(meteorobs) Repost- Clear evidence for Meteoroidejecta/outgassing.

[Peter Brunone]

Chris,

Good advice about improving one's processes, *but*...

> Certainly, there's nothing remotely scientific about "stick[ing] with 
your 
> beliefs" in the face of evidence to the contrary. That's pretty much the 

> definition of pseudoscience.

Evidence can be a slippery thing. We had plenty of "evidence" that life 
could spring spontaneously from nonliving matter, until Louis Pasteur took 
your advice and created better tests.  Certainly take advantage of all the 
wisdom and tools at your disposal, but don't be afraid to take a fresh 
critical look at things either.

Pardon the butting-in; your point about saturation is important, but I'd 
hate to see a potentially good idea squelched too soon.

Back to lurking now...

Peter

----------------------------------------

From: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>

Hi Dave-

I think that's bad advice. If an idea won't hold up to scrutiny during 
development, a researcher is likely to waste a lot of time with it. Most of 

the best new ideas in science are at least modified during development due 

to input from others. If Larry (or anybody else) gets a serious objection 
posed to his methodology (such as "you can't compare intensities where the 

data is saturated), he at least has an opportunity to create a better test. 

Without feedback, that chance is lost, and the work proceeds with faulty 
input from early on. To treat such objections as some kind of personal 
attack makes no sense.

Certainly, there's nothing remotely scientific about "stick[ing] with your 

beliefs" in the face of evidence to the contrary. That's pretty much the 
definition of pseudoscience.

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" 
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 1:18 AM
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Repost- Clear evidence for 
Meteoroidejecta/outgassing.

> Larry,
>
> Sometimes you just have to stick with your beliefs and stand in the
> current. Scientists and others are often very skeptical of new ideas, 
but
> with your ability to record meteors you have a better chance to build
> proof. They do have all those other photos, but are they ALL showing 
what
> they claim to show or are some of them proof of your idea? Maybe they 
are
> too quick to explain and miss differences. Work quietly and write about 
it
> some day. Dave English