television

What kind of social-insect-eating mammal is stranger than a numbat? Well, a pangolin, for one. From The Life of Mammals. For more on the pangolin's prey, check out one of the newest additions to the ScienceBlogs family, Myrmecos.
Believe it or not, there was once a time when Dr. Mehmet Oz didn't bother me that much. At least, for all his flirting with woo, I never quite thought that he had completely gone over to the Dark Side. Although I probably knew deep down that I was fooling myself. Maybe it was because Dr. Oz is a surgeon--and not just a surgeon but a cardiac surgeon. After the enthusiastic embrace of pseudoscience by so many surgeons, and in particular Dr. Michael Egnor's embrace of "intelligent design" creationism and mind-brain dualism, maybe I didn't want to believe that yet another surgeon had fallen for a…
Six days ago, celebrity spokescouple for the anti-vaccine movement, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, announced their breakup over Twitter. Some of us who have been following the antics of "Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey's Autism Organization - Generation Rescue" have wondered what this would mean for the pro-disease movement pushing the idea that vaccines cause autism. Would Jim Carrey still lend his considerable Hollywood clout, which is at least an order of magnitude greater than Jenny McCarthy's, to Generation Rescue? We didn't have long to wait. By Friday, Generation Rescue had completely…
If you're going to have termites for lunch, you'll need the right kind of equipment. From The Life of Mammals.
Today, April 10, is the first day of World Homeopathy Awareness Week (WHAW), or, as I like to call it, World Sympathetic Magic Awareness Week. Now, given my dim view of homeopathy, in which I view it as nothing more than, well, sympathetic magic, you'd think I wouldn't want people to pay attention to WHAW. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is because I view homeopathy as nothing more than quackery based on magical thinking that I actually want people to be aware of it, starting with some of the more hilarious bits that homeopaths have published over the last year. Like this bit:…
Since a whole bunch of you have been sending me this and posting it in my comments, I don't see how I can avoid mentioning it. Apparently it's being reported on The Superficial, Celebitchy, and People.com that Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy have broken up. I must admit that it's hard not to feel a bit of schadenfreude over this and wonder if maybe Jim Carrey was getting tired of the whole anti-vaccine scene, as The Superficial suggested: I can only assume this has everything to do with Jenny McCarthy being completely shot down by the medical community only to continuing claiming a Playboy…
tags: Wonders of The Solar System, space exploration, astrophysics, spoof, parody, satire, humor, funny, fucking hilarious, Dr Brian Cox, BBC, television, streaming video Here is an inspirational video trailer from BBC's television program, "Wonders of the Solar System", where series host, Dr Brian Cox, exclaims; "That's why I love physics so much, cuz physics is all about tryin' to work out WTF is goin' on."
tags: How to Spot a Cult, scientology, branch davidians, religion, cults, mind control, investigative news report, mind control, mental health, beliefs, streaming video This Inside New Zealand investigative report is long but fascinating and very well-worth watching. It includes plenty of information on Scientology as well as other cults (Branch Davidians, etc) and gives a good overview of cult warning signs. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: Part 7: Part 8: Part 9: Part 10:
Perhaps you've seen them. (Actually, how could you avoid them?) I'm talking about those annoying Omnaris commercials with the crappy computer animation in which a bunch of military-looking men in helmets ram an Omnaris sprayer into the woman's nose to fix her nasal allergies: Something's always bugged me about that commercial, more than the amateurish computer animation and the cheesy, "Omnaris, to the nose!" battle cry of the mini-white troops. Yes, I see the obvious (and lame) homage to Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask). Even so,…
tags: cat enjoying attention, Trololo Cat, Eduard Trololo Khil, internet meme, YouTube meme, parody, funny, humor, fucking hilarious, television, streaming video This video features our favorite boyfriend -- right, my peeps? -- Eduard "Trololo" Khill, along with views of a kitty who is watching, open-mouthed in astonishment at what she sees and hears. Here's a few more links to Eduard: More from Eduard "Mr Trolololo" Khill (My New Boyfriend) Eduard Trololo Khil Addresses the People of the World! Scientology X(enu) Factor Russian auditions 2010 And my favorite of all: Captain Kirk Deals with…
Earlier this week, the younger Free-Ride offspring "made a bad decision" about time utilization at the after school program, electing to play outside and do a project before doing homework, meaning the homework was still unfinished when I arrived to fetch the sprogs. The standard consequence for this is, apparently, one of the greatest horrors that can be visited upon a third grader: the loss of screen-time (which in the Free-Ride household covers television, computers, and hand-held game systems). Through angry tears, the younger Free-Ride offspring responded to this travesty thusly:…
Megarachne, (changed to Mesothelae for broadcast) restored as an enormous spider in the series Before the Dinosaurs: Walking With Monsters. Imagine that you are are standing in a massive junkyard with the remains of cars strewn all about you. A few are relatively complete, but most of the heap is made up of bits and pieces of models from the entire history of automotive innovation. If you were to reach down and pick up one of the scraps, would you be able to tell the make and model of the car it came from? The challenges a paleontologist faces in reconstructing the life of the past are not…
tags: bear sighting, wildlife, news reporting, slow news day, WJW Fox 8 Cleveland, television, humor, funny, fucking hilarious, streaming video OMG, THERE'S A BEAR IN MY BACKYARD!!!11!!eleventy!!! This video is an amusing look at what happens when a news reporter and his camera crew clearly have too much time (and technology) on their hands ...
tags: Eduard Trololo Khil, internet meme, YouTube meme, parody, funny, humor, fucking hilarious, television, streaming video Yes, I do love this guy! And amazingly enough, he even has a twitter account! Below the fold is a hilarious remix of his original video, along with several news reports about him that might also interest you. Who is Eduard Khill? Here's a news report from Russian television: This video is too long to translate but (a Russian and English speaking video viewer writes) my favorite part was when the reporter said "We don't understand how Americans turned it from 'lalalala…
tags: Life, Discovery Channel, Reptiles and Amphibians, Waterfall Toad Leap from Danger, animals, mammals, birds, BBC, television, streaming video Gail Weiswasser at the Discovery channel emailed a few days ago to tell me about TONIGHT's premiere on the Discovery Channel of BBC's LIFE, the 11-part follow up to PLANET EARTH (the most successful natural history documentary of all time). While PLANET EARTH told the story of the natural world through the framework of our planet's ecosystems and regions, LIFE takes us on a more intimate journey, introducing different animal and plant groups, using…
tags: Tommy Davis, scientology, religion, cults, mind control, Thetan, silly, offbeat, beliefs, Xenu, L Ron Hubbard, television, Life after Scientology, ABC1, streaming video ABC Australia's "Four Corners" investigate the realities and impact on members and ex members, of Scientology's overtly retributive doctrine. Includes rationale from Tommy Davis. As more ex members reveal the inside workings of a cult once banned [1960's] in three Australian states, authorities again prepare to re-examine Scientology's tax exempt religious status, granted in 1983. This is a fascinating investigative…
The Brazilian pygmy gecko is mind-bogglingly small. As this clip from the recent BBC documentary Life illustrates, it is so minuscule that it is effectively watertight and can rest effortlessly on the surface of the water. It still amazes me that vertebrates can be that tiny. LIFE will air starting Sunday night on the Discovery Channel (though, as it is narrated by Oprah in the US, I suggest you pick up the David Attenborough-narrated version on DVD instead).
tags: Life, Discovery Channel, Reptiles and Amphibians, Komodo Dragons Hunt Buffalo, animals, mammals, birds, BBC, television, streaming video Gail Weiswasser at the Discovery channel emailed a few days ago to tell me about the upcoming March 21 premiere on the Discovery Channel of BBC's LIFE, the 11-part follow up to PLANET EARTH (the most successful natural history documentary of all time). While PLANET EARTH told the story of the natural world through the framework of our planet's ecosystems and regions, LIFE takes us on a more intimate journey, introducing different animal and plant…
tags: Eduard Trololo Khil, Encounter over Planet Trololololo, Star Trek, parody, funny, humor, fucking hilarious, television, streaming video If you watched this video, then you've already seen a little of the newest meme to take youtube by storm. But someone tracked down the real singer in that ancient video and talked with him on video .. and the amazing thing is that he has hardly aged at all; looking almost the same as he did 100 years ago! Oh, and even more notable: he's still smiling after all these years. If you haven't seen and heard the original video yet, here it is (but don't…
tags: Life, Discovery Channel, BBC, Challenges of Life, Stalk-Eyed Fly, animals, mammals, birds, television, streaming video Gail Weiswasser at the Discovery channel emailed a few days ago to tell me about the upcoming March 21 premiere of BBC's LIFE on the Discovery Channel. LIFE is the 11-part follow up to PLANET EARTH (the most successful natural history documentary of all time). While PLANET EARTH told the story of the natural world through the framework of our planet's ecosystems and regions, LIFE takes us on a more intimate journey, introducing different animal and plant groups, using…