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::::::: [[User:Probrooks|Probrooks]] ([[User talk:Probrooks|talk]]) 01:18, 17 March 2017 (UTC) |
::::::: [[User:Probrooks|Probrooks]] ([[User talk:Probrooks|talk]]) 01:18, 17 March 2017 (UTC) |
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::::::::That is not accurate nor is that how science works. We could also say purple giant unicorns have not been discovered by science yet. Hm. [[User:Jytdog|Jytdog]] ([[User talk:Jytdog|talk]]) 04:42, 17 March 2017 (UTC) |
::::::::That is not accurate nor is that how science works. We could also say purple giant unicorns have not been discovered by science yet. Hm. [[User:Jytdog|Jytdog]] ([[User talk:Jytdog|talk]]) 04:42, 17 March 2017 (UTC) |
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::::::::: Yes, but in this instance there is a whole culture, a belief system and practise involving giant purple unicorns which is very sophisticated and in depth. This is not to do with science, but with objectivity and trying to communicate the giant purple unicorn culture, without negating it from the get go, just makes a lot of sense for an information article. Science isn't the end all and be all of determining what is true, unless you subscribe to scientism as a belief system. |
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::::::::: [[User:Probrooks|Probrooks]] ([[User talk:Probrooks|talk]]) 05:20, 17 March 2017 (UTC) |
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== Massive undue promotion of [[Edward J. Steele]] == |
== Massive undue promotion of [[Edward J. Steele]] == |
Revision as of 05:20, 17 March 2017
Fringe theories noticeboard - dealing with all sorts of pseudoscience | ||||
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My new favorite fringe theory ("Lunar wave proves the Moon is actually a HOLOGRAM")
My new favorite fringe theory: [1][2]
Also see: [3] --Guy Macon (talk) 07:11, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- Well that proves the moon landing hoax. I´ll update that article right away. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:15, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- Gosh, I must have been imagining all that moonbounce ham radio crap that I did years ago, or it's a pretty solid hologram.Roxy the dog. bark 11:11, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- It's real. It happens every time I plug in my hair drier, which must be on the same circuit as the hologram projector. Sorry about that. Sławomir Biały (talk) 13:09, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
What article are you discussing, or are you saying we need an article on this?Slatersteven (talk) 11:14, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- It's a fringe theory making the rounds of crank sites [4] and is fairly thriving on Youtube. It hasn't made it into any articles yet because there's no reliable sources for it. - LuckyLouie (talk) 13:57, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- Cnut the Great has a lot to answer for. -Roxy the dog. bark 13:59, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- So why are we talking about it then?Slatersteven (talk) 14:00, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- Because it brings a new paradigm. -Roxy the dog. bark 15:01, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
Can somone close this irrelevance it's not about the project, or how to improve it, and Wikipedia is not a forum.Slatersteven (talk) 15:05, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- This is the Fringe theories noticeboard. An editor alerting us to a brand new fringe theory is hardly irrelevant, even if we're having fun with it. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 15:13, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
- Unless you are tied to a chair with your eyes taped open, a monitor showing the Fringe theories Noticeboard in front of you and The Wikipedia Song blaring in the background, it would seem that you are capable of exercising your freedom of choice and not reading that which you dislike.
- If, on the other hand, you are tied to a chair, let me address your captors: First, keep up the good work. Second, please take away his keyboard. --Guy Macon (talk) 15:57, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- And I would ask you not to mock other users. It is against policy.Slatersteven (talk) 16:01, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- I apologize if you thought I was mocking you. That was not my intent. I was trying to convey, using some lighthearted humor, that posting multiple comments telling experienced Wikipedians not to discuss a new fringe theory on the fringe theories noticeboard might be seen by some as being disruptive and that a simple solution is to stop reading this section. As for the topic itself, it is a Good Thing for FTNB regulars to keep up with new fringe theories that are getting a lot of attention, and this one certainly is; do a Google search on [ moon hologram ]. --Guy Macon (talk) 16:14, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- And this is not about me, and you have put more effort into that de-rail then I did into asking why this is here.Slatersteven (talk) 16:23, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- Has the Wensleydale Theory been put to one side then? -Gromit the dog. bark 16:30, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- And this is not about me, and you have put more effort into that de-rail then I did into asking why this is here.Slatersteven (talk) 16:23, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- I apologize if you thought I was mocking you. That was not my intent. I was trying to convey, using some lighthearted humor, that posting multiple comments telling experienced Wikipedians not to discuss a new fringe theory on the fringe theories noticeboard might be seen by some as being disruptive and that a simple solution is to stop reading this section. As for the topic itself, it is a Good Thing for FTNB regulars to keep up with new fringe theories that are getting a lot of attention, and this one certainly is; do a Google search on [ moon hologram ]. --Guy Macon (talk) 16:14, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- And I would ask you not to mock other users. It is against policy.Slatersteven (talk) 16:01, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
The moon hologram theory reminds me of the theory that Bigfoots are actually inter-dimensional shape-shifters from an alternative universe that can warp in and out of physical reality. It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? The inconsistency of sightings, no bodies being found, etc.
The inventor of the theory, now sadly deceased, was extremely keen, in 2005-2006, to have it dominate the Bigfoot article. See also our article Jon-Erik Beckjord. Long time ago, but I see the paranormal theory, ascribed to "scientists", got an airing on the Bigfoot talkpage quite recently.[5]) Bishonen | talk 17:23, 25 February 2017 (UTC).
- "Bigfoots are actually inter-dimensional shape-shifters from an alternative universe that can warp in and out of physical reality"
- Never heard of that idea before. Shapeshifting is a widespead element in mythology and folklore. But I have seriously never seen the concept getting associated with alternative universes. We used to include this in a Wikipedia article? Dimadick (talk) 22:02, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
- @Dimadick: User:Beckjord used to try to include the notion in Bigfoot, without success. But it is in fact included in a Wikipedia article: Jon-Erik Beckjord. :-) I'm glad to think he would have been pleased. As an editor, he was, hmm, problematic, but also colorful and in a way charming. Bishonen | talk 23:34, 25 February 2017 (UTC).
- Why can't there be a little lightness of spirit every now and then. Laughter may=happy which often=productive. Just sayin'.(Littleolive oil (talk) 03:36, 26 February 2017 (UTC))
- Indentation suggests that's a reply to me. I don't understand. Bishonen | talk 11:08, 26 February 2017 (UTC).
- It was a general remark about the idea that this page should be used only for serious Wikipedia discussions and was not directed at you at all. I thought the non-serious discussion was a nice change from some of the stuff I see. I enjoyed it! Serious family issues - the almost loss of a new born baby in the family and his mother have me somewhat distracted; I missed your reply until today. Believe it or not I would never think of attacking anyone. If I get short its always because I've been attacked myself or see someone else being hurt, and finally lose patience. I'm not condoning my own loss of patience just mentioning this since you often seem to take me in a way that I am not , even remotely. All best wishes and I apologize if I seemed to be making a comment that felt like an attack.(Littleolive oil (talk) 05:14, 3 March 2017 (UTC))
- Indentation suggests that's a reply to me. I don't understand. Bishonen | talk 11:08, 26 February 2017 (UTC).
- Why can't there be a little lightness of spirit every now and then. Laughter may=happy which often=productive. Just sayin'.(Littleolive oil (talk) 03:36, 26 February 2017 (UTC))
- @Dimadick: User:Beckjord used to try to include the notion in Bigfoot, without success. But it is in fact included in a Wikipedia article: Jon-Erik Beckjord. :-) I'm glad to think he would have been pleased. As an editor, he was, hmm, problematic, but also colorful and in a way charming. Bishonen | talk 23:34, 25 February 2017 (UTC).
- Since shapeshifting has been brought up, it's worth mentioning that the popular British conspiracist David Icke continues to maintain that his evil shapeshifting reptilians live inside the Moon, which is an artificial satellite of their construction. This is the first time I've seen the hologram theory, however. How does this guy explain tides, if there is no Moon to exert gravitational pull? Also coming to mind is the same question I have for the chemtrail nutters -- why would they bother? Why would anyone go to the trouble of creating such a hologram? A related question: Since the Moon has been observed since antiquity, what was up there before holography was invented? DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 14:13, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
- According to the, er, theory, the moon is real when it's a new or quarter moon, but it's a hologram when it's 3/4 or full "so that the entities behind the hologram can work on projects without Earth knowing". Apparently a "research paper by Russian scientists" has totally confirmed it. - LuckyLouie (talk) 19:18, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
- Gotta love those wacky Russian scientists. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 19:27, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
- According to the, er, theory, the moon is real when it's a new or quarter moon, but it's a hologram when it's 3/4 or full "so that the entities behind the hologram can work on projects without Earth knowing". Apparently a "research paper by Russian scientists" has totally confirmed it. - LuckyLouie (talk) 19:18, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
just FYI. Jytdog (talk) 21:53, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
Chopra's latest book
- You Are The Universe (book) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
Could use eyes; not even sure it meets WP:NBOOK. Not sure that WP:NBOOK isn't another too-weak offshoot of WP:N esp. when it comes to fringe topics. Alexbrn (talk) 10:14, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- G11 speedied. -Roxy the dog. bark 10:42, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald *probably* pass the NBOOK threshold (I am not contesting the speedy due to the probably) being two non-trivial mentions. They are however local and as a result of his book tour to Florida. NBOOK itself is not actually that bad for fringe subjects as does tend to weed out the 'notable fringe' from the 'non-notable fringe'. Chopra is a big enough (and controversial enough) person that there will likely be enough coverage of his book to pass NBOOK. Only in death does duty end (talk) 10:53, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- You could be right, but I've chopped out the copyvio for good measure. -Roxy the dog. bark 12:35, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- Yes I'm sure it'll be notable in time, but whatever happens we don't want the kind of credulous puff-piece we had at the time I opened this section. Alexbrn (talk) 12:43, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- I realise it's been deleted, but I've always thought the Miami Herald was a local newspaper in the same way as the Chicago Tribune. Disclaimer - I worked for the city editor as a personal assistant for a few months in the early 60s, dealing with the cranks no one wanted to talk to, society women who wanted a big story, and even the state governor one day when no one wanted to talk to him! I spent the night in the office once in the middle of a hurricane, going outside during the eye of the storm to see the waves on Biscayne bay and the gas holders burning. Doug Weller talk 18:51, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- I would give the Miami Herald regard as being a "national newspaper" as well. And I think that maybe the fact that the book has debuted as #5 on the Publishers Weekly religion nonfiction list here might be of some significance as well. I don't know if it specifically notable just yet, but I have a feeling it probably is going to become notable given the sales. At least a few more book reviews seem likely to me anyway. John Carter (talk) 19:58, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- I realise it's been deleted, but I've always thought the Miami Herald was a local newspaper in the same way as the Chicago Tribune. Disclaimer - I worked for the city editor as a personal assistant for a few months in the early 60s, dealing with the cranks no one wanted to talk to, society women who wanted a big story, and even the state governor one day when no one wanted to talk to him! I spent the night in the office once in the middle of a hurricane, going outside during the eye of the storm to see the waves on Biscayne bay and the gas holders burning. Doug Weller talk 18:51, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
IP editor trying to insert some amateur's New Theory— something Babylonian, I gather. Of course it's self-published and nobody has ever heard of it. I may need help Supressing The Truth. Mangoe (talk) 15:38, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- If it's just an IP, revert and give a warning as a test edit. Itsmejudith (talk) 19:10, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- Unfortunately they're being persistent about pushing their POV. Mangoe (talk) 21:27, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- Needs admin action then. Itsmejudith (talk) 11:46, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- I don't think trying to insert some information twice and then going to the talk page to discuss it is accurately described as "being persistent about pushing their POV", nor does it require admin action. Just address the IP's arguments on the article talk page, and go to WP:DRR if that doesn't sove the problem. --Guy Macon (talk) 13:29, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- Needs admin action then. Itsmejudith (talk) 11:46, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- Unfortunately they're being persistent about pushing their POV. Mangoe (talk) 21:27, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
This is up for deletion on the position that the members are all hoaxes. There is sentiment towards a rename. Mangoe (talk) 21:28, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
- Note one of the articles in that category, Bourne stone, is especially in need of attention from representatives of the reality-based community. Shock Brigade Harvester Boris (talk) 02:04, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- I took a whole section out as it didn't seem to have any useful information, only overly-positive reports of improbable origins. Itsmejudith (talk) 11:53, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
here's an article that could use some independent eyes. Jytdog (talk) 02:00, 5 March 2017 (UTC)
- Expressions like "axed", calling my edits"bulls" and "problems" is actually explains your nature and ? place you come from! 74.70.146.1. I am asking you to show some courage and use your real account to do posts like this! Albicelestes (talk) 21:24, 6 March 2017 (UTC)
- Personal attacks and assuming bad faith. Yep, I was right. 74.70.146.1 (talk) 13:01, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
- Another angle: purely from the style, I cannot believe this article is not a copyvio. The style is smooth and sophisticated, and reads like an academic book, rather than a website. Anyway, googling phrases, I found a bewildering array of sites, and I'm unsure which of them are Wikipedia mirrors. (None acknowledge it.) This e-book, for instance, seems a likely candidate for lifting Wikipedia's text. Onlineappsfree.com claims the copyright: "All apps at Online Apps Free known as (www.onlineappsfree.com) are properties and copyright of each developer or owner." I'm embarrassed at being so bad at this, but could somebody smart take a look, please? Bishonen | talk 20:33, 7 March 2017 (UTC).
- I can't do much tonight but this might help. Doug Weller talk 21:14, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
- Doug Weller, Bishonen...Copyvio removed. this part it self is controversial, the editor shouldn't place it there easily! Albicelestes (talk) 16:49, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- Thanks, Albicelestes. Please note that when you remove copyvio, it's best to provide the URL to the site the text comes from in the edit summary. Bishonen | talk 18:23, 8 March 2017 (UTC).
Bovis scale I believe this article should be deleted, no reliable sources discuss the concept. 31.49.40.248 (talk) 11:56, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
- An article about a metric used in a no-longer-very-notable pseuudoscience? I agree. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 14:41, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
AAH again
I know the section for this is still open above, but I'd like to re-highlight Aquatic ape hypothesis (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views).
Currently the editors of the article include jps (talk) going against User:MjolnirPants (who is a self-admitted advocate, albeit relatively well-behaved), as well as three pro-fringe POV-warriors, one of which just expressed willingness to edit war over the article. 74.70.146.1 (talk) 22:10, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
- "Relatively" meaning "MjolnirPants thinks this hypothesis has gotten a bad rap, but still wants to see it documented like every other fringe theory and has been working as hard at that as any other anti-fringe editor at that page for the past week". But I appreciate the aspersions.
- Seriously though, more skeptical eyes on the article are always welcome. The article got re-written into a pro-AAH fluff piece over the course of several months, and while the most uncivil proponent has been sanctioned out of participation there, there are still editors who resist any attempt to bring it into line. Currently, there's a loose consensus that primary sources are okay in the section outlining the theory, but me and jps are of the opinion that the section is entirely too long and detailed. There's another loose consensus that the article is still a little too promotional, as well. There's an ongoing debate about what sorts of images are appropriate that I really think could use some outside opinions. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 22:33, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
- It's funny to see 74.70.146.1 (whoever this unnamed user is) labelling a relatively neutral editor as "advocate"...
- I think it's fair to treat the AAH article as a combination of two intermingled entities, one being the original Aquatic Ape by Hardy/Morgan which is still largely rejected and ignored by scientists, another being the recent reformulated the Waterside model(s), which have been slowly entering mainstream scientific discussions for some years. The issue is such paradoxical that while a large part of the article is rightfully dedicated to explain how fringe the topic is, there exists a whole "efforts" section showing the recent developments and the hard evidence obtained.
- I'd say that the "anti-fringe" or more neutral editors usually focus on the rejection, and the so called "pro-fringe" are more willing to show the scientific aspects. Due the abovementioned dual nature (AAH being marginally pseudoscience and legit science at the same time) we must pay extra care when assessing the article as too promotional or too conservative.
- As an example, many of the critics in Langdon 1997 have now become invalid or been refuted by later publications like Bender et al., this antiqued review is still prominently cited in the article. Or as a few editors pointed out, some portion of the article may be too relying on primary sources. The balance of due weight should be adjusted from both sides. Chakazul (talk) 04:06, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- I unwatched the article when it went from "utterly shit" to "somewhat shit". Like many fringe articles on topics with an entrenched fanbase I suspect that's the best Wikipedia will ever achieve. In my view all the primaries should go. On other fringe topics (e.g. stuff around Rudolf Steiner) ISTR arbcom ruled no primary source should be used for statements about the "fringe theory" and expert secondaries should be used instead. This is general good practice anyway, and I think should be applied to AAH - but too many editors are in love with making Wikipedia a secondary source I think. Alexbrn (talk) 08:51, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- It is indeed peculiar that the proponents want to cite chapter and verse from articles that are of oblique importance to describing "AAH". Meanwhile we have an article which meanders about in its description and never makes any substantive claims. This is how the scientifically-minded supporters of AAH would have it (and I've seen this kind of fringe promotional behavior before). The idea is that if you are vague and never directly make any claims about what should be discovered you can putter your hypothesis along until forever without the need to worry about falsification. The people claiming that anthropology will somehow incorporate the legitimate aspects (what those aspects are specifically can never be identified) into the mainstream have yet to explain how these are at all related to AAH as an idea. The "pseudoscientific" AAH is at least possible to follow. The "scientific" version is whatever you want it to be, apparently. Perfectly impossible to write a WP article on that. jps (talk) 10:45, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- I unwatched the article when it went from "utterly shit" to "somewhat shit". Like many fringe articles on topics with an entrenched fanbase I suspect that's the best Wikipedia will ever achieve. In my view all the primaries should go. On other fringe topics (e.g. stuff around Rudolf Steiner) ISTR arbcom ruled no primary source should be used for statements about the "fringe theory" and expert secondaries should be used instead. This is general good practice anyway, and I think should be applied to AAH - but too many editors are in love with making Wikipedia a secondary source I think. Alexbrn (talk) 08:51, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- @Chakazul:
As an example, many of the critics in Langdon 1997 have now become invalid or been refuted by later publications like Bender et al., this antiqued review is still prominently cited in the article.
As far as I know, Langdon published the only comprehensive review of the theory. Regardless of the merits, or lack thereof, of his critiques, his review is a prominent feature of the subject and deserves significant weight. - @9SGjOSfyHJaQVsEmy9NS:
Meanwhile we have an article which meanders about in its description and never makes any substantive claims.
I think focusing on cleaning up the Efforts made to test hypotheses section will correct that. As things sit, that section doesn't even address the heading, but instead documents attempts by the handful of proponents of this hypothesis to argue for it. I'm of the opinion that the entire section needs to go, though if we trim it down and point out some of the evidence that's been cited in the RSes as not supporting the AAH, that might make the section workable. I've already trimmed down the section describing the hypothesis, so that it is just a list of specific claims. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:38, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- It's not clear to me which "legitimate aspects" are being referred to here. The hypothesis is fundamentally flawed, because you would have to explain why those hominid characteristics that supposedly evolved in response to an aquatic environment persisted after the hominids left the aquatic environment. And if you could do that, you'd be demonstrating that they would have evolved anyway -- so why postulate an aquatic interlude in the first place? Mainstream anthropology is never going to "incorporate" any "legitimate aspects" -- there are none to incorporate. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 20:23, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- I can't speak for others, but the only "legitimate aspects" I am aware of is the fact that a small number of anthropologists have posited hypotheses functionally similar (or even identical) to arguments used by Morgan and Hardy (the two primary originators of the hypothesis). ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:44, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- Perhaps I missed it, but I don't see any examples of that in the article. I'm aware that a few academic anthropologists have written about the possible effects of water on human evolution, if that's what you mean -- but they are always very careful to distance themselves from any association with the AAT. AAT is one of those theories that sounds kind of plausible, until you take Anthropology 101 and realize that it makes no sense. (As I'm sure you know, Hardy was a marine biologist, and Morgan has no formal scientific training at all.) DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 02:39, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- The "legitimate aspects" I spoke of is a loose collection of scientific works, mostly outside anthropology. They may have no relation to AAH in the beginning, for example there's some 20 years worth of acadmic literature on human's need of DHA, iodine etc, published in major journals in nutritional science without a single mention of Hardy or Morgan. After the researchers found their body of works scientifically sound and well received, or happened to notice a similarity between their results and something in AAH, they may choose to acknowledge Hardy/Morgan's thesis as an equivalent or a foundation of their work, and explicitly do so in published RS. These criteria -- solid research + explicit reference -- are mandatory in considerations here. In contrast, some may say the Coastal Migration Theory supports AAH, but since no one ever claimed a linkage, it should not be included.
- These legitimate aspects include (counting as many as I know): modern diving physiology and behavior (Schagatay et al.), bipedalism (Niemitz), aquatic nutrition (Cunnane, Crowford et al.), aquatic resources exploitation (Steward, Joordens, Erlandson, etc), water birth (Odent), and a few phenomena like vernix caseosa and auditory exostosis.
- I notice that virtually no criticism of AAH mentioned these aspects. Whether they chose to ignore them for some reason or tacitly admitted that they are genuine and solid (thus nothing to criticize) I couldn't know. But a consequence is that they are largely unknown to the general public and the anthropological circle, despite their importance in testing or even supporting the AAH. I think it's fair to give them due weight in the AAH article, especially after Attenborough's extensive review last year. Chakazul (talk) 04:06, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- This is exactly the kind of argument I'm referring to above. The nutrition argument is a really strange one because the obvious question is what aspects in particular are AAH-related? I don't think any of the WP:MAINSTREAM nutrition articles are making claims about specific evolutionary pressure coming from aquatic pasts, but I have seen some WP:FRINGE nutrition articles make that claim (in a "evolutionary fetishization" fashion that is much maligned in academia -- compare evolutionary psychology). The references you include are to a lot of AAH proponents, but the works are so vague and poorly cited as to not really serve the purpose being claimed. Some of the claims (e.g. those associated with water birth) are themselves fringe, so we're really running down blind alleys chasing ideas outside the academic mainstream here). To claim that these ideas are not fringe seems to be the game, but in spite of the publications (some of which are in poorly vetted journals, I might add), there is no real WP:FRIND evaluative work to point to other than dismissal. The best we can do is find criticisms of the entire field using the point that AAH is no worse than the "standard explanations". But this doesn't inoculate AAH from the criticisms that are leveled against it, even though it is unfair that similar criticisms haven't been leveled against other equally problematic arguments. jps (talk) 15:42, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- If you think the nutrition argument is fringe, you may wish to refer to special issues in Journal of Human Evolution[6] and Quaternary International[7] dedicated to this topic. I hope you're not accusing them as fringe journals promoting "evolutionary fetishization". As said above, the idea of freshwater/marine diet as a driving force is based on a long tradition of solid research published in peer-reviewed journals. We know the mainstream is land-based meat eating, yet aquatic diet is a major topic in human evolution and archaeology, not marginalized small talk.
- Indeed the water birth argument is the weakest among the "legitimate aspects", so it's aptly excluded from the article. The practice of water birth is itself controversial within medical science, nonetheless the recent large scale reviews showed that it is at least safe and beneficial to mothers and encouraged more investigations in this phenomenon.
- These aspects, as legitimate as they may be, will not have much coverage in general topic articles per WP:ONEWAY, but I argue they are rightly represented in the current AAH article wrt their notability and relevance. Chakazul (talk) 04:11, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Again, I think you are finding favor with speculation that is obviously evolution fetishization. That humans require certain nutrients that are abundant in seafood does not mean that humans evolved as sea-dependent beings. In fact, it's obvious that causation could be exactly backwards! If you want these topics represented in AAH (and right now, we're staring down the barrel of a gun that is about to gut a lot of this per WP:OR, you're going to need to find a good analysis that connects these ideas to AAH. I'm not finding much in the way of that in either the text itself, the sources you are identifying, or much more. In short, it looks like the pseudoscience is more notable than this accommodationist stance. jps (talk) 13:31, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- This is exactly the kind of argument I'm referring to above. The nutrition argument is a really strange one because the obvious question is what aspects in particular are AAH-related? I don't think any of the WP:MAINSTREAM nutrition articles are making claims about specific evolutionary pressure coming from aquatic pasts, but I have seen some WP:FRINGE nutrition articles make that claim (in a "evolutionary fetishization" fashion that is much maligned in academia -- compare evolutionary psychology). The references you include are to a lot of AAH proponents, but the works are so vague and poorly cited as to not really serve the purpose being claimed. Some of the claims (e.g. those associated with water birth) are themselves fringe, so we're really running down blind alleys chasing ideas outside the academic mainstream here). To claim that these ideas are not fringe seems to be the game, but in spite of the publications (some of which are in poorly vetted journals, I might add), there is no real WP:FRIND evaluative work to point to other than dismissal. The best we can do is find criticisms of the entire field using the point that AAH is no worse than the "standard explanations". But this doesn't inoculate AAH from the criticisms that are leveled against it, even though it is unfair that similar criticisms haven't been leveled against other equally problematic arguments. jps (talk) 15:42, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- @DoctorJoeE: I had removed some references to the exact phenomenon you described not too long after making that comment, because the article presented them as "testing" the AAH, and all they did was review evidence and propose hypotheses. But yes, your description of what other anthropologists have done is highly accurate. The notion that humans spent hundreds of thousands of years (the minimum time necessary for the pressures of natural selection to make an impact) living almost exclusively on the coasts and spending much of their time in the water is very much at odds with the available evidence. Not to mention the fact that in the hundreds of thousands of years since, we haven't lost any of those traits as you previously pointed out. (Note that I consider myself a "pro-AAH type with strong skeptical principles" because I think those anthropologists who have proposed similar hypotheses with smaller scopes might be on to something, not because I believe the AAH is whole Truth.) ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 14:22, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- Fair enough -- it's also probably worth noting the total absence (at least to date) of any sort of supporting physical evidence in the fossil record. And as an aside, I can't think of a single case where an entire body of scientific research has been shown to be fundamentally wrong by people who lack expertise in that field. Not that it couldn't happen, of course -- but to my knowledge it never has.DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 19:09, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- I think I've explained ad nauseam that there're now ample archaeological and genetic evidence of almost exclusive coastal subsistence in human past, not in the Miocene that Hardy/Morgan have guessed (they're wrong in the timeline!), but in the Pleistocene-Holocene South African and Indo-Pacific coastlines, which is compatible with the Waterside model about coastal diet. Why still repeating "the total absence of evidence" is beyond my grasp... Chakazul (talk) 04:53, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Fair enough -- it's also probably worth noting the total absence (at least to date) of any sort of supporting physical evidence in the fossil record. And as an aside, I can't think of a single case where an entire body of scientific research has been shown to be fundamentally wrong by people who lack expertise in that field. Not that it couldn't happen, of course -- but to my knowledge it never has.DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 19:09, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- Perhaps I missed it, but I don't see any examples of that in the article. I'm aware that a few academic anthropologists have written about the possible effects of water on human evolution, if that's what you mean -- but they are always very careful to distance themselves from any association with the AAT. AAT is one of those theories that sounds kind of plausible, until you take Anthropology 101 and realize that it makes no sense. (As I'm sure you know, Hardy was a marine biologist, and Morgan has no formal scientific training at all.) DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 02:39, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- I can't speak for others, but the only "legitimate aspects" I am aware of is the fact that a small number of anthropologists have posited hypotheses functionally similar (or even identical) to arguments used by Morgan and Hardy (the two primary originators of the hypothesis). ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 20:44, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
- It's not clear to me which "legitimate aspects" are being referred to here. The hypothesis is fundamentally flawed, because you would have to explain why those hominid characteristics that supposedly evolved in response to an aquatic environment persisted after the hominids left the aquatic environment. And if you could do that, you'd be demonstrating that they would have evolved anyway -- so why postulate an aquatic interlude in the first place? Mainstream anthropology is never going to "incorporate" any "legitimate aspects" -- there are none to incorporate. DoctorJoeE review transgressions/talk to me! 20:23, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
The existence of a human settlements that ate seafood along the coast is hardly evidence of "almost exclusive coastal subsistence". It's unclear to me how you can make that claim with a straight face. jps (talk) 11:18, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- It's more than just existence of coastal settlements, but
Everyone alive today is descended from a group of people from a single region who survived this catastrophe. The southern coast of Africa would have been one of the few spots where humans could survive during this climate crisis because it harbors an abundance of shellfish and edible plants. -- Curtis Marean[8]
- Also, one version of the coastal migration theory is that
mitochondrial DNA variation in isolated "relict" populations in southeast Asia supports the view that there was only a single dispersal from Africa, most likely via a southern coastal route, through India and onward into southeast Asia and Australasia. -- Vincent Macaulay et al.
- That's how some scientists (not necessary pro-AAH) proposed an "almost exclusive coastal subsistence" in early Homo sapiens. Chakazul (talk) 12:47, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- That's pretty far-afield from the AAH claims of persistent adaptationist proposals (which, if I understand AAH correctly, is the meat of the point). If people evacuate through the coast, that does not mean that they developed at the coast. And the fact that this particular migration theory is only one possibility reminds me of the "coherent catastrophism" claims of certain neo-Velikovskians who proposed that comets colliding with Earth at the KT extinction event were somehow confirmations of their ideas. jps (talk) 13:15, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- But this is nothing like the obvious pseudoscience of Velikovsky. I'm no biologist (neither are you, jps) but this is also a topic in the history and the sociology of science. Clearly there are versions of this hypothesis that are not within the scientific mainstream, and we need to make that clear, which the article already does, to my reading. But there is also a less visible and more recent strand, in perfectly mainstream biology, that does not necessarily address the issue directly, and certainly does not vindicate all the claims made by the original proponents, but is rather more sympathetic. There has to be room for speculation in research into the origins of humans. One thing that distinguishes this hypothesis from most of the pseudoscience we have to deal with is that it doesn't have to be an either/or. Hominids obviously had to be near some water sometimes - how near how much water for how long can be a matter for empirical research. Itsmejudith (talk) 16:08, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- That's kinda my point, Itsmejudith. Check out the Clube and Napier stuff for the phenomenon I'm describing vis-a-vis Velikovsky (you won't find a Wikipedia article on coherent catastrophism for the same reason you won't find an article on rehabilitated AAH). The story is that you have a rejected hypothesis for decades. Some people who are vaguely supportive of it find common-cause with others who come at certain ideas from other angles. Rinse. Repeat. The issue really is that the pseudoscience is hard to sift out. This isn't all the AAH-proponents' fault. There is a lot of just-so stories that float around as Daniel Dennett points out. AAH is really no better nor worse than them, but it is unmistakeable that there are "evidence" claims that are just bogus. Sadly, those claims tend to get a lot of the WP:FRIND coverage. jps (talk) 01:08, 11 March 2017 (UTC)
- Whether the recent coastal settlements & migration theories could become "evidence" for AAH remains to be seen. Adherents tend to be optimistic and critics tend to be skeptic, but the truth is simply, we don't know. A paleo human living near the coastline could be avoiding water altogether or dipping in the sea whole day. One thing for sure is, if we judge the usefulness and probability of an evolutionary scenario by the current mainstream models of paleo-environments -- e.g. mosaic habitat (including water elements) for early hominins, coastal habitat for early Homo sapiens -- parts of the AAH have been upgraded from 0% worthiness to becoming vibrant research topics. From the standpoint of WP, this article is more like recording science in progress than describing a dead archaic theory. Chakazul (talk) 03:33, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- We never really know anything as per WP:CRYSTAL. What is important to do is to only connect ideas to AAH which have been specifically described as connected by WP:FRIND-sources. There is still some work to be done in that regard in our article. jps (talk) 14:02, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- Whether the recent coastal settlements & migration theories could become "evidence" for AAH remains to be seen. Adherents tend to be optimistic and critics tend to be skeptic, but the truth is simply, we don't know. A paleo human living near the coastline could be avoiding water altogether or dipping in the sea whole day. One thing for sure is, if we judge the usefulness and probability of an evolutionary scenario by the current mainstream models of paleo-environments -- e.g. mosaic habitat (including water elements) for early hominins, coastal habitat for early Homo sapiens -- parts of the AAH have been upgraded from 0% worthiness to becoming vibrant research topics. From the standpoint of WP, this article is more like recording science in progress than describing a dead archaic theory. Chakazul (talk) 03:33, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- That's kinda my point, Itsmejudith. Check out the Clube and Napier stuff for the phenomenon I'm describing vis-a-vis Velikovsky (you won't find a Wikipedia article on coherent catastrophism for the same reason you won't find an article on rehabilitated AAH). The story is that you have a rejected hypothesis for decades. Some people who are vaguely supportive of it find common-cause with others who come at certain ideas from other angles. Rinse. Repeat. The issue really is that the pseudoscience is hard to sift out. This isn't all the AAH-proponents' fault. There is a lot of just-so stories that float around as Daniel Dennett points out. AAH is really no better nor worse than them, but it is unmistakeable that there are "evidence" claims that are just bogus. Sadly, those claims tend to get a lot of the WP:FRIND coverage. jps (talk) 01:08, 11 March 2017 (UTC)
- I think it would help to refer more often to the distinctions that ArbCom made between different kinds of fringe. This could be "questionable science". I agree that sometimes people who are out-and-out proponents of a fringe theory take heart from scientists who have a completely different approach, and then they can use that to defend their position on Wikipedia, and yes, that's annoying. There can also be a problem when scientists are frightened away from a whole area, so much so that the fringe stuff doesn't even get debunked. Anyway, I find the article in its present state quite informative. It doesn't make me any more or less sympathetic to AAH. Itsmejudith (talk) 14:08, 12 March 2017 (UTC)
- I'm not a particular fan of the arbcomm demarcation as I think it presents a false dichotomy (or really trichotomy). It is possible to have mixtures of all these ideas. There are people who believe in AAH-like ideas doing fine scientific studies. Most of what makes the studies fine is that they are not agenda-driven. The problem that the article currently has is contained in the final section where a lot of the research is being described without much referent to the topic. Still a lot of work to be done there. jps (talk) 14:02, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- But this is nothing like the obvious pseudoscience of Velikovsky. I'm no biologist (neither are you, jps) but this is also a topic in the history and the sociology of science. Clearly there are versions of this hypothesis that are not within the scientific mainstream, and we need to make that clear, which the article already does, to my reading. But there is also a less visible and more recent strand, in perfectly mainstream biology, that does not necessarily address the issue directly, and certainly does not vindicate all the claims made by the original proponents, but is rather more sympathetic. There has to be room for speculation in research into the origins of humans. One thing that distinguishes this hypothesis from most of the pseudoscience we have to deal with is that it doesn't have to be an either/or. Hominids obviously had to be near some water sometimes - how near how much water for how long can be a matter for empirical research. Itsmejudith (talk) 16:08, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- That's pretty far-afield from the AAH claims of persistent adaptationist proposals (which, if I understand AAH correctly, is the meat of the point). If people evacuate through the coast, that does not mean that they developed at the coast. And the fact that this particular migration theory is only one possibility reminds me of the "coherent catastrophism" claims of certain neo-Velikovskians who proposed that comets colliding with Earth at the KT extinction event were somehow confirmations of their ideas. jps (talk) 13:15, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
Aiud object (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
An aluminum object (greatly resembling a tooth from an construction excavator bucket) found buried near mastodon bones is said by Romanian websites to be millions of years old, a mystery, and/or from aliens. Other sources include bloggers, out-of-date Romanian UFO print magazines, and The Daily Mail. Now up for deletion, but some may have other opinions and insights. - LuckyLouie (talk) 13:10, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
Persistent crank in Guernsey (185.3.100.0/24)
I would normally just report this over on the AIV board, but under their rules I think it would be denied. (It's not "pure" vandalism, and it's impossible to properly warn this person because they change IPs all the time). Maybe someone more experienced than I in admin requests can suggest a way to request an appropriate IP range block to get this person's attention.
In cleaning up some vandalism on my watchlist, I noticed today there is an IP range from an ISP on the island of Guernsey (off the coast of France in the English Channel) that is quite persistently adding fringe material to numerous different articles.
From writing style and interests it's clearly the same person, though there are other edits from the same range that may well be from different users. This person is very interested in psychokinesis (PK), Potassium-40 (and it's use in PK & other stuff), warp drives and various physics fringe theories, time travel, superconductors and occasionally UFOs. They usually post long paragraphs of material that is completely unreferenced, and therefore quickly reverted.
Here are examples of recent diffs of recent fringe-relevant edits from different IPs in this range, I believe all of these have been reverted already (not all by me): [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
Based on writing style the same person often posts obscure trivia to electronics technology articles, again totally unsourced except for occasional mentions of someone named "A De Guerin". Here are a couple of those diffs: [16] [17]
Anyway, just wanted to give everyone a heads up if you are reverting stuff from an IP in the range 185.3.100.0 to 185.3.100.255, it might be this same person.
If someone knows the correct way to suggest a light temporary range block to get this person's attention, please chime in. I know how to report at WP:AIV but my experience is the admins there are looking for cut-and-dried cases of teenagers with spray paint type vandalism, and this doesn't really fit the mold. --Krelnik (talk) 21:23, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- I'll take a look and see if it's appropriate to block it. A /24 is a delightfully small range. Bishonen | talk 22:34, 9 March 2017 (UTC).
- Oh cool, thanks. Just an update... I found a different lone IP 80.73.216.108 (also in Guernsey) and a user Conundrum1947 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). They definitely share writing style, choice of topics and the attributions to "de Guerin" with the above IP range. Interestingly, the user created a hoax article about a joint US/UK government spy base in Aristarchus (crater) that was speedy deleted for being a hoax in September 2016. The user hasn't been active since near as I can tell. I've done some reverting of some of the blatantly unsourced additions to tech articles. --Krelnik (talk) 22:46, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
- Wow, that's a busy /24 range — see contributions for February and March here. I should think it's all one person, but some of it may be ordinary technical edits, of a kind I'm not good with. (Like, computers.) Do you see anything of such a nature in the range contributions, Krelnik? I see you tried to talk to the latest IP here, which is good. They haven't been back since, though, in any incarnation. If you check out the range contributions from X's tools, do you think you have warned any of them sharply? I wish the list contained links to their talkpages — then I could easily see for myself which of them have been spoken to — but unfortunately it doesn't. I hesitate to block the range if none of the IPs have received a sharp warning — an actual block warning, as opposed to your nice template to 185.3.100.55 (which was good for a first warning, but still). 185.3.100.35 has received several warnings, but they're all very kind and sweet. Of course I'm aware of the difficulties that all the evanescent talkpages create.
- Oh dear... I was just going to post the above, but I see you have more info. I recognize the name De-Guerin, that 80.73.216.108 used, from the /24 range. Uh, have you been able to read the deleted hoax article, Aristarchus Base, since you know what it was about? Anyway, neither 80.73.216.108 nor Conundrum1947 have edited for many months, so we'd probably better concentrate on the /24 range. I'm going to bed right now (timezone thing), but I'll check back tomorrow. Bishonen | talk 23:21, 9 March 2017 (UTC).
- No, I didn't see the whole deleted article, but I found one place where he wikilinked to it and the lede sentence of it is still in Google if you google the name of the article: "Luna Base is a formerly secret joint GCHQ/NSA unmanned facility maintained on the Moon, located in the crater Aristarchus. It consists of various surveillance ..." --Krelnik (talk) 00:52, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- I see. Yes, a hoax indeed, but I presume a good-faith effort by the user, who refers to this article as their source. I think that profile — both the good faith, and the crank content — strengthens your idea that it's the same person as the /24 range. So, have you had a chance to take a look at the range contributions, and evaluate whether there are some "normal" technical edits, and whether you have warned any of them more strongly? Of course I'm not asking you look at all the edits the range contributions tool shows! But my thinking is you may be able to run your eye down the list and get ideas about both my questions, as the list shows the article names. Then, if you believe the "normal" content added is minimal, I can block the range for a week or two, with information for the user in my block log note. They'll see that, so since they don't have a permanent talkpage, it may be the best place, and I can refer them there to their latest talkpage. (Like "Please discuss at User talk:185.3.100.55, even if you now use a different IP.") Do you think that might work? Once we get them to a talkpage, they can perhaps be persuaded to create an account, or to start using Conundrum1947 again. I should hold off blocking till there's a more recent edit, though. Bishonen | talk 10:52, 10 March 2017 (UTC).
- Yes, I looked through a bunch of the range edits. For the last month from your link to the Range Contribs tool (cool tool). Definitely seems like 95% the same person, I only saw one or two edits (Mary Seacole, History of Guernsey) that seemed out of character. All the tech edits are either fringe nonsense, or highly specific trivia that doesn't belong in a general encyclopedia article. When they use a source it's a terrible one, but generally they post unsourced stuff. I'll throw a few more warnings at the most recent IPs to see if I can get their attention. Thanks! --Krelnik (talk) 13:19, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- ETA: OK there are now warnings at 185.3.100.55 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) 185.3.100.35 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) 185.3.100.63 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) 185.3.100.9 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) and 185.3.100.14 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). Those are all from this month, not all warnings from me either. I'll keep an eye out for additional activity. I asked them to come to my talk page - they've gone to Materialscientist's talk page multiple times in the past, so they do understand how to do that. --Krelnik (talk) 13:34, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Yeah, they do, and they understand they're meant to reply to comments on their own page too, since they did on User talk:185.3.100.35. Which already makes them more savvy than many new users. Thanks very much for checking out the contribs. Your information about them convinces me I ought to block the range for a while, but I'll hold off till they edit in a fringey way again. The tool? Yes, where would we be without X!'s tools. The Article blamer (see the line of tools up top) is wonderful too. Bishonen | talk 16:12, 10 March 2017 (UTC).
- I see. Yes, a hoax indeed, but I presume a good-faith effort by the user, who refers to this article as their source. I think that profile — both the good faith, and the crank content — strengthens your idea that it's the same person as the /24 range. So, have you had a chance to take a look at the range contributions, and evaluate whether there are some "normal" technical edits, and whether you have warned any of them more strongly? Of course I'm not asking you look at all the edits the range contributions tool shows! But my thinking is you may be able to run your eye down the list and get ideas about both my questions, as the list shows the article names. Then, if you believe the "normal" content added is minimal, I can block the range for a week or two, with information for the user in my block log note. They'll see that, so since they don't have a permanent talkpage, it may be the best place, and I can refer them there to their latest talkpage. (Like "Please discuss at User talk:185.3.100.55, even if you now use a different IP.") Do you think that might work? Once we get them to a talkpage, they can perhaps be persuaded to create an account, or to start using Conundrum1947 again. I should hold off blocking till there's a more recent edit, though. Bishonen | talk 10:52, 10 March 2017 (UTC).
- No, I didn't see the whole deleted article, but I found one place where he wikilinked to it and the lede sentence of it is still in Google if you google the name of the article: "Luna Base is a formerly secret joint GCHQ/NSA unmanned facility maintained on the Moon, located in the crater Aristarchus. It consists of various surveillance ..." --Krelnik (talk) 00:52, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Oh dear... I was just going to post the above, but I see you have more info. I recognize the name De-Guerin, that 80.73.216.108 used, from the /24 range. Uh, have you been able to read the deleted hoax article, Aristarchus Base, since you know what it was about? Anyway, neither 80.73.216.108 nor Conundrum1947 have edited for many months, so we'd probably better concentrate on the /24 range. I'm going to bed right now (timezone thing), but I'll check back tomorrow. Bishonen | talk 23:21, 9 March 2017 (UTC).
- Wow, that's a busy /24 range — see contributions for February and March here. I should think it's all one person, but some of it may be ordinary technical edits, of a kind I'm not good with. (Like, computers.) Do you see anything of such a nature in the range contributions, Krelnik? I see you tried to talk to the latest IP here, which is good. They haven't been back since, though, in any incarnation. If you check out the range contributions from X's tools, do you think you have warned any of them sharply? I wish the list contained links to their talkpages — then I could easily see for myself which of them have been spoken to — but unfortunately it doesn't. I hesitate to block the range if none of the IPs have received a sharp warning — an actual block warning, as opposed to your nice template to 185.3.100.55 (which was good for a first warning, but still). 185.3.100.35 has received several warnings, but they're all very kind and sweet. Of course I'm aware of the difficulties that all the evanescent talkpages create.
- Oh cool, thanks. Just an update... I found a different lone IP 80.73.216.108 (also in Guernsey) and a user Conundrum1947 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). They definitely share writing style, choice of topics and the attributions to "de Guerin" with the above IP range. Interestingly, the user created a hoax article about a joint US/UK government spy base in Aristarchus (crater) that was speedy deleted for being a hoax in September 2016. The user hasn't been active since near as I can tell. I've done some reverting of some of the blatantly unsourced additions to tech articles. --Krelnik (talk) 22:46, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
Banned user Jamenta on Frederic W. H. Myers
I came across the Myers article and I see a fringe proponent has many accounts at highjacking the article.
Banned fringe pusher Jamenta who had an obsession with the parapsychologist Frederic W. H. Myers is now back editing that article on the accounts "Myerslover", "Psychicbias" as well as IP addresses 208.194.97.5 and 71.167.134.66 and others. On the talk page he said he is in the process of writing "a very strong pro-Myers article". This is the same person who has also pushed fringe content in the past at Watseka Wonder He seems to be adding undue weight comments from William James about a discredited paranormal book from Myers. He has done the same on the Second sight. This guy was perm banned on Wikipedia. Is there any chance all his socks can be blocked or reverted? He also has a sock called GPel which he edited the Richard Hodgson article. He is probably pushing fringe content on others. It is the same style of editing to remove skeptical sources or quote Myers or William James at length. Any idea what can be done here? I have a big foot (talk) 14:30, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Sounds like you need to open a sockpuppet investigation. Go to that link, read the advice, and there's a box ("How to open a sockpuppet investigation") where you can enter the "sock master" (that would be Jamenta) and fill in the details of who you think the socks are. --Krelnik (talk) 16:02, 10 March 2017 (UTC)
- Yes, please do open an SPI, User: I have a big foot. "Very strongly pro-Myers", indeed? (Those are the exact words, in case somebody else tries to search for it — strongly, not strong). We can't have that. I've reverted the latest edits from 71.167.134.66 and put Frederic W. H. Myers under pending changes. Bishonen | talk 16:32, 10 March 2017 (UTC).
- Wikipedia administrator Bishonen just applied pending changes protection to the Frederic W. H. Myers article. --Guy Macon (talk) 19:06, 12 March 2017 (UTC)
- Yes, please do open an SPI, User: I have a big foot. "Very strongly pro-Myers", indeed? (Those are the exact words, in case somebody else tries to search for it — strongly, not strong). We can't have that. I've reverted the latest edits from 71.167.134.66 and put Frederic W. H. Myers under pending changes. Bishonen | talk 16:32, 10 March 2017 (UTC).
- See his comments on the talk-page 82.132.216.220 (talk) 02:27, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
Suggesting title change of Black Knight satellite to Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory
Please participate at Talk:Black Knight satellite#Requested move 12 March 2017 -- BullRangifer (talk) 15:49, 12 March 2017 (UTC)
More eyes would be useful here. Got some folks who want us to treat meridians like they are real. Jytdog (talk) 04:51, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- Meridians are not real, but why not just use the usual "no empirical evidence, consensus among scientists is" wording? -165.234.252.11 (talk) 16:41, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- Because it's mealy-mouthed. Alexbrn (talk) 16:42, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- "No evidence" implies scientists are looking for them and not yet finding them, which isn't the case... in the West, anyway. Meanwhile, there are other clean-ups that need doing to the article. I might be able to do a bit, just on grammar, style, formatting. I am not particularly happy with the ending about "pre-scientific". Such a statement would be better referenced to an expert in Chinese history. A case can probably be made for "proto-scientific". It would need to be shown that this is on the same level as Galen, when technology was considerably more advanced in China than in western Asia or Europe. Itsmejudith (talk) 17:33, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- that is ridiculous. Qi is just the form of vitalism that arose in Asia. People around the world and through all time have made shit up to explain what is going on, when they don't have science to explain things. A guy at the store (in Manhattan) told me something the other day about meat turning into maggots if you don't keep it refrigerated. Jytdog (talk) 00:58, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
- The qi notion precedes western vitalism by many centuries. Itsmejudith (talk) 09:20, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- that is ridiculous. Qi is just the form of vitalism that arose in Asia. People around the world and through all time have made shit up to explain what is going on, when they don't have science to explain things. A guy at the store (in Manhattan) told me something the other day about meat turning into maggots if you don't keep it refrigerated. Jytdog (talk) 00:58, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
- "No evidence" implies scientists are looking for them and not yet finding them, which isn't the case... in the West, anyway. Meanwhile, there are other clean-ups that need doing to the article. I might be able to do a bit, just on grammar, style, formatting. I am not particularly happy with the ending about "pre-scientific". Such a statement would be better referenced to an expert in Chinese history. A case can probably be made for "proto-scientific". It would need to be shown that this is on the same level as Galen, when technology was considerably more advanced in China than in western Asia or Europe. Itsmejudith (talk) 17:33, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
- Because it's mealy-mouthed. Alexbrn (talk) 16:42, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
Well, maybe we should amend to say that vitalism is qi that arose in the West to avoid the WP:Systemic bias of Wikipedia. After all, China predates "the West" by several centuries. jps (talk) 06:15, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- We need to represent good sources in the history of science. Of course these ideas are superseded by modern science and we absolutely have to make that clear but we also have to tell the history properly. Itsmejudith (talk) 11:03, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- I'm not sure if there's really a disagreement here. Isn't the problem with the article that pro-fringe editors are continually trying to remove text saying that meridians aren't real? Alexbrn (talk) 11:39, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- The problem may be one of context. I mean, our article about leprechauns doesn't come out and announce in the lede that they aren't real, but neither are there clinics which pretend to use leprechauns to cure all manner of malady. There are two aspects to this, then. There's the historical aspect of "meridians" and "qi" which are related to the literature, mythology, and history of China, Korea, and other adjacent locations and then there is the current fetishization of these stories being done in different parts of the world in the context of pseudomedicine. Unfortunately, the English-language sources tend to focus much more heavily on the current pseudomedicine rather than the perhaps more academically interesting historical context, but WP:RGW comes to mind. What we really need are scholars who have studied both alternative medicine and Chinese history in depth, but there is a dearth of them even in the academy. jps (talk) 13:15, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Itsmejudith is free to add content about the history of chinese medicine. just don't treat myths invented by people to understand the world around them, like they are real. this is the problem with advocates for use of these traditional medicines today - they treat the mythological underpinnings as though they are real. they are just made up shit. Humors, qi/meridians, esoteric energy, blah blah blah. Myth - stories that try to make sense of the world. (myths are super important, don't get me wrong. but they are all made up shit) Jytdog (talk) 17:29, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Unfortunately I have little expertise in Chinese history, so all I can do is copyedits. I did a lot of work on some Chinese calendar articles, and indeed on Western calendar articles which were even more loaded with nonsense. Fortunately no-one is in a hurry to disparage the fact that the ancient Chinese had a system for recording years and months in the way that their attempt to describe the human body is being disparaged. "Myth" is a technical term with a precise meaning, by the way. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:50, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- It's not about disparagement, or history really. It about the fact that today some people believe meridians are real and are a basis for healthcare, and are attempting to water-down Wikipedia's contradiction of this nonsense. It happened again just now.[20] (Check out the ES.) Alexbrn (talk) 22:59, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Unfortunately I have little expertise in Chinese history, so all I can do is copyedits. I did a lot of work on some Chinese calendar articles, and indeed on Western calendar articles which were even more loaded with nonsense. Fortunately no-one is in a hurry to disparage the fact that the ancient Chinese had a system for recording years and months in the way that their attempt to describe the human body is being disparaged. "Myth" is a technical term with a precise meaning, by the way. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:50, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Itsmejudith is free to add content about the history of chinese medicine. just don't treat myths invented by people to understand the world around them, like they are real. this is the problem with advocates for use of these traditional medicines today - they treat the mythological underpinnings as though they are real. they are just made up shit. Humors, qi/meridians, esoteric energy, blah blah blah. Myth - stories that try to make sense of the world. (myths are super important, don't get me wrong. but they are all made up shit) Jytdog (talk) 17:29, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- The problem may be one of context. I mean, our article about leprechauns doesn't come out and announce in the lede that they aren't real, but neither are there clinics which pretend to use leprechauns to cure all manner of malady. There are two aspects to this, then. There's the historical aspect of "meridians" and "qi" which are related to the literature, mythology, and history of China, Korea, and other adjacent locations and then there is the current fetishization of these stories being done in different parts of the world in the context of pseudomedicine. Unfortunately, the English-language sources tend to focus much more heavily on the current pseudomedicine rather than the perhaps more academically interesting historical context, but WP:RGW comes to mind. What we really need are scholars who have studied both alternative medicine and Chinese history in depth, but there is a dearth of them even in the academy. jps (talk) 13:15, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- I'm not sure if there's really a disagreement here. Isn't the problem with the article that pro-fringe editors are continually trying to remove text saying that meridians aren't real? Alexbrn (talk) 11:39, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Alexbrn Jytdog What we are really seeing here is personal opinions and rhetoric regarding meridians. This is the pushing of an agenda and non-objectivity. You cannot prove that meridians are NOT real. We can only say what science has dicovered in 2017 so far. There is an element of respect to others people's views and culture here, a determinism here that is not respectful and relies too much on scientism, and not enough on just communicating the facts and being objective.
- Probrooks (talk) 01:18, 17 March 2017 (UTC)
- Yes, but in this instance there is a whole culture, a belief system and practise involving giant purple unicorns which is very sophisticated and in depth. This is not to do with science, but with objectivity and trying to communicate the giant purple unicorn culture, without negating it from the get go, just makes a lot of sense for an information article. Science isn't the end all and be all of determining what is true, unless you subscribe to scientism as a belief system.
Massive undue promotion of Edward J. Steele
Edward J. Steele is a fringe scientist who promoted a form of Lamarckism Problem is no independent research confirmed his experiments in the early 80s. Little scientist today take his stuff seriously.
See his edits at Somatic hypermutation massive spam of Steele's own papers. He has done the same as Lamarckism and on his own article and elsewhere.
See the article Edward J. Steele the intro he has written is outrageous. I would suggest all of his promotion should be reverted. He also quote mines historian Peter J. Bowler in 1983 but Bowler has dismissed Steele in his later publications noting that his experiments were never replicated.
Update - I assume this user is associated with Steele, on wikipediacommons he uploaded a photograph of steele which he claimed was himself, it has since been deleted. It seems this user has pushed fringe science in the past in relation to panspermia. 82.132.216.220 (talk)
See his two massive edits at Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance also undue promotion of Steele. 82.132.216.220 (talk) 07:16, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
Can someone revert all this guys edits on Steele, he has even inserted him into the lead at Lamarckism and all over that article, this has got out of hand. I would revert him myself but I am on the mobile currently. 82.132.216.220 (talk) 07:24, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- There seems to be quite a bit of action lately regarding panspermia!
- Two relevant AfDs for you to consider:
- jps (talk) 13:58, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- Could you please identify the editor? --Ronz (talk) 20:39, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- BSmith821 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). jps (talk) 13:26, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Thanks! He says a great deal about himself on his user page, and that he knows Steele through a friend [21]. He is editing Chandra Wickramasinghe where he has a closer conflict of interest that may need a close review. --Ronz (talk) 17:49, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- BSmith821 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log). jps (talk) 13:26, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
- Could you please identify the editor? --Ronz (talk) 20:39, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
Alkaline diet
- Alkaline diet (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
Currently this article is seeing some disagreement centred on whether it is loaded and perjorative to call the concept underlying the diet a "false belief". Input from fringe-savvy editors welcome. Alexbrn (talk) 09:01, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
Slow-Carb Diet
- Slow-Carb Diet (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
Tried to speedy this but was declined. Having difficulty finding sources: even among fad diets this one seems fairly fringe. Anyone know more? Alexbrn (talk) 15:37, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- Good god that's a lot of primary refs.... The only secondary references are also OR. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:03, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Slow-Carb Diet ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:06, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
- Redirect it to the 4-hour book? As it does not appear to be independantly notable outside of that. Only in death does duty end (talk) 16:07, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
Plasma cosmology
Yet another IP is trying to make pro-fringe edits to the article.
Arianewiki1 is doing a decent job of warding them off, but someone more familiar with the recent kurfluffle on said subject might want to step in to help her. 70.209.148.234 (talk) 13:28, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard which may be of interest. The thread is "Request to overturn administrator's decision". --Guy Macon (talk) 04:19, 17 March 2017 (UTC)