Pharyngula

Posted by: Matthew Davis | October 8, 2008 7:57 AM

Hilarious!! That's perfect!!

Posted by: PennyBright | October 8, 2008 7:59 AM

Excellent!

Posted by: clinteas | October 8, 2008 8:02 AM

//Just one thing, though. Thomas the Tank Engine is nice.//

And dead,too....Hail,Carlin !!

Image is hilarious...:-)

Posted by: Sigmund | October 8, 2008 8:04 AM

Thats the trouble with Sarah Palin as a vice president candidate, it makes parody and satire too easy.

Posted by: BaldySlaphead | October 8, 2008 8:09 AM

But Thomas the Tank Engine is widely enjoyed...

Posted by: Crazy Fitter | October 8, 2008 8:12 AM

Great images, lets hope that for the republicans the light at the end of the tunnel really is an oncomming express train.

Posted by: Jimbo | October 8, 2008 8:14 AM

A perfect summary for those of us watching from across the seas.

Posted by: clinteas | October 8, 2008 8:15 AM

//-or are you trying to tell us something about Ringo?//

I read Pierce Brosnan will narrate in the future....so yeah,partly dead..:-)

Posted by: Missus Gumby | October 8, 2008 8:34 AM

Here's another Fark thread with loads of them:

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3926189

Posted by: Doug | October 8, 2008 8:40 AM

And remember, those Thomas tank engines have a coat of lead paint on them.

Yesterday my friend from Arizona who is a McCain supporter switched her vote to Obama because of Palin. McCain is such a maverick, picking a VP that would cost him votes.

Posted by: Dave Godfrey | October 8, 2008 8:51 AM

...but I like steam trains. I'll just have to think of Obama as the Mallard instead then... Which makes McCain "Puffing Billy".

Posted by: Dahan | October 8, 2008 8:56 AM

I actually did Lol. Very nice!

Posted by: Larry | October 8, 2008 9:02 AM

Funny, how ever, I think the train wreck scene at the beginning of the movie The Fugitive better summarizes the entire McCain campaign. Like scene, this campaign just goes on and on and on and...

Posted by: David W | October 8, 2008 9:10 AM

The problem with the train metaphor is that all of the trains run on the same tracks and end up in the same place...

...wouldn't a bit of inventiveness be novel?

Posted by: Jake | October 8, 2008 9:29 AM

This is indeed rather funny, however P.Z. how did you get this? did you... appropriate this picture from it's 'sauce' or did someone send it to you?

If you indeed get this picture yourself from the source, I have so much more (weird) respect for you.

Posted by: clinteas | October 8, 2008 9:36 AM

Scott L ,@ 17,

thanks for the link !
Im still scrolling through them,there's like a million !

Posted by: SteveM | October 8, 2008 9:41 AM

No, I am sure that there is a difference in the gauge of the tracks that European trains run on, different to those that the steam train from the 'old west' would have been running on. I think it comes down to metric and 'imperial' measurements......

Nope, rail gauge is pretty much standard the world over regardless of imperial/metric. There are of course exceptions for various narrow gauges or very specialized applications, but generally american, japanese, british and european rail gauge is the same. And there was no change in guage in america from steam to diesel.

Posted by: Canuck | October 8, 2008 9:58 AM

I love it. Captures it very well. The pair of images for the McMilf team are great.

Posted by: Lago | October 8, 2008 10:03 AM

Hahahah..

I just came from debating the Catholic League (Wow, are they batshit crazy, or what?) .. all night on Bill Donohue's Youtube video, and I needed a good laugh...

Thanks to whomever came up with that..

Posted by: Janine ID AKA The Lone Drinker | October 8, 2008 10:21 AM

Instead of Thomas The Tank Engine, I think the photo that was use as the cover of Scrabbling At The Lock by Tom Cora And The Ex is more apt. Yes, this is one of my favorite albums. As an added bonus, check out the name of the site.

Posted by: james | October 8, 2008 10:38 AM

@ #18

Thanks, I just wasted a whole hour looking at Fark.

James

Posted by: Epinephrine | October 8, 2008 10:54 AM

Nope, rail gauge is pretty much standard the world over regardless of imperial/metric. There are of course exceptions for various narrow gauges or very specialized applications, but generally american, japanese, british and european rail gauge is the same. And there was no change in guage in america from steam to diesel.

Actually, in North America alone there were several track gauges, in part top prevent the use of the railroads for invasion purposes. Newfoundland had a narrow gauge rail system (and this lasted a long time, the "newfie bullet" ran until at least the 60s). Canada and the USA had different (and non-standard) gauges until the late 1800s. Even in the USA, there were differences in gauge between the north and the south.

Posted by: MikeJ | October 8, 2008 11:04 AM

Wait, I see that her "Thomas" is off the track! Where is that pesky Breakdown Train????

Posted by: withheld | October 8, 2008 11:33 AM

That's not entirely fair. That steam engine is AT LEAST five years older than McCain.

Posted by: Wehaf | October 8, 2008 11:58 AM

I like this image somewhat better: http://i33.tinypic.com/aob6sk.jpg

Posted by: john | October 8, 2008 12:41 PM

This clears everything from ones minds forever.

Posted by: Mark | October 8, 2008 1:59 PM

Did anyone notice that both the McCain and Palin locomotives have derailed? Very nice touch IMO :)

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | October 8, 2008 2:59 PM

I'm still laughing. I just can't grasp that such monumental stupidity really existed. :-D :-D :-D <headdesk> :-D :-D :-D

Posted by: Quiet_Desperation | October 8, 2008 3:22 PM

For movie lovers:

Obama = "A martini. Shaken, not stirred."
Biden = "There's no place like home."
McCain = "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
Palin = "Toga! Toga!"

Posted by: Zeno | October 8, 2008 4:17 PM

BK: Those of you that think that Obama is going to make any difference in the big picture are wrong. It's a one party system.

That's right, BK. It's completely obvious that it doesn't matter who the president is. We all know that President Al Gore would have suspended the Constitution and created interment camps at Guantanamo. He would have ignored the warning that Osama wanted to fly planes into buildings. He would have invaded Iraq on trumped-up charges (and my cousin would still be dead from an IED near Baghdad). He would have appointed Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court. Yep, presidents don't matter at all.

Go screw yourself, BK.

P.S.: I just did my own version of the Obama/Biden/McCain/Palin poster. It's math!

Posted by: cubefarmed | October 8, 2008 4:21 PM

Just because it irritates me to no end, and it's marginally related...

Does it surprise anyone that conservative blowhards are calling it 'exotic' and 'ostentatious' that Obama actually prnounces Pakistan correctly? Seriously! What a bunch of ignorant shitheads to try and mock him for it. I know it /shouldn't/ surprise me, but dammit - just a *little* intelligence from the wingnuts? Just a teeny bit???

Posted by: Brad D | October 8, 2008 4:44 PM

"For coders:

Obama = C++
Biden = Pascal
McCain = COBOL
Palin = Visual Basic"

Now hold on a second... You can still write good useful code in VB. I have written lots of excel VB macros to deal with routine LC/MS sample lists and data.

Posted by: Brad D | October 8, 2008 4:51 PM

OOPS, I meant imaginary number for McCain = (sqrt(-1))

Posted by: Tracy | October 8, 2008 5:33 PM

Unfortunately I watched and listened to the darned bloody thing and although I agree with the images with regards to our "general impressions" of the Fab 4, last nights's debate was nothing like that... McCain attacked Obama mercilessly, knocked him down on several points except taxation, and Obama went on and on with his sempiternal:
"I agree with McCain"!!!!!!! It's as if the Dems are trying all to loose this election. Obama let McCain set all the frames, consistently ran over his time limits, and repeatedly begged for even more time from the hopeless mediator, blaaaaahhhhh. Last night was a disgrace for the Dems. The country, I would hope, deserves better than that. The Dems must be so infiltrated by GOPs that it's a hopeless affair...

Posted by: twincats | October 8, 2008 5:35 PM

The robot one was nice, too:

Obama = Hal

Biden = C3PO

McCain = Dalek

Palin = Rosie the Robot from the Jetsons

Posted by: Nicholas | October 8, 2008 5:58 PM

A pic of a train wreck would have been more appropriate for the Alaska Disasta.

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | October 8, 2008 6:34 PM

Zeno joked:

That's right, BK. It's completely obvious that it doesn't matter who the president is.

"This is a dark chapter in our history. Whatever else happens, our country's international standing has been frittered away by people who don't have the foggiest understanding of how the hell the world works. America has been conducting an experiment for the past six years, trying to validate the proposition that it really doesn't make any difference who you elect president. Now we know the result of that experiment [laughs]. If a guy is stupid, it makes a big difference."
-- General Tony McPeak (retired), member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War

I have written lots of excel VB macros to deal with routine LC/MS sample lists and data.

Where LC/MS of course means "liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry", as in "big science with big machines and big oodles of cash".

The robot one was nice, too:

Nothing against the two Star Wars ones:

Obama = Luke Skywalker or Han Solo
Biden = Han Solo or Obi-Wan Kenobi
McCain = the Emperor
Palin = Jar-Jar Binks

Posted by: Eric Atkinson | October 8, 2008 7:13 PM

I would perfer these guys. They have a plan.http://tighroslin.com/

Posted by: Rey Fox | October 8, 2008 7:18 PM

"Or imagination, since Palin is mostly either Lara Croft or Joanne d'Arc."

Thank heaven I can keep my libido separate from my higher mental functions. Most of the time, anyway.

Posted by: Zeno | October 8, 2008 7:37 PM

Brad: OOPS, I meant imaginary number for McCain = (sqrt(-1))

It obviously means that McCain is not real.

As for Obama and Biden both being irrational (as has been pointed out to me), I note that they're transcendental! (Oh, oh. That sounds like Obamamania.)

I did think of having Palin's math be something like 1 + 1 = 3, but that was a little too obvious. Division by zero is a definitely better choice for her.

[Candidate equivalencies]

Posted by: Ray | October 8, 2008 7:39 PM

Bit of a correction concerning Thomas the tank engine. George Carlin and Ringo Starr played Mr. Conductor in the series I think, not Thomas and Alec Baldwin played Mr. Conductor in the movie. My Boys used to watch it all the time so I was steeped in it for a while.
Carry on.

Cheers,
Ray

Posted by: Zeno | October 8, 2008 7:48 PM

bk: Obviously Obama/Biden is preferable to the other side. But it won't matter in the grand scheme of things.

In the grand scheme of things the sun will explode and eradicate life on the planet. Thanks for putting things in context, BK. Now run along and go try to do something useful instead of berating people who are trying to improve things. Do you think we're all starry-eyed idealists who think the angels will sing when Obama is sworn in on January 20? Get a clue. If incremental change is good enough for evolution and speciation, it's good enough for me.

I'm just not as patient as evolution because I don't have as much time. Making Bush policies go extinct is a nice start, though.

Posted by: LTerminus | October 8, 2008 8:08 PM

Just for reference, credit for that image goes to Anonymous on 4chan.org's /b/ board.

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | October 8, 2008 8:13 PM

¡¡¡Viva la evolución!!!

(Mer-deux. I should have gone to bed long ago.)

Posted by: Mobius | October 8, 2008 9:39 PM

I have to admit, Palin is a train wreck waiting to happen.

Posted by: truth machine | October 8, 2008 11:58 PM

I think I have stumbled into a freshman political science class. Obama will make NO DIFFERENCE. He can't.

Uh, right ... like Bush and Cheney made no difference. Or John McCain and Phil Gramm, for that matter.

Obviously Obama/Biden is preferable to the other side.

Well then there's a DIFFERENCE, isn't there, moron?

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 9, 2008 12:05 AM

Or imagination, since Palin is mostly either Lara Croft or Joanne d'Arc

a tomb raider (so THAT'S why McCain brought her along)

or an insane person who was burned at the stake.

tough choice.

Posted by: truth machine, OM | October 9, 2008 12:12 AM

burned at the stake

Now I can't stop thinking of burnt moose steak.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 9, 2008 12:46 AM

Now I can't stop thinking of burnt moose steak.

oh no, Rocky will save Bullwinkle long before that happens.

see:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-lawyer-stonewallin_n_123179.html

:p

OTOH, the only thing that are comparable between McCain and a squirrel are that they are both grey, and both like nuts.

Posted by: BMS | October 9, 2008 2:44 AM

Obama = iPhone 3G

Biden = Nokia 6555

McCain = EE-8 Military Field Phone

Palin = Two cans and some string

Posted by: shonny | October 9, 2008 4:07 AM

Uh, the no.3 train should have no smoke coming up, but the boiler exploding - I think.

Posted by: BMS | October 9, 2008 2:44 AM
Obama = iPhone 3G
Biden = Nokia 6555
McCain = EE-8 Military Field Phone*
Palin = Two cans and some** string

*with flat batteries
**too short string

Posted by: Kevin Hayden | October 9, 2008 7:34 AM

I don't think the wheel had been invented when McCain was hatched. But do you have a Hindenburg for Greenspan?

Posted by: bezoar | October 9, 2008 11:19 AM

Obama=Mac OS
Biden=Mac OS
McCain=Windoze
Palin=Fisher Price

Posted by: kk | October 9, 2008 6:52 PM

Palin is certainly a train wreck; however, Thomas the Tank always strived to be a Useful Engine, which is a whole lot more than I can say about Palin. Thomas aimed his sights toward being better; Palin aims her sights toward being common.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 9, 2008 9:19 PM

Palin is certainly a train wreck; however, Thomas the Tank always strived to be a Useful Engine, which is a whole lot more than I can say about Palin. Thomas aimed his sights toward being better; Palin aims her sights toward being common.

In defense of Thomas, the comparison DOES show him "derailed".

...which makes it a far better comparison, IMO.

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead | October 10, 2008 11:31 PM

Gee little Al, all huff an puff but no substance. The usual lies and snide insinuations from the neocon crowd, and not even an original . Can't you do something completely different and actually show some evidence that is real?

Posted by: Kel | October 10, 2008 11:40 PM

Of course what you don't see is the bombs that Barrack Hussein would allow his terrorist cronies to take on the train

Posted by: Kel | October 11, 2008 12:27 AM

I see unicorns and dragons. When I have about 20 drinks, my dreams get really messed up. I see dragons, unicorns, aliens, dead people, living apparitions, monsters, and monsters. It's like some Dali surrealist art has cross with reality as I see it. Fun stuff tbh

Posted by: dijital | September 3, 2009 4:29 AM

Thanks for sharing.