I think the overall proportion of nuts probably remains constant; the question is how many are pimping 'traditional' blue-sky nonsense schemes that have acquired a patina of respectability, and how many are trumpeting BS that hasn't yet come to be regarded as beliefs worthy of respect.
Saturn to become a new sun!
- Thread starter Jon Starr
- Start date
Batutta
Major Contributor
Now we just need Anhar to come up with an equation.
Mike Harvey
Veteran
I don't think it's so much that the number of nuts are growing, but that their ability to now distribute their nutty ideas has grown infinitely better thanks to the internet.
Besides, they're all wrong. It's not the Illuminati, it's not the Freemasons, it's not the government...
It's the Girl Scouts. I mean, really, where did you think the money from all those cookies was really going?
Besides, they're all wrong. It's not the Illuminati, it's not the Freemasons, it's not the government...
It's the Girl Scouts. I mean, really, where did you think the money from all those cookies was really going?
Mark Harris
Pain in the ass
Just for the record, 2010 (speaking mostly from the novel here, not so much the film) used Jupiter.(Which, IIRC, was known as "Lucifer" once it had become a sun.) And it was done for the benefit of creatures on Europa. A planet the size of Jupiter couldn't become a full-blown star like the Sun, but it could become just enough of a star to warm up Europa and allow the lifeforms there to leave the sea much like our distant ancestors did.
No it couldn't. Jupiter is not even big enough to ignite and sustain fusion. Besides, you may not even need a star's warmth to have life on Europa.
Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
Nah, I am just going out to find (or invent) 1,000,000,000 SPF sunblock. Cardboard box, anyone? Only $1000 per cubic foot. Going for the patent, copyright, everything. Laugh at me, title me "april fool'd"? I have you by the short hairs! Bwaa Haa Haa!
You will all come to me on your knees! I will only ask you to kiss my toes (I will have mercy, plus I have seen pictures of some of you, that's as close as I want you) and call me Master of All!
Mods and Admins, I will require the most from. Free advertising, immediate response from my inquiries, direct land lines to answer my questions. Title change to "God of DVX" , yeah, I like that one the best. Serve the great and omniscient "Doc". He is worthy. 24K gold statues are optional. But plans are available, on request (special consideration given to those that erect statues in honor of Doc, because they have proven themselves worthy of my attention, maybe. Bwaa-Haa-haa!)
The basic tenets of Doc-atholicism are as follows:
1. Doc is the greatest weapons handler, weapons trainer ever. Every sentence must be proceeded by "Doc the Greatest allows me......" or "Doc the All-Knowing suggests........." when discussing weapons.
2. From now on, any weapon name must start with "Doc" ie, the "DocM4", "DocMP5", "DocDerringer", etc. Failure to follow this commandment will result in your left pinkie growing shorter, thus making it hard to pick your nose.
3. Every time a magazine is rammed home in a prop, the statement "Doc allows" must be uttered. Failure to do so will result in my causing impotence on cast and crew alike. This is a major sin. Violate at your own risk (and your significant other's risk, as well.) You have been warned.
4. Your first-born shall be named "Doc" or "Steve". Not doing so will result in the child having to repeat kindergarten and dealing with potty training until 3rd grade, as well as becoming a paste addict. (But in my benevolence, I will refer you to POPEA - Parent's of Paste Eater's Anonymous, as well as offering a year's supply of Pull-Ups or newspaper, because I retain the right to be vengeful.)
5. Doc graciously gives up the right of Prima Nocta. Though, if offered, special privileges will be awarded to the offerer, depending on the "offering". Offerings must be FEMALE, willing, blonde or brunette, beautiful (it is an offering to the DVX Weapons god, me) and experienced in....well, never you mind, because I will make that determination on my own. Offerings not meeting my requirements will cause the offerer great discomfort, as I will inflict massive boils on his posterior. Mean, yes, but an offering less than worthy is just as mean.
6. All films must begin with the One-Page "Doc en Immaterium"
7. All action Films must begin with "To Doc we Give Honor"
Kneel to me, or fry! I knew this would work into my favor eventually.
And we all said Amen.
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Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
Under the circumstances, I will allow this and hereby name Sad Max my representative on Earth. What he says must be acknowledged as my words, unless I differ. Then we will split the difference and the prophets, I mean profits. Wait, the other way. Either way, "if you snooze, you lose"
Nevermind, just remember: "All Hail Doc".
Sad, you want the title of "Earthly Representative and Supreme Ruler of Earth Under Doc"? You got it. Just remember my 95%. Otherwise, my boys, I mean angels, will have to put some divine wrath on your a$$ with their holy brass knuckles and heavenly truncheons.
Nevermind, just remember: "All Hail Doc".
Sad, you want the title of "Earthly Representative and Supreme Ruler of Earth Under Doc"? You got it. Just remember my 95%. Otherwise, my boys, I mean angels, will have to put some divine wrath on your a$$ with their holy brass knuckles and heavenly truncheons.
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Tom Marshall
Actor!!!!!!
Let me know when you IPO. Or better yet, let me know when you find an investment banker so I can buy some stock directly from them so I can get in on some of the early price action. :thumbup:
Martti Ekstrand
Veteran
Actually both the Girl and Boy Scouts is just a front for Killer Klowns. I can tell it in the open since nobody will believe you.
Jon Starr
Veteran
Just for the record, 2010 (speaking mostly from the novel here, not so much the film) used Jupiter.
Ah, but you see they already tried it with Jupiter. The Galileo Spacecraft was designed, with it's radioactive muclear engine propulsion thingy, to plummet into Jupiter as a test. Soon after they dropped it into Jupiter a black spot (A SPOT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!) formed. The spot was the size of the earth and obviously a nuclear explosion. What more evidence do you need!?
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But see, I'm sure before they threw the galileo into jupiter, hearing that they would end it's flight by doing so, the conspiracy nuts thought that Jupiter was the target because of the 2010 novel. When nothing happened, they looked for something, and with a spot appearing (I'm sure spots appear all the time), it just fueled their crack-pot theories.
I also agree with the statement that it's not that more and more people are becoming idiots, it's that the internet is just revealing their prescence to us.
scientifically impossible, and a total conspiracy theory....
BUT AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BUT AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Captain Pierce
Veteran
Well, as far as we know, no. But remember, you're dealing with an author who famously said that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic.
We can't do it, but who's to say what the dudes who built the monolith are capable of? And the life on Europa already existed, it was just that they had to say underwater because the surface was too cold. Or something like that, haven't read thing in more than a few years.
Sadly, it's becoming incredibly clear that far too many people in this country are capable of believing just about anything that their favorite media outlet is willing to spoon-fed them. I'll just stop there before I get political.
There's also this sort of weird...narcissistic solipsism? afoot. This kind of increasingly common stance that all beliefs on all subjects are a matter of of personal preference rather than external reality so that one's willingness to charge that, say, the government is warehousing flying saucers or that Freemasons manipulate the nation to sinister ends is a more important determinant of truth than whatever supporting evidence is or isn't actually available.
Mike Harvey
Veteran
I actually had to look that one up... thanks for making me feel dumb.
I think you have a very good point. But I think a good chunk of it is simple denial.
Take 9/11 "Truthers" or the Kennedy assassination. The idea that a simple nut (or couple of nuts) with some box cutters or a mail order used rifle could so easily have such a huge impact on the world... and at the end of the day there really isn't anything you can do to stop them... really is kind of frightening. Some people just don't want to accept it, so they conjure up big conspiracies. It doesn't matter how much evidence there is that it really was a pair of Boeing jets brought down the Towers or all the proof that Lee Harvey Oswald really was just acting alone... it has to be bigger than that. That's just too simple and easy... and at the end of the day, kinda pointless and meaningless.
Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
Don't worry, so did Max. LMAO!
I agree with both of you. People crave complexity and intrigue. Maybe because if they "know" about it, they feel like their a part of it or a part of a select few, somehow. I used to hang out with a group that was all into the "Black Helicopters", conspiracies and militias. But the final straw for me is when I received "orders" at 3 am to go to a certain airport and confirm an "intelligence brief" that a pair of Soviet SU-27's had landed under the cloak of darkness (they were F-15's from Lemoore NAS)
Personally, Occam's razor usually is a good guide to use. The easiest explanation is usually the right one.
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Gord.T
Still "Senior Member"
Cool, I finally get to say "I had company last week", relief.
Yeah, my cousin from Scotland. He's a retired head nurse from a psychiatric hospital.
The same hospital that appeard in the movie 'The Jacket.' He got to meet Kris Kristofferson, sit on set afterwards and other cool stuff.
But, he mentioned a few of his 'patient stories', when I inquired, haha
The thing is, there are people out there that believe certain things, insane things, but are not criminally insane. Medications are used to control the thoughts he said, but the condition is always there. "There's nothing you can say to convince them otherwise or to prove they are wrong in thier beliefs" he mentioned.
Things like having a radio in one's tooth that they receive messages from. Several had some source in thier stomach/chest area that they recieved messages from, one that helped them play video games better. They acutally thought they were controlling the outcome of the game with thier thoughts.
'Medication was prescribed to control those thoughts' .
He didn't expand on it at that point who was locked up and who was set free.
My impression was most were 'treatable and not harmfull to society'. Others not so. One, a famous British serial killer, who had lived just 6 houses down from my cousin at one point.
In one case, while searching the woods for an escaped patient, the patient dropped out of a tree right in front of them with a noose around his head, only the rope was too long, and he broke a leg. 'Imagine that' he said.
So, point is, not everyone is wired as per the diagram. Thus the conspirisies and other nonsense. It's just the world we live in.
Yeah, my cousin from Scotland. He's a retired head nurse from a psychiatric hospital.
The same hospital that appeard in the movie 'The Jacket.' He got to meet Kris Kristofferson, sit on set afterwards and other cool stuff.
But, he mentioned a few of his 'patient stories', when I inquired, haha
The thing is, there are people out there that believe certain things, insane things, but are not criminally insane. Medications are used to control the thoughts he said, but the condition is always there. "There's nothing you can say to convince them otherwise or to prove they are wrong in thier beliefs" he mentioned.
Things like having a radio in one's tooth that they receive messages from. Several had some source in thier stomach/chest area that they recieved messages from, one that helped them play video games better. They acutally thought they were controlling the outcome of the game with thier thoughts.
'Medication was prescribed to control those thoughts' .
He didn't expand on it at that point who was locked up and who was set free.
My impression was most were 'treatable and not harmfull to society'. Others not so. One, a famous British serial killer, who had lived just 6 houses down from my cousin at one point.
In one case, while searching the woods for an escaped patient, the patient dropped out of a tree right in front of them with a noose around his head, only the rope was too long, and he broke a leg. 'Imagine that' he said.
So, point is, not everyone is wired as per the diagram. Thus the conspirisies and other nonsense. It's just the world we live in.
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Mattykins
Cute Member
I think at the end of the day, people want to explain what can't be explained and will do whatever they can to explain it.
I think Mr. Rumsfeld (or some other political guy) said it best...
"Because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
PS > If this one were true, I think it would kinda be awesome to walk outside and it be raining methane. I hear it's good for your skin.
I think Mr. Rumsfeld (or some other political guy) said it best...
"Because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
PS > If this one were true, I think it would kinda be awesome to walk outside and it be raining methane. I hear it's good for your skin.
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Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
Just stand behind a cow, Matty. They emit methane all the time. Then tell us about the experience. Personally, I'll pass on that, thanks.