Comments on: That Thing We Do

By: Travis Rector

Travis Rector — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:35:18 +0000

Hey Julianne! You know just the other day I was thinking it was 10 years ago we went snowboarding. I have to admit that’s the last time I went! (Since moving to Alaska I’ve taken up nordic skiing instead. You should come visit!)

Picking on scientists for not knowing the answer is missing the point. That’s why people are studying it! Easterbrook likes to bash scientists when they say something that he interprets as contrary to his religious beliefs. And then he praises those who he thinks support his world view. He does it with every subject though, not just science.

By: Julianne

Julianne — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:58:38 +0000

Heya Travis! I think what’s odd is that people are completely fine with experts in other fields. Nobody thinks that they can do brain surgery better than a bone fide brain surgeon, but many people feel fine constructing their own theory of the universe and then demanding that “experts” give it equal time and consideration. (On the other hand, there is encroachment (sp?) on medicine from some new-agey quarters — The Seattle Times is currently doing an excellent series on them.)

Have you gotten out on the slopes yet this year? I’m expecting Mt Baker to open next weekend, so we might get out soon…fingers crossed!

By: Travis Rector

Travis Rector — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 01:21:05 +0000

Its nice to see that someone else is annoyed with Gregg Easterbrook. “But trust us, we’re experts!” seems to be his favorite phrase when bashing scientists. I think his brother is a judge, not a physicist.

By: tongue but no door (dot) net » Blog Archive » In the Absense of Neon Signs

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:53:02 +0000

[...] visiting with astrophysicists. It’s the second half of a two-parter, the first of which got a favorable link from Cosmic Variance, and the people there know a lot more about this stuff than me. The [...]

By: Julianne

Julianne — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:38:44 +0000

In the (now distant) past, I used the astronomer/physicist/astrophysicist switcheroo to weed out unsuitable dates. I wound up marrying the first guy who responded to “astrophysicist” with a hearty “cool!”.

By: tyler

tyler — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:24:00 +0000

If you sit next to me on a plane and don’t want to talk you’d better answer “economist.”

By: Becky

Becky — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:03:00 +0000

Reading his most recent column nearly caused my head to explode with rage. His lack of understanding would be comical if it weren’t so infuriating.

Isn’t his brother a physicist? Thanksgiving dinner must be pretty interesting with his family.

And I don’t know where we got it from, but every astronomer I know does the astronomer/physicist thing on planes.

By: tyler

tyler — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:19:10 +0000

Apropos of nothing here, I would like to formally apologize to every working physicist, every supporter of science, and all persons whose heads are not firmly wedged deep in their own posteriors for my defense of Gregg Easterbrook in a previous CV post. I didn’t defend his treatment of physics, I don’t think, but still…

Reading his most recent column nearly caused my head to explode with rage. His lack of understanding would be comical if it weren’t so infuriating.

Sorry about that. It won’t happen again.

On the upside, having been online for about 15 years, it has been at least a decade since I practiced the art of the well-crafted flame email. I’d forgotten how fun it can be when one has a valid target.

Back to your regularly scheduled discussion.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:56:27 +0000

Alex — not my line, I got it from Bob Kirshner. But I suspect its origins lie in the mists of time.

By: Claire Lee

Claire Lee — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:39:38 +0000

My husband and I went to Tenerife on our honeymoon. We went on a tour up to Teide.. the landscape really is Mars-like. In fact, they filmed part of the original Star Wars films up there – you could almost see the sand people on Tatooine I was very upset that we didn’t get a chance to visit the observatory though.