Posted inFun
California
Somebody told me that the place we call "California" was actually real and, as we have supposed upon surveying the news that emanates from there, not fictional. So I decided…
Posted inFun
Mental Magic and Psychology
I say, Thank God Penn & Teller reveal the workings of their magic tricks. We're all used to it now, but when they first got going they caused a lot…
Pink horror
Why do people occasionally enjoy having the bejesus scared out of themselves by watching horror movies? Maybe it's a way to relieve stress or to recall vague, primal memories of…
Posted inCulture Philosophy
Thou shalt not be more able
The funniest thing I have read in a long time comes from Robert Shibley, a member of "FIRE", the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (more details). The Virginia Tech…
Posted inCulture Philosophy
Gay marriage and tradition: a continuation
In Big Jake , John Wayne and Bruce Cabot ready themselves for the final battle against the bad guys. Wayne: Well, Sam, they say the elk in Montana are as…
Posted inBook review Culture Philosophy
A poor argument for gay marriage
James Randi, and the rest of the psi-cops, have increasingly strayed from their original---and self-appointed---role of policing pseudoscience and the paranormal, and are instead intent on doing battle with any…
Posted inBook review Culture
Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell
Recommendation: read When Fussell wrote in 1982 (and published in 1983), he said that acknowledging the class divisions that exist in America exist was poor form and that doing so…
Posted inStatistics
The Great Government CO2 Power Grab
The inevitable has happened. The Obama government has declared CO2---a nutrient required by plants to live, and a gas exhaled with your every breath---a pollutant. Let there be rejoicing in…