Weirdness
pharyngula | March 10, 2006The Schoepenhauer awards are a delectable collection of interesting descriptions of parasites, such as the roundworm.
Today we'll introduce you to the Intestinal Roundworm, a hideous parasite which infects one out of every four people in the world. That's not a misprint: one out of four. More than one and a half BILLION people. Yup, every fourth person on this planet is nothing but a travelling worm farm.
Sweeeeet, right?
But hey, do you remember that moment in a certain cult movie when Sean Connery, dressed in little more than bandoliers and a speedo, is rummaging through a library and…
pharyngula | March 5, 2006If you're a fan of kitsch and Christianity, don't read
this article. You'll think it starts out OK…
Thomas Kinkade is famous for his luminous landscapes and street scenes, those dreamy, deliberately inspirational images he says have brought "God's light" into people's lives, even as they have made him one of America's most collected artists.
A devout Christian who calls himself the "Painter of Light," Kinkade trades heavily on his beliefs and says God has guided his brush—and his life—for the last 20 years.
…but then you'll get stories of corruption, drunkenness, lewdness and groping, and…
pharyngula | March 4, 2006In case you were wondering, GrrlScientist has a link to Billboard's list of number one songs, so you can find out what people were listening to on important dates in recent history.
For instance, in the month when I was conceived, the number one song in the US was "Teddy Bear" by Elvis Presley, and on the day I was born it was "Young Love" by Tab Hunter. Mom does like Elvis, and those songs are so appropriate that this might beat astrology as a signifier of prospective character.
Unfortunately, the number one song on the day I was married was "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd. Never…
pharyngula | March 4, 2006Unlike Orac, I'm happy with the ship I've been assigned; I suspect Chris wouldn't mind ending up on the good ship Serenity, either, although Chad might have some gripes (oddly, I'm less bothered by the wacky physics of the Firefly universe than I am by the abominable biology of Trek).
We science bloggers really are a bunch of geeks, aren't we?
You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.
Serenity (Firefly)
88%
Deep…
pharyngula | February 26, 2006Mr Chicken, the Night Stalker, and now…Henry Morris. There is a kind of cosmic harmony to that trio, in that they all made a living with supernatural silliness to some degree, although Morris…nah, let's not speak ill of the dead.
pharyngula | February 20, 2006Cool. The Definitive Frink. This is going to be so useful for the researching and the webulating and the hu-uumm-hey, glayvin.
(via Recursivity)
pharyngula | February 20, 2006You'd think they'd freeze solid or something, and not really be a threat until the spring thaw. Now there's video footage of zombies rampaging across a frozen lake, so I guess maybe we should be concerned.
pharyngula | February 19, 2006It's an amusing clip from The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra…I'm going to have to see that movie someday.
pharyngula | February 18, 2006Dr Beckinsale visits the Discovery Institute
I saw the movie Underworld: Evolution last night. Stop looking at me like that—it was research. It has the word "evolution" in the title, doesn't it? Besides, I have this idea to improve the promotion of science by having all of our spokespeople be dangerously nubile armed women with good cheekbones, full lips, and very sharp teeth. I figure the two things we've been lacking in our presentations to the public are lust and fear, and if we can just bring those into play, we'll have an unbeatable combination.
As I learned at this movie, too, if you've…
pharyngula | February 17, 2006
I've always wanted to be on The Simpsons, and I think my head is probably potato-shaped enough to fit in perfectly, but the Simpsomaker doesn't have quite enough options. More facial hair! I need a full beard with a Flanders-like mustache for this to work.
At least it's easy to look like a Minnesotan.
(via Just a Bump in the Beltway)
pharyngula | February 16, 2006Gary has a most trenchant summary, but if any Whedon/Ellis fans need the full force of the conversation, it's here.
pharyngula | February 7, 2006I was asked to show some of my hate mail, but I'm afraid I'm not going to dig through all the ancient, musty piles of old email to find it—I have a hard enough time wading through the new stuff! Here's the most recent, though, which arrived just this evening, although I think it is in response to a post I wrote about a year and a half ago, Is Mike S. Adams a fool?. This stuff just keeps dribbling in.
Mike Adams is god. This statement of truth, however, leads me to another question. Simply put, are you a) a eunuch, b) a hairy-armed white female feminazi type with no discernible talent or c)…
pharyngula | February 5, 2006I've gotten a few links to interesting CafePress merchandise today. You can now get the Immortal Pinkoski's slogan, If you doubt this is possible, how is it there are PYGMIES + DWARFS?, on a t-shirt. Mona tells me that I can also get a fine selection of cephalopodous clothing, or samples of other interesting art—take a look at Platypus Rex.
It's a good thing I have a wife who scowls at me when I put on something outrageous, 'cause otherwise I'd be walking around with the weirdest outfits.
pharyngula | February 3, 2006Here's a spiffy picture.
It's almost ruined for me by the artist's description, though.
Here, raw sexual aggression is symbolized by the sperm whale, while the squid acts as a thinly-disguised metaphor for the multi-armed oligarchies of Rockefeller, Hearst, and Morgan. Their battle plays against the backdrop of the sea, standing in for—what else?—the vastness of the unconscious mind.
He can't possibly be serious. It reminded me more of this:
Forget the metaphors and monopolies and minds…it's just cooooool.
pharyngula | February 2, 2006Hrm. Well. Tut-tut-tut. Now we can see Flying Spaghetti Monster erotica.
Not exactly work-safe, but noodly bits are artfully draped to make it all a little less explicit.
pharyngula | February 2, 2006As a proud native of the great Pacific Northwest, when an article on one of our noblest creatures was mentioned to me, I had to read it. Here's the center of the story.
In July 2005, nine residents of Teslin, Yukon,
witnessed through a kitchen window a large bipedal
animal moving through the brush. The next morning, they
collected a tuft of coarse, dark hair and also observed a
footprint measuring 43 cm in length and 11.5 cm in width.
That's right: physical evidence, a footprint and hair, from…Bigfoot. The Sasquatch. A sample captured in the wild and brought into the lab. Pinned against the…
pharyngula | February 2, 2006
apostropher has the link to the video: penis fencing flatworms. They are impressively athletic.
pharyngula | January 31, 2006Our vampire candidate for governor, "the Impaler", has been arrested for "escape" and "stalking". I just have to say…Duh. What do you expect from a vampire?
(via MNSpeak)
pharyngula | January 27, 2006Until Orac sent me a link, I had no idea there was a Zapatopi weblog—it's going onto the blogroll right now.
It's the only weblog out there that I know of that has an octopus as a contributor. Or a Sasquatch.