But then again looks can be deceiving. ;-)

While I know many of my posts pull a cosmic ray bit on many folks heads, I can't believe that this simple, mundane concept is so hard to grasp. If Robert or Justin feel Johannes is pursuing pseudoscience or anomalism then it's their call. Pigheadedness isn't a crime and if it were half the board would have to be banned, you included.

You and R.L. keep saying I'm defending Johannes and his position. I'm not. I'm defending civility and the boards from becoming the "asylum" you describe. I have never once agreed with Johannes' theory and have stated twice now, that I disagreed with his assessments and calculations. At the same time I see folks having conniptions over Johannes' posts.

Johannes may indeed be seeking validation for his ideas, but I think he is pretty well aware that this place is not about validation - or even much of a Habitable Zone if you stray off the reservations and neat little boundaries, as the political clicks here have set themselves up.

I stayed out of most of the Johannes threads for the longest time. While his theory was incorrect, I also noted how several posters here get venomous in short order. In many ways there is a reverse validation happening as well - as folks want to show that they are smarter, more knowledgeable than Johannes, and use his posts as an excuse to lose it and start to berate and demean. I'm seeing a bit of an intellectual "kick the dog" syndrome emerge here at HZ and I don't like it.

I've always been cognizant of the irony of the name Habitable Zone. It was meant to be inviting and yet exclude some folks at the same time. The membership stays amazingly small for a site that's been on the web for years now - and a large part of this is because several folks here can make it quite uninhabitable for new posters. By flaming someone with a wrong theory, who also exhibits an ability for limited give and take (unlike some anomalists and spammers we all have known) then we scare off all the lurkers who can only just imagine what sort of posts they'd get if they post on scientific or space things. I can't help but think of Betsy who feels all this intellectual ego and bashing is not only a turn off - but a deterrent from posting.

If all we want is a new member every six months - then by all means keep using the space board as the barbecue. Let the flames burn the place down to the ground! God forbid we bite our tongue and not get the last word in! Ignoramuses must be identified, and crucified on the big H on the top of the boards. Perhaps we can set up a counter:


36 Exclusive Members and 8,683 Revolted.



As for you little link. I don't control who links to what on the web. And I certainly know you don't want happy feel-good-ism, or are too big on civility, judging by your post awhile back about the war.

Flame on ET! You and R.L. can start a new sub-click on HZ, the "fly off the handle club" or perhaps the "official HZ beraters"

Go get Johannes, or whatever his real name is! Sick em! Let him serve as an example of the way debate occurs on the HZ for all the folks on AOL, ICQ and google who stuble upon these pages.

;-)

SDAI-Tech1

PS
I'm so glad you've been so soft on me all these years, et.