Paul Z. Meyers
pharyngula
Posts by this author
September 23, 2009
My wife and I saw Julie & Julia this weekend — and enjoyed it — but it's still a little weird to see Julia Child giving lessons on how to make primordial soup.
(via This Blog Contains Caffeine)
September 23, 2009
There can be too much of a good thing. If you actually eat Turbaconucken, you've got a bacon addiction. Seek help.
And if you ever drink Jones Dungeons & Dragons Spellcasting Soda during your weekly D&D game, you are suffering from hypernerdosis. In fact, you are probably even too nerdy…
September 23, 2009
I had no idea that our regular commenter SC had become a "d00d", but there is a fury of discussion about it going on. I think it's an unfortunate exercise in chromosomal elitism to be sneering at our transgendered brothers and sisters, or at people who we think are transgendered, or even at…
September 23, 2009
The picture tells the story.
Be sure to follow the link to see the gear used to take the picture!
September 23, 2009
Yet another secular government wants to increase religious meddling in civic life — some Brazilians want to incorporate more religion into the public schools. I wonder if getting input from the rest of the world would be helpful?
Você é favorável ao ensino religioso facultativo nas escolas públicas…
September 23, 2009
This is a side of women I haven't had a chance to see in such detail before — it's a series of photos of the cervix, taken every day over the course of a month. It changes, unsurprisingly. It's a little organ with a different personality every time you look at it.
There are also photos of the…
September 22, 2009
I like it!
I know this will set off another round of culture sniping — get over it. You don't personally have to like this genre, just as no one has to like every kind of music out there, and turning your nose up at one form doesn't necessarily mean your taste is better than someone else's. Just…
September 22, 2009
Yesterday, I disagreed with Phil Plait — I didn't think the suggestion by Texas educators to remove a requirement to mention Neil Armstrong was that bad. However, that was because I presumed that they were making a reasonable pedagogical argument, that the state board shouldn't micromanage how the…
September 22, 2009
An eccentric Norwegian musician named Varg Vikernes has been updating (a polite word for "making up") a Norse origins story. It's nuts, but no crazier than the stuff Ken Ham and Ray Comfort want you to believe (and they, too, have been "updating" a very short metaphor from the Bible to make for a…
September 22, 2009
Uh-oh. This morning, Sydney may have gotten a sign of the Apocalypse: the skies turned red as blood. I don't know what else it could be, other than the wrath of heaven.
Well, and airborne dust particles.
Which is the more likely, rational, reasonable explanation is left as an exercise for the…
September 22, 2009
It's hardly news, though: people have been using pages for this purpose since I was a young'un, at least.
September 22, 2009
CNN is cutting to the chase:
Do you believe in God?
Yes 69%
No 31%
This poll will rack up big numbers, I suspect, so don't expect a big turn-around…but do get in there and make a tiny little popping noise as you click and drop in your contribution!
September 22, 2009
The latest online edition of Seed Magazine (you all know it's gone to an all-digital format, right? You should be reading it regularly) has an interview with Richard Dawkins on his new book — it focuses on the potential for the new book to persuade people to accept the idea of evolution.
I think it…
September 22, 2009
The results of yet another poll are out, showing that the godless are rising and promise to rise for years to come. In 1990, we made up 8% of the population; now in 2009, we're 15%. They're extrapolating forward and estimating that we will make up 25% of the country in 20 years.
It's not enough, is…
September 21, 2009
This is hardly a fair fight. Cristina has about ten times the brains of Kirk.
In further news, Ray Comfort has announced that his give-away of the edited Origin of Species has changed: he's going to give away 100,000 books at 100 universities, Darwin's text will be left intact (although his page…
September 21, 2009
Uh, gang? It's the wee hours of the morning of 22 September in Jerusalem. That means, if you are reading this, you are not one of the elect who was raptured. Oops.
I checked the site that predicted the rapture to see if it had been updated with excuses…and it hadn't. Obviously, this means the…
September 21, 2009
I'm traveling to Fargo on Wednesday for a series of events. I think I know what I'm doing, so let me spell out as much as I know.
On Wednesday at 6:00, I'll be speaking at Minnesota State University Moorhead, in room 118 in the Science Lab building, on the subject of "Darwin and Design".
Wednesday…
September 21, 2009
The state of Texas is considering striking the name of Neil Armstrong from the social studies standard. I hate to be the voice of restraint here, but I don't think it's as bad as it sounds. The reasoning given is completely bogus (because Armstrong wasn't a scientist? Give me a break), but the…
September 21, 2009
Shorter Andrew Sullivan: I've been taught that evil is part of god's good plan, therefore evil doesn't perturb my faith.
It's all very circular and very silly. Jerry's right: theodicy is one of those confusing issues that simply disappears cleanly if you get rid of the god-junk that clutters up the…
September 21, 2009
It's tragic — the psychopathic teddy bear from the web comic died last week, but apparently he's getting a new gig as a sub for the deity.
Yep, nobody will notice any difference down here.
September 20, 2009
September 20, 2009
Just watch a little of this video of Pat Robertson and Ray Comfort — it's stupid squared!
Comfort has the same old schtick he always uses: the first dog that evolved wouldn't have a mate! Everything (except God) has to have a creator! Everyone sins, so you need to believe in a savior, Mohammed…
September 20, 2009
Too much garbage is coming down the pipeline, so I'm going to have to throttle it. I'm flipping the switch to require registration in order to comment, just for a while. If it locks out too many good people, I'll flip it off again…but I really need to do this to limit some of the spam.
September 20, 2009
My former plan for a prosperous retirement plan involved suddenly finding Jesus and winning a Templeton Prize, but it always left an unpleasant taste in mouth. Sure, I'd be rich, but to do it I'd have to stand up in front of the whole world and pretend to be an addled moron. It was going to take a…
September 20, 2009
Everyone: start partying. You don't have much time left. THE WORLD ENDS TOMORROW.
You might be tempted to go read the evidence on that page, but trust me, there is no time to waste — you really need to get frolicking now, because so little time is left. Besides, if you look at the colors and funny…
September 20, 2009
I have learned something new today: you can get a Ph.D. in converting the heathen!
DEVELOPING A CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT IN INDIA
By DANE WINSTEAD FOWLKES
submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
in the subject
MISSIOLOGY
at the UNIVERSITY OF THE…
September 19, 2009
Would someone call security and please escort Kanye off my blog?
September 19, 2009
Print the pledge and ask all your teabagger/libertarian friends and family to sign it!
The Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge
I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere…