Lots of people are giving Obama props for the shout-out to atheists in his inaugural address, but I’m deeply concerned about what he said. Or, rather, what he didn’t say: We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. Where are the Buddhists? He left out a major world religion!… Continue reading Buddhists Are Citizens Too
Category: Silliness
God of Thunder 1, Satan 0
The world is a very strange place: An intruder received a taste of divine reckoning as he was chased from the Edinburgh flat he was breaking into by a man dressed as the Norse god Thor. The housebreaker leapt from the first-floor window of the building to escape Torvald Alexander who was dressed-up for a… Continue reading God of Thunder 1, Satan 0
The Monkey Dance, Benny Hillified
Via Tom, my go-to source for this sort of nonsense, the Benny Hillifier, which will add “Yackity Sax” to any YouTube video. Because any video is funnier with “Yackity Sax”. And since I know somebody will ask, it works on the Monkey Dance, too.
Bailouts Explained
As always, if you want penetrating analysis of the news, you need to go to a comedian. Jon Stewart explains why Congress is willing to bail out Wall Street, but not Detroit: The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c Autoerotic Explanation Barack Obama InterviewJohn McCain Interview Sarah Palin VideoFunny Election Video… Continue reading Bailouts Explained
Shouting Heads of Science?
One of the links in the previous post was to Josh’s thoughts on the CNN science shutdown. Toward the end, he had an interesting note on why science doesn’t get more play: This is especially bad for CNN, since so much of their airtime is taken up by talking heads yelling at one another. Science… Continue reading Shouting Heads of Science?
The DiVincenzo Code
If, like me, you have long thought that the world needs more thrillers based on quantum physics, the students and post-docs of the Ultrafast Group at Oxford have got a short film for you: The DiVincenzo Code, in six parts on YouTube. It doesn’t make any less sense than a Dan Brown novel, and the… Continue reading The DiVincenzo Code
Universes Are Cheaper in Bulk
Via Boing Boing, a “conceptual artist” is selling a make-your-own-universe kit: According to [a slightly garbled explanation of quantum mechanics], any kind of measurement causes the universe to split and this is the basis of Keats’ new device. His universe creator uses a piece of uranium-doped glass to create a steam of alpha particles, which… Continue reading Universes Are Cheaper in Bulk
The Kibble Bubble
A Colbert Report re-run about the financial crisis has just ended, so I turn the tv off, grab my jacket and the leash, and head out for a walk with the dog. She’s oddly pensive as we head up the street. After a little while, she stops and asks, “What was that all about?” “All… Continue reading The Kibble Bubble
The Internet Changes Financial News
On hearing that Washington Mutual is the next bank up in Wall Street’s fire sale, I have to admit that my first thought was “Well, that’s what they get for letting their customer service be handled by shady guys in Nigeria…” I’ve gotten so much scam email over the years with Subject: headers like “Washington… Continue reading The Internet Changes Financial News
Asking the Big Questions
The Science in the 21st Century meeting is being held at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, which is in a really nice building in the middle of Waterloo. It’s a building that was quite clearly designed with physicists in mind, as there are numerous little common spaces where people can sit around and argue,… Continue reading Asking the Big Questions