I introduced ATS to a friend and he had an interesting take on it

Originally posted by Malynn
This is a great thread. My significant other is an academic/scientist who works for a university ... He's never been derogatory about it, but he does kind of smirk/smile at me and pat me fondly on the head when I bring him something from ATS. lol *sigh* Smug academics. He's lucky he's so good looking.

One factor that keeps this place from more respectability (although its a shallow reason and it shouldn't) IMHO is the "cartoonishness" of the design, specifically the "non-professional" colors, the big avatars (like mine), some other such factors. It's pure snobbery, but academics, mainstream media types, and "serious thinkers" are frequently put off by this kind of vibe. "I can indeed tell a book by its cover" one intellectual snob (who I tolerated for his razor-sharp wit) said once. That attitude tends to give this kind of interface a quick brushoff.

Hey, their loss. I don't mind so much because in a way its a kind of filter...attracts a certain type of fringe-dwelling mind that can see beyond such fripperies, and the intelligent versions of that genre of human are hands-down the most fun (and profound) to communicate with, here or anywhere. This place isn't Teatime in Harvard Yard or the American Academy of Sciences forum, I guess, but would we really want it to be? Yeah, we lack credibility, but you know what the two old academics said at lunch together one day in the 1960s:
,
Marshall McLuhan: Tim, they will try to destroy your credibility.
Timothy Leary: Ah, Marshall, but its incredibility I'm going for!

Tim lost his credibility without achieving much in return, while McLuhan's day in the sun was short if sweet. The jury is still out on ATS I guess.

reply to post by silent thunder

It's just not something most people can understand, at least not in the circles I move in.

I can relate to that. I've tried getting people to join, and they are simply not interested. I don't push the issue, and sorta just test people to gauge their reaction. I suppose they watch too much TV, or something.

However, when there is a current event going on, people come up to me and ask me if I heard about it yet, and typically it was already discussed here two days earlier. It occurs to me that most people watch TV, and wait for the MSM to tell them what to think. Here, and this is the most refreshing part, most issues are covered from every possible angle, something which MSM doesn't do, and therefore when people ask me questions I am able to provide them with unusually accurate responses.

The diversity of ATS is what makes it unique. That's what draws me back.

And after a while you get a kind of nose for things...you find the threads and people you like to read almost instinctively, I feel.

It's like going to the library, to select a book to read. How do you know what you want? There are so many books to read, and no way to read them all, so you pick an interest and stay with a sane range. I think I have too many favorite forums in myATS, but I'm not subscribed to them all, so I guess I'm safe.

There's a certain maturity level to posting as well, and it occurs around the 500 post count range. Most, if not all, of the trolls are under 500 posts, so they are easier to ignore, and I've found that the more intelligent conversations come from people over the 500 post range.

It also occurs to me that there are people that are loyal members, follow the T&Cs, and produce quality threads. Those are the diamonds that produce the reputation that ATS is known for. Those are the people I appreciate as fellow members, the like-minded individuals ever and always in the pursuit of truth and the denial of ignorance.

reply to post by silent thunder


I would agree with the layout/avatars point you made. But like you I don't need mainstream acceptance I'm like Mulder, I'll entertain any theory as long as it has a modicum of plausibility.

S&F for that, your friend is truly the da vinci of our time. brilliant simply brilliant

You know what, I completely agree with your friend. There is a ton of nonsense on this site, much more so then when I first joined. But you know what? I welcome it. Why? Because I view it as an exercise in discernment, critical thinking and independent thought. You have to use your brain when you sign on here and that folks is a good thing. So I welcome the trash because the more it's in your face, the more you can recognize it for what it is.

Pretty good analogy. But, then, that general statement is true of most things and most websites. In short, what your friend described is true of most of reality.

reply to post by silent thunder


I think ATS is more like a stand-up-comic gig.

You make this great joke and...






... crickets.

reply to post by chr0naut


Still, there's something immutable about ATS. Maybe it's the standards they have, maybe it's because some of us don't have FB accounts.

I question everything. (Too much sci-fi reading during HS?) I sincerely appreciate all the resources that ATS offers.

A better analogy to ATS would be buying shares into a diamond mine, and all your friends tell you that you are foolish. You actually visit the mine, with your headlamp and pick-axe, and start digging, looking for diamonds. You know there's a lot of work ahead of you, but that doesn't deter you from your goal. Finding diamonds is what a diamond hunter does best. It's not always about glory, but tons of hard work, with an occasional reward.

ATS is a diamond mine with tons of diamonds hidden, you just have to find them.

Yep. This place has the best and the worst.
The best is something else

Originally posted by EvilSadamClone
That's one of the big problems with internet discussions forums. You've got to wade through a lot of crap in order to get through to the good stuff to find the stuff that' you're interested in. There are a lot of trolls on this site to boot.

My dad was the superintendent of water and sewer when I was growing up, so wading through the crap doesn't really bother me too much
.....oh and my mother was a Grimm and fought the trolls on a regular basis, so that helps too...no wait, that part was a dream... elementary teacher, same thing....

I am sorry I can not give you any sparkle at the moment. All of my shine seems to be locked inside?

Originally posted by Malynn
This is a great thread. My significant other is an academic/scientist who works for a university and he's well aware of my ATS'ing. He wasn't aware of the site before he met me, but he checks it out when I send him a link to this or that thread here and there. He's never been derogatory about it, but he does kind of smirk/smile at me and pat me fondly on the head when I bring him something from ATS. lol *sigh* Smug academics. He's lucky he's so good looking.

Although he has said a couple of times when he comes across news articles "I've gotta see what they're saying about that on ATS"

haha Lucky guy.

I always come here for news. It's the only place to get multiple (5, 6, even 47) perspectives on ONE topic. The news is at least a day slower than ATS anyway, even without the differing perspectives, it seems a waste. Why waste my time with TV, when 10 people on ATS already have more expert opinions than that dumb blond women and her teleprompter.

Now my girlfriend asks me if anything is going on today...
"Is the Sun acting up...? I feel funny."
"someone said something about radiation, did you hear anything?'
"ok, so what is really going on in Syria?"
"Obama isn't the mesiah?"

haha

I LOVE(am addicted to) ATS.

Star to Druid42 I completely agree. You have to work for truth. It's worth it, but a lot of the time no one else can see that diamond. It only sparkles so, if you do the work leading up to it. Otherwise, if diamonds were easier to find everyone would have them, and what's the use breaking your back when they are everywhere?

Also agree with the purple bird.

~Dusty

Originally posted by silent thunder

"Surfing that place is like wandering though an enormous slum full of abandonded garbage, pitiful shacks, and general junkyard worthlessness. But mixed in every now and then as you walk, you turn a corner and suddenly you come across a massive mansion with a 7-car garage and an immaculate lawn. Or maybe a beautiful cathedral with stained-glass windows amid the squalor. There are truly brilliant people there who have put a lot of effort into some of those threads. But I can't understand why such smart people would mix in with such a general background of cruddyness, and it drives me crazy wondering how to get at the good stuff without wasting my time wandering through the slummy parts."

What is it about this place that draws people of vastly different walks of life, temperment, and interest here (not to mention people with a wide IQ range, to put it delicately)? Whaddaya think?

edit on 5/31/2012 by silent thunder because: (no reason given)

Having been on more moderated "scientific" blogs they tend not to be "scientific" at all. They quickly ban individuals that offer ideas and POV experiences that don't fit with the mainstream science. At the same time they also seem to be focused on narrow aspects of science rather than the things of wonder.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. ... Albert Einstein in Mein Weltbild (1931)

And that makes even the oppositional POVs interesting. The mods here also do well stopping the personal attacks while allowing the attacks on the ideas expressed. Though the T&Cs do put some topics off limits and for the social/government side of things that's too bad. IMHO it drives people to other sites for conversations on those subjects. (eg: drug laws and drug wars)