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Post by suele on Apr 25, 2011 3:41:21 GMT -4
They then read a series of 17 statements describing well-known conspiracy theories and rated their plausibility on a 1-to-7 scale. They also rated the likelihood that, if they were in the shoes of the alleged conspirators, they would have taken part in the conspiracy. The researchers found that “personal willingness to engage in the conspiracies predicted endorsement of conspiracy theories.” So did a propensity to manipulate others for personal gain. The link is to a press article, not the actual study, so it's very possible tht the study says something quite different than what's in the article. Subject to that disclaimer, the above seems to find that two things are correlated, and then assign a causal relationship to them. Maybe the study has reasons to think that the causal direction is the one indicated, but that doesn't come through to me in the above. So they're asked whether conspiracies are plausible, and then asked whether they would have participated in them? If someone comes to you and says, "we're engaged in a sinister covert plot - are you in?", would you be likely to join if you found it very implausible, regardless of how Machiavellian you are? Some of these conspiracy people are paranoid to the extreme, too. I'd like to know what the actual question they were asked was. Maybe some of them indicate they'd take part, because they'd be afraid not to.
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Post by suele on Apr 25, 2011 2:56:15 GMT -4
I think that suggestion comes close to an insult to the men of the space program. Do you really think that a man who agreed to a) be the first to ride the largest, most powerful rocket ever built and b) be the first to leave low Earth orbit and fly all the way to the moon, trusting his return to Earth to the successful operation of the one engine on his spacecraft that could get him out of lunar orbit, would have the attitude of 'send someone first to check it's safe'? And here I thought the silliness would be coming from the hoax people. Very well: An Open Letter to Former Astronaut Frank Borman: Dear Colonel Borman: Recently, while engaged in the sort of lofty and elevated conversation that is typical of internet discussion boards, someone mentioned a rumour that you had been offered the opportunity to become the first person to set foot on the moon, but turned it down. I do not know whether there is any truth to this rumour or not, but that is not why I am writing you. In the same discussion, someone mentioned that the order in which the two astronauts step onto the moon was affected by the possibility of being eaten by moon monsters, and the need to make sure that, if the first astronaut out the door were eaten by moon monsters, the surviving astronaut would be capable of piloting the lunar landing craft back into lunar orbit for rendezvous and eventual return to earth. Still within the same discussion, I quoted the above comment, and suggested that perhaps it was the fear of being eaten by moon monsters that caused you to turn down the offer to be first on the moon. I hereby retract my comment, and apologize for in any way suggesting that it was fear of being eaten by moon monsters that prevented you from accepting the offer to be the first person on the moon (if the offer had actually been made). I am sure that at no point in your Apollo career did you in any way shirk from the ever present danger of being eaten by moon monsters, and regret ever having suggested otherwise. Having just asked for the great favour of your pardon for my unwarranted and unprovoked attack on your honour and courage, I hope I am not too audacious if I also ask for a small favour. Could you please join the internet discussion board, apollohoax.proboards.com, and inform Jason Thompson that there are no moon monsters, that all of the Apollo astronauts knew this, and that almost everyone knows that they knew this? If you are willing to indulge me on this matter, I should be most grateful. Thank you for listening, and I hope you accept my apology. Your Apollo flights have been a great inspiration to many, and I am sure I speak for us all when I say we are glad you were not eaten by moon monsters. Regards, Suele
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 11:57:51 GMT -4
What, with a .44 in hand? In Clint's voice? This guy does! More seriously, it is one of the few forums where you're not allowed to just throw out claims for some sort of conspiracy or non-mainstream science. If someone wants to argue such a thing then they're required to support their statements and to answer questions. Unlike youtube comments or other such beautiful meeting places on the Internet where one can just drone on and on and on uttering nonsense, while ignoring the voices of reason. Within what I would call the primary domain of the board, I'd say that's mostly true. But I also have to say, outside that domain, I'd change the "Unlike" above to "Like"
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 9:48:46 GMT -4
But being this is a .44 BAUT, the most powerful science and astronomy forum in the world I have noticed people there do talk like that!
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 5:02:21 GMT -4
After all, wasn't the LMP supposed to pilot the ascent? He needs to remain in the LM in case the CDR is eaten by Moon monsters. If the LMP was eaten by Moon monsters, who would fly the LM back to the CSM? If Borman was offered the job, maybe that's why he said no. He wanted to send someone else out first, to see if it was safe.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:29:10 GMT -4
Hi, I'm from England and I thought I would join here after speaking with Lunar Orbit on the HPANWO forum. I firmly believe man landed on the moon and find it curious as to how some people can't understand that. When I first came across people (only on the internet) who talked about a hoax, I had difficulty believeing they weren't joking. Still do, but if they are, some of them are carrying the joke way too far. Now addressing anyone who wants to answer: what is the track record of the board? Have many people been turned around on this one? I hope nobody has been turned around the wrong way.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:24:52 GMT -4
Hello Apollo people.
Haven't participated in this sort of board before, but I took the plunge and registered at several boards over the last few days. One crashed while I was registering, another popped up a message that said I wasn't welcome because I was a spammer (before I got a chance to say a word!), and yet another told me the staff had to approve my application, with this approval never arriving. So I am to be found at the only board that wants me.
I did create my own board at proboards, just to see how it works, not because I really wanted to run one.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:18:54 GMT -4
I can't agree with this one. Neither the problem nor the explanation above ever says anything about drawing random numbers from a uniform distribution.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:10:28 GMT -4
It more or less disappeared from under my feet as I was trying to register. I hope I'm not responsible Aha! The guilty party! Just kidding. BAUT just returned for me. I could try to register again, and see if the same thing happens.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:09:41 GMT -4
The only "information" I've come across on what happened was a bit incoherent, so I don't really know.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:07:50 GMT -4
And another one bites the dust! Sounds like the president of Yemen will be stepping down. The agreement includes immunity, but I think it might be wise to err on the side of caution, and get out of town any way - such immunity deals have been revoked.
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Post by suele on Apr 24, 2011 4:05:35 GMT -4
And you think that has never been done ;D I know it's been tried, I wasn't speaking hypothetically!
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Post by suele on Apr 23, 2011 16:33:40 GMT -4
They should have agreed on a solution They did I wouldn't worry too much. There will be two countries where there used to be one. This has happened around the world many times. Sometimes the divorce is chaotic and bloody (like the disintegration of Yugoslavia), but in this case, things were chaotic and bloody before the divorce. If this solves the problem that causes people there to want to fight each other, would that be a bad thing? Why should other Arab countries fear such a split? The problem for many African countries is that their borders were drawn up by European colonial powers with no regard for the cultural and tribal differences. Sudan is one such case. I can see why the rulers of those countries would be worried. The Kurdish case is the obvious example. One might think it is a good idea, but the people currently running the affected countries mostly do not. So I can get why they might not be real thrilled about having a precedent for partition based on ethnicity. Some of the Arab and other regional boundaries are quite arbitrary too, some were drawn by the European powers from the corpse of a dead empire. Parts of what are now Iraq would have been in Turkey instead if the founders of modern Turkey had managed to pull it off. Jordan is a contender for the title of most artificial country in that part of the world. I suppose if I were the rather well-placed president/king/whatever of one of these countries, any hint of instability or change might interfere with a pleasant night's sleep. Two long-entrenched northern African rulers deposed (and possibly in the scrubs), another struggling to keep his job, protests/riots in several other countries, still another country in the area partitioning along ethnic lines - I can understand how some of the regional rulers might be a bit worried right now.
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Post by suele on Apr 23, 2011 15:55:59 GMT -4
You old hippy you.
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Post by suele on Apr 23, 2011 15:53:58 GMT -4
It more or less disappeared from under my feet as I was trying to register. I hope I'm not responsible
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