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Posted on: December 23, 2006 2:02 PM, by PZ Myers
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
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Comments
This is interesting. I've never seen a blank post before.
Posted by: Paguroidea | December 23, 2006 2:06 PM
Sorry, you can't win! I predict that this will be the "Most Active" post on scienceblogs for several days!
Posted by: coturnix | December 23, 2006 2:09 PM
About:blank
Posted by: Greg | December 23, 2006 2:14 PM
Blank comment
Posted by: no one | December 23, 2006 2:16 PM
Posted by: Maronan | December 23, 2006 2:18 PM
Which "blank" would anyone like to discuss?
According to Wikipedia:
There are a number of uses for the word blank:
Blank (cartridge) a type of gun cartridge that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot.
Key blank, an uncut key
Blank (solution), a solution containing no analyte, typically used to zero an analytical instrument and ensure that any reagents used do not contribute to overall measurements
Blank (archeology) a thick, shaped stone biface of suitable size and configuration for refining into a stone tool
Blank (Scrabble) a Scrabble tile that does not have a letter on it and can be substituted for any letter the player desires
Blank (computer science) a visible typographical character used to represent a Space character, which would normally be invisible
Tailored blank, a steel product
Posted by: Paguroidea | December 23, 2006 2:21 PM
I guess this is what I'll be shooting when I get to be your age, PZ.
Posted by: blankman | December 23, 2006 2:22 PM
Ah, nihilism...philosophy for airheads.
Posted by: Observer | December 23, 2006 2:23 PM
I can't believe PZ hasn't seen and blogged about THIS yet:
Live Giant squid on film, captured:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061222-giant-squid.html
Posted by: Paul | December 23, 2006 2:28 PM
But with the comments, it's not blank anymore!
Posted by: j | December 23, 2006 2:37 PM
PZ, to be fair, you should teach the controversy.
Blank posts are a prodduct of the liberals, the ACLU and the academy.
In fact, this was an empty post, and any attempt to say otherwise is a violation of free speech and academic freedom.
Posted by: Lettuce | December 23, 2006 2:42 PM
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 2:53 PM
Free Blank Outline Maps of the Countries and Continents of the World
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 2:55 PM
The Blank Park Zoo has been named "Attraction of the Year"
Do you want to see the new baby giraffe before spring? Schedule a Behind the Scenes Tour.
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 2:56 PM
Blank Label Comics
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 2:57 PM
PZ gave it a weak mention here .
Unfortunately, I fear the in-depth discussion of the fascinating role Notch plays in the development of the Great Kraken will have to wait until evo-devo guys get a chance to study Architeuthis embryos in the lab.
Posted by: llewelly | December 23, 2006 2:59 PM
The Blank Club
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 3:01 PM
The best way to savor this thread is with a recording of John Cage's 4'33"......SH
Posted by: Scott Hatfield | December 23, 2006 3:01 PM
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
The Blank Theatre Copmpany
Feast your eyes, my friends, on Blank, a secret agent tale that's a little left of normal.
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 3:05 PM
Like my father used to say:
"If you can't think of anything nice to say, don't say anything!"
Posted by: Sugarbear | December 23, 2006 3:11 PM
Blank TV
Welcome to BlankTV, the largest collection of punk, ska, oi, hardcore and indie music videos anywhere!
1000 blank white cards
Blank Crisis
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 3:11 PM
PZ lost for words? Surely not!
Posted by: Tristram Brelstaff | December 23, 2006 3:13 PM
Best. Blogfans. Ever.
Posted by: J Daley | December 23, 2006 3:13 PM
Welcome to the Blank Group at the University of Minnesota
We are an experimental physical chemistry group researching ultrafast chemical dynamics in condensed phase environments.
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 3:13 PM
" As I went walking, I saw a sign there;
And on the sign there, It said, 'NO TRESPASSING.'
But on the other side, It didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me. "
Posted by: Sugarbear | December 23, 2006 3:14 PM
the 893rd hit on a google searck for 'blank'
Posted by: llewelly | December 23, 2006 3:25 PM
Thanks, Scott, for a double giggle. I mis-read what you wrote as 4"33", which in Unisys ALGOL represents a byte with value hexadecimal 33 (51 decimal). That's a "3" in ASCII but an unused value in EBCDIC, the character encoding natively used on Unisys MCP machines (which I support). So I thought you were cleverly pointing out that if you printed out 4"33", you'd get a blank.
But I'm virtually certain that I'm the only person around here that would know this. Then I noticed the single-quote. Then I recognized the music reference. Then I realized my cold remedy had really kicked in.
Posted by: bPer | December 23, 2006 3:25 PM
PZ, my thoughts exactly.
Posted by: toomanytribbles | December 23, 2006 3:26 PM
Blankman!
Posted by: MikeG | December 23, 2006 3:28 PM
Simply strident.
Posted by: Jim in STL | December 23, 2006 3:35 PM
bPer:
When I was in college (CS major) )in the late 1990s, we were taught the last ALGOL programmers died in End-Permian extinction. What gives?
Posted by: llewelly | December 23, 2006 3:37 PM
You were obviously taught wrong. The operating system, DBMS and system software of the Unisys MCP architecture are written in variants of ALGOL. The platform is not well known, being mainly used in government, banking and the health industry, but that's no excuse for your instructor's error.
Posted by: bPer | December 23, 2006 3:57 PM
bPer! Next you'll tell me Fortran isn't dead!
Posted by: llewelly | December 23, 2006 4:12 PM
I think the correct response to this is ZOMG WTF HAX!!?!!11!!
Posted by: Baratos | December 23, 2006 4:13 PM
Well, most of the pictures associated with the squid story certainly weren't of a LIVE giant squid. Not anymore, at least.
Posted by: Carlie | December 23, 2006 4:17 PM
Aha!
Blank Post is a protest against the suppression of blogs by the Tunisian government. Bloggers are asked to participate by posting a blank post and nothing else for 24 hours on December 25, 2006.
http://www.williamsonday.com/morocco/archives/000959.html
Posted by: George | December 23, 2006 4:18 PM
10th anniversary of Tommy Mischke's famed no host call in show. He said nothing as listeners called in, trying to make him say something.
His show is the only good thing on talk radio:
http://www.am1500.com/mischke.htm
Posted by: Mike Haubrich | December 23, 2006 4:28 PM
llewelly exclaimed:
I just checked my documentation CD, and apparently Unisys still offers a Fortran 77 compiler. We stopped using it in our shop decades ago. I guess there are still pockets of Fortran use somewhere. I seem to recall reading recently on a tech blog someone expressing the opinion that Fortran was still the best tool for some kind of work (can't remember what).
And no, we don't use punch cards anymore, in case that's your next question. ;-)
Posted by: bPer | December 23, 2006 4:43 PM
Once again with the inflammatory rhetoric, PZ.. While I agree with the sentiment, and I know it's your blog, I think your blank post could have been a bit more respectful in its 'tone'.
Posted by: Pete | December 23, 2006 4:47 PM
Merry Cephalopodmus to all, and to all a Good Solstice!
Posted by: Buffalo Gal | December 23, 2006 4:56 PM
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 5:05 PM
Can't believe nobody referenced this yet....
_Blank Generation_ is an early punk album by Richard Hell and the Voidoids, released in 1977 on Warner Brothers' Sire Records imprint.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_Generation
Lyrics to the title track:
I was saying let me out of here before I was even born
Its such a gamble when you get a face
Its fascinatin to observe what the mirror does
But when I dine its for the wall that I set a place
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
Triangles were fallin at the window as the doctor cursed
He was a cartoon long forsaken by the public eye
The nurse adjusted her garters as I breathed my first
The doctor grabbed my throat and yelled, gods consolation prize!
I belong to the blank generation
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
To hold the tv to my lips, the air so packed with cash
Then carry it up flights of stairs and drop it in the vacant lot
To lose my train of thought and fall into your arms tracks
And watch beneath the eyelids every passing dot
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the blank generation and
I can take it or leave it each time
I belong to the generation but
I can take it or leave it each time
Posted by: JJR | December 23, 2006 5:23 PM
Here's someone who is remarkably naive about his textual scholarship. He holds a literal belief in the Christmas story. The prophecy of Micah 5:2, the bogus Herod baby-slaughter, the 'star in the East' (which was followed from East to West for unexplained reasons) - this guy buys it all! He seems willing to accept what is written in the Bible at face value, and is entirely oblivious to existing criticism of the points he tries to make, such as that published by Thomas Paine two centuries ago. And he was apparently able to convince a newspaper editor to publish his piece without criticism.
Posted by: quork | December 23, 2006 5:24 PM
Several modern AOGCMs (Atmosphere Ocean General Circulation Model), which are used to study climate (global warming!) are written in Fortran (including both NASA's GISS Model-E and Uk met's HadCM3). So are most modern weather forecasting models (like the GFDL's hurricane forecasting model). Like ALGOL, Fortran fills a niche that is unlikely to go away anytime soon. Fortran's niche is numerical operations on large arrays. I'm too lazy to explain why Fortran excels at this. I guess you could try googling for keywords like 'fortran, matrix multiply, latency, aliasing' .'
Posted by: llewelly | December 23, 2006 5:40 PM
More information about licorice may be found on the internet.
Posted by: John | December 23, 2006 5:41 PM
Further proof of entropy. Nature abhors a vacuum!
Posted by: LL | December 23, 2006 6:45 PM
There's a lot of old plasma physics code that run in Fortran as well.
Most physics applications I've encountered run either in Fortran or C++, depending on whether there are differential equations to solve (in which case C++ is used) or not.
Posted by: Athiator | December 23, 2006 7:20 PM
Comment Submission Error
Your comment submission failed for the following reasons:
Comment text is required.
Posted by: David | December 23, 2006 7:37 PM
Posted by: John | December 23, 2006 8:06 PM
My parents are still writing code in Fortran for their software package, P-Stat, and they would now have passed half a million lines of code in the last 40 years. When I completed my first college Biology degree in the 1970's I told my mom how evolution was like a self-debugging computer program. (Recently she read Dawkin's Ancestors Tale and liked it so much she bought it for me.) Keep The Blank Thread Alive! (signed) marc
Posted by: Marc Buhler | December 23, 2006 8:06 PM
The comments background alternates between #FFFFFF and #F2F2F2.
If I've calculated correctly, this comment should be a blanc.
Posted by: Owlmirror | December 23, 2006 8:22 PM
But why does "nothing" draw us like it does?
Perhaps the nonexistent calls us like the "god"
Of pious people with a void to fill;
Invented, hoped-for, longed-for, brought to be.
Posted by: speedwell | December 23, 2006 8:22 PM
Now I like "imagined" better than "invented" in the last line of that umm, blank verse... Gee, when are we going to get to edit our posts? :)
Posted by: speedwell | December 23, 2006 8:26 PM
I think this "Blank Post" is just another reference to god, nothing there, nothing to say about it.
Posted by: 601 | December 23, 2006 8:27 PM
I refuse to believe that this post was actually blank. There must be something there, I know it.
Posted by: John | December 23, 2006 8:56 PM
Blankity blank creationists.
Posted by: Red Mann | December 23, 2006 9:11 PM
OK. Y'all have only focused on one half of the subject. Blank Post contains TWO words. Why are you ignoring post? ...
Brings to mind how I learned to drive in a '67 Ford pickup stretching barbed wire, while my dad hammered the nails into the posts. But I digress ....
Posted by: Desert Donkey | December 23, 2006 9:29 PM
Dropping things is stranger than it seems. Taking dropping test scores, for instance.
See the following, if you aren't too burnt-out from taking (or giving) exams.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060610/mathtrek.asp
Dropping Lowest Scores
Ivars Peterson
Science News Online
Week of June 10, 2006; Vol. 169, No. 23
As a school year draws to a close, grades are inevitably on the minds of both students and teachers.
When computing final grades, teachers sometimes allow students to drop the lowest score--or even several of their lowest scores--from a sequence of quizzes, tests, homework assignments, or exams. Usually, it's the teacher who makes the decision on which scores to drop in any individual case. If the goal is to maximize a student's score, that's sometimes easy to do. But, in certain situations, it can be quite tricky to tell which score or scores to drop from the total.
In the June Mathematics Magazine, Daniel M. Kane of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jonathan M. Kane of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater describe some of the intricacies of this problem and present a simple, efficient algorithm for finding the best set of grades to drop. Jonathan is a math professor, and his son Daniel is a student at MIT. Daniel was a member of the U.S.A. International Mathematical Olympiad team in 2002 and 2003....
Posted by: Jonathan Vos Post | December 23, 2006 9:31 PM
Why are you ignoring post?
Oh, how can you say so, when this is all so very postmodernist?
Posted by: speedwell | December 23, 2006 11:11 PM
Best underappreciated filmmaker in the USA: Les Blank!
Posted by: Ron Sullivan | December 23, 2006 11:21 PM
Posted by: Mena | December 23, 2006 11:54 PM
Noooooo! PZ Myers actually stopped talking! Fast, before he starts again! Let everybody know that octopus (octopii?) are NOT sacred but tasty and no trans fat! Octopus are FOOD! Know that the Octopus God will not punish you for eating calamari fritti! There is NO Octopus God!
Posted by: jaimito | December 24, 2006 2:14 AM
What a silly way to make a point... blank you, PZ.
Posted by: Chris Hallquist | December 24, 2006 2:30 AM
This post has as much substance as god. I think he was making a reference to it.
Posted by: JD Kolassa | December 24, 2006 8:31 AM
All these comments are just blancmange.
Posted by: John Wilkins | December 24, 2006 8:33 AM
More information about God may be found on the internet.
Posted by: John | December 24, 2006 11:32 AM
By now, readers of this blog know the reason for this post. PZ Myers must have been laughing all the way to the blank.
Posted by: Tim McCormack | December 24, 2006 11:36 AM
I understood what you were going for PZ, you just got the title wrong. It should have been: "The insightful quotes of George W. Bush".
Posted by: Sonja | December 24, 2006 11:50 AM
"My cat's breath smells like cat food."
Oh, sorry. I was momentarily possessed by Ralph Wiggum.
Posted by: Steve Sutton | December 24, 2006 12:07 PM
Happy Blankmas, all.
Posted by: Zeno | December 24, 2006 12:21 PM
Are you old to recall the great Mel Blank?
Posted by: khan | December 24, 2006 12:26 PM
I saw a great post once, of the meta variety - it simply said "post", then the comments began. "Comment", "Reply to comment", "Reply with obscure reference to Sartre to attempt to look smart", "Troll!", etc. Went at least two hundred comments, as I recall. Quite amusing, but entirely unsearchable for, given the content. Anyone know it and have a link?
Posted by: Carlie | December 24, 2006 1:05 PM
Carlie, I think this is the one:
http://highclearing.com/index.php/archives/2006/04/07/4991
Posted by: j | December 24, 2006 1:16 PM
Ah, the historic Unqualified Offerings meta-post. It's at this link:
http://highclearing.com/index.php/archives/2006/04/07/4991
Posted by: speedwell | December 24, 2006 1:16 PM
(Independent verification, even.)
Posted by: speedwell | December 24, 2006 1:17 PM
Back in my 20 years of aerospace engineering/management, I wished I'd had a dime for every time I read: "This page Intentionally Left Blank."
It was sometimes there to keep from having to repaginate. Sometimes for the given level of classification. Less scary than the cover page which read: "unauthorized distribution punishable by death."
But it always seemed to me to be parallel to the signs reading: "This door always kept closed." In which case:
Is it a page?
Is it a door?
If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody blogs it, did it make a sound?
What is the sound of one blog blanking?
Posted by: Jonathan Vos Post | December 24, 2006 4:51 PM
Oh, Squid Breath, Carnac perceives the answer is "Blank Post." What is the question?
Name what PZ could post on Uncommon Descent and not get banned.
Posted by: Doc Bill | December 24, 2006 5:24 PM
speaking of Uncommon Descent - DaveScot just took notice:
http://www.uncommondescent.com/archives/1903
Posted by: Lee | December 24, 2006 7:31 PM
Taiwan singer's 'atheist' song triggers protests
Posted by: quork | December 24, 2006 9:24 PM
This post has fallen to #5. Honor must be restored to the blank post!
Posted by: John | December 24, 2006 10:57 PM
OK, John, let's try our best.
Oh, and a season's greeting: Merry BLANK folks!
(fill in as appropriate)
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | December 25, 2006 3:29 AM
(medieval): Nature abhors a blank post.
(modern): Blank posts are spontaneously filled by virtual posts and antiposts.
(postmodern): String Theory (strings of alphanumerics) has failed to make any useful predictions on a Blog Theory of Everything. Or, more properly, Character String Theory predicts a "landscape" of over 10^500 possible blogs in a blogmultiverse.
See, for instance,
Not Even Wrong
http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/
Posted by: Jonathan Vos Post | December 25, 2006 2:41 PM
Ping!
Pong!
We must endeavor to prolong the silliness.
For without silliness, all we have is...
Posted by: Will Von Wizzlepig | December 26, 2006 12:45 PM
Mel Blanc would be ashamed of the lack of color in this post.
You do know he changed his name from Blank to Blanc.
What's up Doc with the blankness?
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | December 26, 2006 5:33 PM
It isn't truly a blank post until the title itself is absent.
Posted by: Shawn Wilkinson | October 1, 2007 11:37 PM