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  3. I was thinking about the latest wave to "black magic" and "astrology" spam in QA

I was thinking about the latest wave to "black magic" and "astrology" spam in QA

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  • J Jochen Arndt

    OriginalGriff wrote:

    We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post!

    When reading this I visualised mentally a poor guy that has to solve a problem similar to the question he wants to ask :-D

    Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
    Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
    Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    That's just cruel... :laugh:

    Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

    "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

    OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

      That's just cruel... :laugh:

      Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriff
      wrote on last edited by
      #5

      Good idea though! :laugh:

      Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

        Good idea though! :laugh:

        Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

        Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
        Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
        Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
        wrote on last edited by
        #6

        It will drop QA traffic near zero...There will be time to handle all the 'black magic'...

        Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

        "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

        OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

          It will drop QA traffic near zero...There will be time to handle all the 'black magic'...

          Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriff
          wrote on last edited by
          #7

          You think the spammers are brighter and more technically literate than most QA posters? :omg: Could be, when I come to think about it...

          Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

          S 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

            And I thought to myself, "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it." "So...why not have a 'Developer Capcha' on QA posts?" We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post! That'd keep 'em out! Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well... :sigh: Ho, hum. Back to the drawing board...

            Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

            L Offline
            L Offline
            Lost User
            wrote on last edited by
            #8

            I cannot solve capcha; plz send codz, urgent.

            OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • L Lost User

              I cannot solve capcha; plz send codz, urgent.

              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriff
              wrote on last edited by
              #9

              Yes - but they'll have to post that on SO...:EvilLaughSmiley:

              Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

              N 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                And I thought to myself, "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it." "So...why not have a 'Developer Capcha' on QA posts?" We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post! That'd keep 'em out! Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well... :sigh: Ho, hum. Back to the drawing board...

                Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                B Offline
                B Offline
                BillWoodruff
                wrote on last edited by
                #10

                OriginalGriff wrote:

                Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well

                How about a check-box with the question: "Can you levitate ?" We could have a weekly vote on which value of the CheckState would ban the logger-head in order to confuse hackers who write spam-bots.

                «A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked and opens inwards ... as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push»  Wittgenstein

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                  And I thought to myself, "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it." "So...why not have a 'Developer Capcha' on QA posts?" We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post! That'd keep 'em out! Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well... :sigh: Ho, hum. Back to the drawing board...

                  Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                  L Offline
                  L Offline
                  Lost User
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #11

                  Or one of those "1+1+1+1*0" things that 99% of the people on social media gets wrong. If a programmer gets it wrong, they are beyond help.

                  OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • L Lost User

                    Or one of those "1+1+1+1*0" things that 99% of the people on social media gets wrong. If a programmer gets it wrong, they are beyond help.

                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                    OriginalGriff
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #12

                    Do you think we should tell them there are bots that can get that right? :sigh: Sometimes I think you should have to pass a captcha in order to breed...

                    Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                    J 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                      Do you think we should tell them there are bots that can get that right? :sigh: Sometimes I think you should have to pass a captcha in order to breed...

                      Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                      J Offline
                      J Offline
                      Jorgen Andersson
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #13

                      I think you've just solved the overpopulation problem.

                      Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                        And I thought to myself, "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it." "So...why not have a 'Developer Capcha' on QA posts?" We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post! That'd keep 'em out! Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well... :sigh: Ho, hum. Back to the drawing board...

                        Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Marc Clifton
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #14

                        OriginalGriff wrote:

                        "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it."

                        I consider myself a rational person and have no problems believing in black magic (or white) or astrology. You may think that's really weird, but it doesn't cause any conflict for me. Now, mind you, I try to be discerning -- there's a lot of new age noise out there that sadly has risen to the level of a shriek in the last 20 years. Anyways, I just thought I'd speak up here, as a person of "rational thought." ;) Marc

                        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                        OriginalGriffO M 2 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • M Marc Clifton

                          OriginalGriff wrote:

                          "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it."

                          I consider myself a rational person and have no problems believing in black magic (or white) or astrology. You may think that's really weird, but it doesn't cause any conflict for me. Now, mind you, I try to be discerning -- there's a lot of new age noise out there that sadly has risen to the level of a shriek in the last 20 years. Anyways, I just thought I'd speak up here, as a person of "rational thought." ;) Marc

                          Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                          OriginalGriffO Offline
                          OriginalGriffO Offline
                          OriginalGriff
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #15

                          You believe in astrology? Really? Do you mind if I ask why? Isn't it all predicting a person's future from lumps of rock and gas following Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                          Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                            You believe in astrology? Really? Do you mind if I ask why? Isn't it all predicting a person's future from lumps of rock and gas following Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                            Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Marc Clifton
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #16

                            OriginalGriff wrote:

                            Isn't it all predicting a person's future from lumps of rock and gas following Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                            Personally, the "predicting the future" part is where I feel the layman's understanding of astrology has taken a wrong turn because of all the charlatans out there. I like wikipedia's definition: To ancient astrologers, the planets represented the will of the gods and their direct influence upon human affairs. To modern astrologers the planets represent basic drives or urges in the unconscious,[ (planets, of course, including the sun and moon in addition to the 5 visible planets in ancient times -- yet another interesting discussion.) A good astrologer can be very insightful (and cost a lot less than a shrink) into "forces" that potentially are behind your personality. And yes, I do believe there are things we don't understand, know about, or can measure (yet) that can affect personality and therefore, "destiny" (in broad brush strokes) as well. It's sometimes useful to get insights in these things, and if you accept those insights, you can work on improving them, becoming more "conscious", so those forces aren't just "unconscious drives/urges" as the wikipedia quote states.

                            OriginalGriff wrote:

                            ollowing Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                            Heck, even the planets and gasses don't follow Newtonian laws -- you need a sprinkling of relativity to actually get everything right -- Newtonian laws are just a decent approximation when velocity and mass are in some sort of a "normal" range :) Marc

                            Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                            L 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                              You think the spammers are brighter and more technically literate than most QA posters? :omg: Could be, when I come to think about it...

                              Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                              S Offline
                              S Offline
                              SoMad
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #17

                              Yeah, I am afraid they would be able to Google themselves to an answer. Besides, they deal in magic, so... :)

                              "When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                And I thought to myself, "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it." "So...why not have a 'Developer Capcha' on QA posts?" We could make everyone who wants to post a question solve a small (two lines, maybe) C# (or even - gawd forbid - VB) coding problem, or fix a syntax error before they can post! That'd keep 'em out! Then I realised why it wouldn't work: most of the QA question posters would fail...and quite a few of the answerers as well... :sigh: Ho, hum. Back to the drawing board...

                                Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Mark_Wallace
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #18

                                As someone who once wrote a program that helps people pick numbers for the UK National Lottery, I feel that I have a vested interest in this discussion, so should not take part. (I won't mention the small fact that if you read the code of that prog, you'd instantly see that I was taking the piss out of the nutters)

                                I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • M Marc Clifton

                                  OriginalGriff wrote:

                                  "These are pseudo science: nobody with any form of rational thought believes in it."

                                  I consider myself a rational person and have no problems believing in black magic (or white) or astrology. You may think that's really weird, but it doesn't cause any conflict for me. Now, mind you, I try to be discerning -- there's a lot of new age noise out there that sadly has risen to the level of a shriek in the last 20 years. Anyways, I just thought I'd speak up here, as a person of "rational thought." ;) Marc

                                  Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Mycroft Holmes
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #19

                                  Ghosts, vampires, fairies and little people that live at the bottom of the garden as well or is it just the pseudo sciences that you cannot refute one way or the other? I am constantly astonished by the things rational, sensible people can believe in, this includes all religions of course.

                                  Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                  M M 2 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • M Mycroft Holmes

                                    Ghosts, vampires, fairies and little people that live at the bottom of the garden as well or is it just the pseudo sciences that you cannot refute one way or the other? I am constantly astonished by the things rational, sensible people can believe in, this includes all religions of course.

                                    Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                    M Offline
                                    M Offline
                                    MKJCP
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #20

                                    It is great hubris to think there are not vast areas of knowledge yet to be understood or discovered or that if it can't be proven, it can't be. Scientists are often so smug. As far as pseudo-sciences, I am reminded of economics. Here, two "experts" can argue about some economic principle and throngs will line up behind each expert fully convinced their side is correct. One side, if proven wrong, would be denied acquiescence by their ego and\or their vested professional interest in their conceptual framework. Astrology has a batting average on par with economics. I used to think I knew it all. The older I get, the more I realize I don't understand.

                                    M 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • M Marc Clifton

                                      OriginalGriff wrote:

                                      Isn't it all predicting a person's future from lumps of rock and gas following Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                                      Personally, the "predicting the future" part is where I feel the layman's understanding of astrology has taken a wrong turn because of all the charlatans out there. I like wikipedia's definition: To ancient astrologers, the planets represented the will of the gods and their direct influence upon human affairs. To modern astrologers the planets represent basic drives or urges in the unconscious,[ (planets, of course, including the sun and moon in addition to the 5 visible planets in ancient times -- yet another interesting discussion.) A good astrologer can be very insightful (and cost a lot less than a shrink) into "forces" that potentially are behind your personality. And yes, I do believe there are things we don't understand, know about, or can measure (yet) that can affect personality and therefore, "destiny" (in broad brush strokes) as well. It's sometimes useful to get insights in these things, and if you accept those insights, you can work on improving them, becoming more "conscious", so those forces aren't just "unconscious drives/urges" as the wikipedia quote states.

                                      OriginalGriff wrote:

                                      ollowing Newtonian laws a seriously long way away?

                                      Heck, even the planets and gasses don't follow Newtonian laws -- you need a sprinkling of relativity to actually get everything right -- Newtonian laws are just a decent approximation when velocity and mass are in some sort of a "normal" range :) Marc

                                      Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      Luis M Cabrera
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #21

                                      Newtonian laws are more than a decent approximation, if you use telescopes on earth to do your astrology, you cannot see or account for the small discrepancies introduced by relativity. Besides, when astrologers begun their "art" there was no real understanding of the motions of the planets or the laws governing such motions. Astrology, puff! ;P X|

                                      programmer, astronomer, reader, etc...

                                      M 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • M Mycroft Holmes

                                        Ghosts, vampires, fairies and little people that live at the bottom of the garden as well or is it just the pseudo sciences that you cannot refute one way or the other? I am constantly astonished by the things rational, sensible people can believe in, this includes all religions of course.

                                        Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

                                        M Offline
                                        M Offline
                                        Marc Clifton
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #22

                                        Mycroft Holmes wrote:

                                        this includes all religions of course.

                                        I make a distinction between religion and spirituality. :) Marc

                                        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                        M 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • L Luis M Cabrera

                                          Newtonian laws are more than a decent approximation, if you use telescopes on earth to do your astrology, you cannot see or account for the small discrepancies introduced by relativity. Besides, when astrologers begun their "art" there was no real understanding of the motions of the planets or the laws governing such motions. Astrology, puff! ;P X|

                                          programmer, astronomer, reader, etc...

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Marc Clifton
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #23

                                          Luis M Cabrera wrote:

                                          if you use telescopes on earth to do your astrology, you cannot see or account for the small discrepancies introduced by relativity.

                                          Sure you can. Gravitational lensing, red/blue shifting, both are examples of relativity in action. Einstein's theory that gravity bends light was proven with terrestrial telescopes.

                                          Luis M Cabrera wrote:

                                          Besides, when astrologers begun their "art" there was no real understanding of the motions of the planets or the laws governing such motions.

                                          True indeed! But I don't need to understand my mother-in-law to know that I want to move as far away from her as possible! ;) Marc

                                          Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                          L 1 Reply Last reply
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