Darkbake's Disclaimer

I just wanted to let everyone know that I don't know everything. This is not a peer-reviewed site - however, it is a cool place to come and discuss ideas and different possibilities and get feedback so thanks to ATS, its staff and its members!

There are advantages and disadvantages, the way I see it - but ATS has a lot of advantages for me. In order to get really interested in a certain topic and reach a professional level in it, a lot of times that will require a doctorate and then a specialization in the particular topic!

That can take years, and also, even for the brightest person, could end up quite limited in scope. Sometimes, hobbies are best kept separate from work - they can be enjoyed more that way, and often pursued more in-depth -

For example, if you get so good at something that you have to participate in the "meta-game," often, that limits your ability to look at things that are interesting to you if they do not have an immediate "pay-out." As a hobbyist or amateur, particular topics or strategies can be explored in-depth regardless of their efficiency.

Along the same lines, the particular political climate can quite possibly affect which experiments there are funding for, or not, on a professional level. I have heard as much from scientist's personal statements about things that they are interested in pursuing, but there is no funding for at the moment.

I think that some advantages of ATS include the ability to generate discussion on topics, and brainstorm, and ask questions or make points that might be considered "stupid" by some in the upper academic circles, but are still fun to discuss.

On AboveTopSecret we have time and are having fun - two things that can lead to great, in-depth discussions and analysis. If this was a job and not a hobby, the scope of what we could do would become limited by economics.

There are possibilities as well - including putting together pieces from multiple disciplines, or speculation, that I think are great to have on a conspiracy website. I love the T&C of ATS because it helps promote healthy discussion but is not as limiting as a professional environment.

With that in mind, I will try to:
1) Provide sources for what I can
2) Make accurate arguments
3) Maybe have some fun now and then, I hope at least.

Feel free to question anything I say of course! And also realize that I don't have a professional background in any of it. Although I do a lot of reading.

I do have a major in psychology, and minors in math, physics and computer science. I also went to a Liberal Arts college and have a background in the liberal arts core curriculum from the late 2000's.

Other than that, I do have skills playing the guitar, bass, mixing and making techno - I have a background in running recording equipment and organizing shows for bands - as well as marketing, writing both non-fiction (articles for the high school and college paper, including interviewing and reporting on moderately well-known people or events in person) and fiction (I am into science fiction and fantasy and started writing books when I was 14!)

I have autism and my social skills suck. That's why I also have experience with a lot of social services. I also have experience with religious circles (going to a Catholic High School and Grade School) and heavily atheist-feminist circles (going to a Liberal Arts College, majoring in psychology).

I have experience in middle-class, rich and poor cultures - having lived in the first and third ones, and having had peer groups in the middle category (including people like a friend whose dad was an oil baron from the middle-east, stuff like that).

reply to post by darkbake


I'm writing this hoping that the link is good enough to put into my signature. As of late, I am out of work (it's not like my work was very high-level anyway so far!) but I just moved into my own apartment and am hooking up internet again!

Isn't it strange how we form opinions of people on these boards.
Having just read all the above I see a totally different person behind that avatar

Well DB, it's nice to really meet you. I play bass and guitar and have a recording studio in my basement. Too bad I'm too old and messed up to really get much out of it.

Thanks for sharing and letting us know more about you.
You sound like a real renaissance man.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


You know what, I was really inspired by Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Starship Enterprise. Back when I was a kid, I collected Star Trek cards and his card had so many skills on it - I was just very impressed. The lore on the card said that he was a renaissance man, and that's when I decided to be one, too.

He was a role model for me for a long time, until I started to develop some traits similar to Riker, although I still like him and Data quite a bit. Our society really has gone to hell since that show.

These days, look at Q - he almost seems like he would fit right in to our modern society, I'm no kidding! Has anyone else noticed that?

Yeah. I'm getting too old to do anything serious with music, unfortunately, myself - at least for now. I think the last major run I had was in the summer of this past year, where we had a show with The Walking Papers (with a former Guns and Roses Bassist) -

but reaching that point in the music scene was too stressful for me and I had a mental breakdown and my mom had a stroke at the same time, and my band-mate / lead singer left the band.

-----

I think I'll just call that the height of my music career for now. I'm considering going out and playing in coffee shops around town, but I am pretty agoraphobic at the moment.

I will probably go into music again, but... well... my previous stuff was rebellious punk rock techno music and I don't really feel that vibe at the moment, I'm feeling a very totalitarian vibe. So that's affecting my muse.

reply to post by VoidHawk


I have no idea what kind of opinion you could have had of my avatar before I wrote this up! Ha

I think I could see people thinking of me as kind of feminine but polite. I changed my avatar to a more gentle picture of Bakura a while back because I wanted to come across as being considerate, articulate and accepting.

darkbake
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

I have no idea what kind of opinion you could have had of my avatar before I wrote this up! Ha

I think I could see people thinking of me as kind of feminine but polite. I changed my avatar to a more gentle picture of Bakura a while back because I wanted to come across as being considerate, articulate and accepting.

edit on 12amThu, 12 Dec 2013 04:13:19 -0600kbamkAmerica/Chicago by darkbake because: (no reason given)

An opinion based purely on the comments you have made throughout this forum I usually ignore the avatars.