AEIOUM 

These rules are disclosed to clarify the various responsibilities of all community members here on AEIOUM. All posts are strictly moderated to ensure a high standard and to keep it consistent with the underlying spirit of the project. Please follow these guidelines to achieve a successful submission.

1. Be respectful towards all

   1. We may have disagreements but that is no excuse to use profane language or to exhibit infantile behavior. It's easy for all of us to get into this situation and if you're in one, remember this quote from Dr. Strangelove - "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!" #

2. No politics, religion, or pseudoscience

   1. The first two are just too saturated and overdone in other places on the web. If that's what you want to discuss then you should participate in those other avenues. The last one is just fantasy and there's a chasm of a difference between simply imagining things and discussing ideas. It's a nuance but hopefully you either "get it" or you don't. #

3. Be simple, clear, and original

   1. If you understand a subject then you should be able to explain it to a child using analogies or other means so that the child can relate. There's a limit to this when discussing something complex but you should write as if the reader is ignorant of the subject and you should provide the necessary backgrounds. Speaking of which, don't rely on excessive quotations from "literature" to support an argument. Parroting "information" from the web taken out of context is just noise and has little "information content". Contribute your own thoughts, but give credit where it's due. #

4. Work towards the positive

   1. Serious topics can mire us in negativity and we may start imagining ideas and scenarios that are potentially horrific or even dystopian. Remember to take a step back and realize that our entire existence is made up of ideas and that simply imagining something does not make it so. Bring it back to the realm of the positive and let it open new doors. #

5. Take your time

   1. The review process takes a while as we need to read submissions and understand the topics. So there's no need for you to rush and there's no need for you to post as many as you can. This isn't a race and quality matters more than quantity. Speaking of which, don't write pages upon pages in a single post. Divide your thought into segments and give chance for others to absorb what you've written before you write the next piece. #