60 replies to this topic

[Jaded1]

Quote

SwampgasBalloonBoy, on 19 January 2013 - 06:54 AM, said:

Are you serious about the math teacher comment?

Thanks, Nuke_em, for finding out more about Wicramasinghe than the so-called debunkers did. Skeptics are quick to attack the guy without bother to learn more about him and his accomplishments. "fringe scientist", just a "math teacher" , If he isn't from NASA, he suck? Come on, you can do better than this.

I usually just browse this site as I'm interested in the weird and wonderful but I felt compelled to comment on the above statement.  As a mathematics undergraduate in the the early to mid 1990's I studied "Mathematical Methods III" in Cardiff University under Chandra Wickramasinghe.  As a person I found him quite arrogant but that is neither here nor there.  As a lecturer he wasn't the greatest and quite frequently made mistakes in his classes which some of the brighter students were more than happy to point out.

Given this, I wouldn't put too much credence in his claims as he's proven to be prone to error (in my experience anyway).  Don't get me wrong; I'd love to find concrete evidence of life elsewhere in the universe but I don't have much faith where Professor Wickramasinghe's concerned unfortunately.

[DONTEATUS]

Time will tell ! WHat about the peer reviewed  paper ?

[CRIPTIC CHAMELEON]

Meh nothing new here I wrote a short thesis [story] on the origins of life in 1974 about life starting from meteorites for my science class and who can forget the classic 1958 film The Blob.  

[bison]

Jaded1, on 20 January 2013 - 07:41 PM, said:

I usually just browse this site as I'm interested in the weird and wonderful but I felt compelled to comment on the above statement.  As a mathematics undergraduate in the the early to mid 1990's I studied "Mathematical Methods III" in Cardiff University under Chandra Wickramasinghe.  As a person I found him quite arrogant but that is neither here nor there.  As a lecturer he wasn't the greatest and quite frequently made mistakes in his classes which some of the brighter students were more than happy to point out.

Given this, I wouldn't put too much credence in his claims as he's proven to be prone to error (in my experience anyway).  Don't get me wrong; I'd love to find concrete evidence of life elsewhere in the universe but I don't have much faith where Professor Wickramasinghe's concerned unfortunately.

I don't suppose that arrogance or humility, or ability as a lecturer, or the lack of it, have much to tell us about someone's ability to do good science. The habitual making of mathematical mistakes seems the most substantive criticism offered.
It appears, though, that it is possible to make many such mistakes, and still, in the end, produce work of lasting merit. We have the example of Dr. Albert Einstein to consider.
At the link, below, is a list of this worthy's mathematical and theoretical errors. I understand he was also rather vague about his surroundings, and sometimes didn't know which stop to get off at, when he rode a bus. Also a non-starter, apparently, in assessing someone's merit as a scientist.  Link: http://discovermagaz...es#.UPxOVRweQc8

Edited by bison, 20 January 2013 - 09:11 PM.

[Andromedan Starseed 333]

i believe and but i would also would not jump to conclusions and i'm not saying nothing bad or etc im saying i used to be the same way kinda but not really.but its not a reason to dimiss it

[Oniomancer]

SwampgasBalloonBoy, on 20 January 2013 - 01:33 AM, said:

It's one thing to graduate with a diploma. You have to get into the battlefield, get your hand dirty to gain the experience and become an expert. This guy has done so for decades, and you don't think he's an expert in his field? Does he need a piece of paper to tell you he's qualified? or better yet, a blog? Maybe in this age of the internet, he does need to have a blog to be relevant.

Remember, math is essential in science and engineering. They don't call it the universal language for nothing.
"Respect The Math"

That would be my point in a nutshell. Plait has a degree too and at least some chops in the field of astronomy, having worked on both the COBE and Hubble projects, yet here he is being written off with the implication that he's just some yutz sitting in his back yard with a $20 Sears telescope when he isn't using it to watch the neighbor lady undress or something.

Eminence alone is no guarantee of correctness any more than it's lack  is a guarantee of incorrectness, and that what's being argued here. Superiority of knowledge rather than correctness of it.

Edited by Oniomancer, 21 January 2013 - 12:35 AM.

[DONTEATUS]

WHat $20 bucks and a backyard peep show nut wrote this paper ?
I want my money back!

[Hazzard]

DONTEATUS, on 20 January 2013 - 07:46 PM, said:

Time will tell ! WHat about the peer reviewed  paper ?

Experts can and do, a judge a journal that way, and there are good journals and bad journals, the latter perhaps with sloppy, poor, lax, or no peer-review process.

The Journal of Cosmology is an online site that claims to be peer reviewed. However, the papers it publishes are not always of the highest quality. One paper they published a few years back claimed to have found fossils in meteorites, and it was roundly ridiculed by biologists familiar with the field—one even used the word “pathetic.” Ouch.

[bison]

In the linked article, below, we read that Dr. Wickramasinghe intended to fly to Sri Lanka, to gather further information about the Polannaruwa  meteorite over the weekend of Jan 19-20. He explains a bit about why he believes the object is a meteorite, albeit an unusual one, and where he believes it may have originated. Also included, an interesting quote from Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Sir Arthur seems to have thought that Hoyle and Wickramasinghe might just be correct in their panspermia hypothesis. I recall another quote from Clarke, wherein he says that when an elderly scientist says something is impossible, he is probably wrong, and when he says something is, or could be so, he is usually right. Ironically this could now apply to Sir Arthur himself, maybe even to Wickramasinghe.                           http://www.lankaweb....er-information/

Edited by bison, 21 January 2013 - 06:55 PM.

[Artaxerxes]

I have read NDE's that have said that the Universe is alive with life.  I have read few NDE's that have said that they have met "souls" on the other side that were from another planet.  I have also read NDE's that have said that the Universe was made for life.

[DBunker]

bison, on 21 January 2013 - 06:51 PM, said:

In the linked article, below, we read that Dr. Wickramasinghe intended to fly to Sri Lanka, to gather further information about the Polannaruwa  meteorite over the weekend of Jan 19-20. He explains a bit about why he believes the object is a meteorite, albeit an unusual one, and where he believes it may have originated. Also included, an interesting quote from Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Sir Arthur seems to have thought that Hoyle and Wickramasinghe might just be correct in their panspermia hypothesis. I recall another quote from Clarke, wherein he says that when an elderly scientist says something is impossible, he is probably wrong, and when he says something is, or could be so, he is usually right. Ironically this could now apply to Sir Arthur himself, maybe even to Wickramasinghe.    http://www.lankaweb....er-information/

A peer review of this report would be nice..... not just from his Journal of Cosmology buddies (see hazz last post)..... but from other scientists.

If it passes the most brutal examination.... then we can pop the champagne.

[bison]

Dr. W. appears intent on strengthening his evidence, which seems a good sign. I'm sure he's aware what most other scientists think of the Journal of Cosmology, and that he needs to seek the support of the wider scientific community.

Edited by bison, 21 January 2013 - 08:27 PM.

[DBunker]

bison, on 21 January 2013 - 08:26 PM, said:

Dr. W. appears intent on strengthening his evidence, which seems a good sign. I'm sure he's aware what most other scientists think of the Journal of Cosmology, and that he needs to seek the support of the wider scientific community.

Looking forward to the "VERDICT".

Edited by DBunker, 21 January 2013 - 08:33 PM.

[stevemagegod]

seeder, on 18 January 2013 - 05:35 PM, said:

If it was real, don't you think it'd be on TV news, like you know, a major story? Last time a thingy was seen in a meteorite..the president announced it on TV too, along with NASA.

So unless you hear it from them in your quests... its bogus!

The President has bigger things to worry about then this stuff.

Not to mention that the White House has all ready made contact with intelligent ET life

[Hazzard]

stevemagegod, on 22 January 2013 - 01:52 AM, said:

Not to mention that the White House has all ready made contact with intelligent ET life

Wow, I totally missed that,...this is incredible news, when was this!?

Edited by Hazzard, 22 January 2013 - 08:01 AM.