There’s a couple of quotes from Ernest Rutherford that I’ve kept in my head. Today seems like a good day to take them out of my head and put them to the WUWT readership. I’ll refer back to these at some point in the future I’m sure.
An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid. – As quoted in Einstein: The Man and His Achievement (1973) by G. J. Whitrow, p. 42
“If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.” – As quoted in many Internet sources.
With thanks to Evan.
Dr. Kevin Trenberth is also a New Zealander, but there’s light years separating him and Rutherford when it comes to how they view science and statistics. One was a model scientist, and the other is a scientist who models.
UPDATE: here is another –
“In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” – Samuel Clemens
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Richard Feinstein was also a great scientist, but he probably could explain Physics to pole dancers.
And play bongo drums at he same time!
•”Sanity is not statistical.”
– George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 9
Did you mean Richard Feynman?
Rutherford is one of the greats, but I agree with Dr Bob and Bernie-
Feynman is my role model. During the Shuttle Challenger investigation-
“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.”
It is so pertinent and utterly descriptive of what is wrong with the “science” of CAGW…it meandered onto the bottom of my emails while I spent time on the Shuttle Program for the last several years up until its completion. A great man, a great scientist and he has a lot of great quotes.
I’ll give it a go,
`In climate science, introductions, briefings and executive summaries must be summarily ignored in favor of the underlying text they almost invariably distort.”
A very good example is the Nature editorial, “Bolstering the link,” which introduces Shakun as helping Al Gore. The editorialist sounds like a child saying “nyah, nyah,” or someone worried his government or NSF grants to spread “climate education” are threatened. Or is he a Brit scared the whole Brit financed system tethered on carbon derivatives and “green” scams could fail???
I believe the editorial is a “must read” for humor purposes, and also as an example of how publishers or commentators see what they want to see.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v484/n7392/full/484005a.html
Dr. Bob says:
April 8, 2012 at 6:10 pm
“Richard Feinstein…”
+++++++++++++
“Feynman” maybe…?
Feinstein was probably a great physicist but I’ll bet Richard Feynman was even better and he did hang out at a topless joint.
Richard Feinstein was a physicist? Who knew? There was quite a famous physicist named Richard Feynman who was apparently very good at teaching as well. Maybe all “Richards” are good teachers.
Dr. Bob said @ur momisugly April 8, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Dunno about Mr Feinstein, but Richard Feynman spent considerable amounts of time with pole dancers IIRC 🙂
Pole dancers and bongos sound more like Dr Feynman, but I am not familiar with Dr Feinstein.
Dr. Bob says:
April 8, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Richard Feinstein was also a great scientist, but he probably could explain Physics to pole dancers.
I looked up Richard Feinstein. He’s the guy in charge of anti-trust cases at the Federal Trade Commission. As a Democrat appointee, the pole dancer thing makes sense to me. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/04/14/meet-richard-feinstein-the-new-antitrust-head-at-the-ftc/.
Perhaps the guy you were thinking of was Richard Feynman, However, I would imagine his mind would tend toward charged particles dancing around magnetic poles, or perhaps magnetic monopoles. And he probably could have explained those ideas to barmaids.
“They can do this because the same gift is at work here in both having that idea and explaining it. They have a facility to pick out a pattern, natural law or idea from what most of us would see as the jumbled confusion of reality. Being able to express those observations clearly is just the corollary of that big talent. They can make out that big idea because they think clearly and expressing themselves clearly follows just as naturally.”
http://thepointman.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/words-ideas-primary-sources-history-and-a-bit-thrown-in-about-writers/
Pointman
To heck with the experiment, the barmaid is the point of the exercise.
I hope this is not casting aspersions on the art and skill of pole dancing. I have great respect and ahem admiration for such skill.
Richard Feinstein was also a great scientist, but he probably could explain Physics to pole dancers.
Surely you’re joking.
I would apologise for Trenberth, had I any standing to do so. No apologies for Rutherford who is on our $100 bill.
“if you can’t laugh at yourself then you will be the only one not laughing”
Luke K 2004
Now we know why Watson and Crick went to the pub…..
Many’s the time I’ve had something explained to me by a barmaid.
I feel it is my duty to solicit grants in order that I may personally, and at great peril, visit said bars and pole dancing establishments in order that I may seek out barmaids and pole dancers who may, in fact, have met Dr.’s Feinstein or Feynman and establish whether or not any such explanations were attempted and if they were understood.
Please send money to PO Box 33……
Rutherford was not just the greatest physicist the bottom end of the planet has produced, he was the greatest physicist of his age. He studied the fundamental nature of matter, in you face physics; the Nobel Panel therefore gave him the prize for Chemistry
He hated chemistry.
Richard Feinstein, Richard Feynman, etc. The big problem with AGW is too few Richards, too many dicks.
Thanks for correcting my mistake. Spent too much time on computers today reloading after a virus attack. SMART HDD is nasty.
Bob
Allencic says:
April 8, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Feinstein was probably a great physicist but I’ll bet Richard Feynman was even better and he did hang out at a topless joint.
——————————————————–
I can’t imagine wanting to see Richard Feynman topless.