MERRY CEPHALOPODMAS, EVERYONE!
Category: Cephalopods
Posted on: December 22, 2006 1:00 AM, by PZ Myers
Don't try and tell me this is a fake holiday. Macy's in New York is celebrating it! That's the gold standard, man.
Watch out, Kwanzaa.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Search this blog
Profile
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
• a longer profile of yours truly
• my calendar
• Nature Network
• RichardDawkins Network
• facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• the Pharyngula chat room
(#pharyngula on irc.synirc.net)
Random Quote
(Complete listing)The cross people carry to-day is made of gold or set with diamonds.
[Lemuel K. Washburn, Is The Bible Worth Reading And Other Essays]
Recent Posts
- Altenberg meeting next week: expect evolution to simply evolve slightly
- Saucer people are just plain weird
- Origin of life
- A little sport with a poll
- Is America ready?
- My morning at Mensa
- What was going on last night?
- Wide open thread, free for the taking
- Schlafly wants to play rough now
- Friday Cephalopod: Brilliant blue
A Taste of Pharyngula
(Complete listing)Chance and regularity in the development of the fly eye
Regulatory evolution of the Hox1 gene
Symmetry breaking and genetic assimilation
Evolution of alcohol synthesis
Recent Comments
- Betsy on My morning at Mensa
- Nick Gotts on Saucer people are just plain weird
- Sven DiMilo on My morning at Mensa
- Betsy on My morning at Mensa
- Malcolm on Altenberg meeting next week: expect evolution to simply evolve slightly
- JoJo on A little sport with a poll
- Sven DiMilo on My morning at Mensa
- Bride of Shrek on Saucer people are just plain weird
- jpf on Saucer people are just plain weird
- gleaner63 on Saucer people are just plain weird
Archives
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
Blogroll
(Complete listing)Other Information
Subscribe via Email
Stay abreast of your favorite bloggers' latest and greatest via e-mail, via a daily digest.
« Turiasaurus | Main | Omens and portents of Cephalopodmas »
TrackBacks
(TrackBack URL for this entry: )
Comments
I feel chilled and squishy inside...
Must be the podnog.
Posted by: Stanton | December 22, 2006 1:39 AM
Is the proper greeting "Happy Cephalopodmas," "Merry Cephalopodmas," or something more esoteric, like "Froelich Cephalopodmas." And do we get to declare a holy (secular?) war against those who use the wrong greeting? Barring a holy war, can we, at least, whine that we're being oppressed by each wrong greeting?
Posted by: John McKay | December 22, 2006 1:51 AM
It's "May you be eaten first", you infidel.
And for you real secularists, Dec 25 is Newton's birthday.
So Happy Newtonmas as well.
Posted by: Warren | December 22, 2006 2:34 AM
As much as we secularists love calculus and the Newtonian physics model (despite it being slightly wrong compared to Einstein's ...), it must be said that Newton was quite the devout Christian by the standards of his day, and was furthermore something of a kook, with his lifelong fetish for gematria, and his odd obsession for tasting weird chemicals. Probably only Dan Brown fans really want to celebrate Newtonmas ...
*ducks*
(Okay, I admit it; some argue none of those things was particularly kooky by the standards of Newton's day, comparing him to Kepler, Brahe, or Copernicus.)
Posted by: llewelly | December 22, 2006 2:54 AM
Plus, I've seen an uncorroborated claim that Newton was such a prude as to have never had sex before marrying and possibly have never consummated that marriage. Confirm or deny?
Posted by: Azkyroth | December 22, 2006 3:00 AM
Yup. Newton spent an insane amount of time trying to reconcile Genesis with fact. IIRC he was one of the first, if not the first, to try to date the Bible in historical times.
But he did by golly invent calculus and a lot of modern physics.
It's the latter that I respect. ;)
As to Newton's sexual proclivities: Neal Stephenson has suggested the man was into ... well, not women.
Twice defamed? Who cares, really? We have a lot of current physics and science to lay at his feet. I think that's worthy of, at least, a star atop a tree.
Besides, who among us doesn't respect a firm bit of well-aged wood?
Oh -- as for Brahe. He died in a very sad way. He was at a royal tea, and needed to pee, but manners didn't let him leave before the queen did. So he stayed put until his bladder burst, and died of sepsis a short time afterward.
Moral: Manners aren't always worth keeping.
Posted by: Warren | December 22, 2006 3:30 AM
Wikipedia: "Recent investigations have suggested that Tycho [Brahe] did not die from urinary problems but instead from mercury poisoning: toxic levels of it have been found in his hair and hair-roots."
But the other story is more entertaining.
Posted by: fred | December 22, 2006 4:12 AM
I truly hope that you all have a very Merry Squidmass. I've been a reader (and mostly lurker) for about six months, and I want to thank PZ and all the regulars for the daily doses of education and entertainment. Best wishes for 2007!
Posted by: MarkG | December 22, 2006 5:18 AM
A cephalopodmas miracle: Dr Kubodera has filmed a live architeuthis at the surface:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/22/healthscience/AS_SCI_Japan_Giant_Squid.php
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-12-22T084024Z_01_T148997_RTRUKOC_0_US-SQUID-GIANT-JAPAN.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C5-scienceNews-2
This is the BEST CEPHALOPODMAS EVER!!!!
Posted by: Mark "Monty" Montague | December 22, 2006 5:54 AM
What's with the red star? Cephalopods is Commies?
Posted by: craig | December 22, 2006 6:18 AM
I'm sorry to have to give you the bad news, but now that there's going to be a virgin birth we're going to be celebrating Sauriamas instead. Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
Posted by: Steve LaBonne | December 22, 2006 6:38 AM
Craig, I thought it was a stylized Red Starfish - Echinaster sepositus. BTW do you know where I can find a commie echinoderm for my saltwater aquarium? I think it would make a great addition for Squidmas.
Posted by: Fernando | December 22, 2006 6:47 AM
The red star signifies that this particular species of undersea creature works for Texaco.
Posted by: Daephex | December 22, 2006 9:40 AM
I am such a Cephalopodaemonic infidel. It took reading several comments and a look-again at the pic to realize it wasn't our Noodley Creator in purple drag.
Could this mean that, no matter which faux deity one worships, juxtaposition will set you free?
Eh.. More like I just don't visit this august arena as often as is good for my invertebrate soul. {-;
Nary-the-less, a Sublime Solstice to One and All!
Posted by: Michael Bains | December 22, 2006 1:58 PM
Sure, if you want the perverted English version. Lousy kids, forgetting the ancient traditions! Whatever happened to a good, old "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!"?
Posted by: Joshua | December 22, 2006 10:56 PM
writing a little bit too late. however, it seems squidmass becomes trendy. i should go for it this year :)
http://mybyrdhouse.blogspot.com/2007/12/99-octopi.html
Posted by: none | January 8, 2008 8:46 AM