I do not always agree with PG's essays, but this one is spot on. Identifying BS is the major task we all face, and having children is a big help - this has been supremely true in my own life. Granted, this does not solve specific problems, but it gives a sense of direction. Without it we are cannot see the forest for the trees.
If someone comes up with a better system, it will be adopted. It is very hard to determine who has the capacity to be a Professor. The current system works fine most of the time. It is true that crackpots get through on occasion, but the vast majority of professorial appointments are reasonable.
Furthermore, as the article itself notes, grade inflation and acceptance of cheating make the value of even the science degrees somewhat dubious. The general atmosphere of political correctness (often motivated by extreme leftist ideology) make this problem very acute.
The last tsar of Russia and his lot also practiced denial. The ensuing tragedy not only wiped them out, but also caused misery to countless people for almost a 100 years. Lets hope history won't repeat itself.
A good article, but the trend aiming at redefining admissions criteria to steer away from academic merit appears to have started somewhat earlier than mid 20th century. Already in the second decade of the 20th century measures were being put in place to reduce the rising proportion of Jews at top colleges. Of course not everyone wanted to look antisemitic, so various diversifying tactics were invented to somehow deal with the the fact that Jews seemed to be smarter.
Why the hell would you want a recyclable subway car? I can understand bottles or shopping bags - lots of which get thrown in the garbage daily. But subway cars? Are they supposed to like break and be replaced after a week of use? WTF?
He said that there is difference between being really good (most mortals can get there given the effort) and being a genius (for that you need to be a god).
This sounds plausible, but is quite naive really. We are talking about huge amounts of money which is at risk if the cat gets out of the bag. Please remember that these sleazebags also do everything to prevent raw data being available. They just want us to accept their "findings" and pocket the next multi-million dollar check.
"People are not really stupid, it is just that you know a lot more. Don’t let knowledge blind you."
No, you dumb fuck. You're the idiot who knows nothing apart from useless technobabble that nobody will care about in 100 years - sorry, that should probably be 10 years.
This is disgusting propaganda written either by morons or by corrupt individuals who deserve no space on HN. Go Google for Hal Lewis' resignation letter from the APS if you want a glipse of the truth on these matters.
This touches on an very important topic: the corruption of scientists (often "scientists") by funding. The corruption that lead to the "climate consensus" is now costing the world a LOT, and the green-industrial complex is not likely to rest on its laurels.
I am not a user of their software and I generally dislike their business practices, but I must say that for this response they deserve credit and respect.
There is also another aspect worth mentioning. A lot of effort world-wide goes into Global Warming Alarmism instead of fighting against real environmental atrocities. I understand why the financial industry and the green-industrial complex are doing this, but a lot of people concerned about the environment get GW bullshit fed to them and spend their energy on a wild goose chase while real environmental criminals have a free hand.
Yes and no - in those days they had no heating in winter, so people would "sleep with" one another just to keep warm. But it was considered rude to just snuggle up without asking. Of course sometimes this lead to considerable levels of intimacy.
It is not good at all - it asserts on the first page that evidence for global warming is piling up, which is just not true. It is more of the same politically motivated bullshit that the UN has been spreading.
Exactly right: the behaviour of the CRU is anti-scientific to the core. To deny access to data and the analysis on which their claims are made is the antithesis of science, it is more like religious zealotry in the worst sense of the phrase. This is the reason why climategate is a lot more than a media storm.
If I understand correctly this is clearly BS. If it weren't we'd have more painters like van Gogh or Picasso. Hard work is fine if you want to learn java or something like that, but where talent is needed - well, you need to be talented.
Definitely not - you misunderstood. The leaked emails and this story are just the beginning of the process of uncovering the greatest scam/racket in recent history. And I assure you Sir, that these Indian dudes are not the last to have their names dragged through the mud (and more, I expect). Too much public money and trust has been wasted by these shameless scoundrels.
Somewhat must have said this already, but what the heck, this is emotional stuff. The value of Google as a company rests on the trust we invest in it. I, among many I imagine, am much more confident today that they are worthy of it. Well done.
"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Regardless of everything else, the timeline Ron describes makes pretty sad reading. What amazes me always is that sleazy people seem to think the truth will never come out.