Posted by JCE
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Here is a commercial from the Discovery Channel that pretty much sums up how I feel:
I love science, I love discovering new things, I love thinking, I love the earth and the moon and the stars and the sun, I love watching people and how they interact, I love watching things grow...yeah, I love the world!
(h/t to BGH for sending me the link)
Posted by Pariahjane
The band, that is. These guys are great and incredibly talented. From time to time I like to post about bands that I think deserve more coverage than they are receiving. There are too many untalented groups out there that are getting air play while those that are really making amazing music get pushed to the wayside.
From Pitchfork Media (http://www.pitchfork.media.com/), this review is of their latest album Liars and probably could do them more justice than I ever could.Much of Liars is rhythmically simplistic-- even brutish-- giving it an unexpected caveman thrill after the more cerebral Drum. In some ways, it hearkens back to the beefy punk-funk of the band's earliest material, where they bulked up the skinny-legged skronk of the Gang of Four and James Chance on a meat-and-potatoes diet. But in other ways this heft feels totally new-- classic rock moves melted into a noisy reduction. "Clear Island" and "Plaster Casts of Everything" both throb to the kind of riffs and howling keyboards that go right for the American rock fan's lizard brain.
It's hard for me to pick a favorite album but I do have to say that Drums Not Dead would be a great first time album for someone who is new to Liars eclectic beats and raw sounds.
Check out the video for Houseclouds from their album Liars. Hope you enjoy!
Posted by Pariahjane
Well, it's Friday and the weekend is almost here (finally!) I just received this link from a friend and thought it was incredibly clever and very, very funny.
I'm not exactly a huge fan of cats, mainly because I break into hives and can't breathe when I'm around them but these cats are hysterical. I couldn't tell if they engineer was making some of those cat sounds or if that was really a cat!
Hope you all enjoy!
Posted by BGH
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Sometimes what is perceived to be a "stupid" answer is not necessarily a "wrong" answer, especially in the world of game shows. The putt wasn't really that big of a deal, but some of the answers were surprising and then they ended up being correct too.
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Posted by BGH
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See pictures in full size here, Lunar Eclipse Pictures.
Song "Wrong Company" from Flogging Molly," Within A Mile From Home".
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Posted by BGH
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How does the wall between rationality and faith get built?
Most functional adults possess a fair amount critical thinking skills, ones they use on a daily basis. If a person did not use some modicum of 'claim evaluation', it is likely they would barely function in society.
So I want to know, not because I am being rhetorical, but because I would like to honestly understand how does one apply critical thought to nearly every aspect of their daily life, yet when it comes to doctrines of faith these processes shut down. They seem to be literally blocked, stopped by a wall like barrier.
If a mechanic were to tell you, when picking your car up from repair, that he used divine power to miniaturize himself in order to crawl into the engine and make the repair, therefore it will cost an extra $400, would you not be skeptical? Would you pay the bill based on 'faith'? Why not? What if he claimed, because of a 1000yr old text that has no traceability to the original source, he has faith enough to base all car repairs on this method? Sounds silly, doesn't it?
This is what I mean, as adults the skepticism must be there in our daily interactions so that we do not get bilked out of every dime and to help us make decisions based on the facts as we interpret them. But, somehow, somewhere in our youth we are taught to erect a structure around this 'god' area and to defend the barrier with fervor and might.
So, as 'believers' we display our ignorance when confronted with something that may conflict with the doctrine we were taught. We argue against evolutionary theory as if it were the devil incarnate, we use asinine arguments against scientific findings we feel threaten the faith, we straw man the claims and evidence of science so that we do not have to face the facts, and we do all this to keep the critical thought out of the magical mythology playground of the mind called the 'god box'.
Science is not evil, it is nothing but a method of discerning fact from fiction in order to learn about the world. Critical thinking adults should be able to put observation and inference before myth so that we may breakdown the tall, cold wall protecting these unsubstantiated beliefs, and let reason freely flow is ALL parts of the brain.
Here is a video I saw on PZ Myers Pharyngula blog this morning, it is hard to believe this man is a functioning member of society.
(this video is a disgusting display of willful ignorance and a compartmentalized mind)
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Posted by BGH
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This is a departure post from our usual material, but I am happy to see one of the best (in my opinion) receive this honor.
One of my favorite actors of all time, Christopher Walken, has won Harvard's, 'Hasty Pudding Man Of The Year', award.
Walken gets Harvard Hasty Pudding award
His portrayal of the demented 'bad guy' role is eerily dead on, and his delivery of deadpan comedy is a thing of wonder.
Walken's role in Pulp Fiction as a fellow P.O.W. who brings a watch home to comrade's son is demented and twisted, while his depiction of mob bosses in movies like True Romance and Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead are chilling, even his delivery of archangel Gabriel in The Prophecy will scare the wits out of you.
Some of the best comedy he has delivered has been on Saturday Night Live, as 'The Continental', an insane 'Prankster' who kills a coworker with a tire iron, and the demanding music producer, Bruce Dickinson calling for "more cowbell" (see video below).
Enjoy!
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Posted by BGH
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I am not sure what the defendant was being charged with but apparently he was unhappy with his representation. I thought at most arraignment hearings the defendants are are cuffed as a matter of procedure. There is clearly no jury in the jury-box so I assume it was a preliminary hearing.
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Posted by BGH
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This is a ridiculously funny video of Tarantino's take on the true meaning behind the movie, 'Top Gun', starring Tom Cruise. I never really looked at the movie from this angle, but the next time I catch it on TV I certainly won't look at it the same way.
via videosift.com
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Posted by BGH
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I am still amazed by people who hit their brakes on ice and start to slide, but continue to hold the pedal down. If you'd let off the brake and let it coast you would fair much better...
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Posted by Pariahjane
A very interesting and relatively cheesy video about mind control.
Posted by BGH
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This was too funny when I read the title. Apparently, the Christian Saviour will be martyred once again unless the 'poopie' (why do I find that word being used in the letter so damn funny?) is cleaned up.
She won't press charges as long Jesus isn't harmed.... Pontius Pilate, you have some explaining to do, possible charges.
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Posted by BGH
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I don't know how I missed this before, it is an old clip, I have heard it before. Yet, somehow I missed Mike's insight that he has a better grasp of morality than his own god.
To many Evangelical Christians, such as Mike Huckabee, it is completely reasonable for their 'God' to punish all of humanity for original sin and only through acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Saviour are you saved. In essence, punishing the children (humanity) for the sins of the parents (Adam and Eve), is reprehensible in the eyes of this bible thumping U.S. Presidential Candidate.
Pay very close attention at the 0.33 second mark and you will hear him say it with his own two lips.
GOV. HUCKABEE: In all due respect, we're a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We're a better country than that.Doesn't Mike realize that is EXACTLY what the god he worships says he will do, punish mankind for the sins of the parents?
Posted by Pariahjane
While I think that most religious beliefs are a tad silly, the Mormons take the cake.
Posted by BGH
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An awesome video I ran across on Harvard's Microrobotics website describing how they engineered a micro-robot near the size and with very similar mechanics of flight as a housefly. The most interesting parts for me were the wing design and the fabrication of the insect. An added bonus is that the materials are very inexpensive and the modeling phase is relatively short. The possible applications are very intriguing.
Science is so cool!
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Posted by Pariahjane
This is really funny. It's a little slow at first but give it a chance - you won't regret it!
