Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Is it just me?

Is it just me?

entropy51 - 31-5-2010 at 17:11

Or has the level of chemistry on the forum sunk to a new low?

Actually, it isn't just me.

Several other members have expressed the same thoughts to me.

Sedit - 31-5-2010 at 17:41

Its getting to be summer and high school kids are finishing up there beginner chem classes allowing them to understand parts of what they read on the net. Expect to see a higher incendent of half baked bomb and drug discussion at that point but I wouldn't worry.

Personally I haven't seen much of a change but I have a habit of skipping right over threads whos topics don't peek my intrest.

The WiZard is In - 31-5-2010 at 18:38

Quote: Originally posted by entropy51

Or has the level of chemistry on the forum sunk to a new low?

Actually, it isn't just me.

Several other members have expressed the same thoughts to me.

I don't know how you measure such things.

Looking at the last 5-days posts the 4 most popular viewed
subjects total 271 701 views. Without doing the numbers ...
me thinks equals a SL of all other posts totaled.

Picric acid 44 838
Shaped charges 57 293
Acetic anhydride 110 544 [wonder what its used for]
Hydrazine 59 026

Magpie - 31-5-2010 at 19:03

Except for the very early time of this forum (before my time) it seems there's always been a background level of newbie, kewlery, cookery, and half-baked rambling. This usually could be ignored as there were 1 or 2 good relatively high-level discussions going on too. Also there were presentations of experimental results that were somethiing other than "I mixed A with B and C, and now I have this really weird junk. What is it?" It is the the high level discussions and experiments that have significantly fallen off, leaving just the relatively boring background noise.

We do need the newbies to ask the questions, but we also need some new expertise and experimentation to provide some more meaningful discussions. There is nothing like 2 or 3 experts battling it out over some points of theory to really make for fun and valuable reading.

Sedit - 31-5-2010 at 19:13

I surely aint an expert by any means or a very good experimentor for that matter since I have a habit of cutting corners for the sake of saying "what if" but im sure I could speak for many when I say.... Its nice outside... time to crawl out of out dungons and go to the beach.

. Nows the time I would like to see more plant extraction, analysis and microbial experiments and other various forms of natural chemistry but it all boils down to the will of the experimentor.

It is after all close to mating season perhaps we just have other things on our minds

psychokinetic - 31-5-2010 at 23:31

Quote: Originally posted by The WiZard is In

Quote: Originally posted by entropy51

Or has the level of chemistry on the forum sunk to a new low?

Actually, it isn't just me.

Several other members have expressed the same thoughts to me.

I noticed that. That's the sort of thing that was up when I joined.... in the last Northern Winter.

I'm too busy studying for my chemistry exam to be blowing anything up.

UnintentionalChaos - 1-6-2010 at 02:48

I too have noticed the influx of "threads too stupid to respond to" and an increase in the number of such threads where they are a year-'round phenomenon on other forums.

Organikum - 1-6-2010 at 03:05

This question is asked about every three month. As a long time member of this board and after a prolonged absence I can assure you that the quality of SCM gets better and has reached levels undreamed of in the beginning.
Of course on boards like this there is always an certain noise to information ratio, but this ratio is very well tolerable on SCM, minding freedom of speech and educational intent. Yes, many stupid questions are asked (and I asked some of them) but dont forget that the most stupid is the one who doesnt ask at all.

So remember your own beginnings and dont forget:

Die größten Kritiker der Elche, waren früher selber welche....

azo - 1-6-2010 at 03:07

I think there is proberly a lot of rubbish being posted less related to chemistry and i think the moderators should clean it up a bit . like me some people don't like to post a lot because when you do and your wrong which happens to everyone you get the boot put into you instead of providing information to help you understand. Not everyone has the the same amount of knowledge.! there is a lot of i no more than you out there ,it doesn't matter how much you know there will be someone that knows more than you.
I also think that the ones with far more experties should do more posting so people like me can learn more from them.

regards azo

hissingnoise - 1-6-2010 at 03:40

Quote: Originally posted by Organikum

This question is asked about every three month. ..

Yeah, entropy51, I too, think the normal waxing and waning of the rate of improvement of a good thing has to be taken in one's stride . . .

12AX7 - 1-6-2010 at 04:58

If you don't like it, get out into the lab and do something interesting. Then post about it.

Sedit - 1-6-2010 at 09:35

Org???

I almost wanna pokem with a stick to see if hes real.....

azo - 1-6-2010 at 14:49

I REST MY CASE

AZO

Sedit - 1-6-2010 at 15:33

What case might that be?

Vogelzang - 2-6-2010 at 01:40

http://www.google.com/patents?id=dxQdAAAAEBAJ&printsec=a...

Organikum - 2-6-2010 at 01:44

A psychodelic state from cannabis? Oh my....

[Edited on 2-6-2010 by Organikum]

hissingnoise - 2-6-2010 at 02:01

None of that couch-lock shit!

Vogelzang - 2-6-2010 at 12:52

Jean Paul Sartre said the first question of existentialism is "why do things exist?". He then said there was no answer so concluded that life was absurd. If you've ever watched the Dali Lama speak or seen anything on TV about Buddism, you may be familiar with their recommendation of not worrying too much about the suppression of your instincts, but learning to deal with them. They recommend everything in moderation (middle way).

[Edited on 2-6-2010 by Vogelzang]

Vogelzang - 2-6-2010 at 12:57

One way to have a message board that only has posts that you agree with is to have all computer generated members that are programmed to post only what you agree with.

What evidence can you show from science that shows that we are really concious beings posting and not just the illusory manifestation of that flesh computer between your ears?

[Edited on 2-6-2010 by Vogelzang]

Ephoton - 3-6-2010 at 17:41

of course the wizard is in acetic anhydride is used for anhydrous pickels

12AX7 - 3-6-2010 at 19:19

Quote: Originally posted by Vogelzang

One way to have a message board that only has posts that you agree with is to have all computer generated members that are programmed to post only what you agree with.

What evidence can you show from science that shows that we are really concious beings posting and not just the illusory manifestation of that flesh computer between your ears?

Well, we pass the Turing test, for one.

Unless they've finally figured out how to make computers do that. In which case, if the computer is indistinguishable from a human, what does it really matter? I don't know and I don't care.

Tim

Rosco Bodine - 7-10-2010 at 17:57

Quote: Originally posted by entropy51

Or has the level of chemistry on the forum sunk to a new low?

Actually, it isn't just me.

Several other members have expressed the same thoughts to me.

Definitely the Energetic Materials section has become a magnet for relatively ignorant posts. It is aggravating when
there is so much "traffic" in posting of low quality topics, questions, and inaccurate information, involving discussions of subject matter that is nothing new or obscure or interesting, but are only a rehashing of mundane topics that are already well covered and tiresomely discussed at other forums past and present. Sometimes it is like an encounter group or chat room for kiddies and/or clueless posters.

IMO those sorts of kiddie threads should just be moved to detritus or locked with regularity to keep down the interest and posting traffic regarding unworthy topics. And "safety" should not be a pretext indulged for topic postings in Energetic Materials which more rightly belong in "Beginnings" or perhaps a "catch all" sticky "Safety" category residing in 'Beginnings" where such "pretext topics" can be redirected.

Okay, that's my two cents.

madscientist - 8-10-2010 at 20:34

Quote: Originally posted by Organikum

This question is asked about every three month. As a long time member of this board and after a prolonged absence I can assure you that the quality of SCM gets better and has reached levels undreamed of in the beginning.
Of course on boards like this there is always an certain noise to information ratio, but this ratio is very well tolerable on SCM, minding freedom of speech and educational intent. Yes, many stupid questions are asked (and I asked some of them) but dont forget that the most stupid is the one who doesnt ask at all.

So remember your own beginnings and dont forget:

Die größten Kritiker der Elche, waren früher selber welche....

I feel the same.

Vogelzang - 9-10-2010 at 05:10

Quote: Originally posted by madscientist

Quote: Originally posted by Organikum

I feel the same.

Less psychosis on this board might have to do with less drugs and/or the higher unemployment which would tend to cause some people to lose internet service and/or worry more about keeping their jobs, thus causing them to resort to a more conservative frame of mind for their own survival.

Rosco Bodine - 9-10-2010 at 09:57

I only have 3,643 posts .....so anyone can see I can hardly get a word in edgewise due to all the "traffic"

Pardon me for being cranky sometimes ....
I have good days and I have bad days