Al wrote:
...I was told that it was "impossible" to work with Barry.

Alex writes:
Based solely on his posts on MSNBC BBS I think a reasonable person could well conclude that DiGregorio actually borders on (or maybe even crosses over into) self-righteousness. Unfortunately, the MSNBC BBS does not archive posts, but I recall debating with him the following paper:

Evidence That the Reactivity of the Martian Soil Is Due to Superoxide Ions
A. S. Yen, S. S. Kim, M. H. Hecht, M. S. Frant, and B. Murray
Science 2000 September 15; 289: 1909-1912.

where he erroneously stated to the effect that Yen et al. had NO supporting evidence to support their models of Martian soil. I pointed out to him that the peer-reviewed paper referenced mineralogical data published by the MGS TES that supported the Yen et al. assumptions. Rather than admitting to error DiGregorio evaded the issue and changed the subject, and on top of that, attacked the MGS TES experiment. To me, his approach in this instance bordered on outright intellectual dishonesty.

Al wrote:
...the risks are not zero and can not be ignored.

Alex writes:
Indeed, this is the whole basis of my argument along these lines, though DiGregorio's Chicken Little hand waving does little for his credibility.

Al wrote:
DiGregrio WILL be a force to be dealt with in the future.

Alex writes:
Whether DiGregorio becomes a "force to be dealt with" is, in my opinion, an issue that is in doubt. If he continues to ignore FACTS and/or continue promulgating deceptive (or even crankish) theories, then NO ONE in the scientific community will take him seriously. Regardless of whether he is right or wrong, if he cannot effectively communicate his ideas to others then he in fact has nothing.

Al wrote:
And for this, I can say "Kudos" to Barry for doing a Better job in pushing his position in front of the public than the scientific community has done in refuting him...

Alex writes:
All this shows is that he who shouts the loudest gets heard by the largely uninformed public. What's important is the SUBSTANCE of the message, not its volume.

Al wrote:
Bottom line, INCLUDE Barry in the discussions.

Alex writes:
Is he banned from this forum?

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawaii

Alex R. Blackwell
University of Hawaii