^TagConspiracy theories

Conceptual drawing of room temperature superconductivity, 3D rendering of suspended iron cubes

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post

Author
Gary Smith and Jeffrey Funk
Date
August 10, 2023

Categorized
Science

Tagged
Conspiracy theories, corporation, Covid, credibility, Distrust (book by Gary Smith), Innovation, Moon landing, power, science, Technology}

The LK-99 BS Further Undermines the Credibility of Science

_{The rejection or distortion of genuine science can have tragic consequences} _{Gary Smith and Jeffrey Funk

August 10, 2023

5

Science}

Social media is afire with reports that South Korean researchers have synthesized a room-temperature and room-pressure superconductor they call K-99. This is the biggest scientific news this year — yes, ChatGPT is now so last year. A representative Wow! from experts has been: “If LK-99 is the real deal, it could be a game-changer for everything from quantum computing and medical imaging to energy and transportation.” Long pursued by physicists and engineers, room-temperature, room-pressure superconductivity would revolutionize electronics and engineering by allowing current to move through wires without any energy loss. Everything will be cheaper and more efficient. Trains will levitate! Alas, the likelihood that this is BS research is very close to 100 percent. In the 110-year history of Read More ›

Big data analytics visualization technology with scientist analyzing information structure on screen with machine learning to extract strategical prediction for business, finance, internet of things

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post

Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
June 14, 2023

Categorized
Technology

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, Conspiracy theories, COVID-19 and trust in science, data, Data-Torturing, Disinformation, Gary Smith, Google, Hillary Clinton, internet, Jeffrey Funk, LinkedIn, Mainstream Media, Moon landing, Oxford University Press, Pizzagate, QAnon, Russia}

Review of Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science

_{Tech expert Jeffrey Funk reviews Gary Smith's enlightening new book on data, disinformation, and the "assault on science"} _{Jeffrey Funk

June 14, 2023

9

Technology}

The pandemic proved a lot of things, one of them being that science is under assault. In this enlightening and entertaining new book, Professor Gary Smith shows us how much of the assault has its roots in what scientists do. The easiest impact to understand is the Internet, which was originally created by scientists in the 1970s to exchange scientific information. Now it has become a great way to spread disinformation on almost every subject. A former chief historian of NASA noted that: “The reality is, the internet has made it possible for people to say whatever the hell they like to a broader number of people than ever before.” Smith recounts endless examples of this disinformation, much of which Read More ›

Futuristic heads up display blue green abstract interface

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post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
April 26, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Benford's Law, Carl Sagan, Chance, Conspiracy theories, design in nature, design inference, Detachability (and design inference), Explanatory Filter, Intelligent design theory, Necessity, Probability, Voter fraud allegations (in U.S.), William Dembski}

How the Explanatory Filter Can Help Quash Conspiracy Theories

_{I found Dembski’s explanatory filter quite helpful in investigating voter fraud claims} _{Eric Holloway

April 26, 2021

10

Philosophy, Science}

William Dembski’s explanatory filter is a decision strategy for identifying events that are unlikely to have happened purely by chance. The filter proceeds in three main steps, which can be illustrated via the plot device in Contact, a novel (1985) by Carl Sagan, followed by a film (1997): Eliminate events of large probability (necessity): A radio telescope receives a pattern of beeps and pauses. Perhaps the pattern seems strange to us but we could just be overinterpreting inevitable space noise. Eliminate events of medium probability (chance): The pattern turns out to be a sequence of prime numbers. However, large randomly generated numbers sometimes feature apparent patterns (five 5s in a row, for example) that don’t signify anything. Specify the event Read More ›

Smart technologies in your smartphone, collection and analysis of big data

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post

Author
Gary Smith
Date
June 1, 2020

Categorized
Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy

Tagged
Bill Gates, Birds Aren't Real, China, Conspiracy theories, COVID-19, Dwight Eisenhower, Edward Snowden, Featured, Self-censorship, Tim Cook, Uyghurs}

The Birds Aren’t Real. But Maybe the Spying Is.

_{A defense of our fundamental right to privacy} _{Gary Smith

June 1, 2020

7

Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy}

Technology frees us from drudgery but also enable surveillance that enslaves us. Then, far from computers becoming more like humans, we may become more like computers.