Definitions by Recursive Prophet
mole puppet
A 'sock-puppet' on a message board that is not very active and remains low profile over many months. At a key moment on a debate, this 'mole' can be deployed to support the puppet master's argument without arousing any suspicion. They have a history that doesn't support any.
When Sidhe returned to the dirtybutrational.org website and was suddenly supported by other members, none of his detractors suspected any were a 'mole puppet.' He had established several way back, and used them sparingly to reply on various threads.
mole puppet by Recursive Prophet August 30, 2011
Harrypothesis
Many considered the conjecture that the apparent wind created by the motion of a treadmill was the same as natural wind created by pressure gradients to be just another Harrypothesis.
Harrypothesis by recursive prophet February 26, 2010
censorsplit
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.'
censorsplit by Recursive Prophet September 13, 2009
cyber-strand
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.
cyber-strand by Recursive Prophet September 8, 2009
cliq
Creationists often came to the science sub-forums at RDF to try and derail the dialectic. When a cliqster finds one posting their sermons, he sends a 'batch' pm to all the others. It includes a link to 'click,' which takes them right to the current point of discussion on the flagged thread. They thereby maximize the visibility of their consensus viewpoint by presenting it on many different debates they might have missed without being part of the cliq.
cliq by Recursive Prophet April 20, 2009
cliqster
Someone who participates in an online cliq to help advance certain viewpoints shared by the others in the group.
By sending links to discussions of common interest in batch personal messages at various forums, cliqsters insure their ideas are well represented in the various debates relevant to their collective interests.
By sending links to discussions of common interest in batch personal messages at various forums, cliqsters insure their ideas are well represented in the various debates relevant to their collective interests.
OMG! Jason was just suspended for a week for calling JJ a racist, which he admits he in fact is!! Act NOW on behalf of our fellow cliqster. Send a pm to all the moderators protesting this unjust action taken against one of the forums most constructive posters.
cliqster by Recursive Prophet April 20, 2009
straw herring
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)
straw herring by Recursive Prophet January 17, 2009