People send me stuff.
Yesterday Skeptical Science owner John Cook announced to the world that he thought Willis’s open letter to the new editor of Science was “creepy” and “sexist”.
As is typical with the Skeptical Science kidz, it’s just projection. How much? You have no idea. But it turns out that when you scratch the surface of the SkS Forum, where the principals and moderators talk amongst themselves (seemingly unaware of others watching) you discover what creepy really is. For a supposed site about “climate science” it sure does look a lot like “high school climate science”.
Get a load of the pictures from the SkS forum website sent to me today. A friend of WUWT writes:
(Note: I’m leaving the author of this email private, lest he become another Photoshop victim. Note that all the links are in the open, there’s no hack or mole action going on here. BTW, each word highlighted below is a separate link to an image. – Anthony)
I found something I thought you might be interested in while looking to see what is publicly viewable on the new SkS forum’s website (www.sksforum.org). Little is, but there happens to be a viewable images directory that has a subdirectory, [http://www.sksforum.org/images/user_uploaded]. This directory has some… interesting images.
One [http://www.sksforum.org/images/user_uploaded/WeAreSkeptics.jpg] has several the heads of several skeptics photoshopped onto people from a movie about the 300 Spartans (300, perhaps?). I assume it was an attempt at humorously painting skeptics as few in number and dogmatic.
But the most interesting ones defy explanation at the moment. There are a number of images where the head of Dana Nuccitelli or John Cook appear to have been photoshopped onto images of [http://www.sksforum.org/images/user_uploaded/herrscooterboy.jpg]
[http://www.sksforum.org/images/user_uploaded/herrtankboy2.jpg]
It’s possible these images were taken from somewhere else and uploaded, but that seems unlikely as a couple of them show signs of further photoshopping done to improve them. To see what I mean, compare this image to this one.
Combined with the fact there are a number of similarly photoshopped images done to flatter Nuccitelli, it seems almost certain SkS members have photoshopped images of SkS members as Nazi soldiers. I can’t think of a single sensible reason they would do that.
I don’t think they dream of being Nazis, and I can’t imagine it was particularly fun to make those images. It’s possible they made these with the idea of a false flag operation in mind, but that seems ridiculous. It’s not more absurd than Peter Gleick’s behavior was, but it’s hard to believe anyone would consider doing that (especially on a forum which has been exposed once before).
[NOTE: Brandon Shollenberger decided that he didn’t care that his name was attached to the above, hence this update. – Anthony]
You have to wonder what motivates them to take the time do things like this, especially when they claim that global warming is accelerating, and there is precious little time left before we all roast.
SkS Kidz will be kids I suppose.
I haven’t looked this good since high school:
L-R: Watts, Monckton, Delingpole.
=================================================================
UPDATE: 10:35 PDT About three hours later It seems that somebody at SkS has been embarrassed that they’ve been caught out, and they have comically simply moved the “user_uploaded” folder to one with a seemingly random (Ric Werme says: “Hey, a11g0n3 is leet-speak for allgone. Oh Lord, there be idiots over there.”) name: [http://www.sksforum.org//images/a11g0n3/]
Of course that breaks all the links in the story above.
Only problem is, it’s still open to the public there. All images are still visible: [http://www.sksforum.org//images/a11g0n3/]
Surely they know that the Internet has a permanent memory and all these images still exist elsewhere in folders that people have scraped from the original by now?
Amateur hour cover up tactics. – Anthony
UPDATE2: 11:07AM PDT It seems that they’ve taken down the “leet speak” folder as well, no matter, they still all exist in many places, and I’ll add a gallery shortly. -Anthony
UPDATE3: 11:19AM PDT here is a few of the images referenced above in the story and in comments. I also have a screen cap of the original folder listing at SkS which I’ll upload tonight when I get home.
UPDATE4: 5:31PM PDT, As promised earlier in UPDATE3 here is a PDF capture of the file listing from the original SkS forum snapped at 829AM PDT today.
Index of _images_user_uploaded (PDF)
=============================================================
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You so don’t know me, David.
Probably these images are on the SkS server for the same reason they are now on the WUWT server.
Just a thought.
Christoph Dollis says:
August 6, 2013 at 10:20 pm
You so don’t know me, David.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Don’t need to. If you are some sort of exception to the rule, well heh, I’ll take your word for it, you can claim to be anything you want. But for the majority of men, telling a woman she is wrong isn’t how we are wired.
davidmhoffer – well, in a professional environment, it is not wise to tell anyone, male or female, that they are “wrong” in such blunt terms. There are respectful ways of pointing out errors, and as someone who had to manage a bunch of sometimes tetchy and arrogant policy analysts for many years, I had to learn how to do it.
I can assure you, though, that my male bosses had no hesitation in returning work they were not happy with for a rewrite, no matter who the author was. They didn’t write “you’re wrong!” on it, they just let me know what changes they wanted made. Why would they risk their own credibility by submitting something to the Minister that they were not satisfied with just because they thought the author was kinda cute? It doesn’t work like that in the rigorous and demanding environments that I was employed in. And, the author (whoever it was) learned from that experience, if they were smart and wanted to get ahead.
BTW, you should try being a female boss and telling a cocky young male subordinate that his work is less than perfect sometime. To say that this sometimes encounters stiff resistance is putting it mildly.
“davidmhoffer says:
August 6, 2013 at 10:54 pm
But for the majority of men, telling a woman she is wrong isn’t how we are wired.”
I’ve been on the receiving end of venomous looks, shrieks, gestures, slaps, punches and words both at the professional and personal levels several times when I have told a woman, justifiably, she was wrong. Wired for it or not, wrong is wrong. Don’t sugar coat the truth!
Rational Db8:
At August 6, 2013 at 4:23 pm you say to me
Sorry that I misunderstood your question.
Here is a link to a post I made on WUWT which addresses what I now understand to be your question.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/12/07/monckton-on-his-smashing-u-n-wall-of-silence-on-lack-of-warming-and-censure/#comment-1167407
I hope this answer is starting to provide what you want.
Richard
Johanna
It’s the same for grey beards with cocky youngsters of any sex.
Mango Chutney,
Dana is more like Worzel Gummidge than Dr Who.
I see that the genii at SkS have managed to make the directory non-browsable.
So they have returned all the images to the orginal location, so the original links to the images work again, but not to the directory.
“Jack Cowper says:
August 7, 2013 at 12:19 am
Dana is more like Worzel Gummidge than Dr Who.”
And Worzel would put on his sensible head when talking about the science of climate change, unlike Dana.
Wow if that is meant to be used against the evil ‘D’ wrongdoers then well SKVD ? soz SKS are really dumb ! the lads on the picture will probably love it and have it framed for the office !
“I can’t think of a single sensible reason they would do that.”
Spoilt high school brats don’t need a sensible reason, just something that keeps their mind off girls and the activities that go with it.
SandyInLimousin says:
August 7, 2013 at 12:18 am
Johanna
It’s the same for grey beards with cocky youngsters of any sex.
———————————
Sandy, are you suggesting that I have a beard, let alone a grey one? 🙂
Actually, I was in my mid 30s when I began doing that job. But, I suppose I seemed ancient to the whippersnapper fresh graduates that I had to lick into shape! And yes, some of the female graduates were just as cocky. But I noticed that some (not all, by any means) of the guys either mistook me for their mother, or resented being pulled into line by a female boss.
The workplace is a minefield of sexual politics. IMO, the best way to handle it is to be absolutely professional – and that includes being fair and respectful, but firm, in correcting your subordinates.
steveta_uk:
Priceless!
Re. Photo of Watts, Monckton and Delingpole, I have to say that it is a bit worrying. I mean whoever photoshopped this obviously lies awake at night thinking of said three gents in tight leather underwear and little else! And the spears, what does that say? Yuk, no offence to Watts, Monckton and Delingpole but I am off to bleach that image from my mind.
All that Nazi stuff? Do they dress up like this when they meet up in their rooms and the grown ups are out? All very very strange!
I’m on tenterhooks to see what Josh makes of this!
Since the images were put back, just with the directory no longer listed, you can see all the images if you have the links. I saved an HTML copy of the page when I visited it, and it has every link. If you download it and open it up in your browser, you can click any of them.
I don’t know if they’ll leave the directory/files up, but as long as they do, that’ll let you easily navigate to them.
Question. If somebody photoshops their face onto a Nazi soldier, is it still wrong to call them a Nazi?
I don’t think Godwin’s Law applies once you start dressing up as a Nazi.
The first four I clicked on are deleted, so I’m guessing the rest are too.
Brandon Shollenberger says:
August 7, 2013 at 4:40 am
> Since the images were put back, just with the directory no longer listed, you can see all the images if you have the links.
You may be seeing images from your cache. I see from a close-to-the-protocol perspective:
$ wget http://www.sksforum.org/images/
–2013-08-07 09:59:45– http://www.sksforum.org/images/
Resolving http://www.sksforum.org (www.sksforum.org)… 184.154.120.211
Connecting to http://www.sksforum.org (www.sksforum.org)|184.154.120.211|:80… connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response… 403 Forbidden
2013-08-07 09:59:45 ERROR 403: Forbidden.
$ wget http://www.sksforum.org/images/a11g0n3/sks_attacks.jpg
–2013-08-07 10:04:14– http://www.sksforum.org/images/a11g0n3/sks_attacks.jpg
Resolving http://www.sksforum.org (www.sksforum.org)… 184.154.120.211
Connecting to http://www.sksforum.org (www.sksforum.org)|184.154.120.211|:80… connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response… 404 Not Found
2013-08-07 10:04:15 ERROR 404: Not Found.
So they’ve blocked the ability to read directories and moved the files elsewhere.
Ric Werme:
I was going off the information provided by steveta_uk. He said the images were back. I didn’t verify that for myself. It’s possible he was wrong. It’s also possible they were back for a little while then moved again.
@Brandon and Ric – It was the cache. I copied and pasted the link to another browser and it came up 404.
I really like to concentrate on sticking to a site (here) that espouses science and truth so I have not visited this SKS site or whatever it is. It is mostly due to lack of time for mindless browsing. Am I to take that the site is run by climate alrmists that portend to be climate skeptics to make skeptics be crazy, nazi, gooballs (or whatever)?
In future stories about SkS can we show that portrait of “Herr Cook” and caption it with “Skeptical Science founder John Cook (Source: SkepticalScience.com)”?
REPLY: No. – Anthony
Rational Db8 says:
August 6, 2013 at 4:23 pm
You’re welcome. If there were an originally shorter time frame, you could probably find it in the WUWT archives.
Re. many comments on Nazis, maybe the SS narcissists prefer German uniforms since burning mass-murdered people is more acceptable (or even beneficial, to reduce “popullution”) to them than those “climate criminals” in the Allied air forces who released tons of carbon dioxide by burning cities.
philjordan: Wasn’t it Prince Harry that thought dressing in a Nazi Uniform was funny as well?
Same as Mel Brooks. Did you see the video of Hitler figure skating on ice?
@Matthew Marker – twice! My wife insisted upon seeing the remake as well.