When a moderator on a discussion forum splits off a batch of replies to another thread for purposes primarily related to censoring viewpoints they disagree with by removing them from the larger, ongoing debate and marginalizing their impact.
While the site was owned by well known skeptic educational foundation, staff were apparently instructed to use a 'divide and conquer' strategy in dealing with any dissent. Arguments critical of policy were often split to new threads for being 'off topic,' thus diluting both their continuity and traction. It was a subtle form of censorship one wag dubbed as the 'censorsplit strategy.'
by Recursive Prophet September 12, 2009
1. Arpie is an initialization morphed into an acronym. (a retro or redux acronym?) Role Player=RP=arpie. Note the initialization is also contained within the homonym.
2. In complexity theory, RP ("randomized polynomial time") is the complexity class of problems for which a probabilistic Turing machine exists with these properties.
Arpie: Anonymous Role Player Inserting Epiphytics; or
algorithmic randomized polynomial interaction e (2.718282... in geek-speak)
2. In complexity theory, RP ("randomized polynomial time") is the complexity class of problems for which a probabilistic Turing machine exists with these properties.
Arpie: Anonymous Role Player Inserting Epiphytics; or
algorithmic randomized polynomial interaction e (2.718282... in geek-speak)
Is that Arpie a Role Player or a Randomized Polynomial? (If the correct answer to the latter is YES, then it returns YES with probability at least ½ (otherwise, it returns NO)
by Recursive Prophet October 14, 2007
A mnemonic based on every 5th item to be remembered, using one's fingers as a kind of abacus. You put up one finger for each one as you go along. When you reach the fifth finger, that becomes the first letter of the mnemonic. This device works well when the number of entities to be recalled is too large for conventional mnemonics to easily accommodate.
Example: Nlnci Sjgai is one possible pentamnemonic for all the countries with some coastline on the continent of Eurasia. If you start with the western-most point-Portugal-and go clockwise around the coast, your first 'bookmark country' is Netherlands, and you end with Italy. (Just add on Monaco, the 51st country) Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, NETHERLANDS: Germany, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, LITHUANIA. When your little finger gets extended, you must always arrive on a country that begins with one of the consecutive letters in Nlnci Sjgai, or you forgot a country.
by Recursive Prophet November 06, 2007
A mnemonic system based on every 5th item to be recalled. It is quite useful for alert young minds, but can be misused by those in their dotage.
Surprised nobody caught this, but the example for pentamnemonic above explains my concern about seniors employing this technique. If your mouse requires a walker, you might make the same mistake and get it wrong.
I forgot Kaliningrad in the original example, which is a disconnected part of Russia, and inserted Estonia in it's place. Estonia is actually north of Latvia, which borders Lithuania. Its a small planet, and 70% is water. With only 193 countries there's no excuse for misplacing them. Sorry.
I forgot Kaliningrad in the original example, which is a disconnected part of Russia, and inserted Estonia in it's place. Estonia is actually north of Latvia, which borders Lithuania. Its a small planet, and 70% is water. With only 193 countries there's no excuse for misplacing them. Sorry.
by Recursive Prophet December 12, 2007
When an argument is rebutted by saying it is both a 'red herring' and a 'straw man.' (Usually done at different times.) As the two fallacies are incongruent, this term itself will eventually be incorporated into informal logic as a fallacy.
My opponent's counter argument is a straw herring. First he claims my example is an irrelevant distraction from the topic, (red herring)then goes on to assert I created it using his words out of context so I could attack this erroneous extrapolation of his words and then declare victory. (straw man)
by Recursive Prophet January 17, 2009
Futronym: a neologism that by common usage and functionality is clearly destined to be added to the lexicon at some future point. In part it will serve as an antonym to 'retronym.' See 'Antoneologym.'
Email and Eddress (email address) are both futronyms. The former will be elevated soon due to its common usage, while the latter shall come later owing to it's functionality. Both will soon be found in most dictionaries.
by Recursive Prophet November 07, 2007
A topic thread on an internet discussion forum that has morphed onto many different sites for various reasons.
A popular thread featuring a physics brain teaser tended to start heated discussions and got in trouble with mods. Those active on it moved en mass to another site and started it over again there. Now its moved to still other sites and there are so many of these 'threads' they've literally become a cyber-strand.
by Recursive Prophet September 08, 2009