Good books about the moon landings hoax?

[JayUtah]

If it's not ~80,000 words long and based on original research, it's not a "thesis" for which a degree would be awarded here in the UK.

It sounds more like a poorly-written essay, which he may or may not have actually written and submitted as part of coursework towards a BSc.  In that case, the university would not still have a copy.

I assume he's using the words "thesis" and "degree" loosely enough to attempt to fool a layman.  Here's how the relevant chapter begins:

I was delighted to get entrance to the University of my choice: St Andrews.

I went there in 1960 and spent the happiest years of my life attending lectures during the day and playing golf on the finest golf courses in the world.

In my final year of my BSc degree we heard that President Kennedy of American had challenged his fellow countrymen to send a man to the Moon and return him safely to the Earth by the end of the decade. ...

[here an irrelevant paragraph bragging about an athletic challenge]

As a final thesis for my Physics degree we were challenged by the legendary Professor Allen to write a paper entitled: Most difficult problems the Americans have to solve if they are to put a man on the Moon as challenged by their President.

I threw myself into this and wrote a good paper, which got me a good degree, and, again only because Modesty is my middle name, I will not tell you how good it was.

You are free to read it now, or got to the next chapter if you wish.

Suffice it to say the Professor gave me 17 ticks out fo 20.  He had a reputation for never giving full marks so I was kind of pleased with my 17.

The "thesis" follows and occupies the rest of the chapter.  At the beginning of the next chapter, without explanation, he's off to Edinburgh to apprentice as an accountant.  The scope of the claimed work doesn't match what would be required.  The timeline is all off too:  Burns starts University in 1960, but then only one year later when Kennedy gives his challenge, Burns is in his "final year" of a BSc.  And again in 1963, Burns is still at university in the final stages of a "Physics degree."

[Dr_Orpheus]

Did you claim in your book to be writing programs in QuickBasic around the time Apollo 11 landed on the moon?

Yes, he does.

From p. 16, "Being interested enough to write my own programmes in Quick Basic, I became Chief Accountant and Company Secretary and had a fine office in Maitland and an even finer car."  He goes on at length about the car.  Then some tedious details about accounting practice.  Then two-thirds down the page:  "It was during this time early in 1969 that I was sent by my company ... to study their computer and accounting systems." (emphasis added)

I guess he must have time travelled to the 1980s and brought back a copy of Microsoft QuickBasic and an IBM PC to run it on.  Burns is something isn't he?

[JayUtah]

I guess he must have time travelled to the 1980s and brought back a copy of Microsoft QuickBasic and an IBM PC to run it on.  Burns is something isn't he?

Yes, he is.  The non-supernatural claims are easily-detected lies too.  I didn't examine too closely the plodding middle chapters of the book because they had nothing to do with Neil Armstrong or Apollo.  But that's where those programming claims come from.  I'm betting now if I scrutinized those chapters as closely as the others, I could probably guarantee that the book had at least two provable lies on every page.

[Dr_Orpheus]

I guess he must have time travelled to the 1980s and brought back a copy of Microsoft QuickBasic and an IBM PC to run it on.  Burns is something isn't he?

Yes, he is.  The non-supernatural claims are easily-detected lies too.  I didn't examine too closely the plodding middle chapters of the book because they had nothing to do with Neil Armstrong or Apollo.  But that's where those programming claims come from.  I'm betting now if I scrutinized those chapters as closely as the others, I could probably guarantee that the book had at least two provable lies on every page.

As another point against him, any version of BASIC was an odd choice for business aps in the mainframe era.  COBOL was the preferred programming language for business.  Assembly would have been used when program size or execution speed was a concern.   

[JayUtah]

Not to mention he's claiming to be writing PC programs in 1969, while just a few years earlier he was writing a "physics thesis" telling the world Apollo was impossible because computers were too big to fit in a spacecraft.

[JayUtah]

As another point against him, any version of BASIC was an odd choice for business aps in the mainframe era.  COBOL was the preferred programming language for business.  Assembly would have been used when program size or execution speed was a concern.

I concur.  I'm a card-carrying member of the ACM and I've programmed every major architecture (and several minor ones) since the IBM System/370.  I'm a 20-21st century engineer.  Computers are my main tool.

[Andromeda]

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

[Dr_Orpheus]

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

Perhaps, Skeptic_UK will return to tell about this programming language for mainframes in the 1960s which coincidentally shared the same name as a later Microsoft version of BASIC.  It was fairly obscure and probably not used outside the UK which is why none of us have heard about it or can find any mention of it on the internet.

[JayUtah]

Perhaps, Skeptic_UK will return to tell about this programming language for mainframes in the 1960s which coincidentally shared the same name as a later Microsoft version of BASIC.  It was fairly obscure and probably not used outside the UK which is why none of us have heard about it or can find any mention of it on the internet.

Burns claims some of his programs are still being used.  And the point of his world travels, as foggily illustrated in the "nicely-done" map, was to disseminate those programs and methods throughout the British Empire.

[JayUtah]

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

...and heads straight over to give him a pat on the back.  Those two make such a cute couple.

[Bob B.]

I have to agree with my colleague:  are you seriously this delusional, or is this just some act?  No one wants your book, Burns.  It's nothing but lies, and you know it.

If I had to choose, I'd go with some act.  Which makes him a spammer and a troll, both forum rules violations.

[twik]

I should point out that "17 ticks out of 20" is just 85%. Now, I would suspect that a paper that systematically demolishes the possibility of manned space flight in an incontrovertible manner would get higher marks than that. Or, if he claims that his brilliant work was being suppressed, it would be given a failing mark.

[skeptic_UK]

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

...and heads straight over to give him a pat on the back.  Those two make such a cute couple.

I got bored of the circular arguments you had me going in and took a break. To somehow imply (If I were, Jockndoris) that I couldn't somehow switch between accounts to post but have to only use one at a time for extended periods is rather stupid.

[skeptic_UK]

Funny how Jockndoris reappears just as Skeptic_UK disappears...

Perhaps, Skeptic_UK will return to tell about this programming language for mainframes in the 1960s which coincidentally shared the same name as a later Microsoft version of BASIC.  It was fairly obscure and probably not used outside the UK which is why none of us have heard about it or can find any mention of it on the internet.

Most of my programming experience is in the VB.Net language with a little dabbling in Java/C++/C#. FYI. Not that you care as I'm fully aware we've moved past debate and are now into out and out trolling.

[JayUtah]

I got bored of the circular arguments you had me going in and took a break. To somehow imply (If I were, Jockndoris) that I couldn't somehow switch between accounts to post but have to only use one at a time for extended periods is rather stupid.

What a very predictable reappearance.