Comments on: An Unauthorized Autobiography of Science

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:09:35 +0000

It’s about economic or social incentives for the most part.

By: jamie hale

jamie hale — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:10:05 +0000

I think very few people in society use the scientific method when attempting to gain knowledge. This requires too much thinking. Lack of critcial thinking is the norm.

If everyone learned and utilized the scientific method in everyday life many companies and pseudoscience perpetuators would be out of business.

thanks
Jamie Hale

By: Tony King

Tony King — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:01:06 +0000

And kudos to the kook Chester Graham above.
Had I read his eloquent answer before replying, I would have relaxed, and would have not been so anxious to put people… NO! YOU ANAL-RETENTIVE ENGINEERS! – straight.
But then, I might have feebly attempted to outdo his excellent explanation and failed most miserably.
Grrr… guys, get a life! Take those sliderul.. uhh Graphic Calculators and put ‘em where only Neutrinos intrude!
(OK, so I’m on my fifth rum’n'mangopangu -whatever – juice now)

By: Tony King

Tony King — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:41:36 +0000

Goddaoomnit, Michael- you’ve done it again!
Drawn me into another idiot “Why is it…” controversy.

Quick answer: It’s easier to stack cartons to be refrigerated and shipped in SQUARE containers.
Hint: Think “Gin” ..which I drinkin right now.

So let’s take that cheap plastic that “Shermer’s Sugar Water” comes in and make them square! Wow!
OK – 1. It’s difficult to make square plastic and Aluminium containers, and more importantly:
2. How would the thin corners of those PRESSURIZED rectangular containers withstand the pressure?
Umm… not at all.
Ever seen a square NASA space rocket?
Geez, guys… go back to your f…n slide-rules! (While I go back to my gin- actually it’s Rum- and I’m in Bathsheba Barbados, hopelessly lost)

Damn! I got suckered in again!
For SHAME, Michael Shermer!

By: Walter Gilman

Walter Gilman — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:17:28 +0000

Bobster, plastic soda bottles are made by a process called “blow molding” which is quite fast and relatively inexpensive.

“The production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) led to the viability of reheat stretch blow molding. The strain hardening properties of PET allowed the high volume production of bottles able to resist the carbonation pressure in soft drink applications. The high clarity and economics of PET stretch blow molding have made this a popular production method for bottles for water, detergents, and other products.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blow_molding

By: Chester Graham

Chester Graham — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:34:52 +0000

The Braille dots on ATM keypads are not there for the drivers, but for their guide dogs. The banks would be irresponsible to encourage guide dogs to drive, as most cars do not have Braille controls.
Brown eggs are more expensive than white eggs because of transport costs. Brown eggs are heavier than white eggs, owing to their longer DNA. Despite the greater demand for white eggs, which are sleeker, and faster in their progress toward the fan, they are seen as more refined and generally nicer to know, as is the case with tea, people, and crows.
It is harder to find a taxi in the rain because of the rain; it makes things harder to see, as the way ahead, the rain check at the sports ground, or your glasses. In the rain, taxis are easy to find all over the freeway, which has unobstructed sight lines and better drains.
Milk is stored in rectangular cartons because pyramids do not fit in refrigerator doors. Further, should the refrigerator light fail, the point of a pyramid, with no space for a Braille warning, could damage human tissue, causing costly litigation with the estate of the late Sadi Carnot.
Soft drinks come in round cans because they have round bubbles, which prismatic packaging would disfigure. The round profile allows circulation of ambient cold in the refrigerator, essential to an aerated drink. The cylindrical shape is designed to crumple under pressure when squeezed by a macho force, as an engineer.
– Chester Graham
Extraordinary ’Pataphysical Fellow
Outre-Mer’ IX

By: John

John — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:58:20 +0000

Not to be disagreeable but I suspect that very few people employ anything resembling the scientific method in their daily life. – in fact, most people avoid critical thinking when they have to make a decision (with making ‘pro and con’ lists about as advanced as it usually gets). People are not as rational as we’d like to think.

Micheal Shermer’s recently published book addesses this.

By: Bobster

Bobster — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:52:47 +0000

Soda is expected to last for a goodly amount of time. Therefore it must be stored in containers that can be sealed and that will withstand the pressure of carbonation. Larger (2 L) plastic containers meet this requirement. Until recently though, it has been uneconomical to manufacture smaller containers from these polycarbonate plastics. Also, plasticizers leach from the polycarbonate plastic into the drink – especially when the drink is acidic. I suspect (I don’t know this for sure) that the amount of plasticizer that gets into the drink is acceptable with larger bottles than it would be with smaller ones – the square/cube rule, remember?

The process for making aluminum cans is fairly straightforward. A large roll of aluminum is passed through a press. The press punches out “blanks” of aluminum that are somewhat larger than the diameter of the finished can. These blanks are stacked and passed through another press that, in one operation, “draws” the blanks into the can body. Both of these presses are fairly simple mechanical devices. And they work fast.

Plastic bottles, on the other hand, are made by a process called “injection molding”. It isn’t very fast, being limited by the physical characteristics of the plastic, and the machinery is expensive and complicated. So, while the plastic bottles might be economical when it’s large, it isn’t when the bottle is small. I know, water is sold in small plastic bottles, but consider: (1) the liquid isn’t acidic and (2) look at how much they charge for 12 oz of water!

By: Al Lowi

Al Lowi — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:35:07 +0000

The point is that the scientific method (whatever it is) is the way of life for all humans regardless of status or academic preparation. The scientific method might be evolutionary compensation for the evolutionary loss of acute instinct.

By: John MacDonald

John MacDonald — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:55:09 +0000

As a consumer of beverages sold in round cans, I believe the reason for round (cylindrical) soft drink cans is because rectangular cartons would not roll through vending machines. Pressure due to carbonation may be a factor but it occurs to me that, unlike scuba tanks, a typical soft drink can does not contain enough pressure, even when shaken, to require a round shape. Sometimes the simple answer is right. ;-)