Popular Science Dot Com Shuts Down Comments

reply to post by Mary Rose

Published on Feb 14, 2014

Ben Davidson will be joining Wal Thornhill and Dave Talbott on the opening night of EU2014 Conference: All About Evidence, March 20-24 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Click here for more information: www.thunderbolts.info...

I wasn’t able to connect to the thunderbolts.info web site. A Google attack warning message popped up blocking access. I had to search for thunderbolts project and click the archives page to get on to their site. The link connecting to their homepage was blocked, now the message reads the site is down for maintenance even though I can still get in through the archives link.

Is anyone else having this problem? Do I even what to browse their site now? I have been on that site many times in the past without incident so I know it used to work and I know the link is good.

reply to post by Devino


Yes.

In fact Thunderbolts placed a comment about it:

ThunderboltsProject
2 days ago (edited)

THUNDERBOLTS SITE TEMPORARILY DOWN. Yes, Thunderbolts.info has been hacked, and on discovering this we immediately took the site offline. It is being repaired by a highly qualified specialist and stringent security measures installed. Site should be up within another 24 hours or so. To the best of our knowledge, the standard "malware" warning visitors have recently received is incorrect, and no damage was done to others.

www.youtube.com...

I find it disturbing to see how many people seem to welcome censorship, simply because they don't like what is being said, or how it's being said.

I also fail to see why a site like popular science should be so bothered by what people are saying in a comments section.

reply to post by iwilliam

Trolling is a problem and most people who troll probably do it unknowingly. There is a big difference between trolling and debating/disagreeing with controversial and/or popular topics.

I think we need to discern the difference here with Popular Science’s decision before getting too critical. Are they removing that annoying hindrance caused by trolls or censoring alternative theories?

I've thought for years now that the internet is a simultaneous blessing and curse in a very serious way - the darker side I'm becoming increasingly aware of the older I get.

It allows anyone with access to it the capability to learn, basically, anything you want to - a center of (potential) real enlightenment. It also permits gross propagation of ignorance and propaganda of all kinds - aided by anonymity (a kind of freedom from consequence IMO). Among that it has become a massive pacifier for the general population.

It's like a reflection of humanities mental/emotional state as well - the internet is quite the curious phenomenon - sometimes I feel like it's actually making us crazy.

Sometimes I wonder why exactly it was gifted to us.

reply to post by Floydshayvious


It is true there is a lot of junk on the internet.

But I think we would be much worse off without it. In my opinion all mainstream institutions are controlled by the powers that be and the internet is the only place of freedom we have.

The solution to all these problems is very simple.

ABOLISH ANONYMITY ON THE INTERNET

It's high time. People should take responsibility for what they do and say.

The rules and statutes that exist in real life to protect the anonymity of whistleblowers, journalistic sources, etc., must still apply, of course. But just getting people to sign their real names to what they put on the internet will make this a much politer, safer and more truthful place.

reply to post by Astyanax


That has nothing to do with the topic of the thread, which is the magazine's claim that there is settled science and that's the end of it.

The issue of this thread is mainstream science and technology, not stupid comments and rudeness on the internet.

reply to post by Mary Rose

That has nothing to do with the topic of the thread, which is the magazine's claim that there is settled science and that's the end of it.

The magazine isn't claiming anything. You are.

As they say - they are tired of having to debate again and again scientific, proven facts with those who have an ideology to push.

reply to post by Astyanax


Quote:

A politically motivated, decades-long war on expertise has eroded the popular consensus on a wide variety of scientifically validated topics. Everything, from evolution to the origins of climate change, is mistakenly up for grabs again. Scientific certainty is just another thing for two people to "debate" on television.

www.popsci.com...

The magazine is stopping debate because they are claiming authority on scientific topics.

kaylaluv

727Sky


Yep there are countries all over the world that would agree with you. Silence any form of discourse that does not agree with the party line. Silence any reporter that does not work for a government sponsored news agency.

This isn't really the same thing. After all, before the internet, all you had was newspapers and magazines. If you didn't agree with an article, all you could do was write a letter to the editor. It was up to the editor if they ever published your letter.

Anyone who doesn't like what Popular Science has done is free to start their own website up on the internet, and allow (or disallow) whatever comments they want.

Well, that's not the only thing you can do about it. As I recall, this is a subscription magazine and they actually charge for their magazine. Like everyone, they have to make money so if you don't like what they've done and you're paying them, you can cancel. At least canceling your PS subscription isn't considered to be suspicious financial activity.....yet.

Just another case of some letting a few ruining it for everyone.

Is there abuse? Sure. But employ other means to control the trolls and political pukes.

Shutting down comments means they pretty much win. It also pretty much invalidates your power and very purposed for being.

reply to post by Mary Rose


Gravity is just a theory too. I implore you to go prove it wrong by jumping off a 100 story skyscraper without a parachute.

Astyanax
The solution to all these problems is very simple.

ABOLISH ANONYMITY ON THE INTERNET

It's high time. People should take responsibility for what they do and say.

The rules and statutes that exist in real life to protect the anonymity of whistleblowers, journalistic sources, etc., must still apply, of course. But just getting people to sign their real names to what they put on the internet will make this a much politer, safer and more truthful place.

Yeah. Go ahead and publish your street address here. I'm sure that would make the people who don't like you or what you have to say much more polite.

Personally, if they ever decide you have to do this, that's the day I cancel my internet. I'm not going to cower in fear every time I hear a knock on the door in the middle of the night wondering if it's some nut who traced me down because I'm not a liberal.

Mary Rose
reply to post by saneguy

 

Moderation is necessary.

In my opinion the magazine Popular Science is a mainstream publication which should be equipped to handle the challenges of running a website in a professional manner. That would include using resources for proper oversight of their Comments section to make sure that debates are civil.

But I don't think the lack of civility of many people is the issue the magazine has.

I think their issue is that in their minds there is settled science and that's the end of it.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

This! I agree. And our ant hill science is far from "settled".

Disappointing. I dislike trolls, but a good educational argument is always fun. I do take issue with their reasons of "scientific certainty" and "war on expertise". Scientific theory is, by definition, never proven but rather not disproven. To state that a scientific principal is THE LAW is simplistic and closes mankind off from making further advances.

Well that was terribly short sighted and self defeating of them, IMO. Like it or not...accept it or don't... Trolls account for a % of their revenue in subscriptions and business. Perhaps not an overwhelming %, but no publisher can afford to get picky about who can or can't be welcome as a customer these days.

If they wanted to alienate a segment of their readership, they have done that...and done it with distinction. Rather than bring in more moderator staff to deal with a problem, eliminate the entire 'value added' service the comments area represented.

Golly.. Brilliant guys... Just brilliant.

reply to post by Evil_Santa


You're talking about the effect of gravity not the cause.

There are various theories for the cause but the discussion is ongoing.

That's what science is about. An ongoing search for how the universe actually functions.

The search is never over.

Mary Rose
reply to post by Evil_Santa

 

You're talking about the effect of gravity not the cause.

There are various theories for the cause but the discussion is ongoing.

That's what science is about. An ongoing search for how the universe actually functions.

The search is never over.

Yes, do we fall because there is a force of attraction between us and the earth or is it because our path in space-time is altered due to the gravitation field? Each theory has a different structure and each changes how we look at this phenomenon.