Maybe we can have a conversation in private over here about what has happened to the marsroverblog since we lost Horton. It almost seems like an attempt to destroy the blog by trolls. (There are some weird things on that MT webpage.) Perhaps Horton has been keeping the blog safe from marauders all this time.
Solutions? Should we migrate over here?
Barsoomer;
Yes!
I think it is a deliberate attack.
It would be a pity to let all the great work by Hort and others be nullified by a troll.
I was thinking of a direct appeal to Mark Carey to ban MT and / or put his posts on "Beyond the Mainstream"
I also think it is urgent that bOnafide should do the archiving of the posts asap.
I've been trying to keep the active Curiosity, Marathon valley and Active Mars threads near the top of the posts but it is not easy to outpost MT and the plethora of wacky posts will eventually make most serious posters and lurkers stay away from MRB.
I think MRB is worth saving. It would also help if some more of the old regulars would consider posting fairly frequently again.
Winston
Hi Barsoomer and LWS, I'm not too worried about MT yet, but thanks for posting your concerns. GreenOnMars was just as annoying to me when he (she) started filling pages of my Active Mars thread with greenish images, but it did stop eventually. I don't think we can out-maneuver trolls without some insider advantage and they're likely to enjoy the attention and persist if we get into an obvious competition. That said, it is probably going to be necessary for SOMEONE to take a moderator's role, if only behind the scenes. I wonder if Mark Carrey is considering this? Its not necessarily a big job, but I'm not keen on it myself as its likely to distract me from Mars. If anyone is going to approach Mark, I suggest a general inquiry about Horton's replacement rather than a request to do something about particular posters.
Kye;
You may have a point since MT seems to be now posting into 2 existing topics rather than starting new ones.
However, I think that MT's posts are potentially much more toxic to MRB than Green on Mars' own were in that MT's posts have not the slightest underpinning of science and have the potential to swamp the MRB board and chase away viewers and posters. GreenonMars had a viewpoint which might yet turn out to have some validity. OTOH, It is impossible that there can be any validity, scientific or otherwise, in MT's posts so far.
Winston.
Good points all. I would like to see the threads with Horton's name on them survive as long as feasible as a tribute to his great work Not to mention the long-standing threads on Water on Mars, Life on Mars, etc., as well as Kye's collection on Active Mars.
I hate to see them choked off by an over-proliferation of vacuous topics. Horton had certain powers that he exercised minimally for the benefit of the blog and maybe they should be passed on to someone.
The people who post here are not real. Temporary thoughts of the Mind in time.The forum, just another attempt to make the temporal, eternal.
From the teachings of Christ.