I’ve been thinking some more about Phil Plait’s “Don’t Be a Dick” speech from TAM8 and I keep coming back to what seems to be a bizarre demand from many people that Plait provide specific examples of dickery. Without that, they say, Plait was just attacking a straw man, and talking without evidence …...
I’ve just watched the video of Phil Plait’s “Don’t be a dick” talk at TAM8. This talk has spurred a lot of discussion and a lot of strong feelings around the place. It’s probably spurred varying degrees of reflection by sceptics on our own behaviour. Personally I know it’s made me think more about...
“Who’s the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?” - Obi Wan Kenobi, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope I bang on a lot about the importance of rationality, and critical thinking; not blindly accepting information as given, but checking it out first. However, there is a lot of information out...
Happy New Year/decade (ok, Dr Plait, I will give in … I’ll even give in to Erik Larsen’s demands we say “twenty-ten” if I get a flying car out of it). As well as New Year’s Day, today is Friday. It’s also a day off work. So I figured I might as...
