Andrew Bernardin at 8:47 am under science,skepticism

Part 1 - When Good Science Goes Bad


ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE, Words are tools. When attempting to do good work it is important to use your tools wisely. That is why I can get bent out of shape (you know what I mean) when scientists and reporters of science are sloppy with language, rx free Abilify. Sure, Buy cheap Abilify, clichés and metaphors can add excitement to reporting, but bad writing can also distort our understanding. Yes, Abilify gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, even science writing.


Science writing matters because it has the potential to mislead nearly as great as its promise to enlighten. As a skeptic I read critically, starting with the title, ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE. Buy Abilify without prescription, When I encounter slightly bad or outright bogus writing, I note it. In an effort to entertain and educate I have created my own awards for bad science writing in article titles: "The Sloppies." I here share past notables with you.


Can science go bad, canada, mexico, india. Okay, Buy no prescription Abilify online, the above subtitle might be a tad misleading. Yet in the text beyond the bigger font I can clarify what I mean. ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE, Scientists, like all of us, sometimes lean on clichés and conventions of speech to jazz up the presentation of their arguments. They may even add big-band words and linguistic pyrotechnics, fast shipping Abilify. Of course, Order Abilify online overnight delivery no prescription, an editor's wanting to grab a reader's attention is understandable, so I expect it more in a title.


Still, titles matter, purchase Abilify online no prescription. Science reporting for a general audience tends to be both superficial and exaggerated. Order Abilify online c.o.d, To better inform people about the enterprise of science -- including the importance of precision in both mute measurement and lively dialogue -- why not start with the title?


As a 360 degree skeptic I do not have two lights in my head: a green one for science and all the stuff I like, a red for non-science and everything else. Instead, I have an active doubt-meter, ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE. Most material I read -- even science -- will cause the meter to twitch, ordering Abilify online. Other material makes the needle sway wildly. Purchase Abilify online, One of the things that makes my doubt-meter daily come alive is bad science writing. It is far too common. ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE, As in this blog, in my previous blog, The Evolving Mind, I have critiqued and criticized dozens of articles by scientists, science departments and science organizations. What follows is the best of the worst from a year's worth of reading.


If you care about both science and language you might enjoy my awards, buy cheap Abilify no rx, the 2009 Sloppies*. Australia, uk, us, usa, So without further ado, let's dim the lights, quiet the orchestra, buy Abilify no prescription, and . Order Abilify from United States pharmacy, . .


 


Category One: Words Wearing Pants


Is it just me, or does this title stink like rotten fish: Computers That Understand How You Feel, order Abilify no prescription. Okay, title's don't carry odors, unless they are of the printed, scratch-and-sniff variety, ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE. But that's obvious. Abilify trusted pharmacy reviews, Is it likewise obvious that computers can't understand feelings. Last I checked, computers lack a limbic system, online buy Abilify without a prescription, etc. Where can i buy cheapest Abilify online, The human propensity to engage in animism and anthropomorphism runs deep. ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE, Our kind likely spent much of its early years evading predators and chasing prey, so I understand why we might over-extend the tendency to infer agency behind phenomena. This over-extension of a cognitive propensity probably plays a huge role in the perception of purportedly supernatural events. But science is not religion, buy Abilify online cod. Science writing should be down-to-earth.


As contrast, Japan, craiglist, ebay, overseas, paypal, in another piece, A Fine-tooth Comb To Measure The Accelerating Universe, I have no problem with the use of "fine-tooth comb." Those words were clearly used to describe a new technology, where can i order Abilify without prescription. The cosmos has no hair, Buy Abilify from canada, so there is little risk of misunderstanding. What about this headline: Black Holes Have Simple Feeding Habits, ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE. Does it belong in a different category. Upon reading that one I couldn't help but groan, kjøpe Abilify på nett, köpa Abilify online, in part because the animistic language extended into the article, Order Abilify from mexican pharmacy, potentially misleading readers (e.g., "This confirms that the feeding patterns for black holes of different sizes can be very similar.") But hold on. It gets worse, where can i buy Abilify online. Envelope please . . Buy Abilify online no prescription, . .


Sloppy Grandé - That Car Just Winked at Me


Did you know that automobiles have personalities. Yes they do, buy Abilify without a prescription. How do I know. The title of a news release told me so: Life Is A Highway: Study Confirms Cars Have Personality, ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE. Buying Abilify online over the counter, Actually, the study found not that cars have personalities, but that we perceive personality attributes in cars via our acts of association, Abilify from canadian pharmacy. Is this not an important distinction?


Sloppy Extra Grandé - That Water is Alive!


Forgive me for getting my undies in a bunch over a matter of mere semantics, Abilify over the counter, but I believe that if you slant the reporting of a scientific finding like this -- Water Is No Passive Spectator Of Biological Processes: It Is An Active Participant -- believers in soft-brained woo such as homeopathy are likely to take your verbal polish and peddle it as support for their non-science.


What is active water, you may wonder. Does it have feelings, where can i find Abilify online, motives, Abilify price, coupon, memory. Nope. ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE, in active water the molecules are differently "networked," resulting a change in their absorption of radiation. It seems the water plays a more dynamic role in a chemical process than is customary, Abilify samples. Is this truly an active role. Would we similarly claim that in the gymnastics routines of the 2008 Summer Olympics the floor mat played an active role. I don't think so. This award is well-deserved.



Coming up next -- Category Two: Inflationary Verbiage. Stay tuned.


~~~


*Disclaimer: This series of posts contains some recycled content. A number of the word combinations and sentences can be found in individual blogs posts made at my previous blog during the second half of 2008 and the first half of 2009.


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3 Comments to “ONLINE Abilify FOR SALE”

  1. That Cars Have Personality title sounded so very Psychology Today, I felt compelled to check out my hunch by following the link. Cutesy article; dopey and misleading title. What really cracked me up was the deadpan image of the researcher above this: “…cars seem to have consistent personality traits associated with them, and that this is similar to the way people perceive facial expressions.”

    Okay, I know. I’m SO BAD.

    The Active Water title and your issue with “soft-brained woo”
    speaks to my own frustration. I’m just not fluent enough in physics to explain to someone who’s spouting The Secret or past-life regression revelations at me why that’s just crazy talk, but I’ve learned enough to know the difference between science and wishful thinking.

  2. Nance -
    As an aspiring Mercedes-Benz, let me just honk my own horn here . . .
    I can also understand your frustration with attempting to engage lovers of woo. I’ve gotten flack for being so closed minded that I have actually . . . turned the focus to actual, earthly details.
    I guess scientists are small-minded in that they can’t see the big, fuzzy PsychToday inkblot.

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