Starship Asterisk*

Then again,,, maybe APOD don't need a "coffee shoppee" for out of the box discussions?

Norval

How about APOD's own coffee shop forum, night sky has their's?

APOD "Think Tank Cafe"

NSL has their cafe for discussion of their own "stuff", why not APOD?

What I am saying, is that when it comes to APOD there are allot more potentials for discussion than NSL. When it comes to talking about what is depicted in APOD pictures, often there comes with that talk a need to go beyond what is in the picture.

As some have figured it out, that the reason for having an APOD Forum was to ask the collective for help in solving some mysteries. "Free Consulting" from the collective of APOD viewers.

Honesty is the better policy. Open Door, with "bouncers / mods" to handle the disrupters, will get more results than the censorship routine. Then again, maybe the powers that be have had enough free consulting?

Norval

Well, you might create a Yahoo Group for that or something. Then, put a link on your sig, and see how it goes. I wished you could do it in Cafe, but apparently, you can't, and APOD forum just *IS NOT* Cafe forum. Beware, there's some limit here, too For example, things like this are really annoying and (as long as I have the magic stick) will be kicked out to Cafe. And you know what's going to happen there

APOD is an extraordinary forum, as was proved by the Voynich thread and the "Strange Streak" thread of that Aussie picture. APOD readers responded enmass to the "request" of those that wanted to know what someone else might be able to come up with. In actuality these are like mini-"think tanks", these threads of observations, ideas, theories, and application of the sciences, and could be very productive along those lines.

APOD proved that the "collective" would respond. What next?
Sometimes the search for wisdom needs the collective to discover it.

There are many that would just like to kick around some ideas over coffee with out the "censorship". Good moderation is called for, but not censorship. Disrupters to threads are easily dealt with using moderation and temporary banning. Say 3 days, 7 days, 30 days, and permanent. The whole idea of forums and bulletin boards are the "conversations" that
take place between members, but, without the "gangs" and "packs" of disrupters that are so common to many of the other boards out there it would be much more productive.

I don't think Makc has enough to do. (Just joking.)

Norval