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	Crackpot index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The crackpot index is a number that rates scientific claims or the individuals that make them, in conjunction with a method for computing that number.
		The method, proposed (most likely as a joke) by mathematical physicist John Baez in 1998, computes an index by responses to a list of 34 questions, each positive response contributing a point value ranging from 1 to 50.
		Though the index was not proposed as a serious method, it nevertheless has often been cited in discussions of whether a claim or an individual is cranky, particularly in physics.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Crackpot_index (137 words)

	Crank Physics (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		This allows to derive the "universality criterion" for crackpotism: If a theory claims to be universal, to solve all problems of the universe from gravity to consciousness, it is probably nonsense.
		Another personal psychological guess is that crackpots don't give up, seldom accept that they have made an error, and continue to claim their nonsense.
		A consequence of the previous criterion is that discussion between the crackpot and an opponent moves from the discussion of the theory itself into the discussion of foundations of physics - especially the scientific method itself.
	www.ilja-schmelzer.de /ether/crank.html (2041 words)

	Jala^2: The Crackpot Index
		My advisor constantly receives emails from certain, how should I call them?, crackpots, who advertise how they have figured out the universe.
		In fact, I have seen one of these, what was that term?, crackpots, interrupt our group meeting with ideas of how, although he admits does not understands fundamental quantum mechanics very well, it is all wrong.
		It is always fun to talk about these people, but now their crackpotness can be quantified thanks to The Crackpot Index.
	jala-jala.blogspot.com /2005/07/crackpot-index.html (271 words)

	Nanotech and the Crackpot Index
		It also occurred to me that there is a fairly well articulated set of rules that people use to decide whether to look deeper at an unusual theory than the sound-bite level, namely the Crackpot Index.
		The numbered lines below are taken from the Crackpot Index, and are followed by my analysis (in this style) of how nanotech enthusiasts score; sometimes based on searches of www.foresight.org, sometimes on my less reliable recollection.
		I suspect this criterion reflects more of a bias towards current methods of financing research than an ideal Crackpot Index would, but disagreeing with the scientific establishment's methods correlates well enough with crackpotism that it isn't surprising that people might use this criterion.
	www.bayesianinvestor.com /crackpot.html (1323 words)

	crackpot: The Crackpot Page (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		We present an asylum of crackpot and visionary music, covering sounds that are atrocious, outsider, blasphemous, or just plain WRONG, from the Shaggs and Shooby.
		The Crackpot Index John Baez A simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to.
		The Tolkien Crackpot Theories Page As a result of hanging around the newsgroup rec.arts.books.tolkien entirely too much, we seem to have collected a small yet unusual collection of.
	www.aliope.com /crackpot.html (276 words)

	Rampant Pseudoscience in Astrophysics Brings Death (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		What makes a person a "crackpot" is when they don't admit their mistakes, don't look at the evidence, don't move on.
		He was quoting the Crackpot Index, and the Index was making fun of the most common mistakes on their names made by people on usenet.
		Overall i think a bit of crackpot theory is good, it stirs the pot (well, at least a good one can) and actually helps re-affirm the veracity of the theory they set out to depose by confirming that even a reasonably well thought out attempt to offer an alterantive doesn't cut it.
	www.science-one.com /new-6105227-4253.html (6319 words)

	sciforums.com - How to be a Crackpot: a 12-Step System
		After reading many of the things these crackpots have to say here and on some of the 10^19 other crackpot pages on the internet, I have pieced together a short list of what it takes to be a crackpot.
		Anyone who reads the sentence "The force of magnetism is the result of a torque generated by the energy vortex Shadows associate with electromagnet energy, which causes a 'tilting' of the W axis of the fourth spatial dimensions." and actually claims to "get it" is immediately identified as a colleague.
		Some of you have said NARCAP is a crackpot organization, but I have found plenty of evidence to the contrary.
	www.sciforums.com /printthread.php?t=11473 (3506 words)

	sciforums.com - Super-precise test of General Relativity
		this index of refraction (of curved space) was what Eddington was checking in 1919 as first test of GR and it was what they were checking using Casini satellite on its way to Saturn as described in the Sky/Telescope article and in the online preprint.
		When you say "crackpots simply aren't tolerated" it reminds me that the toleration or intoleration of dissident opinion is never quite as simple as one supposes.
		James R and you seem to agree with each other that crackpot is a fixed personality type----a characteristic perhaps caused by bad toilet training or an abusive older brother or something.
	www.sciforums.com /printthread.php?t=29019 (2672 words)

	(Net-Loon Index)
		Acknowledgements and Credits: My inspiration for the Net-Loon Index comes from an earlier iteration of a method of scoring net-loons (the "Crackpot Index", authored by John Baez, moderator of sci.physics.research).
		In contrast, the new Net-Loon Index is oriented toward science posts in general, and should be applicable to any sci.* newsgroup or mailing list.
		In addition, the Net-loon Index has a "ratings" section at the bottom of the score-card to help the user facilitate the final determination of a poster's mental/psychological state.
	www.scn.org /~bh162/net-loon_index.html (850 words)

	Dave's Psoriasis Info - The Quackery Index
		This is a simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to medicine, either relating to psoriasis or not.
		This modified version of The Crackpot Index appears here with the gracious permission of John Baez, the original author and copyright holder (1998).
		So, select a theory, therapy, or product you're interested in ('they', in the sections that follow, will typically refer to the advocates, proponents, manufacturers, distributors, etc. of that theory, therapy, or product, be it one person or several).
	psorsite.com /docs/quackery.html (2411 words)

	Re: M Physics 21: The Mother of All Indexes * Crackpot Index *
		In Reply to: M Physics 21: The Mother of All Indexes * Crackpot Index * posted by kx21 on July 19, 2003 at 19:50:42:
		It is indeed useful to reread or read in more detail Baez' Crackpot Index, which may well compete with The Mother of All Indexes.
		I call mine The Mother of All Indexes because of the biological relationship (biology, etc.), but Baez' may not qualify on that basis.
	superstringtheory.com /forum/dualboard/messages12/638.html (217 words)

	Caolionn O'Connell: Crackpot?
		Granted you might not miss being inundated with all sorts of material you couldn't care less about, but occasionally (maybe even rarely) you actually get something worth reading.
		Case in point: "The Crackpot Index" which was in the APS newsletter-thingy.
		The article was written by John Baez and, based on certain criteria, his index rates "potentially revolutionary contributions to physics".
	qd.typepad.com /13/2005/03/crackpot.html (195 words)

	Thoughts on popular reactions to far-out ideas
		A somewhat rambling set of ideas intended to provoke discussion at the 1999 Foresight Senior Associates Gathering
		(See my Nanotech and the Crackpot Index essay for more thoughts on a closely related subject).
		I know that was my reaction to reading Engines of Creation when it first came out, and it took about 10 years for me to seriously doubt it (hearing some mentions of Zyvex from smart people who didn't think Zyvex was a joke was probably the biggest reason for my change of mind).
	www.bayesianinvestor.com /99gathering.html (592 words)

	The Physics Crackpot Index by Marvin Minsky
		Marvin Minsky just sent me this absolutely brilliant and hilarious list--the "crackpot index" -- from mathematical physicist John Baez, formerly from MIT now a professor at UC Riverside.
		I hereby nominate Baez to be a presenter at the Ignobel Awards.
		For those of your not familiar with the Skeptics Society or have not seen Skeptic magazine, see our web page: http://www.skeptic.com If this message was forwarded from a friend and you'd like to join the distribution list (it's FREE), e-mail join-skeptics@lyris.net
	www.positiveatheism.org /writ/crackpot.htm (852 words)

	My Favorite Internet Posters (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		Unfortunately, John is also the author, and chief proponent, of the "Crackpot Index", a Web document which inhibits timid posters, imposes content control on an unmoderated science forum, and has been the root cause of a great deal of conflict in "sci.physics".
		Some of the "young, dumb and full of cum" posters use the "Crackpot Index" as a rallying standard from which to attack other posters.
		Hopefully, some day, John's sensitivity, and desire for greater intellectual freedom will equal his knowledge of math, and he will retire this odious document.
	home.earthlink.net /~tdp/posters.htm (463 words)

	The Crackpot (Scientist) Index (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		Seems as if the categories of "authority" on one end to "crackpot" at the other need to be defined.
		If he does, he is a crackpot and might submit a manuscript to you, a total stranger, to keep secret and check the math.
		Doesn't mean I am not a crackpot, nor does it mean I am a scientist.
	www.freerepublic.com /focus/fr/605631/posts (4417 words)

	InfoSatellite.com - The Crackpot Scientist Index
		As for madness, consider "40 points for comparing yourself to Galileo, suggesting that a modern-day Inquisition is hard at work on your case, and so on", and as for dishonesty, consider "30 points for suggesting that Einstein, in his later years, was groping his way towards the ideas you now advocate".
		And remember: in the electronic version of the British Medical Journal of Jan 19 2002, Stephen Senn, professor of pharmaceutical and health statistics in the University College London, wrote: "Despite laudable efforts recently by various editors in employing statistical reviewers, much still finds its way into print that is, essentially, nonsense".
		A final remark on the Crackpot Index: you have a -5 point starting credit.
	www.infosatellite.com /news/2002/01/p240102crackpot.html (718 words)

	Pharyngula
		None other than infamous crackpot Phil Skell, emeritus professor of chemistry at Penn State.
		No rank breaking occurred, of course; Skell has been in the loon brigade for years, with his johnny-one-note complaint that evolutionary theory is useless and has never helped any biologists…and yep, that's what he's doing again in his ridiculous letter to the Kansas State Board of Education.
		#: Posted by on 05/13 at 11:22 AM Time to haul out the Crackpot Index (http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html) again.
	pharyngula.org /index/weblog/print/2290 (853 words)

	The Space Arena Board (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		And because I feel returning to the moon necessitates a minimum of adherence to basic scientific and engineering methods.
		Right off the top you get points for even bothering to calculate it, so by definition, you are a crackpot before you even start.
		Read the entire thread, this is clearly parody, by the index.
	www.space-frontier.org /cgi-bin/BBS/MoonBase/read/1955 (141 words)

	The CRACKPOT Page
		Unified Spiral Field and Matter The mother lode for links to crackpot science.
		An unfortunate sufferer of the Apollo Moon Hoax disease, and the cure.
		Nasty Little Truth About Spacetime Physics - Here is a crackpot calling real scientists crackpots.
	www.phys.psu.edu /~scalise/misc/crackpot (684 words)

	Questions & Answers: Crackpot
		Pot was once a slang term for the skull, and something cracked was obviously defective—a older expression with a similar meaning that used the same word was crack-brain, and of course we still have the slang term cracked for someone who’s thought to be crazy (a crackhead is something different, of course).
		Crackpot has been with us since the 1880s, though its first sense was that of a stupid person.
		gold sovereigns] To think I’ve bin sech a bloomin’ crackpot all this time and never tumbled on it!
	www.worldwidewords.org /qa/qa-cra2.htm (214 words)

	snarkout sideout: hoaxes, cons, illusions
		The DeMoulin Bros. Catalog of fraternal society gear: Amuse your friends at the next Odd Fellows lodge initiation with this 1930 catalog of "Burlesque and Side Degree Specialties".
		The crackpot index: "20 points for each use of the phrase 'self-appointed defender of the orthodoxy'."
		The Interstate Traveler Project: A "remarkable vision of the not so distant future!" The best thing about it, by far, is the choice of names for the "reporter".
	www.snarkout.org /side/hoaxes_cons_illusions (1309 words)

	CRACKPOT Lyrics (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		Preview: Atomic sandpit straight ahead to the year 2000we don’t look back and give a fuck ‘bout the future an empty space between life and deathwe’re not
		Preview: A blunted day, i'm sitting for a few hours now on my sofa, thinking of nothing at all i'm so tired, sick to death of the whole world i'd really li
		Preview: Shit island i return to the place the one and onlyjust for a last time, just for a last time so i finally calm down everything has changed but on
	www.searchlyrics.org /crackpot (161 words)

	Advanced Physics Forums - Powered by XMB 1.9.1 Nexus (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		Advanced Physics Forums » Off Topic » Crackpot Index
		Yeah, although narcicism was implied, I think it should be explicated and given at least a 30 point bonus, depending on the degree displayed.
		Developed By Aventure Media and The XMB Group © 2002-2004
	www.advancedphysics.org /viewthread.php?tid=222&page=1 (1097 words)

	M Physics 21: The Mother of All Indexes * Crackpot Index *
		M Physics 21: The Mother of All Indexes * Crackpot Index *
		In Reply to: The Mother of All Indexes posted by OsherDoctorow on July 19, 2003 at 19:41:59:
		M Physics 21: The Mother of All Indexes
	superstringtheory.com /forum/dualboard/messages12/637.html (173 words)

	'Scientific Proof Of God' Spoofs Recovery Movement Steve (Reply) (12-01)
		Perspective: The Crackpot Index Marvin Minsky (via Michael Shermer)
		The whole thing reads like that spoof by French physicist Alan Sokal that was published by Social Text several years ago.
		Observe: Compare this work with the Crackpot Index, which was distributed by Skeptic publisher Michael Shermer about a year ago.
	www.positiveatheism.org /mail/eml8620.htm (295 words)

	The Crackpot Index, a simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to physics (kottke.org) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-14)
		The Crackpot Index, a simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to physics (kottke.org)
		All content by Jason Kottke (contact me) unless otherwise noted, with some restrictions on its use.
		If you've reached this point by accident, I suggest panic.
	www.kottke.org /remainder/04/02/5162.html (65 words)

	Antlibfan's "Nedermier (NetherAnt)" Lyrics Adam Ant - Friend or Foe
		Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello I want you Hello I need my baby Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello Back to the Friend index
		You fight so hard to get your name Please don't eat my leg grandma On every tongue in every brain Please don't eat my leg grandma How in the hell can you complain What a bore you popstars are Privacy's gone down the drain Back to the Friend index
		Adam Ant/Marco Pirroni Instrumental Back to Friend or Foe index
	home.zonnet.nl /freddy.suzy/pages/discography/lyrics/friend.html (345 words)

	[No title]
		Re: Egyptology, Afrocentrism etc. Crackpot index Egyptian vowel transliterations?
		Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 18:19:36 -0500 (EST) Subject: (fwd) Crackpot index (fwd) Here's another bit of humor that I found somewhere on usenet -- I forget where, now.
		Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 22:42:25 -0600 Subject: Crackpot index Besides the 17 categories for which crackpot points are awarded in the message transmitted by Lester Ness, couldn't you grant at least a few point s to every author who puts "Ph.D." after their name on the fromt cover of a book?
	oi.uchicago.edu /OI/ANE/ANE-DIGEST/V03/v03.n110 (5029 words)

	Catchpenny Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
		What is bad science, and how can it be avoided?
		Orcutt's Crackpot Index, being a simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to the field of Egyptology (this one usually gets me into trouble).
		The Palin Papyrus, a recently discovered satirical papyrus, is best read on 1 April.
	www.catchpenny.org (913 words)

	DA Morgan - Oldest Star In Our Galaxy Found
		Re: Crackpot index rating DA Morgan 04/11 17:45 (
		Re: Crackpot index rating Amaranth Rose 04/11 17:39 (
		Re: Oldest Star In Our Galaxy Found (ha ha) Eduardo 01/11 06:42 (
	www.scienceagogo.com /message_board2/messages/9721.shtml (163 words)

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