tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148573551417578681.post5552125090646087227..comments2024-03-27T19:47:13.475-07:00Comments on Dark Buzz: Cleaning up after sloppy science journalismRogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474078324293158376noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8148573551417578681.post-86918528069113278222016-02-05T12:29:23.330-08:002016-02-05T12:29:23.330-08:00While I do agree that science journalism has basic...While I do agree that science journalism has basically become sensationalism designed to drum up for support for funding and blatant political purposes, I also think it is science itself that has become 'sloppy'. Relativity, Quantum (insert blank here), Big Bangy evidence, etc. aren't understood in any consistent way, they are 'interpreted', and that basically has left the barn door wide open to ...well, anything goes. <br /><br /> Too many scientists are now chasing too few dollars in a global economy going into a recession, and as desperation for funding and grants continues to mount, more an more outlandish claims are going to be made about how terribly important x, y, or z project is and how 'vital' it is, how it will revolutionize yada- yada-yada for the future of humanity, and, and, and, oh goodness, think of the children!! <br /><br /> The LHC was one such 'vital' project. It was oversold, overpromised, and over-budgeted by a considerable margin making it one of the worlds most expensive make-work projects ever for underemployed clever people. We were repetitively assured the secrets of the universe were going to be peeled back, certain pin heads even claimed this would open the door to alternate dimensions, new physics, and fundamentally change how we look at the world. So what happened? What was produced from this 'monumental' project? A bunch of fantastically overpriced, 'Meh'. After billions of dollars and countless hype, they have a questionable Monte Carlo graph to show for it, no new physics, no insight whatsoever into the actual source of mass, and, oh well, I guess we now need an even bigger accelerator... <br /> I think a bigger word than 'sloppy' is called for. CFTnoreply@blogger.com