Phi for All

Cool. I do like your suggestion about editing the titles so people who aren't interested don't have to waste their time. I'll start doing that as soon as I identify the whisper tactics.

Thanks very much, but tbh, they practically write themselves. By the time the second guy posts, it's pretty obviously cheerleading, and cheerleaders are the meat and potatoes of comedy. liyon didn't post until yesterday, and I ran the IP addresses last night and discovered this, CaptainPanic. The vB system posts an edit note at the bottom of the post, and I put the reason there. I will start to edit the titles as well. Thanks for the suggestion. Been there, done that. I told you, it doesn't work, they continue to post, and create new accounts when we ban them. But sparfing seems to have gotten rid of those pesky La$ik spammers, so in true scientific tradition, we'll continue to explore what's working.

We get this type of thing so much that we had to develop a counterattack. Removing the posts doesn't work well, they just create more accounts. So we invented sparfing (spoof + morph = sparf). The staff edits the material now, revealing what they are attempting to do with their spamvertising (and poking some fun, I admit). It is hoped that these whisper campaigners will get the message that their message will be tampered with if they waste our time by posting it here.

Well, it seems that edwar.cole and liyon (how appropriate) are sock puppet accounts, trying to scam unwary scientists. But now their posts make sense.

The main difference is the observation, experimentation, and subsequent evidence accumulated by science compared to the "belief" of creationism. Evolution is a scientific theory, creationism is an idea. The two are not even remotely close to one another, theory and idea. Science doesn't rely on belief, but rather on evidence and testing, so it isn't subject to narrow-mindedness. A theory is NOT an idea. A theory has been tested and tested over time, and is capable of being wrong. Creationism can't say the same thing, since it can never be proven to be false. That's a tough concept but an important one. If evolution were refuted, science would be open to a better theory. Evolution isn't an idea. It's a theory. I'm going to keep saying this until you understand that it's not just something Darwin thought of and everyone else is too lazy to refute. There have been hundreds of thousands of people who have tried to refute evolution and they have never convinced a peer review. We have refuted the same creationist claims from virtually every creationist who has ever posted. The evidence is always ignored, and the creationists NEVER bother to read the links we supply, or even to take a biology course where evolution is explained. It IS identical. "Teach the controversy" is a well-known intelligent design slogan. I made a factual observation, no matter how much it might not be your intention.

You are successful at prolonging arguments. It would seem there isn't anyone here who doesn't believe that we descended from apes. Your other question, "What if we are missing something huge over this bickering?" is identical to a well-known creationist ploy, that of questioning one of the most well-founded, thoroughly researched scientific theories EVER, and then claiming there is a controversy. We aren't missing anything, because the "bickering" half of this "controversy" has nothing to back it up. In fact, the bickering half rarely even reads what the other half writes.

Nobel-track?! Holy spin, Batman! What a piercingly nebulous explanatory sound byte! How far down the line of possible science educations does this Nobel track go?

Rep+

This is why evolution gets misrepresented by those who misunderstand it.

Padren, do you mind if we sticky and close your OP for Pseudoscience & Speculation? I'd just copy it over and leave this thread here for comments. I agree with everyone, this is really funny.

This would be the best thing EVER. This site would suddenly be the focus of every scientist from JPL to CERN.

Bet you're wrong. I think it's great that your school system challenges 7-year-olds this way. Hey, for extra credit, teach your daughter this trick she can play on the teacher. Using the same cup (can't be clear glass), have your daughter place a coin under the cup on the table with her right hand. Then she tells the teacher that she can get the coin out from under the cup without touching the cup. In her left hand she will have an identical coin she's been hiding. She reaches under the table with her left hand, waves her right hand over the cup, and then brings her left hand out holding the other coin. The teacher is going to reach out and pick up the cup to prove the original coin is still there. As soon as this happens, your daughter picks up the original coin with her right hand and says, "See? I never touched the cup!"

Please explain what you're asking for in terms of the General Medicine subforum. Are you asking about prescription drugs or medical procedures that could affect your perceptions?

Trolling infraction issued.

Trolling infraction issued.

Your strawmen have become persistent, after you were verbally warned in another thread. Infraction issued.

Mistake #1: I said your arguments have been debunked, time and time again (please use the Search function to see the ground that's been covered ad infinauseum), not "You've been debunked". That would be an ad hominem argument and not very logical. Mistake #2: You think evolution says that humans are descended from modern apes or monkeys. In fact, it's well-established that modern apes share a common ancestor with modern humans. Exactly which ancestor is still to be established, something that makes science a bit more rigorous than religion on the subject. Mistake #3: Your logic has been replaced by faith in your beliefs. You argue from incredulity (the Twilight Zone comment), very shaky logic. You argue with Misleading Vividness (the alien comment), another logical fallacy. Again, this ground has been covered so many times here and I, for one, don't have the time to explain every instance of why a creationist (who won't bother to learn any decent science from an unbiased source) can't give a more plausible explanation for the biodiversity we observe on earth than evolution does. Just stop interjecting your poorly developed, illogical arguments into the mainstream, accepted science sub-fora. You have been told what the consequences are and frankly, I don't care how it offends you. You aren't important enough to me because of your intractable beliefs, and I'm probably the most tolerant Mod on the boards when it comes to the possibility of an unobservable higher power.

Facts would be a very good thing to post here. We would all be interested in seeing some facts (but please don't link us offsite to something you're promoting, that will just be deleted). How is this an example of a fact? I see the problem here. "Those that believe" are not using the scientific method to quantify their predictions about an observation. Moved to Speculations.

The bible is not a scientific reference. Please don't use it as such in the science subforums. And in this instance it's completely wrong. How would water remain liquid in space without an atmosphere to keep it from freezing? Clearly the earth was here before water accumulated on it. Knupfer, you offer no argument that hasn't been debunked thousands of times here in this forum. Everyone is tired of hearing the same junk from creationists, garbage that is distorted (like your misinterpretation of the Neanderthal DNA study), and arguments from incredulity with nothing but your religious beliefs as a foundation. There are other places for you, since you are unwilling to learn even the basics of evolution. If you continue to derail science threads with your faith-based "feelings", you will start accumulating infractions towards a banning. Go ahead and rant about persecution and censorship, as I said we've heard it all before. I don't expect you to change because what you believe is sacred to you, while science remains at least a little bit skeptical about everything.

Damn, you absolutely nailed it, ParanoiA. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Extremely well put.

We could do that. [elevator music] [/elevator music] Oh, that's not a suggestion, is it? You want to be responded to, I get it. I don't have the phenomenal cosmic powers of an admin, but I may be able to help. Either tell me what you need here in the thread, or PM me with the problem. I'll do my best.

Oh yeah, maverick. Named for a guy who refused to brand his cattle, so he could claim any cow that didn't have one was his by default. The Dems have done a pretty good job tying McCain to Bush, but why haven't they popped the maverick balloon by reminding everyone that Bush is the ultimate maverick? They seem stuck on the idea that McCain isn't a maverick because he voted along Bush lines so often. They need to start wearing these and agreeing that McCain is a maverick and Palin is a pitbull.

Hey, no fair! What was the last device? This one is obviously Sarah Palin's mock up of an ICBM launch button, the one she's been practicing with in her garage. Did you see how skinned up her knuckles were in the debate last night? :D

You're probably right, my friend, and if so, it was a classy move on Joe's part. Jumping all over it, even bringing it up tactfully, could have really blown up in his face. I guess they both showed some remarkable restraint when you think about it.

bombus, turn the fan to "low" before iNow comes home to find you on his computer. Less mess when the shit hits it.