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So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

arstechnica.com

21–30 of 34 posts

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#21
post #2

Given some of the progress here [1], there is a chance it can be translated in the near future if given the proper resources. [1] https://youtu.be/lhtZc-nFNt0

Who is the author of that incredible analysis? I can't find anything about Volder Z/Derek Vogt. Is it perhaps a pseudonym? Derek Bickerton[1] + Hans Vogt[2]?

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Bickerton [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vogt_(linguist)

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#22
post #7

I'm going to go off on a tangent and complain about Ars Technica here. As a long-time reader of the site, it feels to me like lately (ie. around the time Conde Nast bought them) the quality started slowly but surely sliding down. This here is yet another minor data-point that reinforces that feeling. The original article covering the supposed discovery was written like it's pretty much a solved thing (yes, all the us…

I’ve been downvoted (and upvoted a bit) on Ars Technica for a comment that contained nothing but facts that go against the Ars echo chamber. I don’t see that as often here on Hacker News

That last bit is less than true

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#23
post #5
post #3

This looks like a lot of elitists trying to grab some notoriety for their niche projects. Inappropriate criticism by people who (quite obviously) want some credit for their time spent, rather bash a casual observer in lieu of that. His crime is putting together a contextual narrative based on some existing deductions. It's a health book - "sleuths that had already reached that conclusion". There was nothing spectacul…

> This looks like a lot of elitists trying to grab some notoriety for their niche projects. Inappropriate criticism by people who (quite obviously) want some credit for their time spent, rather bash a casual observer in lieu of that. This looks like cheering for the "little man" who went against the establishment, similarly to people championing alternative diets, crystals, perpetual motion machines, and cold fusion…

"Little man" meaning what? A generalist in comparison to specialists too timid to put together a sensible conclusion for a publication?

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#24
post #7

I'm going to go off on a tangent and complain about Ars Technica here. As a long-time reader of the site, it feels to me like lately (ie. around the time Conde Nast bought them) the quality started slowly but surely sliding down. This here is yet another minor data-point that reinforces that feeling. The original article covering the supposed discovery was written like it's pretty much a solved thing (yes, all the us…

In particular they seem to have let their standards slip in regards to headlines. For example, the title of their first article about Gibbs' findings was "The mysterious Voynich manuscript has finally been decoded". That makes it sound as if the matter is settled, when it is decidedly not.

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#25
post #17
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ars is only as good as its authors - every time i am particularly impressed or displeased with an article, i check the author. Some patterns emerge.

Cyrus Farivar is one of the worst.

He's not called "Cyrus the Virus" for nothing. (Take that as good or bad depending on which side of the fence you stand.)

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#27
post #7

I'm going to go off on a tangent and complain about Ars Technica here. As a long-time reader of the site, it feels to me like lately (ie. around the time Conde Nast bought them) the quality started slowly but surely sliding down. This here is yet another minor data-point that reinforces that feeling. The original article covering the supposed discovery was written like it's pretty much a solved thing (yes, all the us…

There's a big pattern at work if you look at the author involved in both articles. I've basically stopped reading anything by Annalee Newitz as she has basically had a run of 5 or 6 articles at this point that use hyperbolic language and are usually complete incorrect. The author occasionally posts a weasel-word apology or an "update" to the article that is a 180 from the strong claims she made, without explicitly stating she was dead wrong or, apparently, learning anything from it.

You can basically ignore anything she writes at this point as being in the "Buzzfeed" section of Ars, and hope that the rest of the site continues to do a decent job. Peter Bright seems alright.

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#28
post #27
post #7

I'm going to go off on a tangent and complain about Ars Technica here. As a long-time reader of the site, it feels to me like lately (ie. around the time Conde Nast bought them) the quality started slowly but surely sliding down. This here is yet another minor data-point that reinforces that feeling. The original article covering the supposed discovery was written like it's pretty much a solved thing (yes, all the us…

There's a big pattern at work if you look at the author involved in both articles. I've basically stopped reading anything by Annalee Newitz as she has basically had a run of 5 or 6 articles at this point that use hyperbolic language and are usually complete incorrect. The author occasionally posts a weasel-word apology or an "update" to the article that is a 180 from the strong claims she made, without explicitly st…

lord help you if you bring up her consistently poorly written and deeply editorialized articles in the comments

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#29
post #27
post #7

I'm going to go off on a tangent and complain about Ars Technica here. As a long-time reader of the site, it feels to me like lately (ie. around the time Conde Nast bought them) the quality started slowly but surely sliding down. This here is yet another minor data-point that reinforces that feeling. The original article covering the supposed discovery was written like it's pretty much a solved thing (yes, all the us…

There's a big pattern at work if you look at the author involved in both articles. I've basically stopped reading anything by Annalee Newitz as she has basically had a run of 5 or 6 articles at this point that use hyperbolic language and are usually complete incorrect. The author occasionally posts a weasel-word apology or an "update" to the article that is a 180 from the strong claims she made, without explicitly st…

Yeah, it's a bit disappointing, especially since I liked her writing at io9. I wonder how much pressure writers get to write more sensationalist pieces.

Re: So much for that Voynich manuscript “solution”

#30
post #21
post #2

Given some of the progress here [1], there is a chance it can be translated in the near future if given the proper resources. [1] https://youtu.be/lhtZc-nFNt0

Who is the author of that incredible analysis? I can't find anything about Volder Z/Derek Vogt. Is it perhaps a pseudonym? Derek Bickerton[1] + Hans Vogt[2]? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Bickerton [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Vogt_(linguist)

His work is building on the observations of commentators Stephen Bax's blog.

https://stephenbax.net/

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