Poll: should EcoModder ban certain forum topics? (HHO, magnets, Ram Implosion Wings)

[Nevyn]

Perhaps a sticky with a title like "HHO Generators and Fuel Line Magnets - FAQ" and then debunking in the post would limit them?

Or a sub-forum to kind of keep them in a corral?

[Frank Lee]

Let the garbage come on board; then we get to laugh at it, debunk it, roast the poster, and throw it into The Unicorn File.



Oh, and good things HAVE come from discussions on magnets! I still want an A.C.M.E. arm on the front of my car with a giant magnet on it for glomming on to semis...



But I agree about the conundrum of allowing that stuff to fester; Gassavers was overrun with HHO morons for quite a long time and I basically quit stopping in for a look because it had gotten so stupid in there. I think it killed the site.

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Hint: voting is multiple choice.

I voted for choice #1, 3, and 4.
'Cause I'm a fence-sitter.

I don't like the idea of an outright ban, either. Sure, more often than not the OP is way off base and/or scamming, but from what I've seen it has been met with appropriate responses; either calling bull or requests (later leading to outright demands!) for legitimate testing and data.

One downside is the extra work to referee these threads by the mods; which are doing a heck of a good job, I might add. C'mon GreenStar guys, we haven't tarred and feathered TOO many hucksters, have we? Hee hee hee.

What would we do without Frank's rants?

I like the idea of a separate category for 'em. Put it in the Off-Topic section underneath The Lounge. Let 'em post it where ever, then as it heats up, the mods can throw it into the padded room to keep the rest of the forum on track. We can take turns going in and wailing on it, tag-team style. Ha ha!

[Phantom]

I suggest adding a new sub-forum some thing like "dis-proven but waiting for new evidence" then we can place all of those articles there and have them available for those who do not know they are bunk.

[tangomar]

This is an experimental site.
Why should you ban based on science and technology?

I agree on the FAQ. Probably a list of items and the link to the debunking experiments (if any) would make more sense.

[cfg83]

jakobnev -

Originally Posted by jakobnev

I'd say no on the grounds that science is not the field but the approach. If someone is into radioactive hoola-hoops or whatever, as long as they conduct actual testing, and do so in a transparent manner, including documenting possible sources of error in a sincere fashion, i'd say all power to them. (Assuming that their hypothesis of how their device works is subject to disproof to begin with)

I voted no for the same reason. I really *do* want a silver bullet, so I am more than willing to entertain crazy ideas. I am also interested in the "kernel of truth" that usually lies at the bottom of a lot of scams.

CarloSW2

[Jim-Bob]

I voted No. By letting uninformed people bring up these things it gives us a teaching opportunity and a chance to point them towards things that will work. Is it annoying at times? Sure, but if you don't want to deal with this sort of thing then just skip over the topic. Hey, everyone has to start somewhere and it might as well be here. After all, why police this forum so hard that it becomes a club for a small group of informed individuals that already know it all? I say that if someone is willing to ask a question and learn from the answer, they should be welcome here. The more people we can teach to save fuel, the less oil we need from unstable parts of the world.

[MetroMPG]

I have to say I'm surprised at the results of the poll so far.

I figured it would lean more towards the "KILL! KILL!" side of things. Instead we're seeing rampant patience and tolerance!

Almost feel a group hug coming on... I gotta go.

[RobertSmalls]

An outright ban is too harsh. I like MotoMoe's idea of a special quarantine for pseudoscience. Make a link to the FAQ and a disclaimer than the post contains pseudoscience at least as prominent as the post itself, then folks come by and tell us all about the latest miracle product they just spent a hundred bucks on.

You could always set up the forum, then shut it down and ban everyone who contributed if it becomes a hive of bad engineering. Any good scientist knows it's okay to run an experiment, then change his methodology if he doesn't like the results.

[brucey]

I'm with the quarantine area as well. We should listen to their ideas, and then tell them why it is wrong with factual data.

Because hey, what if somebody there really was a magic bullet?