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Re: (meteorobs) Meteor Report

In a message dated 96-07-16 15:47:27 EDT, you write:

<< Howdy George,
 
 ......yeah better get used to it. Nothing prunes my hedges like 
 turning phrase, and what's the sense of reporting on
 stuff in a monotone when you can sing in color, huh?
 
 Contrary to appearances, both in print and in person, I can meteor 
 with the best of' em. I have been chasin' Perseids
 since 1979, and I do plot, but strictly for my own joy, for the 
 master plot which emerges in the end is a lovely picture
 of what I went through, particularly when laid ove top of all the 
 other years. The plots are not meant for science.
 And I do consider my 'dead time' in Teff........
 
 I am....and I may have mentioned this to you before, I know I get 
 around to mentioning it to everybody sooner or
 later...............primarily interested in meteor watchin' for the 
 sake of the beauty of this event in nature, and the kindred
 spirit it fertilizes. I am poetic by nature.....I tried science 
 during my 10 years of swithcing majors in college....dot it was
 astronomy, of all things, but describing things with equations was a 
 of a beauty I had no appreciation for.....kind of
 like Box CAr Willie...............so don't get frustrated if I tend 
 to wander off in my descriptions, or make light of folks
 workin' hard at contributing to meteor science......my data is 
 accurate; I am serious about what I record. And I am a
 member of IMO, etc, and do forward my data........so, don't let my 
 apparent cavalier attitude, or whatever the heck it
 comes off as, fool you......
 
 As we both know from seein' and compilin' data, inaccuracy tends to 
 have bad breath, and that's an easy aroma
 to detect............
 
 I have all the forms, but I see no sense in them till all is said and 
 done.......and I am not blessed with copious free
 time....I am at work, working even as I type this...........
 
 ....you get the idea I'm not accustomed to be questioned on things?
 
 I must really be tired,
 Gregg
  >>
----------------

Well Gregg,

It's funny you related your meteor observing to doing things in color rather
than in monotone....I've done very serious photography art work in the
monotone and often argued against color as a substitute for most of those who
couldn't do art...If you plot meteors but don't do it for science, sounds
like a lot of wasted time to me.  You mention about you observe meteors for
the poetic and beauty of nature and the sort, but you don't do it for
science...then you turn around and say that your data is accurate and don't
like to be questioned about it?  What is science without questioning data?
...pseudo-science.  You say not to get frustrated if you wander in your
descriptions and make fun of those who do it for science...Likewise, you
don't get frustrated if your descriptions are made fun of by those who do
take it serious. You indicated that you don't have copious amount of free
time...I get the impression that you think I do?  Perhaps if an individual
sacrifices a lot, his available time  would seem copious?  I don't know how
many times I've gone to work in the morning after observing til dawn...I know
of others who do this as well. Not submitting your data until after all is
"said and done"  strikes me as an attempt to camouflage your efforts from
scrutiny.  So...Gregg, I guess by now you will have realize that I don't
tolerate pseudo-science all that much ....I still would love to see your
completed reports for an opportunity to judge the quality of your work for
myself.
George Z.
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