MAJOR FAIL: "Have we sent probes...? "

[EDIT] Update: Skip down to post #35 and there's a link to the actual video... I did mess up a little on her quote (from what you see in this post) [/EDIT]



Discovered: The largest black hole EVER!!! (Between a new reporter's ears)

Just heard one of the STUPIDEST questions ever uttered by a reporter...

In an interview with Frmr Astronaut Tom Jones a Fox News reporter asked him about the super massive black hole that was recently discovered... She asked:

"Have we sent any probes to investigate these black holes?"

IDIOT!!!!

To me, this goes down as a major FAIL in our science education.

Oh the jokes that could be made.

boomtube-mk2 said:

Oh the jokes that could be made.

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Please do not tempt me like that.

Yeah... the reporting on that one sucked...

It's another major fail for FOX 'reporters' too.

I have no doubt this was a case of stupidity. But sometimes a reporter will ask what seems like a really stupid question not because the reporter doesn't know the answer, but because they think the audience might not know.

ThirstyBarbarian said:

I have no doubt this was a case of stupidity. But sometimes a reporter will ask what seems like a really stupid question not because the reporter doesn't know the answer, but because they think the audience might not know.

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Then they should phrase the question to let the viewer know that they are asking for those who don't know.

If you asked a thousand teachers how did the US land on the Moon, many would say with the Shuttle.

I saw that too!!!!
I was like "Oh Boy, did I just really hear what I thought I did?!!!"
I knew the topic would show up here.

That is not the worst "space science" related mistake made on that channel.

It will be hard to beat out the famous "tide comes in tide goes out, you can't explain it", as uttered by the biggest supposed know-it-all there (google it).

That is the perfect example of how much truthiness and accuracy you can expect there.

georgegassaway said:

That is not the worst "space science" related mistake made on that channel.

It will be hard to beat out the famous "tide comes in tide goes out, you can't explain it", as uttered by the biggest supposed know-it-all there (google it).

That is the perfect example of how much truthiness and accuracy you can expect there.

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I saw that one too!!! I realized right then and there that Bill was a Moron.

As though FOX would hire anyone with any science knowledge

Well, I agree it was a bizarre question. But we did send the NuSTAR "probe" (and many others) into space to investigate black holes. They just didn't get very close to the black holes...

Somehow I managed to miss that interview. What was the babe's name and was she "foxy"? That's probably why she was hired.

What this really amounts to is yet another glaring example of what a dismal failure American public education has become. Even Marx would blush.

K'Tesh said:

Discovered: The largest black hole EVER!!! (Between a new reporter's ears)

Just heard one of the STUPIDEST questions ever uttered by a reporter...

In an interview with Frmr Astronaut Tom Jones a Fox News reporter asked him about the super massive black hole that was recently discovered... She asked:

"Have we sent any probes to investigate these black holes?"

IDIOT!!!!

To me, this goes down as a major FAIL in our science education.

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Sorry, not getting what you are after here.

Why is the question "a major FAIL in our science education"?

dcullen said:

As though FOX would hire anyone with any science knowledge

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Well, at least when they talk about stuff like Air Strikes they have Lea Gabrielle as a contributer, and she was a Fighter Pilot.
The Weekend Crew are a bunch of B-Listers. I hate the Weekends on Fox News.

JRL303 said:

Sorry, not getting what you are after here.

Why is the question "a major FAIL in our science education"?

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Because the Black Holes in question are so far away.
We could not physically put Probes there given our Resources/Technology and how long we've been capable of sending Probes to places.
It should just be obvious to people what the limits of our space exploration are.
When I was married, one day I came home from work on my Lunch Break.
My dear Wife came up to me all scared, because she had watched a TV Program about Nuclear Weapons or heard some talk of it on the News.
I asked her what was the matter, and she said: "Atom Bombs are real! If they light one off, won't it blow up the Planet?!!!"
She apparently knew nothing about anything.
I realized then and there, at that singular moment in Time and Space, that this was to be one of those "Short-Lived Marriages".:wink:

TopRamen said:

Because the Black Holes in question are so far away.
We could not physically put Probes there given our Resources/Technology and how long we've been capable of sending Probes to places.

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And the general, non-science-who-might-want-to-engage-more-with-science, people know this? Sorry. It just seems like the OP for calling out people in very large font as being idiots came across to me as a bit over the top. I am a science educator and understand the issues. Frankly, it wasn't a bad question for a lay person.

JRL303 said:

And the general, non-science-who-might-want-to-engage-more-with-science, people know this? Sorry. It just seems like the OP for calling out people in very large font as being idiots came across to me as a bit over the top. I am a science educator and understand the issues. Frankly, it wasn't a bad question for a lay person.

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I have to agree. I find people in general to not take such interest in these kind of subjects anymore, and it is just one more reason that I don't like most people.
Folks around these parts see me doing Rockets, and they ask me things like "Can you aim it at things and blow stuff up?"
"Sorry, I spent countless hours building it and making it look cool, and I'de really hate to see it blow up." I tell them, and walk away.

What answer did she get? Did Tom Jones use the opening for a little education?

K'Tesh, Thanks for starting this Thread!
I noticed the Gaff while I was watching it, and reacted like you when it happened.
I kinda' laughed it off, assumed it would come up here, and went about my day and forgot all about it.
Since you reminded me, I feel smarter for knowing what you were talking about. Thanks.:wink:
5-Stars!!!

KennB said:

What answer did she get? Did Tom Jones use the opening for a little education?

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I don't know how to find the Clip online, but I remember things well.
He responded by informing her that the only way we have of witnessing such phenomena was via Optical Telescopes like the Hubble and even Ground Based Telescopes.
They showed some nice Space Pictures at this point.
He then made a reference to a newer model that I think he said was going operational in 2019. I forget the name of that one, but you could probably Google it.

Matter of fact, he was describing how we were actually looking into the distant Past, and that soon, we will be able to see nearly back to the beginning!!! Conglomeration of Galaxies and such.

TopRamen said:

I don't know how to find the Clip online, but I remember things well.
He responded by informing her that the only way we have of witnessing such phenomena was via Optical Telescopes like the Hubble and even Ground Based Telescopes.
They showed some nice Space Pictures at this point.
He then made a reference to a newer model that I think he said was going operational in 2019. I forget the name of that one, but you could probably Google it.

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Thanks, TR. Good to know he kept his cool and gave better than he was getting.

Newsclowns. Wotta ya gonna do?

I got this Book at a Thrift Store for $0.50!!!
A Lady actually tried to take it from my Cart when I turned my Back, but I caught her and said politely, "Put that back in my Cart". She did'nt say a word, but did as told, and walked away.
Anyway, awesome Score!!

I also have Sagan's book. It was a gift from my mother who was a school teacher back in the days when teaching actually meant something. It's still a great book!

As for the OP's post, well, so he referred to an ignoramus as an idiot. Big deal! I know what he meant. If you watch enough television you will inevitably encounter such ignorance. Ever heard such terms as "... an assault rifle, ...an out of control SUV killed, ....their fully automatic weapons" or my personal favorite by a US Congressman, "....Guam could capsize"? These talking heads almost certainly began their indoctrination in our public school systems, an indictment if ever I heard one. The blind leading the blind and here we are folks. Welcome to Idiocracy!

The jist of my comment is based on the belief that for a person to get to sit on national tv and interview a former astronaut, they should (unless it's a kids program hosted by kids) have successfully made it through college. To get to college, they must have made it through the public education system (or equivalent). In such a system, science should have been taught, and everyone above the age of 17 should know that space is VAST, and the distances between stars are phenomenal.

BTW, I wasn't watching the program per se, I was eating lunch and watching what my landlord had on.

BTW, the same reporter also pointed out the crew of Star Trek in front of the Enterprise Space Shuttle, prior to its "launch".

Sad...

TopRamen said:

I got this Book at a Thrift Store for $0.50!!!
A Lady actually tried to take it from my Cart when I turned my Back, but I caught her and said politely, "Put that back in my Cart". She did'nt say a word, but did as told, and walked away.
Anyway, awesome Score!!

View attachment 256128View attachment 256128

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Nice!!!

tmacklin said:

I also have Sagan's book. It was a gift from my mother who was a school teacher back in the days when teaching actually meant something. It's still a great book!

As for the OP's post, well, so he referred to an ignoramus as an idiot. Big deal! I know what he meant. If you watch enough television you will inevitably encounter such ignorance. Ever heard such terms as "... an assault rifle, ...an out of control SUV killed, ....their fully automatic weapons" or my personal favorite by a US Congressman, "....Guam could capsize"? These talking heads almost certainly began their indoctrination in our public school systems, an indictment if ever I heard one. The blind leading the blind and here we are folks. Welcome to Idiocracy!

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This is'nt the Sagan Version. It's mostly a Pictorial by Giles Sparrow.
My Mom has Sagans Cosmos at her House. I used to watch his Show in the early 80's on like PBS. My Parents would record it on their "State of the Art" VCR.