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The Lab: How was it for you?

Less searchable M0rd4nt

23:03 / 21.04.02

Since I'm now one of the co-daddies of the Laboratory, I'm interested in finding out what people want from the forum. Specifically:

1) What kind of topics would you like to see addressed?

2) What could be done to encourage greater involvement?

3) How do you feel about the way information is presented in the Lab?

4) Would other sources of information be helpful? (For example, a list of on-line reference tools.)

grant

16:05 / 22.04.02

Actually, if the "permalink" thing for "column 2" goes through, I can think of a few nice sites to link to... New Scientist and Erowid being up top.

One of the odd things about the Lab, I think, is that even more than the Switchboard it tends to be all about headline news - something new that just happened, some new discovery or some such. Only, unlike Switchboard, there's no sense of political connection or "what can I do" so the discussion tends to be shorter. That's my impression.

gentleman loser

17:31 / 22.04.02

I think the Lab forum is going pretty well the way it is.

It's a low volume of posts, but that's not a bad thing. Also, I like the fact that it doesn't seem to be overly dominated by kneejerk dogmatism. I would like to see some more debate.

Grant does make a good point. I'd like to see more interesting ideas instead of just sci-headline news. I suspect that a lot of people (including myself) are censoring themselves to avoid not being shredded by others. I'm working on a Fermi's Paradox post, but I want to get it clear in my head before I post it.

It's funny. I feel much more paranoid and far less secure since the board change. Posting seems to have dropped a lot and that gives me some cause for alarm.

I would encourage posters to dig a little and dare to post some odd stuff. As long as it's on topic, new ideas are a good thing! As for external sources, links are always good.

The Sinister Haiku Bureau

17:31 / 22.04.02

Not much to say really, but I think a> that the permalinks would be a good idea, b> that we should try and encourage debate over various issues, (both in terms of the truth or merit of whatever idea is being discussed and the sociopolitical implications) and c> how about having a group reading/discussion thing for various pop-sci books? Like the whole Ulysees thing in Books, but for say, brief history of time (which is available online, somewhere) or for 'chaos' by james Gleick, or... something.
Oh, and I suppose it might be possible to do some kind of experiments together- I'm thinking of Rupert Sheldrake's stuff about psychic pets offhand, but I'm fairly sure there is some useful science that can be done by 'amateurs', especially fairly large numbers thereof.
$0.02.

The Sinister Haiku Bureau

17:49 / 22.04.02

Oh, and another thought: have you guys seen halfbakery.com? It's a site where people put up ideas for inventions and businesses and stuff, and something like that could be cool- or at least more threads where people go- hey i'd like to invent a _______. Mad theories, potential inventions, and all and sundry weirdigubbins. After all, inventing stuff is one of the things you do in a Lab...

Utopia

00:12 / 23.04.02

yeah, some "fun" hypothetical threads could be cool. the first thread i created in lab was related to a discussion in music about what music exists only in your head, so it would be fun to read someone say "i'd like to invent a 3 headed gorilla that spews orange soda out of its bunghole and can summon swarms of nano-bots to stock my wet bar," and then a week later..."3 headed gorilla soda fountain created...link here."

Less searchable M0rd4nt

10:22 / 23.04.02

Nice one, Utopia

I guess I'm just concerned that peeps feel that if they go into the lab, all the boffins'll laugh at them. The permalinks would be great, but in the meantime I'm gonna start a thread o' looker-uppers, confuzzled folk, for the use of.

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