Microsoft is full of idiots

[Quasi]

I was looking at the MSNBC web site today, and decided to look at the Horoscopes sections. I found this book link there to some total kook, who supposively has debunked all of modern science. Hmmm, apparently we have not 1) any explanation of gravity 2) any explanation as to how magnets work 3) no proof of quantum physics 4) Newtonian physics, special/general relativity have no proof and are worthless. See for yourself the silly microsoft logic.

http://www.thefinaltheory.com/pages/1/index.htm

Hey, I realize that this is just some "mind body" employee of Microsoft, but it sure makes me wonder about the management who allow this crap to appear using the Microsoft name. Shouldn't companies, including newspapers and other media be held responsible for fraud?

[Sundog]

Originally posted by Quasi

Hey, I realize that this is just some "mind body" employee of Microsoft, but it sure makes me wonder about the management who allow this crap to appear using the Microsoft name. Shouldn't companies, including newspapers and other media be held responsible for fraud?

More than that, I think individuals who work for said company should be responsible for everything the company does.

OK, jj, explain yourself. ;)

[Correa Neto]

I know a geophysiscist who is an adept of a woo-woo sect called "eubiosis"... The guy belives that the Earth is hollow.:eek:

I once tried to find out how he could reconciliate things. He spoke for a few hours using the usual "our knowledge is limited", "there are other ways of acquiring knoweledge" and "its all an illusion the truth is" lines mixed with weird ideas related to a reductio ad absurdum version of the uncertanity principle. I still don´t know and don´t want to know how his mind works these issues(unless I were a shrink).

[Jon_in_london]

Hey!

(from the site)
1) Gravitational Perpetual Motion:

As we all know, perpetual motion machines are impossible, and claims of such devices are a clear sign of bad science. You can't have a device (or natural phenomenon) that operates endlessly without draining a power source, and you certainly can't have a device that operates with no power source at all. Yet, what does our science say about an object dropped into a tunnel cut through the Earth? It states that the object would oscillate back and forth endlessly through the tunnel from one end of the planet to the other (neglecting wind resistance). This is the result predicted by both Newton's and Einstein's theories of gravity, yet this belief clearly violates our most elementary laws of physics as well as our common sense. There is no claim of a draining power source, nor even any explanation of where the power source must be to drive this process. We have detailed atomic theories and have even split the atom, yet we have never identified a gravitational power source.


And then there lil'ol'moi!

http://host.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26639


Jon's perpetual motion idea!
Drill a hole through the earth right through the core from one side to the other. Throw something down the hole. Whatdayaget!?! simple harmonic motion!

Kaching! $1million please! :D

[Quasi]

This whole physics scam Microsoft is pushing is just the tip of the iceberg. I read my horoscope some weeks ago and it read something like: "Your psychic harmonious energy field is coded green-grey. Do not travel to a circus with a baboon, as this will upset the third chakra." Really? Maybe Bill Gates can make heads or tails of this. I should buy one share of MS, then go to the shareholders meeting.

[Michael Redman]

Might this be somehow related to their need to announce new security holes in their product almost daily?

[Checkmite]

If the kook in question is the author of a book ad that Microsoft's page linked to, I don't see a problem. Had it been an "article" on Microsoft's page proper, that would be a different story. I'm sure we needn't worry whether Microsoft is headed down the woowoo trail, as all that "untrue" Newtonian- and Quantum-physics stuff is a rather critical part of what they do...

In any case, linking to a book makes no difference to me. Amazon, the local Borders, and public libraries all carry a wealth of books a la woo but that doesn't imply that these places have gone freaky. I personally think the world would be a lot less interesting without Von Daniken and Graham Hancock books constantly being milled out for me to debunk with pleasure; I presume there are some physicists out there who feel the same way about their discipline that I do about archaeology, and who would love to debunk this nut case.

[BNiles]

I've got to agree here. I don't like seeing it, but I don't begrudge MS for cashing in on a little woowooism. They're a business like any other. You should see what AOL does.

[Quasi]

I went to MSN.com, and here is what they think my personality is:

"Pisces

Romantic Pisces, you are the twelfth and last sign of the zodiac. You are regarded as the sign of sensitivity and receptivity, and are a true chameleon by being mutable and infinitely complex. Your keywords are communion and vision, and you have the capacity to go beyond this world to the one of dreams and the spirit.

Your ruler Neptune, the planet of confusion and chaos, gets people out of habits that imprison them so that they question themselves and can discover another path toward growth and spirituality. Neptune is also the planet of imagination and illusion, and governs the dream world with all its many facets.

Pisces is the third of the three water signs, which means that you are concerned with the realm of emotion and feeling. You deal with sensitivity, intuition, and deeper psychic aspects of life. You are able to conduct unconscious telepathic communication with others.

Your sign rules the twelfth house of the chart, the sector associated with the unconscious, need for seclusion, and places of restriction. This house describes the wellspring of your being, including psychological problems that you repress. This house is very healing and can promote personal and spiritual growth, once you make the effort to go deeper and face YOUR reality.

Pisces is a mutable sign. You adapt to the exigencies of life and ingeniously melt into circumstances like a chameleon. In your interaction with others, you are personable and compassionate, and successfully connect on a deep emotional level.

Your strengths, dear Pisces, lie in your altruistic and empathetic nature, because you feel the urge to help people less fortunate than you. Your sensitivity and intuition make you a true healer. Your strong imagination and highly evolved creativity predispose you to artistic expression.

Your main weaknesses are that you can be weak-willed, passive, and indecisive. Many times, you prefer to escape reality and indulge in your dreamworld. Chaos and confusion can be present in you, which may frustrate your circle of friends. At the same time, you can be oversensitive and fragile, feeling victimized by others."

Heh, Microsoft thinks I am artistic? Think again, I can barely draw a stick man. I wonder if Microsoft uses the same logic when reporting their earnings? Or perhaps in the design of their software?

[tracer]

I thought this thread was going to be a gripe about the Win32 API.