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When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

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Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#31

Post by ConstantVigil »

andrepd wrote: post #24
sokoloff wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ref #2, I wonder if scientists feel similarly to Neil deGrasse Tyson today. He doesn’t seem likely to be wildly better as a scientist than his peers, but being wildly better as a communicator has incredible differentiating value (and likely has a tailwind for the other scientists in terms of public support for science when it’s something they feel is almost within their grasp).

I find Neil deGrasse Tyson to be a terrible science communicator, especially since a few years back. Just look at the man's twitter. Putting him and Carl Sagan in the same sentence is almost insulting x)

Not to mention that I am fairly certain I've caught him being horribly wrong more than once. But for the life of me, I cannot seem to remember which times it was. I'm sure I'll come across those videos again sometime though, and when I do; I'll be sure to edit this comment. Knowing my luck, it will be in the next few days time.

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#32

Post by Redoubts »

emsign wrote: post #17
iratewizard wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Purely a guess, but a lot of people whose pride stems from understanding complex subjects are the same people who will gatekeep that subject. Sagan, making astronomy more accessible to lay people, would be a grave offense to someone like that.

The Apple engineers' unwillingness to back down but even pushing things further with their insulting second code name shows a degree of arrogance that's astonishing.

I don’t think people outside the company should get a say over internal code names at all

To think otherwise is a much stronger arrogance

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#34

Post by dahfizz »

Redoubts wrote: post #32
emsign wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Apple engineers' unwillingness to back down but even pushing things further with their insulting second code name shows a degree of arrogance that's astonishing.

I don’t think people outside the company should get a say over internal code names at all To think otherwise is a much stronger arrogance

Is there a word for this kind of logical fallacy?

GP asserts that what the engineers did is wrong. They didn't say that the public should get to decide what codenames to use or anything like that. They simply pointed out the arrogance of the engineers, and they are right.

It's like a straw man, but specific to issues of morality.

"X is wrong".

"Oh, so you want to jail every offender of X? You want to completely regulate Y in case it leads to X?"

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#35

Post by KerrAvon »

sokoloff wrote: post #23
adastra22 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true (source: worked at NASA and heard other astronomers opinion of Sagan). The other chief aspects were (1) some had professional disagreements with Sagan and resented that he still won academic battles for mindshare just by being Sagan, and (2) resentment of his success by academics who were just as good but didn’t get fame and the grant wins or lucrative work that came from it.

Ref #2, I wonder if scientists feel similarly to Neil deGrasse Tyson today. He doesn’t seem likely to be wildly better as a scientist than his peers, but being wildly better as a communicator has incredible differentiating value (and likely has a tailwind for the other scientists in terms of public support for science when it’s something they feel is almost within their grasp).

Keep in mind that some of the youngest generation of scientists have been influenced by his Cosmos revival. Source: have one such in my household.

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#36

Post by ksec »

Reason077 wrote: post #21

Apple today is starting to remind me a bit of the Apple of the early 1990s. Gone are the simple product portfolios where each model has a clear position and purpose within the line up. Now, the number of models is creeping up gradually with more and more overlap and less clarity of purpose between them.

The whole iOS is becoming more Android Like with every version.

Tim Cook's Apple may be very successful, but I will argue it is not a better Apple. And as the Steve Jobs in Private of the Silicon Valley, being better matters.

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#37

Post by KerrAvon »

Reason077 wrote: post #21

Apple today is starting to remind me a bit of the Apple of the early 1990s. Gone are the simple product portfolios where each model has a clear position and purpose within the line up. Now, the number of models is creeping up gradually with more and more overlap and less clarity of purpose between them.

The difference is that Apple today has the volume to support the (smaller amount of, let’s be clear) differentiation. And while it’s less clear than it was in, say, 2001, each of these things probably has an audience.

Re: When Carl Sagan sued Apple twice (2014)

#38

Post by whywhywhywhy »

sokoloff wrote: post #23
adastra22 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true (source: worked at NASA and heard other astronomers opinion of Sagan). The other chief aspects were (1) some had professional disagreements with Sagan and resented that he still won academic battles for mindshare just by being Sagan, and (2) resentment of his success by academics who were just as good but didn’t get fame and the grant wins or lucrative work that came from it.

Ref #2, I wonder if scientists feel similarly to Neil deGrasse Tyson today. He doesn’t seem likely to be wildly better as a scientist than his peers, but being wildly better as a communicator has incredible differentiating value (and likely has a tailwind for the other scientists in terms of public support for science when it’s something they feel is almost within their grasp).

>I wonder if scientists feel similarly to Neil deGrasse Tyson today.

Find it hard to imagine anyone taking him seriously after seeing his Twitter account.

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