Pharyngula

Catching up with Molly

Posted by PZ Myers on October 1, 2008
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Now that it is October, it is time to finally announce the winner of the August Molly award: our first non-human primate wins by a landslide, the Rev. BigDumbChimp. There may have been a few irregularities in the voting, since his backers were able to raise twice as many thumb-like appendages in approval compared to the others, but we will accept it as a reasonable consequence of biological diversity.

Now let’s move on to September. State who you think was the most interesting, insightful, amusing, thoughtful, or attention-seeking commenter for the past month in the comments below.

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Comments

  1. #1 E.V.
    October 1, 2008

    YAY! The KoT has a Molly!

  2. #2 SC
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats, Rev.!

  3. #3 SC
    October 1, 2008

    P.S. And thanks, guest bloggers!

  4. #4 Sven DiMilo
    October 1, 2008

    another *clenched-fist salute* for the Rev.
    And I’ll kick off the nominations with SC and Bill Dauphin. Just ’cause is all.

  5. #5 386sx
    October 1, 2008

    I would like to nominate Mrs Tilton.

  6. #6 Janine ID AKA The Lone Drinker
    October 1, 2008

    Get your hands off the Molly, you damn dirty ape!

    Kidding but I think you know that.

    Congrats, Chimpy!

  7. #7 oaksterdam
    October 1, 2008

    SC and Patricia should already have Mollys. Lets get Sven DiMilo one while we’re at it.

    Congrats Rev.

  8. #8 Pierce R. Butler
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to the Rev BDC, KOT, OM… What is the acronym for the prize for the most acronyms suffixed to your nym?

    As for the equinoctial OM – Nick Gotts has continued to make the most sense of the commenters I’ve read here.

  9. #9 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    I’ll reiterate my earlier nomination for negentropyeater, who, I still believe, had posted enough Molly-worthy stuff in the first couple weeks of September to warrant the nod.

    PS: I still like the idea of oak-leaf clusters to indicate multiple awards.

  10. #10 spgreenlaw
    October 1, 2008

    I second the vote for SC. His comments add a lot to the conversation and his library of links is always rocking. Plus he’s always bringing up Pyotr Kropotkin.

  11. #11 Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM
    October 1, 2008

    Thanks all!! Quite the honor for an unworthy half literate sub-human. And yes, I’m reassessing all the letters. It’s just gaudy.

    I put my vote in for SC!

  12. #12 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    I second the vote for SC. His comments…

    This stuff is always difficult on the quasi-anonymous intertoobz (expect for those of us who post under gender-specific names: women named “Bill” are, AFAIK, rarer than boys named “Sue”), but either you’re mistaken about SC’s gender or I am.

    Thinking about it, my assumption is probably sexist: I base it on SC’s positions on what are traditionally known as “women’s issues”… and why should a male poster be able to “sound like a woman” on those issues?

    [mumble, mumble, mumble...]

    PS: Even though my own first choice was somebody else, no sane person could argue against SC, OM.

  13. #13 Benjamin Franklin
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats Rev BDC KoT OM BBQ BFD.

    Well deserved, have some congratulatory BBQ

    BF

  14. #14 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    Verflixt!!

    This…

    …why should a male poster be able to “sound like a woman” on those issues?

    Should (obviously!!) have been this…

    …why shouldn’t a male poster be able to “sound like a woman” on those issues?

    Why is it I always notice these things during the moments after hitting “Post” but before the comment entry window actually disappears. It’s like that moment just as the bowling ball leaves your fingertips when you know it’s going in the gutter and there’s not a d@mn thing you can do! [sigh]

  15. #15 Nick Gotts
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to the Rev. And another vote for SC!

  16. #16 spgreenlaw
    October 1, 2008

    Ah, Bill, perhaps you are right. In which case, sorry SC! I’m a pro-feminist myself, so I don’t have any trouble at all attributing the male sex to someone with those sort of positions, since I’m one myself. I’m honestly not sure why I thought SC to be a he, when I posted the comment I honestly didn’t even think about it. Regardless of the reason, I should not have assumed one way or another.

  17. #17 Sven DiMilo
    October 1, 2008

    I’ll also nominate Pierce R. Butler solely for use of the word “equinoctial.”

  18. #18 Jason Failes
    October 1, 2008

    The Molly nominations are amongst my favorites, as many link to comments long buried but well worth a read.

    Speaking of which, I’m off to follow the negentropyeater link, am looking forward to many more, and will drop off a vote in the morn.

  19. #19 Feynmaniac
    October 1, 2008

    I vote for Nick Gotts. Anyone who has the patience to deal with Scott from Oregon regularly deserves some sort of award.

  20. #20 spgreenlaw
    October 1, 2008

    Bill,

    I do that almost every single comment. I have to start training myself to go reflexively for the preview button, because as things are, my comments are often a big mess. Take for example,
    I’m a pro-feminist myself, so I don’t have any trouble at all attributing the male sex to someone with those sort of positions, since I’m one myself. The awkward bookending of the sentence with “myself” makes me look illiterate. Ugh.

    I am filled with shame. :P

  21. #21 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    spgreenlaw (@16):

    Hey, I confessed that my take was unconsciously sexist, didn’t I? ;^)

    FWIW, I in no way meant to suggest that men couldn’t be feminists — in fact, I count myself as one. It’s more of a tone of voice thing… and in any case, as I said, I’m probably talking out of my sphincter anyway.

  22. #22 Quiet Desperation
    October 1, 2008

    Vote for me, and you all get cookies!

    UBER COOKIE!

  23. #23 CyberLizard
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats, Rev.!

  24. #24 spgreenlaw
    October 1, 2008

    Quiet Desperation,

    Unfortunately I’m vegan, so those chocolate chips are off limits. You’ll have to do better than that to buy my vote!

  25. #25 Jason Failes
    October 1, 2008

    Dedicated to spgreenlaw @ #20,

    “Allow myself to introduce…..myself”
    -Austin Powers

  26. #26 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    I don’t mean to be hijacking the Molly thread, so I’ll make this my last (and brief) note:

    I have to start training myself to go reflexively for the preview button

    I’ve become a bit gunshy about Preview, because (and maybe this is browser-specific) it tends to hash some of my embedded HTML (esp. em-dashes and angle brackets). I try to proofread in the entry window — and proofreading is part of what I do for a living! — but too often something escapes. Often, as with the error I corrected above, it’s a word that’s missing a syntactical “marker” (i.e., an ending indicating number, tense, or negation) but is otherwise correct, making it less obviously an error.

  27. #27 AJ Milne
    October 1, 2008

    Vote for me, and you all get cookies!

    Dammit! I keep trying to, but for some reason, I can’t. I don’t know what’s wrong…

    Oh. Wait.

    That’s all it was. I had my browser set to reject cookies.

    (At which point Captain Obvious ducks…)

  28. #28 SC
    October 1, 2008

    :)

    I’m a woman. (I guess my shameless flirting is mostly confined to the evening hours.)

    People almost always assume I’m a man from my writing for some reason, and I take no offense. I’ve tried to figure out why that is in the past, and I’m still not sure.

    One thing that I appreciate about this blog is the number of sincere and vocal male feminists, such that it really is often hard to tell. When Grammar RWA mentioned that he was a man back in August, I confessed that I had long assumed that he was a woman because of his strong, informed defense of women’s reproductive rights. It’s a rare forum in which it’s so difficult to assign gender based on comments. Another thing to love about Pharyngula.

    (And thanks, guys.)

  29. #29 Patricia
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to the Chimp! Turning typo’s into an art form deserves rewarding.
    I nominate Nick Gotts for September. He’s hooked more trolls than any of us. The battle with that dungfish Piltdown Man reads like an epic.
    OwlMirror gets kudos for spouting more catholic dogma than Big Bad Bill even knows. *pffft*

  30. #30 Hairy Doctor Professor
    October 1, 2008

    This month’s Molly should go to Patricia, for generally refreshing snarkiness if nothing else. Keep fighting the good fight, babe.

    Oh, and two opposable thumbs up for the good Reverend.

  31. #31 ThirtyFiveUp
    October 1, 2008

    Congratulations Rev BDC KoT OM BBQ BFD.
    Are you now Rt. Rev.?

    Re: the great apes; it is so sad that what we humans gained (?) in brain power, we lost in body strength and the cool use of four “hands”.

  32. #32 bybelknap, FCD
    October 1, 2008

    A loud, strong vote for Patricia!

  33. #33 BobC
    October 1, 2008

    Re: the great apes; it is so sad that what we humans gained (?) in brain power, we lost in body strength and the cool use of four “hands”.

    The feet of the human ape can still be used for grasping things. I frequently use my bare feet and toes to pick up stuff I drop on the floor, to avoid bending over which isn’t good for my old back.

    Congratulations to Rev. BigDumbChimp who most certainly isn’t dumb. By the way, isn’t it correct to say people are a type of chimpanzee?

    I think Patricia deserves the September Molly award.

  34. #34 Danio
    October 1, 2008

    Hearty congrats and a lifetime supply of bananas (the atheist’s nightmare, don’tcha know) to the Rev.

    Strong support for SC for the September nomination. Love. Her.

  35. #35 James F
    October 1, 2008

    Hail to the chimp!

  36. #36 thalarctos
    October 1, 2008

    I’ll also nominate Pierce R. Butler solely for use of the word “equinoctial.”

    I’ll see your “equinoctial” and raise you at least 3 years’ worth of well-thought-out and witty comments that I’m aware of, perhaps even more.

    Pierce R. Butler for September’s Molly!

  37. #37 Quiet Desperation
    October 1, 2008

    Unfortunately I’m vegan, so those chocolate chips are off limits. You’ll have to do better than that to buy my vote!

    Nah. My campaign adviser, Karl Rove, told me to just write off the relatively insignificant Vegan voter base.

    Supposedly the Betelgeusian voters are much more important.

  38. #38 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    SC:

    I’m a woman.

    Whew! I’m glad my memory/intuition hadn’t betrayed me on that score!

    thalarctos:

    I’ll see your “equinoctial” and raise you…

    Say, isn’t that an illegal string bet? I’m jus’ sayin’… ;^)

  39. #39 thalarctos
    October 1, 2008

    Say, isn’t that an illegal string bet? I’m jus’ sayin’… ;^)

    Probably is, for all that I know about poker, Bill. Then again, knowing what you’re talking about before getting it wrong on an international forum is so pre-Palin :) …

  40. #40 Bill Dauphin
    October 1, 2008

    pre-Palin

    A neologism that will no doubt haunt my nightmares until (fingers crossed) we wake safe and sound up on 5 November!

  41. #41 Nerd of Redhead
    October 1, 2008

    My contratulations to the Rev. for his well deserved award. I’ll raise a beer in your honor tonight.

    So many deserving posters. SC, Patricia, Nick Gotts, Bill Dauphin, and AJ Milne come particulary to mind. And several more I can’t remember at this moment. (I really need to start a list.)

    For this month I will nominate Nick Gotts and Patricia for reasons already mentioned above.

  42. #42 386sx
    October 1, 2008

    Congratulations to Rev. BigDumbChimp who most certainly isn’t dumb. By the way, isn’t it correct to say people are a type of chimpanzee?

    For today, yes it is. Today we are all a chimpanzee. Everybody go drink some booze and stuff like that. For today. For tomorrow. For the world. God bless us all.

  43. #43 386sx
    October 1, 2008

    Congratulations to Rev. BigDumbChimp who most certainly isn’t dumb. By the way, isn’t it correct to say people are a type of chimpanzee?

    Ich bin ein chimpanzee.

    Mr. Rev. BigDumbChimp, tear down this wall!

  44. #44 Emmet Caulfield
    October 1, 2008

    Since it’s long past seconding, I “umpteenth” SC.

    It’s time Nick Gotts* one and negentropyeater too.

    * = with apologies for the very lame surname joke.

  45. #45 Longtime Lurker
    October 1, 2008

    A million monkeys typing couldn’t come up with a word of Shakespeare, but one Big Dumb Chimp can win a Molly!

  46. #46 Thinker
    October 1, 2008

    I nominate Crudely Wrott for a series of well-crafted comments, of which this is a particularly fine example!

  47. #47 Sili
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to his Reverence!

    True, Nick Gotts has really been at it lately, but I’m afraid I never had the patience to read those long long threads.

    But this month I made notes!

    Patricia.

    Danio, I actually have another one from her.

    Randy plus a followup.

    For shame – I didn’t save anything by SC. Ah well – next month, then.

  48. #48 IceFarmer
    October 1, 2008

    Lots of great candidates but I’d like to see Chimpy up for a repeat. The only thing we need now is more stupid zealot posts for him to really hone his skills on!

  49. #49 Bride of Shrek OM
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to the Rev, a finer example of monkeydom I have never seen and it’s abut time we started acknowledging the contributions of our non-human relatives on this blog. I raise a banana in toast to his Molly.

    For September plese, please give it to Patricia and SC, both well deserving and well overdue.. Go on PZ, you KNOW you can give out two at once.

  50. #50 AJ Milne
    October 1, 2008

    For September please, please give it to Patricia and SC, both well deserving and well overdue…

    Thank you. Seconding this. Honestly, one of the reasons I really hate posting in these threads is I almost always hate having to choose. Sure, it’s not supposed to be a big deal or anything, but y’know… Having to decide between those two really sucks. Mollies for both of them.

    (… and thanks, N of R).

  51. #51 PZ Myers
    October 1, 2008

    You know, this isn’t the kind of formal vote where you only get one say in the matter. If someone nominates 3 people, I have always counted each vote.

    This works because, of course, no one is abusing it — if everyone nominated 10 people it would be a mess to keep track of. But if you think a couple of people are equally deserving, go ahead and nominate them all. I don’t mind.

  52. #52 The Chimp's Raging Id
    October 1, 2008

    It’s about time the KoT got an OM after his name. Congratulations, Rev!

    I’ll add my voice to the chorus of nominations for SC for September’s Molly.

  53. #53 Paul W.
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats, Rev. BDC., on a well-earned Molly.

    SC and Nick Gotts for the next one(s).

  54. #54 Reginald Selkirk
    October 1, 2008

    I nominate Sarah Palin for the next Molly. She has provided most of the material for my recent posts.

  55. #55 The Chimp's Raging Id
    October 1, 2008

    Just noticed something that seems a little odd:

    State who you think was the most interesting, insightful, amusing, thoughtful, or attention-seeking commenter for the past month in the comments below.

    Shouldn’t that be attention grabbing – surely attention seeking shouldn’t be a behaviour worthy of reward?

  56. #56 Alan Kellogg
    October 1, 2008

    Being the blind follower of obvious trends that I am, I too lend my support to the lady SC. Why? Because her non-de-web was the first one to come up.

    And congrats to ol’ Fumble Typer for absconding with an OM before anyone could catch him. May your race be promoted to species status (Pan schwienfurthi that is) soon.

  57. #57 Pandora Neurospora
    October 1, 2008

    My vote is for SC. She is hilarious and she goes for the jugular.

  58. #58 AJ Milne
    October 1, 2008

    You know, this isn’t the kind of formal vote where you only get one say in the matter…

    Erm… Oh yeah. Never mind, then.

  59. #59 David Marjanovi?, OM
    October 1, 2008

    Kel and Nick Gotts. And around 20 others, as usual.

    There may have been a few irregularities in the voting

    But I don’t think chimpeachment will be necessary.

  60. #60 Patricia
    October 1, 2008

    Attention seeking? Wouldn’t that be the trolls? Yuck, sorting them out would be a messy job.

  61. #61 Jose
    October 1, 2008

    I’m not such a fan, but I think that’s because in always thought the name was Big Dump Chimp. I could never make it to the actual comment. I’d always be thinking something like, “Will someone please get that chimp a bran muffin!”

  62. #62 Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM
    October 1, 2008

    I’ve been called worse…… by my wife even….

  63. #63 Jose
    October 1, 2008

    People almost always assume I’m a man from my writing for some reason, and I take no offense.

    I think that’s because you don’t dot your “i”s with hearts, like most women do when they type.

  64. #64 Feynmaniac
    October 1, 2008

    There may have been a few irregularities in the voting

    MINNEAPOLIS, MN – In a surprise outcome today George W. Bush won the Molly Award on the popular blog Pharyngula. The Molly is awarded monthly to the commenters who provide good arguments and insight in the threads.

    “I’m surprised,” explained Bush. ” I never even posted a comment on Farynuglia [sic].”

    Many commenters were very upset, demanding a recount. “Is their any aspect of my life this guy can’t fuck up?” asked an anonymous commenter. Many past winners joined the chorus, vowing to return their award if in fact Bush is inducted into the Order.

    The Supreme Court is expected to heart the case, but many expect them to rule in Bush’s favour, again.

  65. #65 SC
    October 1, 2008

    I think that’s because you don’t dot your “i”s with hearts, like most women do when they type.

    But I give all my comments a little spritz of perfume! I thought that’d be a dead giveaway.

  66. #66 J Myers
    October 1, 2008

    Bill Dauphin.

  67. #67 yoeruek
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats BDC!

    To David M.: Thanks for “antworten” my request. Where did you find that Mastodon saurier´s skull? Just curious. I live near “Grube Messel”.

    Patricia for Molly!

  68. #68 yoeruek
    October 1, 2008

    ..and SC! I think you´re somewhat like a tag team.

  69. #69 Dark Matter
    October 1, 2008

    Feynmaniac, just for this.

    But also SC, Patricia, and negentropyeater. SC because she’s brilliant and rational; Patricia because offbeat snarkiness should be rewarded more than it is; and negentropyeater also for generalized logic and brilliance.

  70. #70 clinteas
    October 1, 2008

    Nick Gotts and Patricia are overdue for the Molly !

  71. #71 windy
    October 1, 2008

    I vote for SC! And “J.” for troll of the month.

  72. #72 Kel
    October 1, 2008

    Nick Gotts for the molly. His tenacity and persistence in tackling fundamentalist lunacy is extremely admirable and a pleasure to read. Blunt, brutal, yet entertaining.

  73. #73 cicely
    October 1, 2008

    Congrats to the Rev., and votes to SC, Patricia and Nick Gotts (in no particular order).

  74. #74 Paper Hand
    October 1, 2008

    I can never think of a nominee for these awards. There’s just too many good commenters to narrow it down to one or two!

  75. #75 Kseniya
    October 1, 2008

    Bill Dauphin for his intelligence, eloquence, and erudition; and for his good nature, which manifests in many ways – not the least of which is his ready willingness to say those rarely-heard three-word phrases such as “I don’t know,” and “I was wrong.”

  76. #76 Sven DiMilo
    October 1, 2008

    *waves to K in greeting and agreement*

  77. #77 Sastra, OM
    October 2, 2008

    I always have a difficult time with this, because it’s hard to choose.

    This month, Nick Gotts and SC.

    Next month, I’ll vote for the rest of you.

  78. #78 Kenneth Oberlander
    October 2, 2008

    Nick Gotts, and SC.

    Oh, and that pesky God fellow.

  79. #79 Rog
    October 2, 2008

    I’d like to add my vote for Patricia – always fun when she joins in !

    Rog

  80. #80 SC
    October 2, 2008

    Oh, and my vote goes to Nick Gotts, of course, for decency, wit, clarity, and the many other wonderful qualities he brings to this blog daily.

    I’ve also enjoyed negentropyeater’s and Bill Dauphin’s comments in recent weeks, as well as those of several previous – and new! – Molly winners. Owlmirror’s contributions to the D’Souza thread, in particular, have been most impressive.

    Haven’t heard enough from Brownian, Damian, or Paul W. of late. What, you think having lives and responsibilities is some kind of excuse or something?

  82. #82 Iron Soul
    October 2, 2008

    A vote for Patricia. Always a must read.

  83. #83 Bodach
    October 2, 2008

    I think Mrs. Tilton deserves a Molly but maybe she has one already? If not, then please offer her one. Nick would be a good choice, otherwise.

    My imaginary self would be a good third choice, when I read the smart comments and believe I could have said something similar if I hadn’t been / am not so slow…
    / sits quietly inacorner…

  84. #84 SC
    October 2, 2008

    I think Mrs. Tilton deserves a Molly but maybe she has one already?

    Yes. So does Sastra, of course. The list of previous Molly winners is here:

    http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/molly.php

    You can click on “Commenters” at the top of the page to go there.

  85. #85 Randy Stimpson
    October 2, 2008

    Maybe RBDC should recieve a plaque to post in his office. That way he can explain what he’s been doing all day.

  86. #86 Grendels Dad
    October 2, 2008

    Always a difficult task. In the past, I have cast votes for Nick Gotts and SC, and I do so again. I also want to add negentropyeater to my growing list of deserving nominees.

  87. #87 Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM
    October 2, 2008

    Maybe RBDC should recieve a plaque to post in his office. That way he can explain what he’s been doing all day.

    bitter

  88. #88 Stagyar zil Doggo
    October 2, 2008

    Congratulations to the good Reverend on his Mollyfication.

    I’d like to cast a vote for Owlmirror for his perseverance and command of Catholicese in the thread infected by Piltdown Man.

    If you ever start handing out multiple Molly’s to the same person, I think Sastra should get the first two.

    PS: Check out pastor’s pledges for the state of MA.

  89. #89 Randy Stimpson aka Intelligent Designer
    October 2, 2008

    Your damn right I’m bitter. Not one person has ever nominated me for a Molly award :P But shouldn’t you stay above the frey and let your friends defend you like a good Molly award winner?

    However, I will give your last “what the fuck” posting seven stars though. For real.

  90. #90 Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM
    October 2, 2008

    Good to see you have a sense of humor Randy.

    But shouldn’t you stay above the frey and let your friends defend you like a good Molly award winner?

    nah I like to dig in.

    And yes, that video is insane. I’m sure there are some of my not so distant relatives that would be right at home there.

  91. #91 LisaJ
    October 2, 2008

    Congrats RBDC! I nominate Patricia for this round. She’s always fantastic.

  92. #92 Kseniya
    October 3, 2008

    *waves back at Sven*

    There are always several outstanding nominees each month. Even nominating three leaves out a dozen.

  93. #93 Memoriam
    October 3, 2008

    I’m tossing in another vote for Patricia. She’s always a consummate wiseass, and it’s high time she gets some credit for it.

  94. #94 Rey Fox
    October 8, 2008

    It’s late, so I’ll throw my vote away on Kel, for his tireless engagement of that one Catholic nutcase on that one old thread…or maybe both of them.