I now have at least three coworkers that are watching the Ancient Aliens program on the History Channel and have taken to randomly spouting off the utter nonsense they pick up from the show. By Merlin's beard it is beyond me to understand how an otherwise intelligent individual could entertain an idea that is so obviously a fantasy.
This is forcing me to develop a counter-apologetic for these juvenile conspiracy theories. I just can't sit there and listen without challenging them on the evolution of Egyptian pyramids for example. I have to explain how the earliest pyramids are small, growing significantly larger over the next several centuries until the design could no longer support the massive amount of sandstone piled into ever larger monuments.
The existence of several broken pyramids, followed by so called bent pyramids indicate a school of architecture that was adapting as it went along. The Egyptians had to alter their construction methods until the problem was solved and consequently, we have a number of obleisk-like pyramids sandwiched between the oldest true pyramids and the gargantuan tombs built in later years.
I am compelled to point out that such a well documented period of architectural upheaval is strong evidence that the pyramids were not suddenly built by primitive humans working under the direction of some cosmic shift supervisor.
Bringing this to their attention they concede--finally--that it would have been possible for ancient Egyptians to build the Great Pyramid at Giza given their long engineering experience. At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword. And with that we're back at square one. It's sad really.
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword.
Seriously? :D
I'm actually curious to watch that series now, I never bothered with it before. Arguments from ignorance or incredulity going to whole new levels should make for good entertainment.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on July 28, 2012, 09:08:07 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword.
Seriously? :D
I'm actually curious to watch that series now, I never bothered with it before. Arguments from ignorance or incredulity going to whole new levels should make for good entertainment.
Only if your a masochist. O wait we are atheists. Masochism comes with the territory. I long ago gave up on the History Channel when the stopped showing much history programing.
I couldn't agree with you more the programing is total trash, the discovery channel isn't much better either. The amount of times you will hear the phrase "the majority of scientists are in agreement" to try and prove some odd obscure point, but when checked that point they made out is only by a very small group of nutbag so called scientists that never finished their degrees.
Also the obsession with the Nazis is unsettling, everyday there is something, is that what people really want to watch. I thought I would watch a program about Nazi occultism on one of those channels thinking it would actually use evidence rather than fiction, I thought it would have focused on the weak links between the Thule Society and the Nazi party, the relationship of the symbolism used by the party to the ideologies preached by the Thule Society and other similar ideologies that paralleled that of the Nazi party, and dispelled the ideas put forth by books of fiction. Boy was I wrong, it was the biggest pile of sensational drivel I have ever watched in my life which would have been better in an Indiana Jones film than a documentary, the only stuff that they seemed to get close to correct was the stuff about Himmler.
Have these people brought us a "science" channel yet?
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on July 28, 2012, 09:08:07 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword.
Seriously? :D
I'm actually curious to watch that series now, I never bothered with it before. Arguments from ignorance or incredulity going to whole new levels should make for good entertainment.
As their reasoning goes all Japanese swords prior to the katana were straight bladed and there's no way a blacksmith would figure out that a gently curved blade cuts better. The only explanation I can think of is that the ancient alien theorists
know how stupid they are and assume that the rest of humanity is at, or below their level.
And don't get me started on the astrophysicists they have on the show to explain how humans couldn't possibly have evolved. Did it not occour to the producers that a
biologist, even a creationist biologist, would be better equiped to answer that question.
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 03:05:29 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on July 28, 2012, 09:08:07 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword.
Seriously? :D
I'm actually curious to watch that series now, I never bothered with it before. Arguments from ignorance or incredulity going to whole new levels should make for good entertainment.
As their reasoning goes all Japanese swords prior to the katana were straight bladed and there's no way a blacksmith would figure out that a gently curved blade cuts better. The only explanation I can think of is that the ancient alien theorists know how stupid they are and assume that the rest of humanity is at, or below their level.
And don't get me started on the astrophysicists they have on the show to explain how humans couldn't possibly have evolved. Did it not occour to the producers that a biologist, even a creationist biologist, would be better equiped to answer that question.
Or that a curved blade is easier to remove from the sheath, for that matter, if you're going for some amount of gracefulness. :D It really irks me when people don't know the thing's they're talking about. ::)
As for people who don't have the minimal credentials and who know even less about biology than a highschool senior having their say about what couldn't have happened, I'm quite immune to that by now. Creationists :D
There's a clown on there calling himself an archaeologist that tries to prove Biblical stories, such as the idea that a volcano in the Mediterranean caused the plagues of Egypt. Nevermind that if the plagues happened, all clues in Exodus point to a time at least 500 years different than when the volcano erupted. He solves this problem by saying that one perhaps happened later and the other earlier, because of course scientists could be several hundred years off of their guess for the eruption of the volcano, despite the various forms of evidence including written histories and sediments.
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 03:05:29 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on July 28, 2012, 09:08:07 AM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
At this point in the conversation they segue int a theory about how the Japanese needed extra terrestrial guidance in make the first samurai sword.
Seriously? :D
I'm actually curious to watch that series now, I never bothered with it before. Arguments from ignorance or incredulity going to whole new levels should make for good entertainment.
As their reasoning goes all Japanese swords prior to the katana were straight bladed and there's no way a blacksmith would figure out that a gently curved blade cuts better. The only explanation I can think of is that the ancient alien theorists know how stupid they are and assume that the rest of humanity is at, or below their level.
As an affectionado of fine swords, and a bit of a kenjutsu student myself, I must laugh at this silly idea. Anyone with a little sword skill knows that a straight blade is inferior for cutting. And the true genious of japanese swordmaking lies in the way they temper the steel to get different hardness between the edge and the rest of the blade.
I assume they didn't actually have a proper japanese swordsmith on the show, as they would probably have been chased out at sword point....
QuoteSamurai sword history is roughly divided into four main time periods - Koto (the old sword period, pre 1596), Shinto/Shinshinto (1597 to 1876) Gendai (1877 to the end of world war II) and Shinsaku (modern).
But the earliest origins of this fascinating weapons can be traced back some 1300 years...
The first Japanese swords were basically variations of the Chinese Jian (called Chokuto) - in other words a straight, double edged iron blade.
However sometime during the early Heian period, around 700AD, the first uniquely Japanese swords that were the forerunners of the 'modern' Katana began to evolve.
Initially the first curved Japanese swords were curved at the tang only. But by the end of the 10th century fully curved swords were commonplace. It was during this time that Japan began to abandon such close cultural ties with China, it's society stabilized into class divisions, and the military guards of the capital and the gentlemen of the provinces became the first Samurai...
While no one can pinpoint exactly when the first true Samurai swords came about (after all, written records of Samurai sword history were few and far between during this early period) Japanese myths like to attribute the turning point of Samurai sword history to a smith by the name of Amakuni...
http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/samurai-sword-history.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword
But what strikes me as incredible is the sheer lack of.. I'm not sure what to call it, trust or respect of the by gone generations, that they actually could have figured these sort of things for them selves. People back then were just as crazy, innovative and smart as today, the only lacking component being the level of technology (though there are several peaks through out the ancient histories and empires of old).
To me claims like the one about space man origins of the katana are almost like a very tasteless version of "Yo mama..."-jokes.
"Yo mama was so stupid, she had to ask the aliens on how to forge metal and make a blade!"
Every time I think of that show I picture this:
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m6tu22yikh1rxukuoo2_400.jpg&hash=d1b7ed39ba3028d8f404cb5e976076dce4481850)
I watched it once. I ended up just staying on that channel because it was so laughably bad.
Quote from: Budhorse4 on July 29, 2012, 01:34:49 AM
Every time I think of that show I picture this:
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m6tu22yikh1rxukuoo2_400.jpg&hash=d1b7ed39ba3028d8f404cb5e976076dce4481850)
I watched it once. I ended up just staying on that channel because it was so laughably bad.
That program is the pinnacle of programming on that channel.
Quote from: Crow on July 29, 2012, 01:36:56 AM
Quote from: Budhorse4 on July 29, 2012, 01:34:49 AM
Every time I think of that show I picture this:
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m6tu22yikh1rxukuoo2_400.jpg&hash=d1b7ed39ba3028d8f404cb5e976076dce4481850)
I watched it once. I ended up just staying on that channel because it was so laughably bad.
That program is the pinnacle of programming on that channel.
It's like the Discovery network. It used to be good, then it just went downhill. If National Geographic goes, I'll be very sad.
Quote from: Crow on July 29, 2012, 01:36:56 AM
Quote from: Budhorse4 on July 29, 2012, 01:34:49 AM
Every time I think of that show I picture this:
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m6tu22yikh1rxukuoo2_400.jpg&hash=d1b7ed39ba3028d8f404cb5e976076dce4481850)
I watched it once. I ended up just staying on that channel because it was so laughably bad.
That program is the pinnacle of programming on that channel.
I wouldn't go quite that far. Serial Killer Earth is awesome. I never realized just how powerful the Japanes tsunami was until I saw the episode on it. Serial Killer Earth blows me away every episode.
And I wonder what kind of gel that moron uses to make his hair stand out like that? Could be a perm...
Quote from: jumbojak on July 28, 2012, 05:23:52 AM
I have to explain how the earliest pyramids are small, growing significantly larger over the next several centuries until the design could no longer support the massive amount of sandstone piled into ever larger monuments.
I know what you actually meant, but I like to pretend that what you really meant is that pyramids start small (like baby pyramids) and then grow larger with time (and presumably enough sunlight and water and classical music.)
Quote from: history_geek
"Yo mama was so stupid, she had to ask the aliens on how to forge metal and make a blade!"
This is going in my signature.
Quote from: Guardian85 on July 28, 2012, 10:03:08 PM
I assume they didn't actually have a proper japanese swordsmith on the show, as they would probably have been chased out at sword point....
Which, ironically, would have made the show worth watching.
The history channel is a wonderful (horrible) example of failing to balance teaching and entertainment. Teachers know that they have to force kids to endure boring truths, and knock down a few stupid fantasies. Entertainers are held to no such educational standard, and if the kids want mindless entertainment, the get it.
Same goes for religion--no eduactional standard.
Personally I still watch the HC for two programs: American Pickers and Pawn Stars. For what they are, they are rather entertaining and actaully keep to the channels actual name. For the most part.
Quote from: Ali on July 29, 2012, 03:25:41 PMQuote from: history_geek
"Yo mama was so stupid, she had to ask the aliens on how to forge metal and make a blade!"
This is going in my signature.
Yay! ;D Thanks.
And the talk of pyramids "inspired" me to make another (for all you masochistic out there... :p )
"Yo mama was so stupid, she had to ask E.T to tell her how to make pyramids, and still managed to f*ck up a few hundred times all along the damn Nile!"
I actually can't remember how many "proto"-pyramids there are doting the banks of the Nile and its surrounding deserts, but I think there were quite a few....
It's the advertising that's the problem. And what's worse, public television in the US, one of the few places where programing can be selected based purely on its educational merits, could well have to seek advertisers as a source of funding for their operations. Imagine the Ancient Aliens taking the place of a thoroughly researched, balanced documentary of Thomas Paine, or Chief Sitting Bull, or Dr. Martin Luther King, or Malcolm X.
OMFSM
I actually tried sitting through a few minutes of the first episode. I just couldn't.
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2012, 06:18:57 AM
It's the advertising that's the problem. And what's worse, public television in the US, one of the few places where programing can be selected based purely on its educational merits, could well have to seek advertisers as a source of funding for their operations. Imagine the Ancient Aliens taking the place of a thoroughly researched, balanced documentary of Thomas Paine, or Chief Sitting Bull, or Dr. Martin Luther King, or Malcolm X.
Frankly it might get even worse. Imagine Nova reduced to shows on UFOS and Christian science, Nature having only shows on the Loch Ness Monster, And Masterpiece Theater doing the latest clone of whatever was popular three years ago. I can hardly wait.
Quote from: markmcdaniel on July 30, 2012, 05:37:48 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2012, 06:18:57 AM
It's the advertising that's the problem. And what's worse, public television in the US, one of the few places where programing can be selected based purely on its educational merits, could well have to seek advertisers as a source of funding for their operations. Imagine the Ancient Aliens taking the place of a thoroughly researched, balanced documentary of Thomas Paine, or Chief Sitting Bull, or Dr. Martin Luther King, or Malcolm X.
Frankly it might get even worse. Imagine Nova reduced to shows on UFOS and Christian science, Nature having only shows on the Loch Ness Monster, And Masterpiece Theater doing the latest clone of whatever was popular three years ago. I can hardly wait.
If that ever happened I would cancel my subscription, buy the film 'Idiocracy' and watch it over and over and over again till my ears bleed and my eyes pop out. Or at least feel that way.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on July 30, 2012, 09:11:06 PM
Quote from: markmcdaniel on July 30, 2012, 05:37:48 PM
Quote from: jumbojak on July 30, 2012, 06:18:57 AM
It's the advertising that's the problem. And what's worse, public television in the US, one of the few places where programing can be selected based purely on its educational merits, could well have to seek advertisers as a source of funding for their operations. Imagine the Ancient Aliens taking the place of a thoroughly researched, balanced documentary of Thomas Paine, or Chief Sitting Bull, or Dr. Martin Luther King, or Malcolm X.
Frankly it might get even worse. Imagine Nova reduced to shows on UFOS and Christian science, Nature having only shows on the Loch Ness Monster, And Masterpiece Theater doing the latest clone of whatever was popular three years ago. I can hardly wait.
If that ever happened I would cancel my subscription, buy the film 'Idiocracy' and watch it over and over and over again till my ears bleed and my eyes pop out. Or at least feel that way.
The problem here is that there's no subscription to cancel. It's the public stations and the public network that would become just like cable. In rural areas where there is no internet access, or at least no high speed access, people will have no other options.
That is the point of public television, to provide informational programming that is not totally dependent on its ability to sell ads. Sure the programs need viewers, but they aren't required in nearly enough numbers to overly popularize these stations with cable channel garbage.
If Big Bird gets ads I'm afraid for the future of the entire system.
The other day, History Channel advertised Ancient Aliens in regard to supernaturally charged weapons through history. I was all excited as I thought it would be a kind of mythology about these weapons. I love to hear that kind of stuff. Like the mystical story of Excalibur. HOWEVER, much to my dismay, it was all some BS about proving that Aliens provided these weapons. And they were serious about it!
I watched 2 mintues and then kicked it off my DVR.
It really makes my blood boil that there are people out there who believe that humanity couldn't possibly be smart enough to come up with Pyramids and other amazing discoveries and objects without extraterrestrial intervention. Criminey, give the human race some credit!
There are people who also believe we didn't land on the moon. There are people in this forum that believe, despite lack of any actual evidence, that someone other than Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK. There are people in this world that believe aliens visited this planet in this 14 billion year old universe 14 TRILLION years ago. Doesn't surprise me at all that there are people who believe in wild ideas in the face of evidence to the contrary. In many of these cases, when presented with overwhelming evidence disproving their claims, or when called out on lack of evidence supporting their claims, they will simply say it's because the government is covering it up. The only part of all this that irks me is that the HISTORY channel has thrown away their integrity as a presenter of history in favor of improved ratings. Reminds me of when MTV stopped showing music videos in favor of reality TV.
Add Proving God to the list of History Channel stupidity. They claim to be approaching the God hypothesis from a scientific perspective. Their idea of scientific proof of God is to LOOK FOR THE ARK OF THE COVENANT! And they found a physicist ( I think ) to say the Higgs would be proof of God were it discovered. The program was made in 2011. Morons...
Quote from: jumbojak on August 05, 2012, 04:48:02 AM
Add Proving God to the list of History Channel stupidity. They claim to be approaching the God hypothesis from a scientific perspective. Their idea of scientific proof of God is to LOOK FOR THE ARK OF THE COVENANT! And they found a physicist ( I think ) to say the Higgs would be proof of God were it discovered. The program was made in 2011. Morons...
Biblical accounts show the Ark of the Covenant (AOC) to be a very powerful device. The presence of God was in the AOC, and his power was projected through it at the enemies. A human couldn't touch it without being instantly killed because of how powerful God is. Some scientists have tried to reproduce the effects of the AOC by building one and testing different ideas like static electricity build up and such. I just figure the stories are hooey since they were passed along so much before they were written down.
Believer scientists figure if they find the AOC, they will be able to show reproducable measurements of its powers, thereby proving God's presence, thereby proving God scientifically. The AOC was likely plundered for its materials during one of the times the temple was destroyed.
Right now, I'm watching a show on the discovery channel about mermaids that "existed" one million years ago. To top it off, the music is a Sigur Ros knock off!
Edit: I guess they are alive still.
Quote from: Genericguy on August 07, 2012, 08:07:50 AM
Right now, I'm watching a show on the discovery channel about mermaids that "existed" one million years ago.
Why do you do this to yourself? :D
Wow! This was apparently taken on a old flip phone. The zoom is incredible!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqleRxEDwrg&feature=youtube_gdata_player (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqleRxEDwrg&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Quote from: fester30 on August 02, 2012, 09:07:27 PM
There are people who also believe we didn't land on the moon. There are people in this forum that believe, despite lack of any actual evidence, that someone other than Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK. There are people in this world that believe aliens visited this planet in this 14 billion year old universe 14 TRILLION years ago. Doesn't surprise me at all that there are people who believe in wild ideas in the face of evidence to the contrary. In many of these cases, when presented with overwhelming evidence disproving their claims, or when called out on lack of evidence supporting their claims, they will simply say it's because the government is covering it up. The only part of all this that irks me is that the HISTORY channel has thrown away their integrity as a presenter of history in favor of improved ratings. Reminds me of when MTV stopped showing music videos in favor of reality TV.
Unfortunately all of the repeats that these shows under go gives them a semblance of creditability. The sheer repetition of these shows becomes a form of indoctrination.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 07, 2012, 09:34:28 AM
Quote from: Genericguy on August 07, 2012, 08:07:50 AM
Right now, I'm watching a show on the discovery channel about mermaids that "existed" one million years ago.
Why do you do this to yourself? :D
Masochism would be my guess.
Quote from: Genericguy on August 07, 2012, 06:51:58 PM
Wow! This was apparently taken on a old flip phone. The zoom is incredible!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqleRxEDwrg&feature=youtube_gdata_player (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqleRxEDwrg&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Unfortunately, as frightening as the existence of this video is the comments about the video are even worse.