humor
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: cartoon, humor, cats, streaming video
Below the fold is an amusing video that shows you why cats are evil [1:26]
pharyngula | October 22, 2007Earlier, I mentioned this Templeton Foundation ad that showed some people claiming the universe has a purpose, and others validating the silly question by saying maybe it has a purpose. I noted at the time that no one seemed very interested in saying what that particular purpose might be, or more importantly, how they knew what it was, but now someone has provided the answer.
Tristero has used the power of mathematics to find the answer to life, the universe, and everything, all in one simple, easy-to-remember formula that also proves the Christians are right about everything. It's a little…
pharyngula | October 21, 2007It would be a terrible slander of decent Neandertals…but otherwise, we probably wouldn't notice much difference.
evolvingthoughts | October 21, 2007
This is a meme started by PZ Mackers. I will exact retribution upon him later. In the meantime, I have been tagged
There are a set of questions below that are all of the form, "The best [subgenre] [medium] in [genre] is...". Copy the questions, and before answering them, you may modify them in a limited way, carrying out no more than two of these operations:
You can leave them exactly as is.
You can delete any one question.
You can mutate either the genre, medium, or subgenre of any one question. For instance, you could change "The best time travel novel in SF/Fantasy is..." to "The best…
oracknows | October 21, 2007Maybe this is the one. On the other hand, it may be more appropriate to the victims of Orac's Respectful (and not-so-Respectful) Insolenceâ¢.
Maybe I'm beginning to understand this LOL cat thing after all...
pharyngula | October 19, 2007But of course! When a group of people express a similar behavior pattern, such as defending racist conclusions or making ev-psych style explanations, there can only be one possible explanation: there must be a genetic basis for the behavior. I can't imagine any other reason.
oracknows | October 19, 2007DNA is an amazing molecule. How evolution could have, over eons, fashioned such an amazingly simple yet complex method of storing biological information and coding the proteins that carry out the functions of life is one of the great wonders of biology. Harnessing the power of DNA, through genetic engineering, the study of the genome, and epigenetics, has allowed scientists a deeper insight than ever before possible into diseases as diverse as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inherited metabolic disorders, to name a few. I manipulate DNA in my laboratory, in order to make it do my bidding…
sb admin | October 19, 2007
Look Around You: Brain. "The brain is basically a wrinkled bag of skin filled with warm water, veins, and thought muscles. ... The opposite of the brain is probably the bum." Brief vintage BBC parody of science education films about the brain. Watch through to the end, when a brain in a jar is rewarded with a special treat for performing a task.
oracknows | October 18, 2007PZ seems to think that the whole "LOL" thing has gone too far. He may be right. In fact, I've even commented on it before.
Even though I have a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around the whole "LOLCats" phenomenon and its various bizarre spinoffs, I do have to admit that I've found one LOL spinoff that's pretty darned amusing.
Are you ready for LOLQuacks?
Some examples:
OK, I know the above has nothing to do with quackery, but as a fan of the Fantastic Four and a connoisseur of pareidolia, I couldn't resist. On with a few homeopathy-related examples:
This one is amusing because I…
pharyngula | October 18, 2007This is a little creepy. The Sexy Secularist can do a pitch perfect imitation of Alister McGrath on any subject, whether it's ordering from a menu or engaging in phone sex. This has got to make him a hit at parties.
sb admin | October 18, 2007
Via The Neurocritic.
brainscannr by Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson. Try it with your name. Hot! :)
pharyngula | October 17, 2007I think I really, really like this webcomic, Russell's Teapot.
(Thanks, Jeff)
oracknows | October 17, 2007One of my favorite phenomena that represents better than perhaps any other how humans are wired to look for patterns, whether there is a pattern there or not, is the phenomenon known as pareidolia. As a Catholic-turned-sort-of-heathen, in particular I like Virgin Mary pareidolia, and have blogged about multiple such incidents. Of course, the Virgin Mary is not the only sort of image seen in pareidolia. Jesus shows up quite frequently as well.
Now, would you believe that the late Pope John Paul II is showing up in flames? No, really:
This fiery figure is being hailed as Pope John Paul II…
oracknows | October 16, 2007Work and a conference intervene to prevent a fresh dose of Respectful Insolence today. Fortunately, there's still classic Insolence from the archives that hasn't been moved over to the new blog. This amusing little trifle originally appeared on August 25, 2005.
Well, I'm back.
Yes, I know I blogged a fair amount while on vacation, my promise to restrain myself notwithstanding. Nonetheless, with the exception of the posts about the traffic wreck that screwed up our trip home and the tragic death of an autistic boy receiving chelation therapy this week, it was mostly fluff or carnival barking.…
clock | October 15, 2007Just watching someone give a talk is often not enough to remember it later. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. And certainly, seeing is believing. But, this presentation is impossible to forget, even if one would rather not remember it so vividly. Oh, and it was absolutely NSFW!
Obligatory Reading of the Day.
grrlscientist | October 15, 2007tags: feathers, dinosaurs, humor, cartoon
En el tÃpico rito funerario del Jurásico tardÃo unos dinosaurios terópodos depositan plumas sobre el cuerpo de un compañero justo antes de la momificación. Desfortunadamente no pensaron en los paleontólogos del futuro.
Image: The Scientific Cartoonist [larger view].
I am sure that one of my readers, Jerry Harris, will especially like this cartoon.
Thanks Chris!
pharyngula | October 15, 2007Everyone reads Genesis, the racy bits in the Song of Solomon, the various Jesus tales in the Gospels, and when you're really stoned, Revelation. But what about those more obscure chapters, where some old time prophet with a funny polysyllabic name raves against extinct city-states and tribes who haven't followed his preferred bizarre ritual?
Don't waste your time slogging through archaic language to read them in the Bible. Let Jay Pinkerton do your summarizing and interpreting for you.
There is some crazy stuff in those books, I tell you.
pharyngula | October 14, 2007This is mere satire, but it would be much more interesting if Ben Stein were to challenge Newton, rather than Darwin. It would be just as absurd, but I think physicists need more abuse than just a few flaky zero-point energy guys and the New Agers using the word "quantum" in every sentence.
And hey, where are all the chemistry abusers? Won't someone criticize Boyle and Lavoisier?