Re: Explaining QM to the layperson -Reply

[Michael Thomason <thomason@spot.Colorado.EDU>]

Perhaps I should have added, the programmer who put this "obnoxious",
"insult humor" reference to "bogus low technology" in the Physics 2000
website, displaying his unprofessionalism and lack of good sense, is a
graduate of Harvard College, Class of '96, with a degree in physics.
But you probably already guessed that.

Michael Thomason, Director of Physics Learning Laboratories
University of Colorado, Dept of Physics, Box 390, Boulder CO 80309-0390
MWF 303 -492-7117   TTh 303 492-8313   thomason@aeinstein.colorado.edu
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/

On Mon, 12 May 1997, Michael Thomason wrote:

> The "System Requirements & Troubleshooting" page includes a test Java
> applet to determine if a system is running them correctly.  When I look at
> that spot on the page I see four animated electrons whizzing around a
> beryllium nucleus. (This is the site logo applet; within the site electron 
> cloud models are used.) But when I turned off Java (and waited for the 
> caffeine to clear the browser) I got the "bogus low technology" message.  
>
> I agree it could easily have been taken as insulting.  I forwarded your
> message to the project director Marty Goldman; that sentence on the
> site has already been rewritten.  High school students who like 
> "insult humor" will have to look elsewhere.
>
> On Sat, 10 May 1997 PPARKER@TWSUVM.UC.TWSU.EDU wrote:
> > I went and looked at the site, and the first thing I saw was some
> > obnoxious remarks about my not having a Java-capable browser, thus
> > using "bogus technology" etc. etc. I found it quite insulting,
> > especially compared with other, professionally maintained sites I've
> > visited which told me the same thing in a much more polite manner.
> >    So, if I can't trust the good sense of the producers, why should I
> > trust the accuracy of their presentation, or its suitability for the
> > alleged target audience?
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------
> > Phil Parker        pparker@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu