Pointman writes: I think we’ve all had that pleasant surprise when something totally unexpected just drops out of the sky and into your lap. That happened to me last weekend when a creature called William Connolley attempted to comment on a piece I’d written about the Bengtsson scandal. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s infamous for editing thousands of Wikipedia articles on climate and anyone significant in the area. You can find several articles on his activities over at WUWT.
His idea of truth is somewhat idiosyncratic to say the least, but let’s just say if you were any way sceptical, you weren’t going to get a glowing entry. When the skeptics tried to correct the foul calumnies for their entry, they were promptly changed back, a loop they went around until he banned them from being able to edit anything.
I’m actually quite knowledgeable about him, since I’ve been a fawning admirer and stroker of his ego for as far back as his days co-founding the joke site called Real Climate with Gavin Schmidt and others of a similar ilk. Needless to say, it’s under one of my dark side Eco-Annie personas. The site is pretty much moribund these days but it did get a sniffy mention in the climategate emails by Phil “hide the decline” Jones, as being there just to disseminate propaganda.
He was never particularly significant in the self-declared pantheon of climate demigods, more like their technical gopher despatched as required to cobble together various bits of HTML for them. In his Wikipedia heyday, he built up a small but dedicated following of fanboys but since Wiki banned him and nobody sane reads his blogging attempts, he’s of late been at a loose end, cruising around the skeptic blogosphere, trolling for all he’s worth and generally leaving a terrible stench behind him.
As it happens, I’ve a personal score to settle with him, and one I never thought I’d get the chance to do but this looked to be a heaven-sent opportunity, if I could just play it right. Picking an appropriate way would undoubtedly come down to making use on his own rather inflated idea of his importance in the general scheme of things climatic, but in just the right way. He’s used to swimming around in a little pond of mutual fishy admirers and as far as I’m aware has never had a good kicking, so I laced up my steel-toed boots and thought about an appropriate bait to fix on the hook.
Read the rest of this entertaining post here: The scorning of William Connolley.
I too had a couple of ‘meetings’ with that guy, if I recall correctly. One was on the ‘chaos theory’ Wikipedia page, where I added that the difference between the system state and the measured values (that is, measurement error) is enough for obtaining the big difference (well, not with those exact words). He quickly removed the change, letting there only what it is today: the mention of the numerical errors only. His claim was that ‘it was confusing’. Of course, it is confusing for the ‘science’. They wouldn’t want people realize that measurement errors can lead to the wrong ‘prediction’.
Another ‘pleasant’ meeting was on the Wikipedia temperature page. I removed the average temperature maps, claiming that they have no place on a page about physical temperature. The same old things, temperature being intensive, you’d better not add it to make an average, and besides, there is no such thing as a physical temperature for a system that is not in thermal equilibrium. Anyway, he quickly reverted the changes, as typical.
I think that guy might be posting now on Facebook with some fake accounts…
Too funny. What mental illness would cause that guy to keep coming back for more?
> I removed the average temperature maps, claiming that they have no place on a page about physical temperature.
This is the Essex stuff, isn’t it? No-one believes that. Just look at posts on this blog. Everyone is entirely happy to talk about average temperature.
The edit you mean is https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temperature&diff=next&oldid=361297510 I think. There was some discussion on the talk page (now archived: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Temperature/Archive_3#Mean_temperature) in which you (79.113.2.40) didn’t really contribute to.
William Connolley will live on in history long after most of us are forgotten. He will be used as an example of mindless propaganda, stupidity, small minded mean spirit, and arrogance. Wikipedia was a grand experiment and had my full support for years, but Connolley singlehandedly showed me that Wikipedia is useless. Years from now when this current political scam by the socialist has been abandoned a few men will be pointed to as outrageously criminal and Connolley will be in that lineup.
Willy must surely have a lot of free time on his hands to go to the effort of begging to be allowed to post comments on that blog. Is he banned everywhere else? I’m pretty sure he’s allowed to post on WUWT, but his comments get so much scorn I don’t think his ego can handle it.
William, my hero William, don’t let that beastly denialist Pointman get the best of you. This is like that bit in Top gun where Maverick re-engages after running away. Turn around in your carbon-neutral F-14 Tomcat and engage with him.
Do it or lose me forever.
Eco-Annie
All I can say Pointman, is……. Thanks…. NOT !!
He has now directed his putrid persona at the JoNova site.
Perhaps you could come over and have a discussion with him 😉
> I’m pretty sure he’s allowed to post on WUWT
Its a lottery (as I write, my comment #1 on this thread is published, but #2 is stuck in moderation. This is #3). After I dissed AW’s faulty memory of his wiki-adventures (http://scienceblogs.com/stoat/2012/05/02/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-1/) I got banned (see-also AW’s http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/09/death-by-stoat/#comment-1106998). If you see this comment, then I guess that’s no longer true.
> but his comments get so much scorn I don’t think his ego can handle it.
Dahling; I wilt under the ravishing eloquence of your disdain. But come on Shaw-y.
I visited Pointman’s journal of wicked Willy’s trolling attempts; an incredibly uplifting read. As is Pointman’s wont, he lays out both sides of conversation well.
I especially enjoyed where Pointman was ‘thinking out loud’ about ‘Ictor Enema’; do check it out!
Hi Pointman,
I understand why you went through all the effort but I’m really not sure it was worth the time and energy.
Jones
I would suggest that Mr Connolley go hang out with someone like Scooter Nuccitelli. Scooter might understand what it means to be a little attack puppy with no real qualification, that few take seriously and who regularly get punted across the room due to their nasty little ankle-biting antics.
Pointman:-
Having some experience at this elsewhere (Judith Curry’s more scientific site), let me offer an opinion. WC and his ilk have little to no standing, and little to no scientific credibility. Engaging them directly gives them what they desire yet have not. Best policy is silent shunning, like they practiced on Bengtsson.
Never engage an idiot, lest you might be reduced to their level.
Advice includes engaging President Obummer. Election coming. Use it like AUS did.
Sorry but WC and his sock puppets still have Wikipedia by the balls on some articles, he never went away just changed hats . Its a weakness of Wikipedia that its ‘in-crowd’ become untouchable [as] they look after each other .
Pointman is the Mickey Spillane of climate blogging. (Warning Will Robinson. Strong language ahead!)
https://www.google.com/#q=mickey+spillane
Wrong Link!
Most of the time I would avoid these types of conversations due to the negativity but in this instance I applaud Pointman. Comments from some people such as Connolley – notice I do not use Mr. – give me a reaction similar to stepping in dog poop. Pure nastiness. Being banned from a blog and a bit of verbal sparring is the least of what he deserves. Connolley – you would do yourself a world of good to stfu and just read. You might learn a thing or two – If not about the topic then maybe general decency.
Ah I can see it now a Lewandowski blockbuster expose “The Psychological Warfare tactic of Pointman invading (eroding?) the mind of William Connelly” – watch this space – with cooky and nutso in the mix!!
Its pretty clear that any research paper, comment on any website, Wikipedia edits/deletions or radio repair as is his current profession, by William Connolley has been screwed up and done completely wrong.
Why anyone would let him try to post anything on anything is beyond me.
If only the Wikipedia creators knew beforehand that William Connolley would take their brilliant idea and completely destroy it, the whole world would be a different place today. (Wiki had the potential to be the greatest benefit to mankind of almost any other invention as well as the potential to be worth billions of dollars to the original creators, but Connolley more-than-anyone- else turned it into untrustworthy joke). (I imagine that all of William Connolley’s former employers/colleagues have a similar feeling today).
[snip – over the top – Anthony]
[noted]
WC proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how useless Wikipedia really is. A heart-felt thanks for that. I never click on a wiki anymore. I’d rather rewrite history myself.
I’ve dropped into Pointman’s site a few times. He can write! Will make a greater effort.
I’ve finally been snipped, fairly.
I enjoy Pointman’s strategic mind.
@Eco-Annie
Stay out of this you [shameless hussy]. It’s between man and stoat.
Pointman
[Language changed by request .mod]