Fake news and pseudoscience from tabloids to paper backs
Back in the HS a friend of mine was reading Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91202.Chariots_of_The_Gods
I gave it 3.5 stars based on entertainment value alone. To sum of the belief the author, in the past, aliens visited pre homo sapien man, bred with the women and came back later to check up on us and breed a bit more.
Baseless, factless, and filled with ridiculous presumptions. It's amazing that with arguments to poorly presented that this book seemed to have such an affect on American culture in the early 70's.
Stranger Than Science by Frank Edwards Shelves: pseudoscience https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212171.Stranger_Than_Science?
A2A What's behind the cult following for Nikola Tesla in recent years?
In the question is also included the remarks, “I've noticed an increasing number of popular videos.” I think that is the reason for a lot of “cult following” of various types.
YouTube can be an amazing place where you can learn a lot. People spend a lot of time creating great videos on how to do many things. In that regard I think YouTube can be amazing.
On the other hand I have seen many videos on YouTube that were downright crazy in the amount of misinformation they were putting out.
When I was in high school a friend of mine was really into the Erich von Daniken books, some of you might remember the best-selling Chariots of the Gods and his series of books in search of ancient astronauts. I read all the Chariots of the Gods books, the books on Project Blue Book and UFOs, and whatever else I could find on what I collectively called “strange science.” I would buy a new book every week or two, as well as read about inventors and inventions in magazines like Popular Science or Popular Mechanics.
Other than to talk about these topics with my friend, and read a few magazines, I did not have any way to really explore these topics in more detail. Back in the dark ages of the 1970s we did not have the internet to share ideas.
Now I can find thousands of YouTube videos on perpetual motion machines, 200 mpg carburetors, UFOs and aliens. Likewise, I can search dozens of websites on these topics. Interesting that most of these, what I call “strange science” websites, have something about Nikola Tesla on them. He fits the mold of the mad scientist.
I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member … Groucho Marx
I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book. … Groucho Marx
The Guru 42 Universe is not run by a university professor with a team of editors and advisers working to developing a website. Tom Peracchio is simply someone who loves technology and history and is amazed by how little people know about the great minds in the world of technology.
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