Chatter
j7uy5 | July 20, 2008The Pew Research Center informs us that
href="http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=585">
today's number is 46%. That is the percentage of
independent voters who are undecided about their choice for President
in the November election in the USA. This is "much higher"
than the same statistic four years ago. It is likely that
this group will swing the election.
Of course, you could say the same about almost any group, if the
election is close.
I noticed this because I was on their site for something else, and
noticed the number in the sidebar, in a little box that said…
tfk | July 19, 2008Al Gore addresses the Netroots Nation:
Nancy Pelosi, and more, below the fold.
Nancy Pelosi:
Texas Board of Ed. Chairman Don McLeroy:
Texas SBOE members attempt to perform mathematics:
John Dean:
Cass Sunstein:
Unidentified citizens of the Netroots Nation watch Nancy Pelosi:
Ryan Valentine of Texas Freedom Network imitates Frederick Clarkson, while Osagyefo Sekou delivers a sermon. Sekou seems incapable of any other form of communication, Lord love him.
Sciencebloggers! Ginny Hughes, Josh Rosenau, Steven DarkSyde, Tina (?), Bill Farrell, Dan Quinn, Ed Brayton, Chris of Mixing Memory…
goodmath | July 15, 2008 Back in May, we here at ScienceBlogs got an offer to get an advance screener copy of Randy Olson's new movie, "Sizzle", if we promised to review it. I hadn't seen any of Olson's movies before, but I've been involved in a few discussions with him as part of the Great Framing Wars, and while I frequently disagree with him, he seemed to be a bright and interesting guy, so I was interesting in seeing what he's been working on. So I signed up for the review, telling the people from the production company that I'd review it from the viewpoint of a mathy guy - expecting that it was really a…
goodmath | July 14, 2008 So my fellow SBer PZ is in all sorts of hot water with Catholics over a blog post. I didn't really want to poke my nose into this, but there's been so much noise about it, that it's really unavoidable. But I think I've got a rather different opinion on this than most bloggers I've seen so far. And I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be making any friends by posting this. But people keep asking, so I'm going to open my big mouth, and tell you what I think.
You see, I think that both sides are assholes. Obviously, the people making threats take the prize as the biggest assholes, but a…
j7uy5 | July 5, 2008Seems like everything is being made so you can attach an iPod.
Shown below is the
href="http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204553512&adid=17070&dcaid=17070">George
Foreman iPod Grill. With
10-watt speaker.
How patriotic is that?
And what are we to make of one of the reviews posted at Buy.com?
I love George Foreman's products! I own all of the
grills, and I use them when I have small get togethers. They are great,
indoors and out. I usually only use one at a time, since my friends
don't really come to my parties. I don't know what that is about. I
used the George…
tfk | June 30, 2008The cool kids are wondering what happens when you:
Take out your iPod (or Zune, I guess...really, who buys a Zune?)
Press shuffle songs.
Answer the following: a) How many songs before you come to one that would absolutely disqualify you from being President? b) What is that song?
After a random intro from the album Words that Shook the World, I got:
"When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge from the album The Best of Percy Sledge (1989, 2:55).
Which I think is politically survivable, provided I wasn't fighting allegations of sexual improprieties. Then comes "Bamgufya Ba Kwoti" by John…
tfk | June 16, 2008If a Dolly Parton impersonator had a child with an Elvis impersonator, who would the child impersonate?
tfk | May 24, 2008A friend wants LGBT books for tweens:
So far, the best we’ve been able to do in terms of LGBT fiction for kids who have moved beyond picture books is:
Boy Meets Boy, by David LevithanSo Hard to Say, by Alex SanchezGeography Club, by Brent HartingerThe Order of the Poison Oak, by Brent HartingerTotally Joe, by James Howe
Not one of these books, however, is truly a tween read. They’re basically young adult novels without too much explicit sex. So while a 10-year old could read them without his parents throwing a fit, he probably wouldn’t get too much out of them, since they’re not really…
tfk | May 23, 2008Happy Friday!
"One Dime Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson from the album The Best of Blind Lemon Jefferson (2000, 2:47).
"Whirlpool" by They Might Be Giants from the album Why Does The Sun Shine? [EP] (1993, 2:10).
"Gin Soaked Boy" by Tom Waits from the album Swordfishtrombones (1983, 2:25).
"One Flight Down" by Norah Jones from the album Come Away With Me (2002, 3:07).
"Press My Button, Ring My Bell" by Lil Johnson & Black Bob from the album Copulation Blues (1926 - 1940, 3:18).
"The Shift" by The Beach Boys from the album Surfin' Safari (1962, 1:54).
"Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 1" by…
tfk | May 12, 2008May 23rd, according a random email I got today, is World Turtle Day.
One presumes that it is supported by a turtle, which is itself supported by a turtle, and so on, all the way down.
Either that, or it is a day to celebrate the inversion of dinghies.
j7uy5 | May 11, 2008Make echinacea tea, fairly strong. Refrigerate it.
Get some 100% pomegranate juice. Refrigerate that.
Wait until cold. Mix together in 1:1 proportion.
Drink.
There is no particular reason for this, other that simply to have the
experience.
tfk | May 8, 2008I'm away from the office, helping historians beat up on creationists, so enjoy some fine music in the mean time.
"Fall Of The Pigs" by COLISEUM from the album No Salvation (2007, 2:55).
"She's Got A New Spell" by Billy Bragg from the album Must I Paint You A Picture?: The Essential Billy Bragg (2003, 3:24).
"Fine Day" by Lessick and Lincoln from the album Other Lives (5:18).
"My Dream Blues" by St. Louis Jimmy Oden from the album St. Louis Jimmy Oden Vol. 1 1932-1944 (1994, 3:32).
"High And Dry" by Radiohead from the album The Bends (1995, 4:17).
"I Heard My Mother Praying for Me" by Hank…
goodmath | May 1, 2008 Pardon me, while I go off on a rant.
Since I came to work for Google, I have a pretty long commute. Most of the time, I don't really mind it. It's all by train - first commuter rail from home into the city, and then subway from the terminal to my office. Commuting by train is not bad at all - you get some quiet time before and after work, to sit and read, or just relax.
But in a year of doing this, I've learned a couple of things. And today's commute gave me a perfect example of one of them. People who wear suits to work in Manhattan are the biggest god-damned dicks you'll find anywhere.…
goodmath | April 30, 2008 I was recently fortunate enough to get a review copy of Cory Doctorow's new book, Little Brother">"Little Brother". I've never read Doctorow before, but the book
was edited by Patrick Neilsen Hayden, who I think is the best editor in
the business, and Patrick says that this book is one of the best things
he's ever worked on. In his words, it's "one of the books that, should I happen to be run down by a beer truck next tuesday, I'd most like to be remembered for having helped into print". So when Patrick posted on his blog that he had review copies available, I jumped at the chance.
As…
tfk | April 28, 2008No time for bloggery today, but enjoy the music.
"We Looked Like Giants" by Death Cab For Cutie from the album Transatlanticism (2003, 5:32).
"Slippery People" by Talking Heads from the album Speaking in Tongues (1983, 5:06).
"Grassy Grass Grass" by Elizabeth Mitchell from the album You Are My Little Bird (2006, 0:56).
"Perfect Crime" by Guns N' Roses from the album Use Your Illusion I (1991, 2:23).
"Get On Out" by Soul Asylum from the album Grave Dancers Union (1992, 3:30).
"Coast to Coast" by Elliott Smith from the album From a Basement on a Hill (2004, 5:35).
"Territorial Pissings" by…
tfk | April 21, 2008Kara explains:
In the story of Exodus, we learn much about the story of Passover, which involves shank bones, lice, blood smearings, and unpleasant stale crackers, much like the nurse's office in elementary school.
Ma nishtana?
goodmath | April 14, 2008 Like the rest of the skeptical blogosphere, I've been watching the
uproar around Ben Stein's new movie with a lot of amusement, but also with
a lot of disgust. There's one thing that I feel compelled to comment on that
I think has, for some reason, not been addressed nearly enough.
As I've mentioned before, I'm Jewish. My father knew relatives who died
at the hands of the Nazis. The events of the holocaust are, thus, deeply personal to me. I've grown up with an awareness of it.
So I find Stein's attempt to link evolution to the holocaust particularly odious. The mass extermination of…
tfk | April 4, 2008In honor of National Poetry Month, ten random songs from iTunes:
"By the Moon and Stars" by Louise Johnson from the album Mississippi Blues Vol. 1 (1928-1937) (1930, 2:51).
"Po' Boy" by Bob Dylan from the album Love and theft (2001, 3:05).
"God Don't Never Change" by Blind Willie Johnson from the album The Complete Blind Willie Johnson (1929, 2:59).
"The Final Cut" by Pink Floyd from the album The Final Cut (1983, 4:45).
"Hanging On A Star" by Nick Drake from the album Made To Love Magic (2004, 3:24).
"Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" by We Are Scientists from the album With Love and Squalor (…
tfk | April 3, 2008April being National Poetry Month, I'll let you entertain yourself with this poem by Robert Frost:
War Thoughts at Home
On the back side of the house
Where it wears no paint to the weather
And so shows most its age,
Suddenly blue jays rage
And flash in blue feather.
It is late in an afternoon
More grey with snow to fall
Than white with fallen snow
When it is blue jay and crow
Or no bird at all.
So someone heeds from within
This flurry of bird war,
And rising from her chair
A little bent over with care
Not to scatter on the floor
The sewing in her lap
Comes to the window to see.
At sight of…