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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 9, 2011 11:08:33 GMT -4
I find all this gossiping about Jarrah White to be a bit unseemly. I take your point. I know that I lead the discussion sometimes, so I am sorry for being unseemly. His name can be like a red rag to a bull with me. I think the veiled threat to hunt me down has something to do with it, or maybe his bosom buddy accusing me of being a pedophile, or maybe the false DMCA claims against me, or publicly stating that my colleagues should place a restraining order against me. Of course, it was all done from the safety of his YouTube channel. It tends to irk. Maybe I should be more Jay-esque about it, but I'm a little bit abrasive in character when rattled. I think it has something to do with playing front row rugby union. I'm not one to back down easily. Seriously though, it does concern me that the moon hoax movement is attracting some real nuts; and one day someone will get hurt. It is becoming more about hate now than anything else. Spend some time looking at YouTube comments on the subject, and it really is quite alarming.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 9, 2011 10:48:03 GMT -4
Or scientist that speak out on social issues with a pretense of expertise. So while we do see science as an ultimately self correcting process, it is a process that can and does leave collateral damage and unintended consequences along the path of arriving at better knowledge. It is the nature of human dealings. Andrew Wakefield. Look at the damage he caused.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 9, 2011 7:34:02 GMT -4
Frankly, I doubt that there is any truth to the claim that he is doing a BSc. He would *have* to know what would be likely to happen as soon as the other students and his lecturers discovered his 'prior work' - he would be a laughing stock. I couldn't imagine any lecturer putting up with him arguing any topic once aware of the tripe he has posted on youtube. It occurred to me last night that there was a Facebook page dedicated to him. It was called 'Jars Infamous Jokes.' It has been removed, but it was set up by physics students from the University of Sydney. I think it played mock homage to Jarrah as it linked a few web articles that did not exactly place him in good light. Maybe he is known to the Sydney physics student community. Has he been making a pest of himself I wonder? Has he been sitting in on lectures, and considers it a route to his BSc? After all, he follows Ralph Rene, an eminent self taught physicist himself. He mmight be studying units at diploma level. That is a possibility. Having said this, I have never heard of astrophysics being taught at diploma level. The plot thickens.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 8, 2011 17:50:19 GMT -4
I'm appalled at what they no longer teach in computer science and engineering curricula, my two primary fields. It's not that they're pushing older topics out of the way in order to make room for new thought. When I was studying as a graduate, my supervisor was the undergraduate admissions tutor. He explained to me how he had to fill 150 places. He had to get it correct to within 3 or 4 places over the quota, but no less (It was an odd equation which was related to government funding). The major headache for him was that he had in excess of 1000 applicants and each of them still had to sit their A-levels. The course offer was A-level AAB (A in physics, A in mathematics and B in another related subject). The problem came at interview. He explained that all applicants had to be predicted AAA or AAB at A-level to get an interview. Getting the 150 + 3-4 correct was a balancing act, but not that difficult. However, what made his equation very difficult was understanding the spread in mathematical ability. He had over 1000 applicants, all predicted A at A-level mathematics, but the spread in ability was difficult to understand. Once at university, he could have a student who passed A-level mathematics with an A grade, but was simply good at answering exam questions rather than being able to apply the concepts. The example he cited was that some successful candidates had problems with derivatives that were not expressed dy/dx. Give them i = dq/dt, or a = dv/dt and they were stumped. Quite simply, they were taught the language required to pass exams and not the concepts. I recall being taught basic matrix manipulation at the age of 11. By the time I studied A-level, matrices had been removed from the A-level syllabus. The syllabus has been further diluted since I passed my A-levels in 1989. Matrix algebra is central to modern physics. It is practically impossible to study quantum mechanics without using it, and advancing into the world of tensors without matrix algebra is impossible. A-level physics has taken a backward step in terms of mathematical rigour. Calculus is no longer a major constituent, and many derivations have been removed from the course. A fundamental part of physics at is developing the skill of moving from concept to theory via mathematical routes, and not simply manipulating equations given on data sheets. For example, once the step up to university is made, one needs to be able to take Schrodinger's equation and apply it to different problems. Once this step had been taken, one has a physicist that can apply models and begin to develop theories. Getting students used to these concepts at an early age is crucial to them maturing in their field. Clearly Jarrah White has an interest in science and technology, but it doesn't appear he has much aptitude for it. I would go one further and said that he has also demonstrated he does not have objectivity to study science. I guess that can be included as part of aptitude. During compulsory science education in the UK, children are taught to be objective about concepts. It is a key skill that is central to their examination. From my years in college teaching I can say that Jarrah strikes me as a "gunner." These are the students who are utterly convinced they already know the material and spend the class time arguing with the teacher rather than learning what the class has to offer. Ralph Rene did spring to mind when I heard about Jarrah and his BSc. Ralph claimed that he was always arguing with his teachers.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 7, 2011 18:18:04 GMT -4
Found this on the BBC site - sounds intriguing. www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14405122Could a Star Trek-style matter/antimatter propulsion system be a step closer? Not saying FTL but just the energy-production side. How you'd harvest and use the antiprotons would be an interesting problem, but stranger things have happened. That is an interesting article, thanks for posting. I can this being a new argument in the hoax theory. The Apollo craft would have been destroyed by anti-matter.Let's see if the crazies come up with this as a theory. It would not surprise me in the slightest.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 6, 2011 18:07:43 GMT -4
The Trojan was also reported by the BBC.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 6, 2011 8:45:44 GMT -4
If he spends tuition fees every year he should use it for more than just adding something extra to his MoonFaker extravaganza. I doubt he is studying at degree level. But that is for Jarrah to prove me wrong, and as I have said, if he is studying for a BSc then best of luck to him. I'd even offer to help him with his education. If he is bettering himself that way, then it is a good thing. I hope it gives him chance to see some of the errors with his arguments, and how real physicists approach the world. Given the 'conversations' I had with him about relativity, I doubt he has passed the entry requirements for degree. For example: In the UK, relativity is taught at pre-University physics level. To enter for a degree program, he would be conversant in the basic concepts of relativistic mechanics - not just quote some obscure forumlas. The last time I saw him comment about relativity, he had no clue. He even failed to understand that when Ralph Rene offered his critique of the Hafele and Keating experiment, Ralph spoke entirely in terms of special relativity. Jarrah argued that because Ralph has discussed general relativity in another chapter of his book, I was wrong to accuse Ralph of not discussing general relativity. He missed my point entirely. Whether Ralph devoted another chapter to general relativity in his book or not, Ralph failed to mention it in context of the Hafele and Keating experiment. Had Ralph Rene understood that Hafele and Keating measured the combined effects of special and general realtivity on their clocks, he might have understood Hafele and Keating's treatment of their data. Jarrah failed to follow that simple observation. I doubt he can be objective about anything, nor does he possess the comprehension skills to study at that level. I doubt he possesses the mathematical skills. As I said though, I might be wrong. I wish him luck if it is true. I'm sure his papers would be interesting though, quite a hoot. I wonder if he can work out percentages and count yet.
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Juno
Aug 5, 2011 15:04:32 GMT -4
Post by lukepemberton on Aug 5, 2011 15:04:32 GMT -4
Don't hold your breath, it'll take five years to get there. I know. It's unreal isn't it. I remember watching a documentary about Voyager 1, and how the research team turned Voyager back to face Earth - A blue dot millions of miles away. It really drives it home just what a small and insignificant part of the universe we are. Shame some can't appreciate the beauty that was achieved in 1969 and how we pushed our knowledge a little bit further. Sagan and the blue dot.
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Juno
Aug 5, 2011 13:54:16 GMT -4
Post by lukepemberton on Aug 5, 2011 13:54:16 GMT -4
Juno is on its way to Jupiter. Hope it all goes well. Should be an interesting missions and hopefully one that answers lots of questions about Jupiter. I've attached the YouTube link from the YT Juno channel showing the orbit to put Juno on a heading to Jupiter. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYp5p2oL51g&feature=related So much for FattyDash telling us that NASA cannot control a spaceshift in cislunar space eh?
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 5, 2011 11:47:13 GMT -4
Another putrid, stomach churning effort of false condolence from JW Studios. Jarrah did nothing more than to use Dr O'Leary to prop up his hateful and twisted obsession with Jay. If anything JW should be offering an apology for using Dr O'Leary's good name in vain, and not producing another nauseating, self promoting video. Utterly sickening and utterly inappropriate.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 5, 2011 3:58:39 GMT -4
That is very sad.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 4, 2011 19:33:13 GMT -4
Would the various spectra of space radiation, and the shielding therefrom, be in the curricula? Possibly not the shielding aspects, but it could depend on the nature of the course. Studying at that level though requires one to link concepts in physics and apply them across different fields. If he is studying astrophysics he should begin to apply new found knowledge and work out the errors of his claims. I doubt he will be able to approach it objectively though. Being taught a degree is not simply about massing knowledge, it is also about applying that knowledge and being able to examine it from a critical perspective. That is to say, understand the knowledge gaps and the limitations of evidence and theories. After all, physics only describes abstract models to describe the world we live in; and many of them have limits. What I find quite interesting is that he staunchly defended Ralph Rene's alternative science, yet he tells us he is pursuing a conventional taught course in astrophysics. I'm sure he'll be able to come up with some excuse that Ralph was correct, and we'll have the piece of paper to tell us that he has sufficient credentials to make that judgment. I really do hope this folds out, because it will get even more ridiculous than before.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 4, 2011 18:23:42 GMT -4
At what institution - Australian OU perhaps? I would have no idea. I have no reason to disbelieve him either. If he is studying for a BSc in Astrophysics, then good luck to him.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 4, 2011 17:54:05 GMT -4
Well, hopefully his professors will teach him the difference between leptons and baryons, and how they interact with matter.
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Post by lukepemberton on Aug 4, 2011 15:55:00 GMT -4
Well, according to his YouTube channel page he's earned a degee in Film and TV from the Sydney Institute of TAFE, and is currently reading for a BSc in Astrophysics.
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