Hmmm, 3 digit ID and a comprehensive answer... sometimes correlation does imply causation!

It's not about inventing some intangible or non-factual reward.

Perhaps if I frame the carrot thus:
Simply educate people on the wonders of nature, the way science uncovers these wonders and the value of questioning everything. Hopefully they will start to understand that knowing things is far better than being told. They might follow the logical path to questioning the basis of their own beliefs and if they stand up to any scrutiny.

I think educational programs like Cosmos are excellent 'carrots'. Carl Sagan presents a beautiful picture of our existence and how we came to know what we know through the scientific method. He then goes on to ask questions that the viewer can ponder in their own time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfMZ76gP61k

Nature is pretty astounding when one gets an insight into how much we know about it (and how much we still have to learn).

Hi Professor Dawkins and thanks for offering to answer some of our questions.

In the past, some science educators (Dr. Tyson for example) have criticised what they perceived to be your overuse of the stick in promoting rationalism and fact-based decision making where they considered the carrot to be a better tool. There is some evidence that simply stating the facts may actually be counter-productive: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nyhan/nyhan-reifler.pdf

Would you mind talking about the efficacy of both approaches to the greater understanding of the value of fact-based decision making?

As someone who has lived with a person suffering from a debilitating mental health issue I hope I'm not the first to say, "fuck you". Your opinion displays a lack of compassion for someone who was being disproportionately hounded by those who wanted to hide their own ineptitude by making him an example.

Mr. McKinnon was formally diagnosed. Your perception that he's some pretender looking for an escape is grossly judgemental. He and his representatives have repeatedly asked for a trial on UK soil.

I hope someone more objective and compassionate than you stands up for your rights if they're ever in peril.
I don't have karma to burn, I don't need a shield to be a decent human being.

I am by no means an expert in this but the question has been asked before here and I agreed with the overall sentiment: Don't break the law.

The Chinese government will ensure that you regret being caught.

Collimation wasn't the issue, the mirror was incorrectly shaped due to a fault in the QA process where a tool used to measure the sphericity of the mirror called a null corrector was assumed to be set up to spec.

More details here for those who are interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope#Origin_of_the_problem

Collimation refers to the arrangement, or alignment, of the optical surfaces and lenses in relation to each other.

NASA has learned a lot from all of their work up until now. Consider the spectacular success in getting Curiosity onto Mars - a remarkably complex and audacious plan.

Testing methods, materials and technology has come a long way; it's not a guarantee that everything will go without a hitch but I'm optimisitic.

A number of the questions have been intentionally written in a way that prevents one from giving a dissenting response
Example:
11 Do you think systems like this should be in place for all internet connections and households, or just for those with children?

I have commented that such questions are loaded where appropriate.

It is evident to me that such leading questions are an attempt at ensuring that the person answering believes they have no option other than to not answer if they do not agree with either statement.

Listen, I'm not saying that anyone who posts anonymously is definitely racist, I'm just saying that we can't currently prove that they aren't.

- MickB1942.

A person can use reason about a great many things whilst ignoring it for a special subset of others.
Religion requires a specific *lack* of reasoning. It requires that you hang up all evidence based logical thinking and very literally take everything on faith.

"My book is the perfect word of god."
"We know exactly how god wants you to live your life."
"Our religion is the only true religion."

These are not factually verifiable statements. To believe that any of the above are true demands one ignore all other similar claims.

Unfortunately we have a significant amount of evidence that suggests that the followers of god are not willing to just live and let live, they're not even willing to agree to disagree. They *know* that they're right and that makes any alternative claim subject to correction.

What the hell, slashdot?!

Why did you reward these sham assertions with the interesting modifier?

You will find that there are *Pink* holes on the other side of black holes!
There are SEVEN fundamental forces, not six. The myth of six fundamental forces has been perpetuated by the brotherhood of phrenologists for far too long.
Fox news pundits are not conscious!
What we call physical is actually only 1/32nd of reality. Everything else can be conceptualised in a phenomenon known as 'The Great Shrug'.

I would provide citations but I don't want to ruin this post with needless fact for the people who found the parent post interesting.

Ah, but if you open your mind too much, your brain may fall out.

Incorrect, and a reminder that Hanlon's razor is not just a nice quote:
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

The pin spacing was an innocent error, not some Machiavellian scheme to ensure the profitability of shields:
http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1212632541 (post 13)

The Arduino guys have pretty much thrown open their doors to the world and said, "here's everything we do and how to build it yourself". Why do you see negative when this sentiment is overtly positive?