Pharyngula

Posted by: littlejohn | June 20, 2009 10:45 PM

Sorry Trek fans, but the Vulcan salute was introduced by Leonard Nimoy, who remembered it being used in his synagogue as a boy. It's Jewish.

Posted by: Darren Garrison | June 20, 2009 10:49 PM

Now let's see that asshole Mac give a speech to the President.

Posted by: Jadehawk, OM | June 20, 2009 11:00 PM

that was awesome. I liked the "distant, uncaring dungeon master", too.

Posted by: Levi in NY | June 20, 2009 11:11 PM

Now, now, our nerd credentials should not be based solely on our knowledge of science fiction trivia. I hardly ever read/watch sci-fi myself, but I am most definitely a complete and utter nerd. A true computer-addicted, science-loving, pi-memorizing, poorly-dressed, pimple-faced, girlfriend-lacking nerd. I'm just not that much into sci-fi; I find my time is much better spent on non-fiction, which to me is far more entertaining and relevant to real life.

That said, I really liked his comment that we are defined by our passions and enthusiasms. It is this, I believe, which is the true defining characteristic of the nerd: an intense appreciation for a particular field of knowledge or fields of knowledge. I, for one, am a language nerd. I love everything linguistic and spend far too much of my time immersed in my fascination with linguistic theory and foreign languages.

What about everyone else? What kind of nerds are my fellow Pharyngulites?

Posted by: mus | June 20, 2009 11:30 PM

Levi in NY, @#8:

What about everyone else? What kind of nerds are my fellow Pharyngulites?

This might come as a shock, this being pharyngula and all, but I'm a total biology/science/skepticism nerd :)

Posted by: travc | June 20, 2009 11:41 PM

That was really a great little speech. Funny and yet quite meaningful and actually touching. Hodgeman really rose to the occasion IMO (and probably also worked really really hard on it.)

As for "type of nerds"... I strive to be a jack-of-all-trades too. There is a subset of nerd which is really obsessed by on or two things, but that is just a subset. Otaku are nerds, but not all nerds are otaku.

Posted by: Alex Deam | June 20, 2009 11:47 PM

Wait until the Republicans hear about this.

Marxist, Socialist, Jewish, Fascist, Liberal, Communist, ZOMG Big Government Spender, AND now a Vulcan?!

Posted by: ColinB | June 20, 2009 11:48 PM

God, I just have to go find a copy of Dune.

And then maybe Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart.

Jesus Christ then it's onto the Coen brothers - Raising Arizona and Fargo!

I wonder if anyone did an anime version of Dune, ala Akira? That would blow my mind out.

Posted by: Alex Deam | June 20, 2009 11:58 PM

And "palling around with terrorists". I shoulda mentioned that too.

Do the republicans actually know what the name of the president is, or are they playing the old Voldemort game with him?

Posted by: ColinB | June 21, 2009 12:00 AM

Odd, I just went to flick filosopher and watched a trailer (surveillance) that turns out to be directed by Jennifer Lynch (David Lynch executive producer).

Coincidence? I think not!!!

This proves that there ARE NO DWARVES AND PYGMIES

I gotta go to bed...

Posted by: James F | June 21, 2009 12:03 AM

Alex Deam #14:

AND now a Vulcan?!

Indeed.

Posted by: Ragutis | June 21, 2009 12:11 AM

Wait! Don't tell me, let me guess! That Nostradamus obsessed tw@ with a hardon for Randi again.

Did I get it? Did I get it?

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM | June 21, 2009 12:20 AM

Go back under your rock, Mabus.

Posted by: mpipkin | June 21, 2009 12:25 AM

Ah! He didn't provide the answers for his Dune three-part question! I'm so embarrased to say that I only remember the answer to part 2 -- the machines are thumpers. Someone post the others so I can sleep tonight, please!

Posted by: Ragutis | June 21, 2009 12:28 AM

Posted by: mpipkin | June 21, 2009 12:25 AM

Ah! He didn't provide the answers for his Dune three-part question! I'm so embarrased to say that I only remember the answer to part 2 -- the machines are thumpers. Someone post the others so I can sleep tonight, please!

Shai-Hulud, thumper, Water of Life

Posted by: palochka | June 21, 2009 12:37 AM

Andyo @ 32
Windows PCs have been using Macs since 1984 ; )

Posted by: I'm a liberal but I'm not joking | June 21, 2009 12:51 AM

Jesus, is Obama ever going to get any fucking work done? Get the fuck off TV for once and start fixing the country.

Posted by: Stone Age Scientist | June 21, 2009 1:05 AM

Classic, just classic. I thought the tension at the end was diffused nicely. With the implied warning and optimism of Mr. Hodgman ("you are clearly not exactly the person we hoped you to be..."), President Obama should reaffirm his commitments to the American people and work on the reasons of his election as President. The day is still early.

Posted by: MattB | June 21, 2009 1:16 AM

Too long and not that funny.

Why the hell is Obama at these stupid dinners all the time?

Why isn't he full-time trying to fix the US?

Health Care! Unemployment! Illegal immigration!

Oh, no. He's yuckin' it up with his cronies.

Brilliant.

I was hoping this guy was different.

I am a huge Obama supporter, but what the hell has he DONE?

Nothing.

Yeah, he got a dog. What else?

Posted by: Kseniya | June 21, 2009 1:20 AM

Reminder: PZ has asked people not to engage Mabus' spamming insanity.

That's right. Pretend he's not here. Ignore everything he posts - it'll all be gone by this time tomorrow anyway, and responses to him will be reduced to context-free wreckage.

Posted by: Brownian, OM | June 21, 2009 2:15 AM

That's right. Pretend he's not here. Ignore everything he posts - it'll all be gone by this time tomorrow anyway, and responses to him will be reduced to context-free wreckage.

Can I still listen to "Enjoy the Silence"?

Posted by: John Morales | June 21, 2009 2:55 AM

MattB,

I was hoping this guy was different.
I am a huge Obama supporter, but what the hell has he DONE?
Nothing.
Yeah, he got a dog. What else?

OK, I'm an Aussie, but still... maybe an outside perspective is appropriate.

He's provided hope where there was despair.

And not doing stuff isn't necessarily bad, either. He hasn't started any wars, yet, for example.

Posted by: Peter Lund | June 21, 2009 3:30 AM

Who's the woman sitting next to "Spock"? I have a vague feeling of having seen her before.

Posted by: cygnus | June 21, 2009 4:37 AM

Anyone get the feeling Obama did remember the name of Conan's god but was afraid of what it would look like if he admitted he could?

Now let's see that asshole Mac give a speech to the President.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who imediately disliked the Mac guy. I mean sure maybe, he'd be good for a tumble between the sheets but can't you just tell he's the type who'd expect you to thank him afterwards?

Maybe getting stuck between the PC guy and the cheese dip at a party might be awkward but you know when he calls the next day he'll be sincerely grateful. And if you are going away for a week and need someone to check in on your dog ... would you rely on the Mac guy? Get real!

Posted by: Alan Kellogg | June 21, 2009 5:02 AM

On the speech itself...

As dynamic as day old flan.

Posted by: cygnus | June 21, 2009 5:18 AM

BTW, here's a challenge. Keep the middle and ring finger together while spreading the pinky and index finger apart. It sort of looks like two "v"s standing side by side.

Uh... is this supposed to be one of those things that some people just can't do like curling one's tongue. Or curling one's tongue downward? 'cause, uh, otherwise I'm failing to see the challenge it. I admit my ring finger wobbled a bit when I try to jump back and forth between the double v and the vulcan (holding each for a second and then switching to the other with no pause) but with about 15 seconds of practice I got that under control. However if it's one of those things some people can't do (such as move their toes individually), well, then I have to admit I am completely incapible of 1) whistling 2) blowing bubbles with bubble gum.

Posted by: cygnus | June 21, 2009 6:37 AM

BTW, here's a challenge. Keep the middle and ring finger together while spreading the pinky and index finger apart. It sort of looks like two "v"s standing side by side.

Hmmm, how interesting. I just noticed this (and the vulcan salute) are significantly less easy to do with my right hand than with my left. Which is odd as I'm right handed.

Why is this hard for some and easy for others?

Posted by: Paul Hands | June 21, 2009 7:14 AM

I'm into mathematics and physics.

For extra nerd points, I work for Google!

As for science fiction, I love it.

I'd recommend Charles Stross' masterpiece "Accelerando" and any of the "Culture" novels by Ian M Banks.

Posted by: Andyo | June 21, 2009 7:29 AM

Are you into reading error messages in glitchy websites, though? ZING!

Posted by: kev_s | June 21, 2009 8:15 AM

Anyone contemplating reading Dune for the first time is in for a treat. I also recommend the Frank Herbert Pandora series that started with 'Destination Void' then went on to 'The Jesus Incident' and two more. Nice story of a space ship that stands the human passengers on a planet that is full of really nasty wildlife and it won't let them off until they learn how to worship the ship. Sadly many out of print when I last looked.
Full Frank Herbert book list here: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/frank-herbert/

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM | June 21, 2009 8:31 AM

I not only read the Dune books, I read the appendices to Dune. I read the first of Brian Herbert's rip-offs and haven't read any others.

Posted by: atomjack | June 21, 2009 9:23 AM

@PaulBurnett-

Yes, Footfall's where I lifted my handle from. I sometimes imagine this really tiny ax, too, as a joke.

I learned of some new authors to go read from here, sweet!

Posted by: False Prophet | June 21, 2009 9:45 AM

I read the original six Dune books (but in fairness, I only recommend the first trilogy), own a battered copy of the (long out of print) Dune Encyclopedia (which might be one of the earliest published examples of fan fiction? I'm not sure), and read Maker of Dune, a collection of essays, interviews and other supplemental information on the series. There was a more recent version of this called The Road to Dune, which is the only Dune material released by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson I have read (and will ever read).

The David Lynch feature film was fairly silly, but the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series ("Dune" and "Children of Dune") were much better, although the low budget is painfully obvious.

I recently discovered the new Dune audiobooks, recorded with a cast. They're almost like radio plays. I highly recommend them (borrow them from your public library): http://us.macmillan.com/dune?playaudioexcerpt=true

Posted by: Steve_C | June 21, 2009 9:53 AM

I heard they were making a live action version of Akira.

Posted by: Darren Garrison | June 21, 2009 10:22 AM

"I heard they were making a live action version of Akira."

Nope.

http://screenrant.com/live-action-akira-movie-dead-ross-13403/

Posted by: Donnie B. | June 21, 2009 10:55 AM

What, no Firefly / Serenity references?

Pity. And it was (almost) Joss's birthday, too.

Posted by: Andyo | June 21, 2009 1:03 PM

I still contend that nobody really knows what the hell Akira is about.

Posted by: Peter Lund | June 21, 2009 3:02 PM

Is it Kristin Gore sitting next to Obama?

Posted by: Kagehi | June 21, 2009 3:19 PM

I heard they were making a live action version of Akira.

That going to be anything like the live action version of Dragonball, which, based on the trailers, looks like they pretty much took the plot point, and deleted everything from the kids tail, to his childhood, to.. well, everything else. lol

Posted by: tus | June 21, 2009 4:30 PM

my nerd character sheet:
glasses
star trek
lesser sci-fi (like star wars)
science
physics(inc. but not limited to: quantum physics, astrophysics, classical physics)
video games
computer programing
computer hardware
anime
manga
philosophy
psychology
socially awkward
learning new things.

massive nerd

Posted by: Lynna | June 21, 2009 7:12 PM

Obama gets more nerd credits for using The New Yorker and NPR as resources for some of his staff meetings. A recent article in The New Yorker by staff writer Dr. Atul Gawande, "The Cost Conundrum," was used as the basis for a discussion about heath care. See the excerpt below from the Fresh Air podcast (post-Obama meeting), along with the link to the podcast:

McAllen's five largest hospitals performed worse, on average, than El Paso's. McAllen costs Medicare seven thousand dollars more per person each year than does the average city in America. But not, so far as one can tell, because it's delivering better health care." See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105483669

And here is the link to the original article in The New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande

Posted by: chuckgoecke | June 21, 2009 8:12 PM

Just brilliant, and memorable. Its true that Mac's are the more jockish, self confident, sporty computer, mainly because you don't need to be nerd to learn how to keep them running. The inhaler bit at the end was rich too. I also loved the characterization of the last administration as jockish, quickdraw, go with the gut, NASCAR dad type. Don't wast anytime over thinking the problem.

I recall another way of subdividing people into two different groups from an article I read in college back in the 70's that said people naturally subdivide into either "loose" or "uptight" (actually it may have been a George Carlin standup - foggy times).

Posted by: JackC | June 21, 2009 9:57 PM

@41

Yes - you are absolutely correct. In my own defense, I had just finished a triple martini and was finding it rather hard to even type regular words correctly. "Clark" was not recognised as a misspelling by my browser.

It's not the worst I have done. Mea Culpa.

JC

Posted by: spinetingler | June 22, 2009 1:24 AM

Am I the only science fiction fan who read Dune and thought "meh"?

Posted by: Chris Davis | June 22, 2009 9:45 AM

@spinetingler: Sir, you are not.

I imbibed Golden Age SF with mother's milk. I was working as an electronics designer and computer programmer in 1974. I know FORTH, ffs.

I find Star Trek tedious and boring, and I though Dune was tedious Middle-East mystic wank the moment I first read it. Lynch's weird visuals made it slightly interesting, but not much. From my great heights of nerdhood I spit on it.

Posted by: Bill Dauphin, OM | June 22, 2009 1:22 PM

Hmmm, how interesting. I just noticed this (and the vulcan salute) are significantly less easy to do with my right hand than with my left. Which is odd as I'm right handed.

It's the same for me. hmmm... fascinating

Wow, me too! I wonder if it's generally the case that these finger tricks are easier to accomplish with the non-dominant hand. What we need is more data, including from lefties and from truly ambidextrous folks, to see if there's any correlation between handedness and the ability to accomplish these motions.

Posted by: Don't Panic | June 24, 2009 11:33 PM

My nerd creds: glasses, read mostly SF, computer geek, physics, astronomy, etc. Heck, in high school (late 70's) I spent Friday evenings running the local community college space slide show, observatory, planetarium. Pretty nerdy. Also in high school I was part of the "Star Trek Club".

That double-V salute: we used to use the words "drop dead and rot" to go with it as a counterpoint to "live long and prosper".

I'm afraid I also only got the 2nd of the Dune questions -- though I very much liked the (first three) books. And I was never into comics. And I, ah, I confess, I use a Mac. But only because I don't have time to be mucking with the wireless and drivers for Linux ... I swear. I use it for programming in C++ and FORTRAN, honest.

Overall I thought the speech was wonderful and anyone who didn't is just a jock.

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