The Case of Bill Nye...

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[+3] - farmerman - 04/27/2017What is it about PBS that annoys the "super patriots"? Their show quality is among the best. They dont push crap science like the HISTORY CHANNEL, or the many DISCOVERY networks....
[+3] - farmerman - 04/27/2017 [b]quoting Pbfoot[/b] [quote] Bill Nye is emblematic of the shallowness of the American public in every field of knowledge these days[/quote] Whts funny is that this quote is by a guy who...

And not very convincingly

@Leadfoot,

Bill Nye was an engineer working for Boeing . Then he became a comedy stand-up.He was given the "Science Guy" title by a stage partner during his stand up years.
He doesnt "Pose" qs nything but an entertainer (who just happens to like science)

I think he's more qualified to discuss science topics reasonably than is your own "Dr Dino"

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@farmerman,

He's on the road now promo-ing his new show as well as the documentary about him. I've really enjoyed some of the interview shtick he's been doing on various CBC radio programs. He really is cracking funny at times.

I'm looking forward to seeing him at Hot Docs next week.

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Bill Nye is emblematic of the shallowness of the American public in every field of knowledge these days.

Seems like even the 'intellectuals' are losing it. I was listening to an NPR program on economics yesterday and the guest expert they had on was asked to explain the intricacies of compound interest because it was assumed that ordinary people aren't familiar with 'advanced topics' like that. Are they right or are they just in the habit of talking down to the little people?

Either way, it's depressing.

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@Leadfoot,

That's just how NPR rolls. They are the smartest people so they have to talk down to their audience because they know their level of intelligence is so far above anyone else's.

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@Leadfoot,

The only people "tlking down" are the ultra conservatives who deny everything factual and then use pejoratives like "cheese eaters" or "snowflakes"

Im a full hex cheesmatarian and am smart enough to recognize that PBS hardly even talks down to kids. If youd rather watch "ANCIENT ALIENS" and "MYSTERIES THAT NASA WONT TALK ABOUT"--(and make believe your being debriefed on science, ) please, carry on.

I heard a dumass lecture full of alf truths, downright lies and word games by Ted Nugent giving us his expert opinions about climate change. (It wasnt a TED talk because all the words were in 1 syllable and his phrases were preceeded by some bullshit "foreword").

I think I saw what may have been the same "compound interest" discussion, the actual point I saw was that, with the way compound interest works , with reinvestment is waaay better than these fixed annuities that , in order to protect the bottom of your portfolio, never allow you to reap the benefits of the top earnings. It was a use of simple phraseology in order to discuss risks/reward and ( i think) the overall genius of low fee index funds.

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@Leadfoot,

Quote:

Bill Nye is emblematic of the shallowness of the American public in every field of knowledge these days

Bill Nye never really pretended to be a scientist. Hes an entertainer. You guys are always shooting at the wrong targets.

I gotta admit though, its fun reading some a gunga and others posts. PS did they give gunga a time -out again with camlock/JTT??

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@farmerman,

farmerman wrote:

Bill Nye never really pretended to be a scientist. Hes an entertainer. You guys are always shooting at the wrong targets.

Being called "Bill Nye The Science Guy" would certainly lead one to believe that he is a scientist.

Some background on this pretend scientist...

He studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University (where he took an astronomy class taught by Carl Sagan) and graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering in 1977.

Quote:

After graduating from Cornell, Nye worked as an engineer for the Boeing Corporation and Sundstrand Data Control near Seattle. While at Boeing, he invented a hydraulic resonance suppressor tube used on 747 airplanes.

Quote:

In the early 2000's, Nye assisted in the development of a small sundial that was included in the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Known as MarsDial, it included small colored panels to provide a basis for color calibration in addition to helping keep track of time. From 2005 to 2010, Nye was the vice president of The Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars. He became the organization's second Executive Director in September 2010 when Louis Friedman stepped down.

In November 2010, Nye became the face of a new permanent exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. Bill Nye's Climate Lab features Nye as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station and invites visitors on an urgent mission to thwart climate change. Beginning with a view of Planet Earth from space, visitors explore air, water, and land galleries to discover how climate change affects Earth’s connected systems, and how to use the Sun, wind, land, and water to generate clean energy. In an interview about the exhibit, Nye said:

"Everything in the exhibit is geared to showing you that the size of the problem of climate change is big. Showing you a lot about energy use ... It's a huge opportunity ... We need young people, entrepreneurs, young inventors, young innovators to change the world."

I'd say his science credentials are valid.

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@McGentrix,

Just like "professor WErwin Corey" was a perfesser, and Dr J was a surgeon???

Can you unerstand that sometimes nmes are add ons (not only for wrestlers)

ACtually Bill Nye didnt choose the applellation himself. He was doing a comedy stand up with a co- comedian who, after being corrected by Nye on the pronunciation of some science word, his co- said something like"Who the hell do you think you are, Bill Nye the SCience Guy"?? So it just stuck.
Bill Maher dos comedy about evolution and climate change , So does Lewis Black (who one- lines it from a Jewish perspective)

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@McGentrix,

I never said anything about his science credentials, I sqid that he was a practicing design engineer with several patents. HOWEVER, his role as the science guy beqrs NO masses of special credentils in a lot of the stuff he entertains on.

Hes principally an entertainer, all you are doing is now making his positions in science entertainment more valid.I imagine his PE or MSE is no longer valid (usually around 12 credits a year CEU's can interfere with your down time).

So what dont you really like about him?? Does he lie? Or is it just politically inconvenient to begin practicing with an open mind?
When Nye debated Ken Hovind, I think he made his point all over Hovinds back.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Quote:

Bill Nye never really pretended to be a scientist. Hes an entertainer. You guys are always shooting at the wrong targets.

OK, who chose him to be the spokesman of that silly 'March For Science' thing. He sounds like he's pretending to be a scientist to me.

If you think he's entertaining/funny, well .... OK

My 'target' really wasn't Nye, it was the people who thought he represented science.

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@Leadfoot,

Hes been wrong several times and he wears the criticism quite nicely. He doesnt try to argue his "opinions into submission" like we do here.

I really dont think he was the "national leader" of the March for Science last weekend. I recall getting something from the NCSE a few months back but my neighbor and I already planned to go up up to Williamsport to do some fly fishing.

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@Leadfoot,

Leadfoot wrote:

Bill Nye is emblematic of the shallowness of the American public in every field of knowledge these days.

Seems like even the 'intellectuals' are losing it. I was listening to an NPR program on economics yesterday and the guest expert they had on was asked to explain the intricacies of compound interest because it was assumed that ordinary people aren't familiar with 'advanced topics' like that. Are they right or are they just in the habit of talking down to the little people?

Either way, it's depressing.

Ah...The wasteland that is NPR... Thankfully my tax $ aren't funding it anymore.

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@giujohn,

What is it about PBS that annoys the "super patriots"? Their show quality is among the best. They dont push crap science like the HISTORY CHANNEL, or the many DISCOVERY networks. Discovery presents programs that make the cases for aliens telling Hitlr ho to build rockwts, or building the pyramids and they call the crackpots who push this crap "ALien Technology Theorists" or maybe you just watch WWE.(PS Hitler copied American rocketry publications of the 1920;s by a guy named Robert Goddard. Our own government poo poo'd rocketry as mere "childrens toys")
I think its the Washington News in Review,or The BBC NEWS Tonight. Maybe its the NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT. Perhaps its accursed Arab cooking shows.

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@giujohn,

quoting Pbfoot

Quote:

Bill Nye is emblematic of the shallowness of the American public in every field of knowledge these days

Whts funny is that this quote is by a guy who claims Intelligent Design is evidence driven "science". Thats not shallow, its barely a coating

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Quote:

Whts funny is that this quote is by a guy who claims Intelligent Design is evidence driven "science". Thats not shallow, its barely a coating

As I have noted before, ID as presented by the Discovery Institute (not to be confused with the 'Discovery Channel' as you seemed to do earlier) is based completely on the same peer reviewed science that you advocate. DI does not pretend to do original research (that costs $^3), they just look at the data made available from valid research and make objective conclusions based on it. For an example, see my last post in "Why do people deny Evolution" thread.
If you have real criticisms of DI work, say them, instead of these false charges of being UFO Nuts and confusing them with 'Creationists'.

But back to the subject, you said PBS is among the best in science programming and I would agree (with rare exceptions). Isn't that sad?

It's hard to find science coverage that bridges the gulf between academic research & engineering and the grade school **** on mass media. When someone does try to bridge the gap as DI does, people like you shout them down as 'religious loonies' It's no wonder the public is so clueless about it.

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@farmerman,

You are right. I looked back and realize I should have been responding to Leadfoot. I think we look at Nye about the same way, though I probably have a looser definition of "scientist" than you do.

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@farmerman,

Bill was also on a Seattle local show called, Almost Live. If you weren't in the Washington area during the 80s and early 90s you wouldn't have seen it.

It was a sketch show similar to Saturday Night Live. Bill played several different characters that are cult classics such as Speed Walker. A superhero that would only walk fast to fight crime even though his targets would attempt to run a way he would eventually catch them.

He would also do science experiments that were over the top.

Then after Almost Live ended he did a kids focussed science show where he solidified the name. The show was pretty good, jammed full of science facts.

He is definately more of an entertainer than scientist but he is well spoken and takes the topic serious despite his comedic background.

1 Reply

@giujohn,

giujohn wrote:

Ah...The wasteland that is NPR... Thankfully my tax $ aren't funding it anymore.

There are plenty of local supporters who don't want your money. The less control over NPR the government has, the better.

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The Case of Bill Nye...

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