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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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« Public Enemy #5 | Main | True confessions of a creationist »
Science is Real
Category: Communicating science • Entertainment
Posted on: September 8, 2009 9:00 PM, by PZ Myers
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It's Euphemism Week! These words are banned: cock cunt damn fuck kirshenbaum mooney shit vegemite
Comments
Posted by: psyc chick | September 8, 2009 9:03 PM
HOT.
Posted by: scribe999 | September 8, 2009 9:05 PM
The facts are definitely with science :D
Posted by: Zeno | September 8, 2009 9:07 PM
I see that they gave no notice to "other ways of knowing."
Probably because those don't work.
Posted by: That Darn Satan! | September 8, 2009 9:08 PM
That Might Be Awesome! It's wonderful when people with the power to be listened to take the time to say something worth hearing.
Posted by: Max | September 8, 2009 9:11 PM
My kids WILL be listening to this... when they exist.
Posted by: Susan | September 8, 2009 9:12 PM
This little song must seem silly to most kids. Duh, Of course, science is real. It's so sad that some of those kids will be brainwashed when they grow up to doubt science. What is worse, adults who know better will help them remain ignorant.
Posted by: Orange | September 8, 2009 9:12 PM
Sweet! I'm now even more excited to be seeing them in concert next month!! Thanks PZ!
Posted by: zekethegeek | September 8, 2009 9:13 PM
Yes, I can see that the cartoon song overcomes all the paltry evidence the mitigates against the facts.
Posted by: SphinctOr | September 8, 2009 9:17 PM
They Might Be Giants (TMBG) was my favorite band in College. circa 1990. Now imagine to my surprise that my 5 year old's favorite band is They Might Be Giants! I highly suggest their new album "Here comes Science" for your kids.
http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Science-Amazon-com-Exclusive/dp/B002FKZ4UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1252458897&sr=1-1
They even mix their Tours with all-children-friendly shows!
Long live TMBG.
Posted by: Libbie | September 8, 2009 9:21 PM
It sure is, John and John. :D
Posted by: Daniel Valentine
|
September 8, 2009 9:23 PM
They Might Be Giants? Really?
C'mon PZ, that's REALLY low. At least they're message is deathly important and true, but... it's TMBG. :(
Posted by: J Dubb | September 8, 2009 9:25 PM
I like the Mellotron choir voices at the very end. Those same long-dead voices turn up all over pop music.
Posted by: PixelFish | September 8, 2009 9:31 PM
Weirdly enough, when I went to post this link to Facebook, it asked me to type in two words to verify I was a real person. My two words were "special shrine".
Posted by: Datasmith | September 8, 2009 9:33 PM
Another great little ditty that suits this blog very well is called "Supertheory of Supereverything" by Gogol Bordello:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOWx5G76pkU
Enjoy.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
|
September 8, 2009 9:35 PM
Science is real even in Istanbul (not Constantinople).
Posted by: Don in Rochester MN | September 8, 2009 9:37 PM
Wow. I'm an olde farte who was introduced to TMBG by my kids and now THEY are having kids and introducing them to TMBG! I like TMBG because they're . . . cool. Now there's another reason -- because they'll be passing on the coolness of science from me to my kids to my grandkids! WHAT COULD BE COOLER THAN THAT??
Posted by: SphinctOr | September 8, 2009 9:37 PM
That's right PixelFish --> Worship TMBG.
On your knees...FaceBook COMMANDS it!
Maybe THIS on will convince you! (see how I used bold letters there?! )
They Might Be Giants "Why Does the Sun Shine?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbgul1NpEA8
if you don't like this one...how about Sting (Yes, THAT Sting) lip-syncing it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0RohMxyX5k
Posted by: Killua | September 8, 2009 9:38 PM
Daniel, what's wrong with TMBG? They have my favorite cover of Istanbul (not Constantinople) and you have to admit Ana Ng is fun song ^_^
Posted by: Irenicus | September 8, 2009 9:39 PM
I must challenge the ontological soundness of the slogan in this video. It fails to distinguish between two profoundly different senses of real:
A-real: The entity in question plays a useful explanatory/causal role. So, for instance, we say that the chair you're sitting in is real, or that the Moon is real, or even that "jealousy" is real. All these things happen to be somewhat fuzzy, yet in everyday speech, or even most kinds of scientific discourse, I doubt we'd question that they're real.
B-real: We think the entity maps in some precise way onto "the real world" (which I think most posters on Pharyngula, being hard- nosed realists, would have to accept). This precludes all ambiguous ("fuzzy") concepts from being real.
Seriously though, I suspect that this kind of thing actually does more harm than good. The video is incredibly lame and corny, and many kids may assume that by extension science is incredibly lame and corny.
Posted by: SC, OM | September 8, 2009 9:43 PM
Like it, except for the person running in the street in front of a bus (wtf?).
What's the recommended age range?
Posted by: SC, OM | September 8, 2009 9:48 PM
Oh, FFS. I forgot about that debate. *grumble*
Expect a response on that thread soon, confused tiresome one.
Posted by: Irenicus | September 8, 2009 9:52 PM
Lighten up, I was only joking. Or trying to. Sorry if I failed my attempt at humour. Maybe it was just as lame as the subject of this thread =(Posted by: Rob Barrett | September 8, 2009 9:57 PM
My 4 year old daughter has already memorized the lyrics to this song, "Meet the Elements," and "I Am a Paleontologist." She's now working on "The Bloodmobile," "Electric Car," and "My Brother the Ape."
Posted by: grolby
|
September 8, 2009 9:58 PM
Um, no. There's nothing "fuzzy" about my chair or the Moon being real. It's true that these things cannot be demonstrated to be real in the strict, logical mathematical sense, like X / 1 = X. But putting forth epistemological skepticism as though it actually has consequences that we should care about, let alone the suggestion that there are any scientists who might be concerned about it's implications about the reality or truth of their discoveries, is really nothing more than inane pedantry.
Posted by: SC, OM | September 8, 2009 9:59 PM
Oh! I guess the failure may have been mine. Anyway, will reply soon now that I've been reminded.
Posted by: SphinctOr | September 8, 2009 10:02 PM
#20 The target audience = middle and high school students:
- As much of the album is intended for an older audience than their previous kids' albums, 'Here Come the ABCs' and 'Here Come the 123s,' Flansburgh thinks it could help middle and high school students study. "'Meet the Elements would have helped me out tremendously in school," Flansburgh says. "The science idea is interesting because it kind of bridges our family audience with our adult audience. We had a couple of songs in the past that touched on scientific themes, notably 'The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas.' It was kind of familiar territory and it seemed like it fit in with the spirit of the band and there's a lot to be said."
Check out 'Electric Car' below. 'Here Comes Science is available NOW.
Download: 'Electric Car' for free.
http://aolradio.podcast.aol.com/aolmusic/mp3s/They_Might_Be_Giants_Electric_Car.mp3
Posted by: FormerComposer | September 8, 2009 10:03 PM
#24:
What do you have against "inane pedantry"? That's the best kind!
Posted by: Helen | September 8, 2009 10:06 PM
I prefer Greydon Square and his rational response rap. I think this is the only rap song I've liked!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5R8kok_4d4
Posted by: SphinctOr | September 8, 2009 10:08 PM
Oh. And for those trying to pick apart their science techniques, they are admittedly not experts...but smart enough to hire consultants. Enter Eric Siegel, the Director and Chief Content Officer of the New York Hall of Science.
Now that is cool.
Hire the geeks to please the geeks.
The Geeks shall inherit the earth!
Quote:
Although They Might Be Giants tackle more complex material on their latest children's album, 'Here Comes Science,' they're certainly not experts in the field. "Oh man, I was such a bad student in science," co-frontman John Flansburgh tells Spinner. "I wasn't a good student at all. We're not educators. We brought in a science consultant to make sure we didn't mess something up or misread the Wikipedia entry."
With the help of Eric Siegel, the Director and Chief Content Officer of the New York Hall of Science, the quirky Brooklyn rockers were able to make sure they got their facts straight while keeping their fun vibe on songs like 'I Am a Paleontologist,' 'Meet the Elements' and 'Electric Car,' featuring Flansburgh's wie, Robin Goldwasser. "Working with Eric was really good because working in a museum is kind of the same challenge as making an album about science," Flansburgh says. "You're trying to figure out the ways of making it interesting and still keeping to the facts. You want it to be funzy-wunzy but it can't be wrong. That's a little bit of a tightrope walk."
Posted by: Grook | September 8, 2009 10:16 PM
Just when I thought TMBG couldn't get more awesome, they did. Now I'm even more jealous that my sister got to see them live.
Posted by: Dave | September 8, 2009 10:17 PM
This video was awesome. I can't believe I have never run acrossed it before. It's great to see influential people including artists promoting the support for what we all "truly" hold dear in our day to days lives. I'm tired of faith heads demonizing science, and calling it's promoters and practitioners a "religion". Maybe in a sense it is. The one true god is knowledge.
Posted by: jezkemp | September 8, 2009 10:17 PM
That's all very well, but what about this?
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/science/
Posted by: Kelseigh | September 8, 2009 10:22 PM
I love TMBG, and they've come to fill the sort of "smart stuff is awesome" role that Tom Lehrer did for me when I was young (although it was fairly old even then). The New Math and The Elements got me interested in science way back when, which is why I grew up to be....an artist?
Wait, is that how it's supposed to go?
Posted by: MoxieHart | September 8, 2009 10:35 PM
I don't have kids but I think that I may have to pick up this album. Plus, I can play it for my niece when she's older.
Love the graphics, they remind me of the Mr. Peabody segments from Rocky and Bullwinkle and the 70's and 80's informative public television cartoons that I watched.
Posted by: harv | September 8, 2009 10:44 PM
Reality has a well-known scientific bias.
Posted by: Tony | September 8, 2009 10:53 PM
"I must challenge the ontological soundness of the slogan in this video. It fails to distinguish between two profoundly different senses of real..."
Jesus fuck. Can anyone enjoy anything anymore without bludgeoning it to death with the SIWOTI stick that normally resides in their butt?
Posted by: Tony | September 8, 2009 11:00 PM
"Lighten up, I was only joking."
Nice troll. You got me. lol
Posted by: SuperCorgi | September 8, 2009 11:11 PM
I really like this. I remember catching frog eggs when I was little and watching them grow into frogs. A nice reminder of an interesting part of childhood. I was also fascinated by the beehive exhibit at the annual local fair. SCIENCE IS REAL and can be seen by children in so many different ways! Videos like this are as good as the old "Schoolhouse Rocks musicals when I was a kid ("I'm Just a Bill On Capitol Hill!" or "Conjunction Junction What's Your Function")
Posted by: Monado, FCD | September 8, 2009 11:26 PM
I had a tub of tadpoles when I was a kid. They turned into toads. We got about 7 tiny toads for the terrarium. Then they started to disappear: the turtles were eating them. We let the survivors go.
Posted by: Vince | September 8, 2009 11:27 PM
Wonderful! I love to show it to my science classes. But, no classes. Yep, I'm retired. After 33 years in 7th grade, I finally escaped. Oh, TMBG, great job. PZ, thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Brian | September 8, 2009 11:54 PM
TMBG
+ me
4-eva!
Posted by: Nibien | September 8, 2009 11:55 PM
Awesome, someone just finished an Intro to Philosophy course.
I take your utterly pointless Cartesian Skepticism and raise you a G.E. Moore shift.
Posted by: Chief | September 9, 2009 12:01 AM
Uh oh...the god-bots have already cropped up review-style on Amazon.com
Anyone care to Pharyngulate the star ratings?
http://bit.ly/AmazonScience
Posted by: Ken Cope | September 9, 2009 12:04 AM
Don't Cross the Street in the Middle of the Block
Posted by: jetdriver | September 9, 2009 12:05 AM
I did email PZ about this but he must be flooded since he is public enemy #5 now.
I recently downloaded "Here comes Science" from iTunes and checked the reviews.
There is one by 'pudge' titled "TMG pushes atheist agenda". Read it and enjoy the creationist/fundie nonsense. I immediately flagged it as inappropriate and reported my concern (using the appropriate buttons on iTunes) that this was not a review of the quality of the work but a religious rant.
If everyone (that supports TMBG and is on iTunes) would do the same, this science bashing, disgustingly biased review could, maybe, be removed.
After looking at iTunes today, I noticed that kingOfPain has also some bad review stating "science is theory not fact" and that it is "encouraging a weak idea of the core of science". Huh?
BTW, I did submit my positive review twice but it never made it through...
Did I mention I love this album. My kids do too.
Posted by: Irenicus | September 9, 2009 12:05 AM
I was jokingly referring to a debate we had in a recent thread about the concept of "real". I should have been more clear that I was joking (I segued with "Seriously though", but now I realize that wasn't enough.) Very clumsy of me and I apologize.Posted by: Jerad | September 9, 2009 12:10 AM
"Anyone care to Pharyngulate the star ratings?
http://bit.ly/AmazonScience "
Don't forget to rate some creationist reviews unhelpful while you're there.
Posted by: abys | September 9, 2009 12:33 AM
Now that we have TMBG on our side, we are invincible!!
Posted by: Dorkman | September 9, 2009 12:55 AM
I have to admit I kind of don't get the appeal of TMBG in general, but I think this song is great. I like the subtle digs, in particular the choice to have the little animated boy take a bite of an apple when the lyrics are about seeking knowledge.
Posted by: OolonColluphid | September 9, 2009 1:39 AM
Nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot has a great parody of Fundie thinking in Origin of the Species.
Posted by: Salvatore | September 9, 2009 1:46 AM
I first saw TMBG on David Letterman singing "Your Racist Friend."
Since then I've enjoyed several albums and concert experiences. Noone else mixes pop culture, science and history with pop hooks like them. I don't even know why they have children friendly shows, because all of their material is appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8vIE6GkLH8
Posted by: fabrulana | September 9, 2009 3:08 AM
We need more stuff like this for our children ...
Posted by: Edy Levi | September 9, 2009 3:49 AM
Very cool!
Is it just me or are chemists underrepresented in this video?
Posted by: Kel, OM | September 9, 2009 4:05 AM
That song was fun. It almost makes me want to have kids just so I can play it for them.
Posted by: travc | September 9, 2009 4:20 AM
Some folks don't get TMBG... that is perfectly fine. IMO, they reach the land of extreme coolness by going so far towards uncool (random, corny, childish) it warps.
As for the kid stuff... A lot of TMBG fare is like a Pixar film.
BTW: They have always preferred doing 'all-ages' shows. I remember them doing an unscheduled all-ages free show in Dallas because their manager/producer booked a 18+ club for their scheduled show (back when I was in HS).
Posted by: Carlie | September 9, 2009 7:08 AM
I think the Paleontologist one is the best music video I've seen, ever, and I can't wait for the cd to get here so I can put it on my mp3 player and bop around the lab to it.
Posted by: Lurky | September 9, 2009 7:43 AM
They Might Be Giants? Pff... I prefer We're Certainly Dwarfs, they are more of a Music With Rocks In -band.
Posted by: Carlie | September 9, 2009 8:05 AM
They Might Be Giants? Pff... I prefer We're Certainly Dwarfs, they are more of a Music With Rocks In -band.
Yeah? Well, take that.
Posted by: Kel, OM | September 9, 2009 8:28 AM
Actually, fuck having kids. This is too awesome not to get.
Anyone who has bought this on iTunes, can I get this in MP3 format there?
Posted by: Kel, OM | September 9, 2009 9:17 AM
I actually own that shirt ;)Posted by: Camels With Hammers | September 9, 2009 10:44 AM
great idea for a kids song but what an awful song in execution. Blegh
Posted by: The Nerd | September 9, 2009 10:44 AM
This DVD is in the mail for my son's 3-year-old birthday! I'm so happy to have finally found some music he enjoys that I don't have to endure by hiding in the other end of the house wearing earmuffs. Yay SCIENCE!
Posted by: Carlie | September 9, 2009 3:24 PM
Actually, fuck having kids.
One does often lead to another...
I actually own that shirt ;)
And that is one of the reasons you're awesome. Everything at Threadless is on sale for $9 today, but after a couple of amazon splurges I don't want to add on, even though I want it.
Posted by: JJR | September 9, 2009 7:54 PM
"The video is incredibly lame and corny, and many kids may assume that by extension science is incredibly lame and corny."
Hey, the other side has Veggie Tales...can't get much more lame & corny than that....
Posted by: jetdriver | September 9, 2009 10:50 PM
I second that. The only feelings I have when I listen to/watch Veggie Tales are 'puke' first then 'eat more zucchini'.
Posted by: Carlie | September 9, 2009 10:59 PM
Aw, don't be dissing the Veggie Tales. As insipid as most of it is, some of the Silly Songs are moments of pure inspiration.
Posted by: Phledge | September 10, 2009 1:06 AM
I've ordered it for my seven- and five-year old nieces, who attend a science-based charter elementary school. I love this story: the older one was jumping on the trampoline with her cousins and she slipped and fell in the middle of them. She blurted out, "Oh, GRAVITY!" That's right, kiddo--gravity made you fall. Gravity is real. Like science.