Atheism Plus/Free Thought Blogs (FTB)

[Acleron]

It was a play on the witch trial in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you weigh the same as a duck then you're made of wood. And therefore - PRIVILEGED!



The toilet? You mean the toilet don't you?

Only research papers there.

 

[qayak]

Im glad someone high-profile has been exposed to a little bit of the crazy. I think Matt might just have the brain-power to avoid drinking their kool-aid. PZ gulped it all anyway.

PZ has always been a wanker. I read his stuff a few times and couldn't believe people respected his emotion filled opinions at all. I guess a lot of it had to do with people being impressed with having skepticism in common with him and him saying what they wanted to hear. Regardless, this latest boondoggle is nothing new for him, it is just that he has turned on his own followers. Well, at least the ones smart enough to see through his pseudo-skepticism.

 

[westprog]

FWIW, they (A+) do seem to be contrite about the Cuduggan2k2 affair.

Well, things have developed a little bit. Discussion about the incident has been moved to a separate discussion thread: here. And that thread has now been locked, so no further discussion of any kind will be allowed.

No problem there, right?

 

[Humes fork]

Myers is declining. Though based on the time I don't think it can be connected to plussism.

 

[tsig]

Depends on how you see it. If this is the first time I encountered the guy I suppose that is the view I would have as well. The thing is that he is on the Atheist Experience a lot and people know him through video. Many people ask him to comment on issues and he says that he has no time.

He said that the only time he has that he can dedicate to such issues is during his drive from and to work so he will keep a video journal where he posts his ideas. I don't think the videos are meant to be seen by the general population. Simply by people that know him already and want to know what his opinion is on such matters.

I would consider him a good guy though and the reason I follow him is because I have learned a lot.

I have a lot of respect for Dillahunty too. (And, yeah, he records the videos in his car because that's when he has the time.) Unlike professional atheist bloggers like Myers, Watson, et al, he doesn't make a dime off his services to the atheist community.

Because he has a life away from the internet (wow, what a concept!), he was unaware of the criticism about the A+ forum. He doesn't just troll discussion boards like this one making snark knee-jerk comments. If he seems "full of himself," it because he cares about the wider image of the community.

Well, he's learned from his experience. He still needs to be educated about the damage his friends like Myers and some of the skepchicks and Freethought bloggers are doing, though.

Well we wouldn't want him to put to much effort into a cause he cares so much about.

 

[WillyWonka]

Maybe they are making a play at getting a TLC reality show.

While resting before the Chicago marathon, Piscivore post made me thinking. This whole issue can be made into reality shows:




Matt Dellahunty exposing the actions of moderators on the A+ forum: "Mythbusters",

The treatment of dissenters on the A+ forum: "Big Brother",

D.L. Grothe for not being sucked in by the whole drama: "America Next Top Model",

A+ supporters for thinking that their movement will take over the world: "Little People, Big World",

Richard Carriers for trying to find atheists not worthy of their movement: "Ghost Hunters",

Skepchicks for creating first world dramas: "Toddlers and Tiaras"

Elevatorgate for sucking so much bandwidth for a year: "Rescue 911",

PZ Meyers for becoming the supremo uno of A+: "Coronation Street",

The division that A+ created in the atheist community: "The Biggest Loser",

Ophelia, Jen, and Greta for bulling pretty well everyone: "Mob Wives",

Surly Amy actions during TAM2012: "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo",

And finally,

Rebecca Watson's marriage seen from Syd's perspective: "The Deadliest Catch".



I am sure I could go on and on...

 

[Brainache]

While resting before the Chicago marathon, Piscivore post made me thinking. This whole issue can be made into reality shows:




Matt Dellahunty exposing the actions of moderators on the A+ forum: "Mythbusters",

The treatment of dissenters on the A+ forum: "Big Brother",

D.L. Grothe for not being sucked in by the whole drama: "America Next Top Model",

A+ supporters for thinking that their movement will take over the world: "Little People, Big World",

Richard Carriers for trying to find atheists not worthy of their movement: "Ghost Hunters",

Skepchicks for creating first world dramas: "Toddlers and Tiaras"

Elevatorgate for sucking so much bandwidth for a year: "Rescue 911",

PZ Meyers for becoming the supremo uno of A+: "Coronation Street",

The division that A+ created in the atheist community: "The Biggest Loser",

Ophelia, Jen, and Greta for bulling pretty well everyone: "Mob Wives",

Surly Amy actions during TAM2012: "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo",

And finally,

Rebecca Watson's marriage seen from Syd's perspective: "The Deadliest Catch".



I am sure I could go on and on...

Everyone else: "Life's Too Short"

 

[Walter Ego]

PZ has always been a wanker. I read his stuff a few times and couldn't believe people respected his emotion filled opinions at all. I guess a lot of it had to do with people being impressed with having skepticism in common with him and him saying what they wanted to hear. Regardless, this latest boondoggle is nothing new for him, it is just that he has turned on his own followers. Well, at least the ones smart enough to see through his pseudo-skepticism.

I've never understood Meyers' popularity either. The guy is 55 years-old and is an associate professor, presumably tenured, at provincial university and as far as I can find out has never published a single scientific paper or anything else. (Supposedly he's working on his first book but don't hold your breath waiting.) Compared to Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens, he is definitely a second-rate third-rate mind.

Myers is declining. Though based on the time I don't think it can be connected to plussism.

It's hard to tell on the graph, but the decline seems to coincide with Elevatorgate and the move to Freethought Blogs. Not surprising at all.

 

[zeggman]

Just happened to be reading some retro journalism from the party that was 1999, discussing the party that was circa 1969, and somehow it seemed appropriate:

But even from this remove it was possible to glean certain patterns. One that recurred as regularly as an urban legend was about how someone would move into a commune populated by sandal-wearing, peace-sign-flashing flower children and eventually discover that, underneath this facade, the guys who ran it were actually control freaks; and that, as living in a commune, where much lip service was paid to ideals of peace, love, and harmony had deprived them of normal, socially approved outlets for their control-freakdom, it tended to come out in other, invariably more sinister, ways.

In the Beginning Was the Command Line, by Neal Stephenson.

Of course, as people have been saying all along, it's a story at least as old as Jacobins and Inquisitors.

 

[squealpiggy]

I've never understood Meyers' popularity either. The guy is 55 years-old and is an associate professor, presumably tenured, at provincial university and as far as I can find out has never published a single scientific paper or anything else. (Supposedly he's working on his first book but don't hold your breath waiting.) Compared to Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens, he is definitely a second-rate third-rate mind.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=myers PZ

Ten scientific papers. Perhaps you were mis-spelling his last name. You may not think much about his blog or his politics but he is a genuine scientist.

 

[Verklagekasper]

He said that the only time he has that he can dedicate to such issues is during his drive from and to work so he will keep a video journal where he posts his ideas.

He has enough time to read forums and sockpuppet them, but he claims he has no 6 minutes left to make a video at home? Well then tsig's comment pretty much nailed it. Mr. Important's car wasn't driving in the video btw, it was standing all the time.

 

[Paulhoff]

What is more important, where something is said, or what is said.


Paul

 

[qayak]

He has enough time to read forums and sockpuppet them, but he claims he has no 6 minutes left to make a video at home? Well then tsig's comment pretty much nailed it. Mr. Important's car wasn't driving in the video btw, it was standing all the time.

He didn't sockpuppet them. By definition he didn't.

And he stated in the video that he was making the video on his lunch break while sitting in his car.

I'm not a particular fan of this guy but at least get the facts straight.

 

[Walter Ego]

He didn't sockpuppet them. By definition he didn't.

And he stated in the video that he was making the video on his lunch break while sitting in his car.

I'm not a particular fan of this guy but at least get the facts straight.

Gawd, is the marsupial (or whatever that bug-eyed creature I have on ignore is) still harping about recording a video in a car? Maybe the guy uses his car time for stuff like this so he can go home and like-you-know relax and leave the concerns of his public life outside the his castle walls. Domestic tranquility anyone? Does that ring any bells?

Dillahunty should obviously sell his car, give up his job, quit the tv show (from which he earns nothing), divorce his wife and spend all his time (at home, natch) carping on internet discussion groups. Then he'd be taken more seriously.

ETA: *** My next post will be in the format of a video recorded in my car. ***

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

While resting before the Chicago marathon, Piscivore post made me thinking. This whole issue can be made into reality shows:

Good stuff.

 

[qarnos]

I wonder if he's known at work as "that guy who sits in his car and talks to himself during lunch".

"Hey, look! That dude's in his car again, yelling at his footwell".

 

[Acleron]

He didn't sockpuppet them. By definition he didn't.

And he stated in the video that he was making the video on his lunch break while sitting in his car.

I'm not a particular fan of this guy but at least get the facts straight.

A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception.

Isn't this exactly what he did

Not that it matters, it was the aftermath that demonstrates various problems.

He tried to show that contesting opinions in a discussion on the A+ forum would be at least debated but showed what is obvious to most outsiders that they aren't. Strangely, he denies it was a failure. Denialism all round.

 

[Walter Ego]

A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception.

Isn't this exactly what he did

Not that it matters, it was the aftermath that demonstrates various problems.

He tried to show that contesting opinions in a discussion on the A+ forum would be at least debated but showed what is obvious to most outsiders that they aren't. Strangely, he denies it was a failure. Denialism all round.

And he announced his findings on a video recorded in his car! How utterly bizarre!

 

[Acleron]

And he announced his findings on a video recorded in his car! How utterly bizarre!

I often wondered what on-lookers might think about the direction and content of JREF threads but concentrating on some rather small asides in a thread of some 1300 posts? That's strange.

But I think I'll remain a moss-back and get my info more efficiently.

 

[Walter Ego]

I often wondered what on-lookers might think about the direction and content of JREF threads but concentrating on some rather small asides in a thread of some 1300 posts? That's strange.

But I think I'll remain a moss-back and get my info more efficiently.

You Tube is for snark and discussion groups are for more serious stuff... usually.