\tThe difference between these two things can be illustrated by comparing SpaceShipOne built by Burt Rutan with most of the other efforts made to win the X-Prize contest in 2004. Rutan was quiet about what he was doing until he rolled out the finished hardware and started flying. His competitors were noisy and had pretty PowerPoint presentations\u2014but never built or flew anything. <\/p>\n
The difference? Track record and hardware. <\/p>\n
The patent for the warp drive is a patent of an idea with no hardware built and few prospects of it ever being built. It is merely a pretty picture proposed by a person who otherwise has no funding, and who has built nothing, who hopes to get someone to try out his idea some day. <\/p>\n
The dirty little secret about patents is that you can get a patent for just about anything, no matter how unrealistic it might be. All you need is to write your patent in the proper format and pay the patent office their fee. With no funding, no hardware, nothing but some drawings and words on a piece of paper, the warp drive is not something we\u2019re likely to see coming online as a consequence of this patent. On the other hand, the Air Force has built prototypes of PHaSRs and they are undergoing testing. The PHaSR actually exists. The warp drive not so much.<\/p>\n
\tIn determining the truthfulness of something, or at least its potential truthfulness, there are some basic tools that one can use. The first is to always be skeptical, especially if it\u2019s something you either wish to be true, or if it\u2019s something you are afraid might be true. The email from your trusted friend who warns you about the dangers of microwaves (especially for drying off poodles), or the missive relating the latest dastardly deeds supposedly undertaken by the group of politicians or other criminals you already distrust, should automatically elicit strong skepticism. <\/p>\n
The second thing is to always do a bit of research and see if you can find the same story being reported by a number of different sources across a wide range of political or religious points of view, especially from points of view that you don\u2019t agree with. Make it a point to check at the urban legend debunking sites on the web, like Snopes.com. If you are as skeptical about news that supports your preconceived notions as you are about stuff that challenges it, you\u2019ll be most of the way towards avoiding swallowing falsehoods. <\/p>\n
And finally, do not accept the truth of something just because it is reported by someone, famous or otherwise, that you respect. Famous people are no less capable of making mistakes than you are; and they frequently repeat falsehoods as facts. <\/p>\n
The rule of thumb is simple: if you want it to be true, if it matches your belief system, then be all the more skeptical. Check it out.<\/p>\n
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Send to Kindle<\/span><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When you read something how can you tell whether it is true, or at least potentially true? How can you tell if you\u2019re being fed misinformation? It is really much easier than you might imagine. On November 1, 2005, a … Continue reading