Sciencemadness Discussion Board - It's all about chemistry

It's all about chemistry

Broken Gears - 8-6-2015 at 21:26

I haven't contributed much to all the great chemistry discussions and ideas of this forum, so maybe I'm not the one to be saying this...

I have see a lot of forums go down the shitter the last couple of years. Mainly because people nowadays seek acknowledgement and recognition. This are thing we all need to feel like we are a part of a community. But I think because for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. It have been taking to a lower level.

The last week alone I have seen threads like "How else like gardening" and "I'm starting a metal band".
Although they are entertaining and we learn a bit more personal thing about each other , the quality for the forum takes a toll.

j_sum1 - 8-6-2015 at 21:40

Ask for your access to Whimsy to be removed and you won't see these.

Zephyr - 8-6-2015 at 21:49

I agree with you broken gears, but the way to fix this issue isn't to post threads which complain about it!
I think a large part of the decline in chemistry discussion or experimentation has to do with older members leaving.
And as J_sum1 pointed out many of these discussions are happening in Whimsy.
I'm going to go do some actual chemistry now...

Texium - 8-6-2015 at 22:07

Broken Gears, you are by far not the first person to say this exact same thing. Go look through the history of this forum, and you'll find a plethora of threads where people have similarly predicted forum doomsday, and complain about the supposed glory days of SM being over. I'm not saying you're completely wrong- there's definitely fewer threads that give detailed write-ups for exotic procedures than there used to be, but I think it's just because of a generational lull, in that many of the older members who used to contribute a lot have stopped doing chem to spend more time with their families, etc, and the younger members (which there are now lots of) are either not yet experienced enough or don't have enough free time to do much serious chemistry. There's still some stuff going on though. For instance, I was planning on posting a new thread about a little analytical chem project that I'm currently working on.

Quote: Originally posted by Pinkhippo11

I agree with you broken gears, but the way to fix this issue isn't to post threads which complain about it!
I think a large part of the decline in chemistry discussion or experimentation has to do with older members leaving.
And as J_sum1 pointed out many of these discussions are happening in Whimsy.
I'm going to go do some actual chemistry now...

Hey shouldn't you be writing that essay?

Brain&Force - 8-6-2015 at 22:14

I'd like to also point out that a lot of us younger members are heading to college now. We don't have access to our own labs at this point, and research opportunities don't always let you screw around in the lab like a real mad scientist should do. So we're in a bit of a dry spell.

Also, if you click on your profile page you'll notice that half of your posts are in Whimsy

aga - 8-6-2015 at 23:20

I agree with the OP in that Science Madness used to be a much more Chemistry focused board, and has gone downhill since i joined

BromicAcid - 9-6-2015 at 03:28

It has its lows and highs. There are plenty of knowledgeable people that no longer do heavy experimentation and only help with collaboration and a few good ideas really get things moving. That being said, the forum has been much more on topic since Polverone dropped the hammer back in 2007 on toxic threads:

https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=83...

MrHomeScientist - 9-6-2015 at 05:40

Whimsy certainly isn't the place the judge the entire forum by. By definition it's not going to have much chemistry (if any at all). I've been a member for almost 5 years and still haven't requested access there. Frankly I'm here for chemistry, not banter. (I've got other places for that!)

Corrosive Joeseph - 9-6-2015 at 06:31

People just convince themselves 'the good old days' were better.

I've been reading quite a while and only registered lately.

Plenty of chemistry going on.

And TONS in the archives.

Great site, and thanks to EVERYONE.....................

smaerd - 9-6-2015 at 13:52

I don't see the forum going downhill at all. The prepublication section has been very active the last few months. Which to me means a lot! That's where people post finalized write-ups of experiments they did and feel they did well.

Chemistry competitions just started this year(I think) with a good number of participants. Lots of side projects going on.

Not to mention the quality of the chemistry related threads. There's a lot of people actually working hard right now and sharing their findings.

Not to be a contrarian but I think it's important we slack off a little. If this place was only information it wouldn't be much fun to come too every day. I've been enjoying people sharing more about their other interests and things.

My only minor complaint is when goofing around starts to cloud up threads that can be clean and concise for a future reader. This rarely happens though without the moderators fixing it quickly.

All and all, I think we're all doing great. Brain & Force, a huge part of my inactivity and long delays on projects was due to being in college. So you're not alone

. But 3-4 years from now you'll be done and free to do all the mad science you want

Zombie - 9-6-2015 at 17:02

I'm new to this sit but old to forums in general.

This site amazes me. There are people here that know damn near everything in their fields of research. I mean some of the most intelligent people I have come across in my 56 years of being.
That's no small comment.

IF there is any issue here at all it is in the way people perceive the membership in general. The brilliant guys are not going to sit here, and discuss making snap pops or the reasons meth heads have dead brain cells.
They wait for someone to have a valid question on their level, and it amazes me the fountain of knowledge that flows.

Think of the smartest question you might have... Got it in mind... Forget it. It's still ten fold below what the answer would be. IF you are on that one in ten thousand level to understand the answer, you'll get that reply you need. If not... Deal w/ us ass clowns. We TRY to help, and generally we learn more form each others replies than we know as an individual.

If you were to classify the active membership, Id say 10% is smarter than 99% of the worlds population. Smarter than F'k people.
65% is well above the curve, and if you add in their efforts at helping I'd say that 65% is in the top 30% of the global population.
20% is about like me. I know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff (Tech term for things). People like me can understand anything eventually IF we apply our desire to learn to our goals. The good thing about us (20%'r) is we free think. Anything is possible. New doors open at every intersection of thoughts.
Then there is the 5% group that just can't get it. They fight like hell, and get pissed when everyone else gets Yathzee, and they get nothing. It's just the way life is.

If that adds up to something close to 100% I'll have impressed myself. If there is extra or to few... The rest (leftovers) fall into my X-wifes category... Just don't matter.

Don't worry about what the other guy is doing. Work on what YOU like, and help where you can. Forums are NOT here to give you answers or wisdom. Forums exist to share thoughts, and concepts. Sharing means input. I have never called anyone's input as trash or rubbish. I might laugh but I keep that at home.

ANY forum that has members that you can and do call friends is a forum that is above the curve. I'm happy to say that there are couple dozen members here that are welcome in my home anytime. All they ever did to get on my good list was share thoughts with total strangers. They are great people, and this is a great forum because of them.

Quit worrying, and jump in the deep end. One of the brilliant guys will help if they think you can understand the answer.

[Edited on 6-10-2015 by Zombie]

j_sum1 - 10-6-2015 at 04:19

Quote: Originally posted by Zombie

I'm happy to say that there are couple dozen members here that are welcome in my home anytime. All they ever did to get on my good list was share thoughts with total strangers. They are great people, and this is a great forum because of them.

So its barbecue at your place next weekend Zombie? I'll bring some ribs and some beer.

(Seriously though -- if I ever had occasion to visit FL I would let you know and see if we could connect. Likewise if you are ever planning a trip to oz...)

KesterDraconis - 10-6-2015 at 09:38

I think, as stated above, a big issue is the amount of people like myself (younger members, who are in college or who haven't even really started, the latter being myself) who don't have a great deal of experience to contribute. I'm still playing around in my backyard with essential oils, various energetic materials, and colored flames (more specifically, I am trying to get different colored candle flames). So I mainly read, because this forum has a wealth of information on it, from the books in the library, to recommended books all around, to all the threads about various synths or issues with synthesis or experimentation. (and these threads are often more enjoyable than reading a book, because you get to read the story as it were, a story of people working through problems or ideas, which leads to a more "exciting" conclusion I suppose).

[Edited on 10-6-2015 by KesterDraconis]

Zombie - 10-6-2015 at 15:47

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

Quote: Originally posted by Zombie

Just bring Napkins, and a sense of humor. You'll need both when fighting the dogs for the next bite.

They don't drink beer so that's probably the best bet for a peaceful dinner.