DDT causes polio???!? » « The spiders will feast tonight!

Avi Loeb is nuts

I’ve been watching the trainwreck named Avi Loeb for a while now, and it’s become obvious that he’s shredding his own reputation, that of Harvard astronomy, and of good science in general. He really ought to step down and retire to pursue his weird hobby — maybe he could get a special on Netflix? Anyway, Rebecca Watson summarized his current record for triumphant farts, and that’s a good thing, because I’m too tired of him to do it myself.

Hey, while I was thinking of YouTube, I figured maybe I’d do a livestream on Saturday afternoon. Would anyone be interested?

DDT causes polio???!? » « The spiders will feast tonight!

Comments

  1. Larry says

    How could trump pass over this man in filling the NASA administrator position instead of yet another billionaire who knows nothing of space science. Think of the new and exciting directions NASA could have gone!

  2. says

    nasa could redesign their spacesuits as silver lame with fishbowl helmets, send strong-jawed mans with pomaded hair to mack on those alien babes. what could go wrong?

  3. ducksmcclucken says

    Isn’t that his field of expertise? And she is actually the one who has nobleatitis?
    “The smartest people i know agree with me, the dumbest disagree”

  4. John Morales says

    ducksmcclucken, your inanity is remarkable, though not as much as its irrelevance.

    And she is actually the one who has nobleatitis?

    What was that about her titis? ;)

    (Way to attempt to try to dispute her!)

  5. Rob Grigjanis says

    ducksmcclucken @3: The 1% of climate scientists who disagree with anthropogenic climate change can claim expertise (if not honesty). So, if I accept the 99% consensus, am I infected with “nobleatitis”? And yes, I think my titis are nobler than Avi’s.

  6. ducksmcclucken says

    @4
    If it’s such a terrible way to dispute her? Where is the criticism of her way. I just did the same thing, except he’s an expert in the field and she’s a blogger.

  7. ducksmcclucken says

    @4 you can accept whatever you want, but don’t down play someone’s expertise in the field because you disagree with them and are not in that field of study.

  8. ducksmcclucken says

    I would venture to say 80% of this blog is pz talking outside his field of study. Keep the same energy across the board

  9. John Morales says

    The field of alien technology? Heh.

    Conflating his legitimate domain (astrophysics) with his speculative sideline (UFOlogy) isn’t the appeal to authority you think it is.

    Percival Lowell’s standing in astronomy didn’t make his “canals of Mars” any more credible than Loeb’s astrophysics credentials make his alien‑tech inferences credible.

    Wishful thinking all around. By you, as well.

  10. John Morales says

    I would venture to say 80% of this blog is pz talking outside his field of study.

    You would, would you? Under what conditions would you do so? :)

    Mate! You are out of your depth.

    PZ does not claim expertise about alien tech or propose fringe and silly pseudo-scientific theories.

    (A remarkably feeble attempted analogy, that is)

  11. ducksmcclucken says

    I’m not saying I agree with him, but blogger, in the field evolutionary biology posting a video of a person with a degree in communications about the qualifications of a person with degrees in Cosmology and astrophysics to speak about a phenomena is kinda hypocritical and laughable. You dint have to agree with him, but don’t don’t play his expertise because you disagree with him.

  12. John Morales says

    You’re still trying to appeal to his UFOlogical expertise?
    Remarkable.

    In passing, it’s either ‘a phenomenon’ or simply ‘phenomena’.

    (Out of your depth indeed!)

  13. Ridana says

    PZ is not publishing papers in sketchy journals outside his field of expertise. Loeb is, unless he has degrees in UFOlogy.

  14. Reginald Selkirk says

    @ duckschmuck

    I just did the same thing, except he’s an expert in the field and she’s a blogger.

    How can anyone be an expert on alien spacecraft? What are you using for a positive control?

  15. says

    The whine of kooks everywhere, all the time. You can’t argue the earth is spherical, unless you have a degree in flatearthology. You can’t argue against Noah’s Ark, unless you have a degree in ship engineering. You can’t argue about the silliness of thinking 3I/Atlas is is a alien space probe unless you’re an alien.

    ducksmcclucken, you impress me with the consistent stupidity of all of your takes. Fuck off.

  16. John Morales says

    [Anyway, Iain did it first]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_State_of_the_Art#Collection_Contents
    ↓
    “The State of the Art”. An original edition appeared in 1989 as a separate book (Mark V. Ziesing, ISBN 0-929480-06-6). The cover art was by Arnie Fenner, and a limited edition of 400 books in a slipcase appeared, signed by both artist and author.

    At 100 pages long, the title novella makes up the bulk of the book. The novella chronicles a Culture mission to Earth in the late 1970s, and also serves as a prequel of sorts to Use of Weapons by featuring two of that novel's characters, Diziet Sma and the drone Skaffen-Amtiskaw. Here, Sma argues for contact with Earth, to try to fix the mess the human species has made of it; another Culture citizen, Linter, goes native, choosing to renounce his Culture body enhancements so as to be more like the locals; and Li, who is a Star Trek fan, argues that the whole "incontestably neurotic and clinically insane species" should be eradicated with a micro black hole. The ship Arbitrary has ideas, and a sense of humour, of its own: "Also while I'd been away, the ship had sent a request on a postcard to the BBC's World Service, asking for 'Mr David Bowie's "Space Oddity" for the good ship Arbitrary and all who sail in her.' (This from a machine that could have swamped Earth's entire electro-magnetic spectrum with whatever the hell it wanted from somewhere beyond Betelgeuse.) It didn't get the request played. The ship thought this was hilarious."[3]

  20. John Morales says

    [To explain the joke, Rebecca clearly coins ‘Nobel-itis’, and thus ‘nobleatitis’ becomes informative]

  21. raven says

    Most real astrophysicists think Avi Loeb is an idiot.
    They don’t quite put it this way in public but that is what they mean.

    Google search:

    Astrophysicists generally view Avi Loeb’s theories about extraterrestrial technology (like ‘Oumuamua as alien tech) with skepticism, calling them sensational and lacking solid evidence, though some acknowledge his drive to explore radical ideas; most prefer natural explanations, criticizing his methods for bypassing rigorous peer review and potentially misleading the public, while Loeb argues for openness to extraordinary possibilities.

    Criticisms from the Scientific Community:
    Sensationalism: Many peers, like Steve Desch, find Loeb’s claims “ridiculous sensationalism” that overshadows serious scientific work, calling it a “breakdown of the peer review process”.

    What Avi Loeb’s wild claims lack is the slightest bit of data to support them.

    Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence
    If you are going to make wild claims, no one is going to take them seriously without a lot of data.

  22. StevoR says

    Hey, while I was thinking of YouTube, I figured maybe I’d do a livestream on Saturday afternoon. Would anyone be interested?

    Depends on what time it is happening in Aussie time..but yes. If its on when I can follow & participate.

  23. StevoR says

    @1. Larry : “How could trump pass over this man in filling the NASA administrator position instead of yet another billionaire who knows nothing of space science.”

    Guess that’s tongue incheek and you probly already know but Jared Isaacman is an astronaut who performed the first private EVA along with crewmate Sarah Gillis last year with Polaris Dawn. So he’s got direct relevant experience here. Actually, for a Trump nominee, Isaacman is, well better and more qualified and reasonable than almost all the others. Which is probly why Trump breifly rescinded his nomination..

    On May 31, Semafor reported that the White House had withdrawn Isaacman’s nomination.[10] Trump later stated that the withdrawal was due to Isaacman’s “prior associations”, referring to his past political donations to Democratic candidates.[46] According to The New York Times, Trump had been aware of those donations during his presidential transition.[47] A White House spokesperson defended the decision, stating that it was “essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda”. However Ars Technica reported that the withdrawal was a way to punish Elon Musk, as the decision came just days after he announced he would be pulling back from his role in the Trump Administration.[48] Axios corroborated this claim, adding that Trump advisor and Musk critic Sergio Gor was a major driving figure behind Isaacman’s rescinded nomination.

    Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Isaacman

    Of c, any Trump nominee is going to be pretty bad but Isaacman is, well definitely not as bad as could be here and we’ll have to take the best we can get given the alternatives.

  25. John Morales says

    [Linking to links, eh? So lazy! I have to click on that link to see to what you linked there.
    Tsk]

  26. Silentbob says

    Jared Isaacman is an astronaut who performed the first private EVA along with crewmate Sarah Gillis last year with Polaris Dawn. So he’s got direct relevant experience here.

    I honestly don’t know if one should laugh or cry at Stevo’s idea of the appropriate qualifications for NASA administrator here. X-D

    It’s like someone applying for head of the Federal Aviation Aministration and in their job interview they’re like, “Well no I know nothing about administration but I wing-walked on a biplane once”, and Stevo’s like HIRED!!!

  27. Silentbob says

    @ 25 John Morales

    Dickhead, the reason Stevo linked to a comment is there is more content in the “linked to comment” than just the link. Maybe use your noggin for once and try to understand what’s going on instead of just reflexively putting down everyone for everything.

  28. says

    Loeb is a good example of how the UFO fandom is more than willing to make arguments from authority when it suits them. “Avi Loeb is a Harvard scientist and you’re not, so he has to be right!” “The government is lying to us, except this random former Air Force Colonel, who says what we like so he has to be telling the truth, and he’s an Air Force Colonel!”

  29. birgerjohansson says

    John Morales @ 16
    I read that!
    I had stumbled over his The Player of Games – in retrospect it was not one of his best as I saw the twist coning a mile away, but it created a longing for more of his writings.

  30. StevoR says

    @ ^ Silentbob : “I honestly don’t know if one should laugh or cry at Stevo’s idea of the appropriate qualifications for NASA administrator here. “

    My choice – like I personally picked him? No – but Isaacman is the choice that we have and is better than other possbilities because Isaacman has been into space and has live dexperience and passion and vision even if we won’t agree on all parts of it. As opposed to others in Trump’s circle who are Flat Earthers and anti-Science as fuck. At least Isaacman knows the world is a sphereoid very closely approximating an actual sphere which is far more than some of Trump’s other choices can say! (Slight exaggeration maybe but only slight..)

    Also if you read the wikipage linked (which is kinda why I llink it at least one reason for it) you’d see Isaacman has founded and run a few different companies and therefore does have administration experience far beyond just walking on a biplane wing.

    @25. John Morales : “Linking to links, eh? So lazy! I have to click on that link to see to what you linked there.
    Tsk.”

    Oh noez!!!1ty!!!1! The horrible inconvenience of having a link provided to another link and having to click twice instead of once! Yeesh. If that’sthe worst you have toface inlie, well fuck me, you are a lucky, lucky lucky lucuucky bastard insteed!

    (Gets crucified upside down again..)

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