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Re: [Phys-l] "Ask Marilyn"



You could post it to http://www.wiskit.com/marilyn.html
Marilyn is Wrong. At least then it becomes public.

Maybe someone on this list who might have enough name recognition and is at
a "well known" institution could challenge her. That makes it more
difficult for her to pass it off. Also if she is being snobby by her
categorization of the list, the questions should be shown to be reasonable.
Or several people from well known prestigious institutions could write her
at once. Perhaps someone who has written well known physics texts might get
her attention. If someone with the stature of Feynman or Einstein wrote her
she might sit up and pay attention, or maybe not! How about someone who has
a tested high IQ similar to hers? I do not know my IQ, and I really don't
want to know it.

For example the deer question is actually an example of how many people
attribute human motives to animate and inanimate objects. Teachers do this
by saying things like hot air wants to rise. This puts ridiculous ideas
into peoples' heads. And the influence of cartoons and modern special
effects should not be underestimated. People see things like devils faces
in explosions, and don't realize that this is a trick our brain plays
because we have a strong face recognition circuit. Some people might think
that the wildlife rangers are putting attractive objects nearby to entice
deer to cross only at specific places.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


I have it sitting next to my desk. I was considering sending a response,
but I'm sure they'd fall on deaf ears. The magnetic poles and weight loss
questions were particularly disturbing to be thought of as unanswerable.

Mike