Forrest M. Mims III is the author of the Engineers Mini-Notebook–series of instructional books sold in Radio Shack and Tandy electronics stores. Mims is also a freelance magazine writer, serves as editor of The Citizen Scientist—the journal of the Society for Amateur Scientists, and teaches experimental science. RadioShack Corporation (formerly Radio Shack) (NYSE: RSH) runs a chain of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe. ... Tandy is a name which can refer to Tandy Corporation - affiliated with Radio Shack Tandy - Australian electronics retailer owned by Woolworths Limited Jessica Tandy - American film actress This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The Society for Amateur Science is based in the United States of America. ...

Mims also does scientific studies of sunlight, the atmosphere, mosquitoes and bacteria using instruments he designs and makes. A simple instrument he developed to measure the ozone layer earned him a Rolex Award for Enterprise in 1993. Mims cofounded MITS in 1968, although he left the company and sold his shares (for $100) in 1970, before the development of the Altair 8800 which, with the help of Bill Gates' and Paul Allen's implementation of the BASIC programming language, sparked the personal computer revolution. The ozone layer, or ozonosphere layer (rarely used term), is that part of the Earths atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). ... Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) was an Albuquerque, New Mexico company founded in 1968 by Ed Roberts. ... Altair 8800 The MITS Altair 8800 was a microcomputer design from 1975, based on the Intel 8080A CPU. Sold as a kit through Popular Electronics magazine, the designers intended to sell only a few hundred to hobbyists, and were surprised when they sold over ten times that many in the... Altair BASIC, in its first incarnation, MITS 4K BASIC, was a true milestone in software history — the first programming language for the worlds first truly personal computer, the MITS Altair 8800. ... BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages. ...

Mims is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the National Science Teachers Association and several scientific societies. Mims is also a fellow at the Discovery Institute, a controversial neo-creationist organization known as the chief promoter of intelligent design. Mims is known for posing questions such as "Why are reconstructions of fossil hominids always black?", "Why has evolutionary biology been companied by some of the most blatant cases of scientific fraud ever perpetrated?" and statements such as "There is absolutely no fossil record of the supposed evolution of any form of wing".^[1] Not to be confused with the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE). ... The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. ... The Discovery Institute is a conservative Christian think tank, structured as a non-profit educational foundation, founded in 1990 and based in Seattle, Washington, USA. Its areas of interest, social and political action include intelligent design, public school education, and transportation and bi-national cooperation in the international Cascadia region. ... Neo-creationism is a movement whose goal is to restate creationism in terms more likely to be well-received by the public, policy makers, educators, and the scientific community. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ...

Scientific American controversy

In May of 1988 Mims wrote to Scientific American proposing that he take over the Amateur Scientist column, which needed a new editor. Despite concern about his views, he was asked to write some sample columns, which he did in 1990.^[2][3][4] Mims was not offered the position, due, Mims alleges, to his creationist views. See Talk Orgins Archive Creationist Claim CA320.1 for further details. Scientific American is a popular-science magazine, published monthly since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ... The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. In Abrahamic religions, creationism is the belief that humans, life, the Earth, and the universe have a miraculous origin in a supreme being or deitys supernatural intervention. ... Talk. ...

Pianka controversy

Main article: Mims-Pianka controversy

In 2006 Mims expressed concern with a March 3, 2006 lecture by scientist Eric Pianka.^[5] In this lectures at the 109th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science held at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, Mims alleges that Pianka advocated genocide with a genetically enhanced Ebola virus with the goal of exterminating up to 90% of the human population.^[5] Mims disapproved when the Texas Academy of Science awarded Pianka with a plaque naming him "2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist". He confronted Pianka with the statement "The undeniable issue at hand is that you have advocated genocide and mass extermination to your students and to the Texas Academy of Science. The logical conclusion I am exploring is the genocidal racism inherent in your goal." In early March 2006 the Texas Academy of Science honored University of Texas biologist Eric Pianka as its 2006 Distinguished Texas Scientist during its 109th Annual Meeting at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. ... Eric R. Pianka (born 23 January 1939) is an American biologist, best known for his contributions to herpetology and evolutionary ecology. ... Genocide is defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) Article 2 as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing... Species Ivory Coast ebolavirus Reston ebolavirus Sudan ebolavirus Zaire virus Ebola hæmorrhagic fever (EHF — alternatively Ebola hemorrhagic fever; commonly referred to as simply Ebola) is a recently identified, severe, often fatal infectious disease occurring in humans and some primates caused by the Ebola virus. ...

Pianka has stated that Mims took his statements out of context and that Pianka was stating what would happen from biological principles alone if present human population trends continue, and that he was not in any way advocating for it to happen. Eric R. Pianka (born 23 January 1939) is an American biologist, best known for his contributions to herpetology and evolutionary ecology. ...

References

1. ^ "What follows are selected excerpts from an open letter by Forrest M. Mims III to Daniel Ji." SkepticFiles.org. URL accessed on 2006-04-27.
2. ^ FM Mims III, Sunspots and How to Observe Them Safely, Scientific American, 262, 6, 130-133, June 1990
3. ^ FM Mims III, How to Monitor Ultraviolet Radiation from the Sun, Scientific American, 263, 2, 106-109, August 1990.
4. ^ FM Mims III, A Remote-Control Camera that Catches the Wind and Captures the Landscape, Scientific American, 263, 2, 126-129, October 1990.
5. ^ ^a b "Meeting Doctor Doom." The Citizen Scientist: Feature 1. URL accessed on 2006-04-27.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ...

External links

• Forrest Mims's homepage
• Forrest Mims's science page

Pianka controversy-related

• TalkOrigins page about the Scientific American controversy
• Pianka, Mims, Misanthropy & Genocide: Commentary from Anthropik blog.
• PZ Meyers comments on Pianka v. Mims on Pharyngula.
• Commentary on the Mims and Pianka controversy by James Redford.