This weekend’s Times Magazine has an article about Bart Sibrel, media-friendly king of the Moon Hoax wackos. Here’s a link, although I belive you have to register (free) to read the article.
And whom does the Times choose as their champion of rationality? Whom do they interview as an example of Somebody With A Brain? Who is the guy-with-a-website speaking out against ignorance, bad science, and conspiracy-obsessed ridiculousness?
I believe it’s our very own Bad Astronomer! Congratulations, dude, and thanks for your tireless efforts. I’m sure Uncle Cecil is proud.
Don’t want to read the article? Let me hit the highlights for you.
That’s the most encouraging thing in the article. I knew that loonies were only a small percentage of the people I encounter each day. This gives me hope for mankind as a species.
Now I’m even more encouraged. He’s a wacko, lunatic, Jesus-freak! But before you PIT me for bringing in religion, hey, this guy was with the mainstream until he found GOD! What does that say?
Remember, this guy is the same fuckwit who chased Buzz Aldrin, trying to get him to swear on a Bible that he, Aldrin, had gone to the moon.
Yeah, Buzz did. There’s about 10 threads on the subject if you’re interested. Someone on the BA Board posted a link to where you could watch BS get mocked on The Daily Show awhile back, funny stuff. They even showed the clip of Buzz clocking BS. Heh, Buzz was ready to kill 'im!
First, thanks! That article was a long time coming; I was interviewed for it months ago.
Second, I’m not really thrilled with how it came out. It makes Sibrel looks almost rational, and his claims are anything but. We’re discussing it on my own BB now.
Is there anyplace you can’t find Phil these days? In just the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen him in Maxim magazine (an issue from last summer) and on the PAX network (another moon hoax program).
Is Phil going to be the next Carl Sagan? He’s got my vote!
I saw The Bad Astronomer mentioned in this month’s Scientific American, too! He really is everywhere! It’s kind of spooky, but in a rational, scientific way.
Kudos BA! I applaud your fighting ignorance! Sadly, there’s little point fighting with the ignorant.
I worked with a teacher (thankfully, merely a massage-therepy teacher) who was convinced of this Moon Hoax crap, and had the photos to prove it. Seriously, there’s just no point explaining ambient light to somebody who thinks “ambient” is an allergy medication.
Correction: It never even went to court! The DA refused to press charges because BS didn’t seek medical attention for his injuries (despite being told to by the police), and Buzz’s lack of a criminal record! (BS claimed to be thinking about suing Buzz in civil court, but I imagine that BS’s lawyer told him to not be that stupid [:wally], since I never heard anything more about it.)
The Moon Hoax is why my name pops up a lot. Right place at the right time sort of thing. My webpage about it was up the day the Fox “documentary” aired, and it got a lot of hits. To be honest, I wish it would go away. It’s done a lot for my publicity, but I have to be an honest man and say that I wish people would wise up, look at Bart Sibrel and realize that everything he says is crap. I’d rather everyone were skeptical and critical over my having my 15 minutes.
The Maxim thing was… odd. They did a piece on advice from professionals. They wanted an astronomer to confirm that blinking rapidly would adapt your eyes to darkness more quickly (a commando told them that). I had never heard of it, and frankly it sounded silly. They didn’t want to print it, so they asked me if I knew anything that could be used for the piece. I gave them several ideas, and they went with finding Polaris.
And gah, that Pax thing. I was awful. I memorized my lines, and came off sounding really stilted. Next time, I’ll wing it and let then edit it as they see fit.
The Amazing Meeting was great – except for Saturday morning :-(. I haven’t had time to write anything about it yet.
