Flat Earth

[molesworth]

Never watched "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", thanks.

Read the book first ... I feel the series did do it some justice, but the book is awesome!

Although, if you can find it, the original radio series was probably the best interpretation...

[gillianren]

I'm sure insulting people is helpful to actually convincing anyone.

They sure have no problem insulting us.

My problem is that it's a bad habit to be in.  I really doubt there are any fence-sitters on this one.  But if you're used to insulting people, you'll do it more often.  And if all you're doing is calling people who disagree with you stupid, that's not terribly persuasive to anyone who's uncertain.  So people uncertain about Apollo or 9/11--or, yes, vaccines--are more likely to be swayed by their emotions if no one presents anything else.  And I know a lot of vaccine fence-sitters; that's inevitable in parenting groups.  It's safer for my kids to persuade as many of them as possible.  "You're just stupid" isn't protecting my kids.

[Obviousman]

Never watched "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", thanks.

Read the UK or Australian copies of the books; the US versions have been slightly edited.

[Count Zero]

Incidentally, the Golgafrinchams are actually in the second book, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe".

Oh, and don't bother with the fifth book, "Mostly Harmless".  Adams later apologized for that one.  It was written during a bad time, apparently.

[Jason Thompson]

Never watched "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", thanks.

Read the book first ... I feel the series did do it some justice, but the book is awesome!

Although, if you can find it, the original radio series was probably the best interpretation...

Technically it doesn't really qualify as an interpretation. The original radio series came first.

One of the fun things about it is that every version is different. The books are generally held as the definitive version because they are easiest to get hold of, but all of the interpretations are good. This is primarily because Douglas Adams was involved in writing all of them (even the parts of the 2005 movie version that weren't in any other version came from some of Adams's notes, such as the things on Vogsphere that came out of the ground and smacked anyone who had an original thought around the face, explaining the Vogons' physignomy as well as their unimaginitive, bureaucratic nature).

I recommend the first two books, which basically cover the essential story. The third is an adaptation of a Doctor Who script Adams was working on but was not used. The fourth tells a whole different story, and the fifth, well...

[gillianren]

He actually created John Malkovich's character in the movie--with the intent of having him played by John Malkovich.

[bobdude11]

He actually created John Malkovich's character in the movie--with the intent of having him played by John Malkovich.

I wasn't aware of that! Great new trivia item for me.

[nomuse]

I'm sure insulting people is helpful to actually convincing anyone.

No point in trying to convince anyone that wilfully believes such bunkum. They can get in the sea along with the anti-vaxxers and homoeopaths.

Man, this planet really, REALLY needs a Golgafrincham Ark Fleet ship.

Whoosh as this one went right over my head.

A reference to "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Golgafrincham

Back when I worked as an office assistant out of a temporary agency I was sent to a medical office that was putting in a fancy new phone system. At some point they sat me down with boxes of the old phones and a crate of those little alcohol wipes to clean them with.

Yes. I was, briefly, a telephone sanitizer.

[Glom]

Apparently a FE group is doing a tour of the UK. One of my colleagues brought a leaflet of theirs into the office to laugh about and we've been watching some videos.

The stupid. It burns.

One was trying to argue that the Sun does rise and set, but it disappears out of view due to "perspective" because it moves further away.

I mean, have these people ever watched a sunrise or a sunset? I remember a lovely moment when I used to work offshore watching a sunrise. Incidentally, while it was rising above the clear sea, there was no sign of the glorious Norwegian coastline in the distance.

And then there's the issue of clouds being illuminated from below at twilight.

[Glom]

Also, if the Sun setting is due to it moving further away, why doesn't it get smaller or the intensity drop off?

[bknight]

I'm sure insulting people is helpful to actually convincing anyone.

No point in trying to convince anyone that wilfully believes such bunkum. They can get in the sea along with the anti-vaxxers and homoeopaths.

Man, this planet really, REALLY needs a Golgafrincham Ark Fleet ship.

Whoosh as this one went right over my head.

A reference to "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Golgafrincham

Back when I worked as an office assistant out of a temporary agency I was sent to a medical office that was putting in a fancy new phone system. At some point they sat me down with boxes of the old phones and a crate of those little alcohol wipes to clean them with.

Yes. I was, briefly, a telephone sanitizer.

Why on Earth did they feel the need to sanitize them?

[nomuse]

Not so much "sanitize" as "clean." But I tell you...you'd better have an autoclave handy if you'd want me to put MY mouth near some of them!

[bknight]

Beyond gross, then?

[AtomicDog]

I'm sure insulting people is helpful to actually convincing anyone.

They sure have no problem insulting us.

My problem is that it's a bad habit to be in.  I really doubt there are any fence-sitters on this one.  But if you're used to insulting people, you'll do it more often.  And if all you're doing is calling people who disagree with you stupid, that's not terribly persuasive to anyone who's uncertain.  So people uncertain about Apollo or 9/11--or, yes, vaccines--are more likely to be swayed by their emotions if no one presents anything else.  And I know a lot of vaccine fence-sitters; that's inevitable in parenting groups.  It's safer for my kids to persuade as many of them as possible.  "You're just stupid" isn't protecting my kids.

That just proves that you're better than I am. I'm no longer interested in convincing anyone. I live in the southern United States, and if I couldn't call idiots idiots, my blood pressure would be uncontrollable.

[bknight]

I'm sure insulting people is helpful to actually convincing anyone.

They sure have no problem insulting us.

My problem is that it's a bad habit to be in.  I really doubt there are any fence-sitters on this one.  But if you're used to insulting people, you'll do it more often.  And if all you're doing is calling people who disagree with you stupid, that's not terribly persuasive to anyone who's uncertain.  So people uncertain about Apollo or 9/11--or, yes, vaccines--are more likely to be swayed by their emotions if no one presents anything else.  And I know a lot of vaccine fence-sitters; that's inevitable in parenting groups.  It's safer for my kids to persuade as many of them as possible.  "You're just stupid" isn't protecting my kids.

That just proves that you're better than I am. I'm no longer interested in convincing anyone. I live in the southern United States, and if I couldn't call idiots idiots, my blood pressure would be uncontrollable.

Bravo, one of the reasons I couldn't be in an office job, they were filled with idiots, that my mouth overloaded my ass several times.  It is hard to bite ones tongue instead of speaking up.