Banned from Skeptiko until 15 Feb

[Laird]

Since the topic is global warming, maybe the best thing would be to move that part of the thread to the appropriate sub-forum though?

Ah, yes, you're right: discussion of global warming belongs in the hidden forums - but since I can't expect members on Skeptiko to join here and sign up for the hidden forums just to see my post, I will simply refrain from addressing global warming specifically going forward. The only part of my post above that deals with it specifically is in response to the "No Tricks" site article to which Steve001 provided the rebuttal. Am happy to remove that part if you think it's best, Ian.

[Laird]

My favorite Lone Shaman fail was the Moon Landing discussion thread where he didn't understand how acceleration worked.  

This time it was gravity. He thought it acted so as to reduce a pendulum's motion.

[Laird]

He also thought that if a pendulum's bob was suspended by a rigid metal rod then there would be no tension in the rod. Only if the pendulum's bob was suspended by a cord would tension exist.

As far as I'm aware, he continues to think this. I don't think we managed to convince him that there, too, he was in error.

Just had a look at the thread and my conclusion is that Dave Bailey should ban himself until he is willing to come back with his tail between his legs but then he never understood humility!  I wonder if he will ever get around to answering Malf's question.

This time it was gravity. He thought it acted so as to reduce a pendulum's motion.

Lol.

Maybe gravity is his kryptonite. The acceleration was due to gravity in the case I mentioned.

Linda

This time it was gravity. He thought it acted so as to reduce a pendulum's motion.

To be fair to LS gravity does play a role. However, the affect is negligible over the time span LS professes. He's also ignorant for not recognizing an orbiting celestial body is a pendulum two body system subject only to gravity's affect. Such a frictionless system maintain it's velocity for considerable amounts of time.

My favorite Lone Shaman fail was the Moon Landing discussion thread where he didn't understand how acceleration worked.  

Linda

I skimmed the thread. What did he write? Or a link will suffice.

[Laird]

To be fair to LS gravity does play a role. However, the affect is negligible over the time span LS professes.

Oh boy. It really doesn't (play a role or have an effect). In the absence of friction, air resistance, and a host of other miniscule effects that creative physicists have identified, an ideal pendulum would swing forever (under the influence of gravity).

Unless you mean that gravity is (I think) proportional to friction at the fulcrum point? In which case, then, yes, gravity does play a role in some sense. Or unless you are referring to one of those creative miniscule effects: loss of energy due to gravity gravitational waves (which I don't pretend to understand, but saw referenced at that link)?

[Laird]

Maybe gravity is his kryptonite. The acceleration was due to gravity in the case I mentioned.

I think his kryptonite is physics (and science) as a whole. He is under so many misapprehensions. For example, another one is his belief that applying a constant force to a pendulum, such as having a constant stream of air blowing upon it from an air vent, would counteract the damping effects of friction and air resistance sufficiently to keep the pendulum swinging indefinitely... this, in fact, was his explanation for why a bag swinging on the moon (in a video) wasn't really swinging on the moon - it was swinging in an atmosphere on Earth subject to such a constant force which kept it swinging for as long as it did.

I'm sure I'm being hypocritical in that I've likely done it myself (especially when i was first banned from Skeptiko) but it's probably a good idea to leave discussions/issues over there rather than using this forum as a means to complain about threads/topics/mods/etc on SF.

After all Lone Shaman can't defend himself here, unless he has an account I'm unaware of.