Weirdness
pharyngula | June 28, 2010But I can't. I am quite possibly the worst dancer in our galaxy (notice the nod to my self-esteem: I can acknowledge that there might be an entity worse at dancing somewhere in the universe). But still, this announcement spoke to my inner Balanchine.
Who said scientists can't dance? The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is proud to announce the third annual "Dance Your Ph.D." interpretative dance video contest. The contest, which is open to anyone with a Ph.D. or pursuing a Ph.D. in a science-related field, asks scientists to transform their research into an…
pharyngula | June 25, 2010Call me when he's built a Lego laser printer.
The neighbors probably really hate this guy.
pharyngula | June 25, 2010A "psychic" octopus named Paul is predicting the outcome of World Cup games, some Germans claim. I don't believe it. Why would an octopus be at all interested in a game where you can't use your arms?
I don't believe in precognition, but I do think octopuses are smart. It's more likely that Paul is sneaking out of his tank at night to read the sports magazines, and then makes informed decisions about likely results of the matches.
pharyngula | June 23, 2010You're all good, upstanding, moral atheists who like children (and not just on the barbecue!), so you'd all be happy to donate to Barnardo's, a children's charity even without any incentive. Incentives are nice, though, so we're going to give you one: it's a competition.
You see, Big Dave (bearded) and Simon (hideously naked-faced) are asking people to donate to Barnardo's, and for a £2 minimum donation, you also get to weigh in on the Great Beard Question: do they suck, or are they a majestic addition to manly beauty?
They are collecting the beard/no beard votes, and on 5 July they'll be…
pharyngula | June 18, 2010OK, what is this thing? I've been nominated for Best Blog About Stuff, which is OK, but then…Best Celebrity Blogger? Somebody has a very slack definition of "celebrity". Then there's Best Religion Blogger — this is an atheist blog, sometimes, only vote for that to annoy the faithheads. But, really, this one is freakish: Hottest Daddy Blogger? What does that mean?
At least I wasn't nominated for Freakiest Blogger, Most Obnoxious Blogger, or Worst Blog of All Time.
pharyngula | June 16, 2010I cannot possibly say it any better than NY Magazine:
With the owners of the Empire State Building firm in their decision not to light up for Mother Teresa's 100th birthday, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum — a former aircraft carrier that served in World War II and the Vietnam War — has stepped up to the plate, because it also has lights that can change color, apparently. "The aircraft carrier museum is illuminated red, white and blue most nights, so the staff will simply replace their red lighting with additional blue and white lights," the Post reports. And with that, Mother Teresa…
pharyngula | June 16, 2010Spread the word. Jesus is to be tossed into an oven.
Anyone got any good Jesus recipes?
pharyngula | June 15, 2010This was the Touchdown Jesus of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio.
That monstrosity was six stories tall — a giant eyesore.
This was Touchdown Jesus last night.
Here's the odd thing: they're promising to rebuild it. You would think that it's a rather unambiguous sign when your giant idol is smitten by a bolt of lightning from heaven, erupts into an all-consuming conflagration, and burns to the ground that maybe Jehovah is a little bit fed up. Yet the Solid Rock Church plans to offend God again.
I guess they don't really believe.
pharyngula | June 14, 2010Grandpa Simpson is that old character in the animated show who tells odd, rambling stories. "We can't bust heads like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere - like the time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe, so, I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. 'Give me five bees for a quarter,' you'd say."…
pharyngula | June 13, 2010I've got to wonder: would the Inquisition give the maker of this toy a benediction, or would they tie him to a stick and set him on fire?
Also, could you get your money back if the loaves and fishes don't multiply, or if the glow-in-the-dark hands fail to heal your skinned knee?
Let's not even think about all the drunk kids reeling about when they use his power to turn water into wine.
pharyngula | June 12, 2010I am not easily grossed out, but this story hit me on a couple of levels.
Ex-porn star Houston says she became so used to marketing her celebrity status that when she got a labiaplasty, it was a no-brainer to encase her labia "trimmings" in lucite and sell them.
Labiaplasty is simply another form of female genital mutilation, so I find that repellent. That women feel compelled to get their genitals sculpted to fit some inappropriate ideal is criminal (the rest of the article at that link talks about how society discards porn stars). And that some sick, sick man has these lumps of flesh…
pharyngula | June 10, 2010I'm going to my high school reunion later this summer, and I've just had a revelation that will color the experience. A Catholic philosopher has exposed the awful truth.
In the column, published last week, the writer argued that one reason the children of gay parents should not be admitted to Catholic schools is the "real danger" that they would bring pornography to school.
I remember high school, and I remember some of the guys who would bring porn to school, or had it in their homes. I remember groups of guys getting together on the football field to snigger over the latest centerfold.
I…
pharyngula | June 10, 2010Oh, sure, this strategem may have given the LA Dodgers an edge for a few seasons:
Frank and Jamie McCourt, the multi-millionaire owners of the LA Dodgers, have been revealed to have employed a Russian scientist to beam thought waves to boost the team's chances.
That's over now, though. I urge all loyal readers to close your eyes, face LA, and beam baseball hatred at them. To really potentiate the effect, you can also wiggle your fingers and go "Nnnn-nna-nna-naaaaa" or speak in tongues while doing it. We're also going to pray for the New York Yankees*. Dodgers are dooooomed!
Although……
pharyngula | June 7, 2010Sadly for them, someone told them it meant relations in public.
It's hard to believe that no one at the magazine looked at that cover and noticed that it might have some unfortunate associations, especially given recent church history. Either they are extraordinarily naive, rather stupid, or somebody on the inside was engaging in a little media sabotage.
It's a conspiracy. I was sent another magazine cover.
Yeah, the Catholic church is full of mass debaters.
pharyngula | June 7, 2010The folks over at the Urban Dictionary have battened upon the word "atheist", and much hilarity follows. There is one reasonable definition in the bunch, and the rest are mostly indignant complaints by theists.
A worshipper of the self or the god of science, often unknowingly religious.
An atheist can speak of moral relativism, but not live it.
A person who denies the reality of God (particularly Jesus Christ, despite historical proof of His otherworldly being), and lives life 'free' trusting in science and 'logic'. This despite the fact that may be able to point out when and how the…
pharyngula | June 5, 2010I guess Zeno does. Good thing, too, or we would have missed this gem of inanity.
Someone writes in, worried that after they're dead, the ghosts of her parents and in-laws might follow her around, watching her have sex or go to the bathroom or other such private matters. Who knew the dead were all voyeurs? Anyway, Abby offers some dubious advice.
Calm down. The departed sometimes "visit" those with whom their souls were intertwined, but usually it's to offer strength, solace and reassurance during difficult times. If your mother-in-law's spirit visits you while you're intimate with her son, it…
pharyngula | June 2, 2010This is a thoughtful contemplation of online personas and what they mean to people. It also has some useful implications: "What will happen if Dublin is invaded by zombies?", indeed. I worry about that all the time.
Avatar Days from Piranha Bar on Vimeo.
pharyngula | May 31, 2010
Hippos have an odd habit of licking crocodiles — tempting as it may be to want to find out what makes them so yummy, it's not recommended unless you weigh a few tons and have the ability to bite them in half if they protest.