Stupid comments and uninformed questions. - Page 5

stephenb (Stephen) · #81 25-08-2011, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avandonk

Being a very grumpy person when I witness idiocy, whenever I was in a newsagent I would demand that the astrology magazines should be put under fiction not under science with the astronomy magazines. This behaviour of course led me to find many new friends not. Now I do not care as the real stuff is on line.

I could go on but I will not for now.

Bert

I hear you Bert, I've tried the same for a while but I keep running out of newsagents to buy from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

..... Meanwhile I could have have been talking to a 10 year old about the reason parts of the moon are brighter than others or that the rings of Saturn are made of all the luggage lost from airports around the world .... http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/....s/thumbsup.gif

lost luggage. I'm going to use that next chance I get...

RB (Andrew) · #82 25-08-2011, 09:04 AM

Here's a Youtube clip that will dispel any concerns about Nibiru, End of the World in 2012, sudden polar shifts or the Mayan calender.

Show it to people that have these concerns and put them at ease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRRCj...ture=fvwp&NR=1

Rattler (John) · #83 26-08-2011, 03:18 PM

I have in the past often been asked...........

"Hey, go get your microscope out and let's look at the stars....."

".....have you even seen a flying saucer flash past in this?"

Of course, there were some when I was younger that preferred to point the telescope at the Units a few blocks away and then complained that the image was upside down and thus the "microscope" was broken!! "Is everything upside down in space?" - once I tried to explain.

Oh well.

ChubbyStarstuff (Pete) · #84 13-10-2011, 11:02 PM

I do have to laugh at some of the comments I've tried to field just setting up the scope all on my lonesome, but easily-bored onlookers can take that the wrong way ("smarmy ******* thinks he's better than us") and you end up arguing from the bottom of a bottomless pit...

One thing I know I'd have loved at the time - answers I could use to fill the gaps. (Preferably tested and confirmed by painful experience!)

Oh how shameful it is to say "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question. Let me look in to it and let you know..." Many times I feel like I've lost them, right there. But just once, it wasn't in vain. I heard my simplistic explanation of the lunar eclipse two days later in the local, with the young bloke correcting one of his mates. So occasionally it sticks!

So do people here with this (unfortunately, painfully acquired) expertise have a favourite response to the biggies? I did like the Saturn's rings as lost luggage "misdirection"...

What an interesting thread!

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #85 14-10-2011, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

..... the rings of Saturn are made of all the luggage lost from airports around the world ....

. . . and teaspoons that vanished when washing the dishes, and socks from washing machines . . .

I remember a bus load of Melbourne people arriving at the Ballarat Observatory when I was a member there.

They arrived in the dark hours, all got off the bus and where looking up, pointing, and all seemed concerned about something.
Ian, one of our club members walked over to them and said "what's the matter?"
They all said (almost in unison) "there must be a bushfire somewhere near here."

It was the Milky Way

They had never seen it before!

Best dopey questions I have been asked:
*Do you believe in real Aliens? (are there fake ones?

)
*How many Planets have you discovered?
*I can't see the Galaxy spinning! How come? They do on You Tube. (I love this one

)
*How many people live in that Galaxy? (when looking at M83 galaxy)
*If I look in the front end of your telescope does it work backwards and become a microscope?
*Are the pictures in there? (Man looking into the open end of my 12" dob while I was trying to look in the Eyepiece

)
*I'd love to take one of these [telescopes] out on my boat to the middle of a dark lake. Would that be better? (to which I sarcastically said: yes if you polar align it correctly)
*and about a thousand more I have forgotten over the years

and a Classic I received just recently: (asked with very serious concern)
"You know those clowns on the visiting Planet Nibiru, do you reckon they are going to be friendly or do you reckon they are going to zap our brains out? It's exciting isn't it!"

and yes, the multitude of times I do 'Astrology'

Aren't people fascinating

Sardukar (Tim) · #86 14-10-2011, 02:14 AM

I'm convinced people deliberately ask stupid questions to deflect their own sense of unease about the lack of knowledge they have on the subject of astronomy.

Not much you can do about it really, just smile and go back to looking at stuff thousands of light years away

sjastro · #87 15-10-2011, 11:16 AM

The one I find amusing is that the ignorant are the original thinkers, the educated can't think for themselves.

Steven

FlashDrive (Poppy) · #88 15-10-2011, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Best dopey questions I have been asked:
*If I look in the front end of your telescope does it work backwards and become a microscope?

That's a "pearler " that one .... puts a smile on my face every time I hear that.

Flash.

naskies (Dave) · #89 16-10-2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlashDrive

That's a "pearler " that one .... puts a smile on my face every time I hear that.

Hehe it's a funny one... but I'm not sure about dopey! Considering that a lot of macro photographers use a reversed SLR lens (you literally attach it backwards) to act as a magnifying glass, I'd call it a reasonable question

Stardrifter_WA · #90 16-10-2011, 04:16 PM

I don't so much worry about being asked stupid questions, as there are lots of those, but one has to wonder what they actually teach kids in school.

MLyons (Martin) · #91 16-10-2011, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjastro

The one I find amusing is that the ignorant are the original thinkers, the educated can't think for themselves.

Steven

Profound concept.............food for thought.

MLyons (Martin) · #92 16-10-2011, 05:15 PM

One of the strangest questions I've been asked was when I was explaining to someone about basic astrophotography.............well.. .......wasn't actually a question, more like a sudden realisation of the scale of things and an outburst indicating that the guy was actually doing a bit of thinking....albeit a little misguided.

The guy looked at me in deep thought and then, his eyes suddenly opening wide, exclaimed: "Wow!...You must have an awesomely powerful flash......"

Martin

Stardrifter_WA · #93 16-10-2011, 05:20 PM

It is a remarkable bit of thinking. It really makes me wonder sometimes. I was at Perth Observatory many years ago doing eyepiece projection of the Sum when I had a TV news person ask me why I didn't look into the eyepiece!

At the time I was using a 14" SCT and had made a mask with an off-axis 4" cutout. So, I grabbed the cut out and put it under the eyepiece. Remarkable it smoked!!! It was on the news that night why not to look at the Sun.

Gee, I learnt that in grade 4!

leonie-macaroni (Leonie) · #94 17-10-2011, 05:53 PM

Leonie points out Jupiter to a friend.
"How do you know that's Jupiter?" She demands.
I tap my forehead.
"'Cause I'm psychic and that." I say, waggling my eyebrows.
"Ooh, cool." She smiles.

Completely accepting the notion of psychics rather than the existence of planets.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #95 17-10-2011, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naskies

Hehe it's a funny one... but I'm not sure about dopey! Considering that a lot of macro photographers use a reversed SLR lens (you literally attach it backwards) to act as a magnifying glass, I'd call it a reasonable question

It was a Dobsonian Reflector, not a Refractor

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #96 17-10-2011, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leonie-macaroni

Leonie points out Jupiter to a friend.
"How do you know that's Jupiter?" She demands.
I tap my forehead.
"'Cause I'm psychic and that." I say, waggling my eyebrows.
"Ooh, cool." She smiles.

Completely accepting the notion of psychics rather than the existence of planets.

LOLOL I had exactly the same question from my sister and bro in law.
My reply to "How do you know?" was rather lame...."because it is......" LOL

seanliddelow (Sean) · #97 17-10-2011, 08:49 PM

Common question when people see me with my telescope:

"Do you want to be an astrologist?"

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.................. .

Ric · #98 21-10-2011, 02:24 PM

A good one that I get from time to time is "how far can you see with this scope?"

My answer is that I can see back in time with it which usually leaves them scratching their heads for a while over that one.

Mliss (Mel) · #99 21-10-2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric

A good one that I get from time to time is "how far can you see with this scope?"

My answer is that I can see back in time with it which usually leaves them scratching their heads for a while over that one.

awesome reply!!

this thread is so funny...

TinyBlueDot (John) · #**100** 21-10-2011, 06:09 PM

Another one - not really a comment/question per se- but when they have science doccos, and show computer animations of comets, supernovae, planets etc. and put whizzing and explosions of sounds as if you'd hear this in the vacuum of space.....Grrrrr.....