On Thu, 18 Oct 2007, Terry Blanton wrote: > On 10/18/07, Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The cat is scratching to get out of Schrödinger's bag... > > I hope it is understood that I was not intending to be septical. I > was just describing how we built Faraday cages.
There's a big difference between "skeptic" and "scoffer." Try hard to be a skeptic, but avoid Scoffer-y. :) If I discover something weird and apparently inexplicable, first I'll look hard for mistakes, since perhaps the phenomenon has a conventional explanation. If I don't find errors any myself, then I go online and invite others to look for mistakes. Often the "Scoffers" are less valuable as critics, since they tend to concentrate on use of logical fallicies (rhetorical tricks) in an attempt to sway onlookers and make the claim appear disreputable. "Skeptics" will simply point out my mistakes, if any. Here's a couple of little-used words: Sophistry: use of fallicious arguments intended to confuse and deceive an audience. Floccinaucinihilipilificate: judge something as being without value. (((((((((((((((((( ( ( ( ( (O) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))) William J. Beaty SCIENCE HOBBYIST website billb at amasci com http://amasci.com EE/programmer/sci-exhibits amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair Seattle, WA 425-222-5066 unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci
