Don't let the sight ruin your breakfast, but you can catch me babbling on bloggingheads right now. Don't try to compare it to Sean Carroll's star turn, OK?
Also note the traditional misspelling of my name. I'm thinking of doing a Prince or Madonna and getting it legally changed to just "PZ".
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You can listen in on George Johnson's and Sean Carroll's conversation at Bloggingheads right now. I'm doing this next week with John Horgan, so I should have closed my eyes—Sean is so much prettier than I am.
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Fuck! PZ! You ruined it. You have an American accent. How can I now take anything you say seriously? Sheesh, you might as well be a creationist.
It's not like PZ hasn't made his American heritage clear (recent posts having discussed his American home town).
Horgan does ask good questions and keeps the conversation going, but he babbles too much and doesn't let you complete your thoughts. Was this about him?
To go with the science profile I would suggest the name change as "Π-Z".
It would probably enjoy Moran especially; I understand canadians would pronounce it "pi-zed"?!
I agreed with Horgan. There's something intrinsically annoying about a group of atheists getting together to smugly denounce religion. It's a bit like getting a group of physicists together to discuss how scientifically illiterate the general population is.
Chuck wrote:
That was a joke, son.
Good show, old chap!
That's one reason why atheistic organizations aren't that successful. What's there to talk about when you get together, when there's no common interest? It's like having a group whose sole commonality is lack of belief in life on Pluto.
I dislike how John Horgan characterizes Pinker's _Blank Slate_, in passing, as being on the camp that the Nature/Nurture debate is over and "won" by Nature. In fact Pinker's book is simply an attack on extreme forms of the Nurture position, namely the particular myths of the blank slate and the gentle savage. We can all agree that the newborn's mind is not a blank slate without thereby conceding that heredity is overwhelmingly more important than environment in determining our behavior.
Nathan Parker wrote:
How can you expect us to tell the difference between a joke and a serious comment? Is this a serious blog or a comedic dumping ground? That's the problem with you people. You make outrageous statements on a serious blog, and when called on it, you pull the it's a joke card.
Shame!
I completely agree!
There's too much hair on this video. P-Zed's got a sort of Hugh Grant thing going on, and the other blade looks like a game show host.
Yes. I'm superficial. I'm also damn jealous.
Get a haircut, Myers! Shave it to stubble to fit your "militant atheist" persona. How do you expect to build your street cred with a mop like that on your noggin?
Hey, it was the Nature article that brought me here, too.
I stayed for the education and the rants... and the cephalopods.
You had me at "squid."
Better make it "PeeZee," PZ. Otherwise you'll have to worry about those crazy Brits and Canucks pronouncing it "Pee Zed."
Don't touch a hair on your head, PZ, you're perfect.
I think it is interesting that not only do people not get your last name right, but they insist on putting periods in your first "name."
Good show, although I really did get irritated that Horgan would ask a question, then as you were trying to answer he would give his own answer first. Your too polite for a fire-breathing atheist. You should have interrupted him.
"That's one reason why atheistic organizations aren't that successful. What's there to talk about when you get together, when there's no common interest?"
No common ground?? Two words; "cephalopod porn" No religion on eath, can match that, not even the Flying Spaghetti Monster, may sauce be upon him.
You do realize that Madonna's actual name - given to her at birth - is, in fact, Madonna?
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
Sona: Most people are aware that Madonna is her first name, just as is Prince (Rogers Nelson) and Donovan (Leitch)...
He was joking about how his last name is consistently misspelled in most venues and that is why he would drop it. And he could, because by now most people are aware of who "PZ" (no periods) is.
Meh. Vlogs remind me why I don't watch TV. Too much bandwidth, not enough information.
I enjoyed the interview a lot. The only problem was that I kept looking out my window to see where the crows were. And I agree that Horgan talked too much.
During much of the interview, Horgan's face was whited-out by what I can only assume is an array of a few dozen carbon arc lamps that he uses for these broadcasts. It was very 1980s MTV video stuff, and it added credibility to his interview style. I say run with it.
To go with the science profile I would suggest the name change as "Π-Z".
It would probably enjoy Moran especially; I understand canadians would pronounce it "pi-zed"?!