Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Hello - Introducing SM Member "Johnny Cappone"

Hello - Introducing SM Member "Johnny Cappone"

Johnny Cappone - 21-12-2020 at 16:21

Hi, guys.

First of all, I have been practicing chemistry as a hobby for at least the last 15 years, while I have been following this forum for at least the last 10 years. Since reading topics is open to anyone and my knowledge is modest, participating in discussions has never been a priority for me.

However, I have dedicated myself to improving my english and I realized that one of the best ways to do this is to force myself to speak and write in that language. So narrating the videos on my channel and actively participating in the topics will help me with this.

About me: I'm the average brazilian guy, I do my experiments on the sands of beautiful beaches with a drink in one hand and an erlenmeyer flask in the other.

Okay, kidding.

I think the introduction I published on my blog is a good description of me:

"There are many ways to understand the universe (in whole or in part) that you can fall in love with. After I got to know applied chemistry, all the others stayed in the background. Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to know how this or that worked, I always wanted to "break to see what's inside". Bad luck for the RC cars and things like that I got. It's been over 15 years since I first experienced this feeling, but I don't think things have changed much. I keep "breaking to see what's inside". My intention with this blog is to make science a little better known as it really is, magnificent as a whole. I hope that the information available here will be useful to you in some way, and that you will use it as intelligently as possible.

Some of the experiments published here have been studied and/or refined on a small scale by me over periods of 4 years or more. They are, therefore, the result of intense scientific research and enormous dedication, seasoned with an infinite desire to understand the universe around me. Science is fascinating, and has a practical side to everyday life that often goes unnoticed. It is not necessary for everyone to have a laboratory at home, but it is highly recommended and beneficial that Science and the implications that result from its discoveries are routinely discussed and evaluated by everyone. Whether in a school environment, or in a casual meeting of friends."

Both the blog and my YouTube channel are new. Therefore, with little content. I will publish as the opportunity arises to register my next experiments and search some others.

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuRnK9RyR-U1Soo4dfwJ5Ig
https://thebrazilianchadindustries.blogspot.com/

j_sum1 - 22-12-2020 at 03:41

Good to have you here, Johnny. I sometimes wonder just how many long-term lurkers there are. When I get a moment I will look up your yt channel.

Johnny Cappone - 22-12-2020 at 05:31

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

Good to have you here, Johnny. I sometimes wonder just how many long-term lurkers there are. When I get a moment I will look up your yt channel.

Thanks for the reception.

I believe that the number of lurkers far outweighs the number of registered users. Just look at the relationship between active members and visitors on the home page. It is not uncommon to have 5 or 6 members and almost 200 visitors at any time during the day.
I think the main reasons for this are as follows:

1) It is not necessary to be registered to have access to the topics, forum library and PDF files attached to the posts by members. These are valuable resources, and if registration is not required to obtain them, it becomes less attractive.

2) This forum has users, such as Dr. Liptakov or Rosco Bodine (who for unfortunate circumstances have been banned) who have extensive knowledge. While this is a source of information, it is also a little bit "scary". It seems that there is nothing to be discussed by the average amateur chemist, as all subjects are already being approached by extremely competent people. In this situation, staying in "read-only" mode may seem more comfortable.

3) In the last decades, and especially in the last 20 years, the image of the domestic chemist has only worsened in the public's perception. Many people, while still enjoying this wonderful hobby anonymously, may feel a certain aversion to providing their e-mail address to join a public community and openly discuss topics that biased authorities/people would consider undesirable, such as getting acids/oxidants/ potential drug precursors, even if this knowledge is being used in a totally legitimate way in its scientific learning journey. I do not condemn them and I certainly do not think that this is an unfounded fear. In fact, it can be difficult to explain to a potential employer or someone outside the scientific community why, among many others, you chose chemistry as a hobby. Well, there are certainly other reasons, but I think those may partly explain it.

ShotBored - 22-12-2020 at 06:16

Quote: Originally posted by Johnny Cappone

Hi, guys.

However, I have dedicated myself to improving my english and I realized that one of the best ways to do this is to force myself to speak and write in that language. So narrating the videos on my channel and actively participating in the topics will help me with this.

About me: I'm the average brazilian guy...

I hope more Brazilian chemists become active here. I've met quite a few during my years in Energetic Materials and there are some insanely intelligent people in Brazil, particularly pyrotechnicians! Glad to have you! Is there any areas of particular interest to you? I am also quite interested in the development of general skepticism the public has towards scientists and ways to mend this divide.

Johnny Cappone - 22-12-2020 at 07:36

Thanks, ShotBored.

My main area of interest is energetic materials/pyrotechnics. Few things captivate me as much as the idea that atoms that form things like the air we breathe, the water that hydrates us or a cotton ball can reorganize into molecules and mixtures capable of releasing all that colossal amount of energy in a short space of time.

Brazil already had a large active amateur chemistry community on Orkut around 2008 with almost 10,000 members, many of them active experimenters. With the replacement of this social network by Facebook, the community dissolved. I never heard of anything similar here, nothing close to a forum like SM.

We have the advantage of a tropical country with vast areas of countryside to experience without disturbing the neighbors. The absence of the threat of terrorism allows us to have access to a wide range of useful reagents readily available, while drug enforcement (a constant problem in South America) limits our access to a few others.
On the other hand, the typical economy of a developing country does not help much. Basically everything is very affordable, as long as you know where to look and can pay for it.

As for the prejudice we face when deciding to practice science at home, I think it is universal.

Texium - 22-12-2020 at 08:40

Quote: Originally posted by Johnny Cappone

2) This forum has users, such as Dr. Liptakov or Rosco Bodine (who for unfortunate circumstances have been banned) who have extensive knowledge. While this is a source of information, it is also a little bit "scary". It seems that there is nothing to be discussed by the average amateur chemist, as all subjects are already being approached by extremely competent people. In this situation, staying in "read-only" mode may seem more comfortable.

First of all, Liptakov was not banned and would have no reason to be, so I have no idea where that claim came from.

Second of all, when Rosco was banned, it was not a decision that we took lightly. He was warned multiple times of what the consequences would be if he didn't stop posting wild political rants and labeling anyone as a Marxist if they disagreed with him or asked him to stop. I think he just became complacent due to how long he was registered, as if that gave him the right to say whatever he wanted regardless of how off-topic and hostile it was. Nobody has EVER been banned from this forum for reasons related to sharing information about chemistry. That would be silly, considering that's why this place exists. If you've come here to talk about science then you have no reason to be "scared."

With that clarification out of the way, welcome to the forum.

Johnny Cappone - 22-12-2020 at 14:22

Texium, you got me wrong. As I said, english is not my mother tongue. What I wanted to say is that only that last one (Rosco) was banned. At no time did I say that he was banned simply for "talking about chemistry", but because of "unfortunate circumstances". I read the whole thread when the decision to ban him was made by the forum administration, and how the moderators tried their best to avoid getting to that point. As I said, I have been following this forum for a decade. My user account is new. I'm not. Anyway, Rosco or Liptakov were just names that came to my mind right away. It could have been any of the hundreds of incredibly active members or dozens of them who stand out for having unrivaled knowledge.