D. Spires wrote:

As for R.L., he works in a tiny world and knows of what he speaks.

Well, that link is to a spoof of the actual article :) .... That was my graduate work... 1 atom at a time... still working in the "small world" but now its nanotech. I work mainly with optics.

I would like to point out that my first post to Apted was civil: http://habitablezone.com/space/messages/19355.html

and this was after he had brushed off the other civil and correct criticisms of his nonsense. When it became clear that he didn't know the difference between refraction, reflection and stimulated emission- yet smugly claimed he knew more than people who devoted years of education and training to the subject- all because he looked at streetlights in alaska- well then the comments became more heated.

I cannot stand people who, when refuted with the facts still insist they're right simply because they are so keen on their pet theory... That is the EXACT opposite of science!
The ignorant I can tolerate, and also the arrogant- but not at the same time... If he had posted his idea then listened to the all the facts proving it was wrong and then said "ok, looks like that won't work- I'll use what I have learned here to come up with a new alternative theory- then I could respect him... As I pointed out in my first post to him on the subject:

"I am not discouraging speculation, but it needs to be educated speculation... The most inspiring writing I have seen was by Authur Schuester who wrote in an issue of Nature in august _1898_ about the possibility of antimatter... He (I am pretty sure of this) coined the term "anti-matter" ..... His letter was a speculative daydream that went like this... if there is positive and negative electricity, and positive and negative magnetim why not negative matter....

this was decades before Dirac postulated the possibility of antimatter, scheuster speculated that the tails of comets were anti matter streaming away from the comet because matter and anti-matter repelled.... "

Speculation is essential and good... but only if you have a willingness to change your views when they are clearly at odds with the facts- otherwise speculation just becomes delusional madness!

Just my 1 cents worth..THE IRS TOOK THE OTHER CENT...:(