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Vixra is a huge red flag for those not aware. It means the research is so actively questionable that it's not allowed on the non-peer reviewed arxiv server. Tha

Vixra is a huge red flag for those not aware. It means the research is so actively questionable that it's not allowed on the non-peer reviewed arxiv server. That's an extremely low bar to clear. There are a lot of crackpots on arxiv, you need something special to get kicked off.

jjgreen 4y ago
Also on arxiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.02078 https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.02078
munchler 4y ago
It's also worrisome to see a paper that's concerned with mathematical correctness using both commas and periods as decimal points interchangeably. See Tables 1 and 2, for example.
- henrydark 4y ago
  Many countries use them the opposite of what you're probably used to, and it's hard to keep this in check when writing in a foreign language (in the author's case English). This isn't worrisome at all.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
Jcowell 4y ago
Is it maintained by the same people or did someone just decide to reverse the arxiv name as an act of spite ?
- ajkjk 4y ago
  Definitely not the same people. I think it's by someone who was bitter that 'mainstream' science didn't respect their crackpottery, or something like that.
patrick451 4y ago
This is straight up appeal-to-authority credentialism. What is actually wrong with the paper?
- Certhas 4y ago
  No it's not. It's a useful heuristic to adjust your priors before engaging with the work. It's also a useful bit of information when making the decision what to spend time on. Obviously this is a decision that you have to make before reading the paper. If you're a bit familiar with typical physics crackpottery there are many other red flags that might tell you this is not worth your time.
- SantalBlush 4y ago
  There can be quality papers on Vixra, sure. But I'm not about to sift through all of the bad ones to find them. That's not an appeal to authority fallacy, that's a useful heuristic.
  - User23 4y ago
    Sifting through Vixra isn’t in play here though. We’re discussing a single paper.
    - SantalBlush 4y ago
      We're discussing a single paper posted on Hacker News by some user called Certhas, whom I'm not familiar with. So that doesn't improve my desire to view the paper. Am I meant to assume this person has the necessary background knowledge to vet the paper? And if not, why should I waste my time looking at it? The internet is absolutely full of nonsense, and nobody is obligated to look through it in the name of open-mindedness. Most of us have things to do. Mind you, I'm not saying the paper is bad. I'm saying it needs to pass certain filters before I spend time giving it a try.
    - Brian_K_White 4y ago
      It doesn't matter. If the content of the paper were worth even looking at, it should exist in channels that do discriminate more. Yes, the venue or the speaker matters, not just the message. Calling that an appeal to authority, or failing to keep an open mind, is just something the quack cries to explain their lack of impact. That cry is just another thing it is entirely reasonable and defensible to utterly ignore.

jjgreen 4y ago

Also on arxiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.02078 https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.02078

munchler 4y ago

It's also worrisome to see a paper that's concerned with mathematical correctness using both commas and periods as decimal points interchangeably. See Tables 1 and 2, for example.

henrydark 4y ago
Many countries use them the opposite of what you're probably used to, and it's hard to keep this in check when writing in a foreign language (in the author's case English). This isn't worrisome at all.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

Jcowell 4y ago

Is it maintained by the same people or did someone just decide to reverse the arxiv name as an act of spite ?

ajkjk 4y ago
Definitely not the same people. I think it's by someone who was bitter that 'mainstream' science didn't respect their crackpottery, or something like that.

patrick451 4y ago

This is straight up appeal-to-authority credentialism. What is actually wrong with the paper?

Certhas 4y ago
No it's not. It's a useful heuristic to adjust your priors before engaging with the work. It's also a useful bit of information when making the decision what to spend time on. Obviously this is a decision that you have to make before reading the paper. If you're a bit familiar with typical physics crackpottery there are many other red flags that might tell you this is not worth your time.
SantalBlush 4y ago
There can be quality papers on Vixra, sure. But I'm not about to sift through all of the bad ones to find them. That's not an appeal to authority fallacy, that's a useful heuristic.
- User23 4y ago
  Sifting through Vixra isn’t in play here though. We’re discussing a single paper.
  - SantalBlush 4y ago
    We're discussing a single paper posted on Hacker News by some user called Certhas, whom I'm not familiar with. So that doesn't improve my desire to view the paper. Am I meant to assume this person has the necessary background knowledge to vet the paper? And if not, why should I waste my time looking at it? The internet is absolutely full of nonsense, and nobody is obligated to look through it in the name of open-mindedness. Most of us have things to do. Mind you, I'm not saying the paper is bad. I'm saying it needs to pass certain filters before I spend time giving it a try.
  - Brian_K_White 4y ago
    It doesn't matter. If the content of the paper were worth even looking at, it should exist in channels that do discriminate more. Yes, the venue or the speaker matters, not just the message. Calling that an appeal to authority, or failing to keep an open mind, is just something the quack cries to explain their lack of impact. That cry is just another thing it is entirely reasonable and defensible to utterly ignore.