Malcolm writes, similar to other comments in this thread:

>I think that if you posted an important new theory to this ng, that would be
>sufficient to establish priority.

What everyone seems to be missing is the fact that theorization, hypothesis
formation and wild-eyed speculation are what "don't count," not
the forum per
se. Being able to provide demonstrable, repeatable evidence that your ideas
could be correct is what matters in science.

Every dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying scientist has in his pockets one or two
pounds of Missouri dirt, where the state motto is: "Show me." If
you can't show
me with real physical evidence that what you're claiming could at least be
plausibly true, you haven't told me anything. You're just another snake-oil
salesman with wild ideas.

Now this is not to say that people don't often propose important new theories
to newsgroups. I've personally heard that the earth is hollow, that Planet X is
approaching, and that there were aliens hiding behind Hale-Bopp. While many of
these hypotheses are surprisingly detailed in their formulations, they haven't
proven so far to be especially accurate. But even more importantly, what I have
yet to see is anyone providing any physical evidence in a newsgroup that their
ideas were true.

If someone is going to take the time and do the hard work of gathering the
necessary supporting evidence to validate their ideas, they're not likely to
put it up on a newsgroup and leave it at that. If what they have to say is
true, important and truly novel, they'll want to have it appear in the most
prestigious journal possible, where it will be given the greatest degree of
initial credibility it might be.

Clearly, I'm not antipathetic to newsgroups. I've been submitting postings here
for ten years now. They serve a purpose, but they're more akin to beer halls
than scientific journals. But then again, there's nothing wrong with beer
halls, especially if they help make you think.

Wirt Atmar
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