how such a device of popular vote is a measure of reality, let alone scientific integrity or evidence.
July 5th, 2011 at 7:45 am
I Loves these sites. I have been using the StackOverflow site which was the pilot site for my software development questions and its amazing. The riffraff are kept at bay by the community, and the answers are always thoughtful and complete.
July 5th, 2011 at 10:59 am
#6 – I’m sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. Good luck with trying to reason with your family. It’s tough, I know – I still haven’t been able to talk sense into mine, either.