New month, new pretty things to look at! This month’s masthead is taken from this photo I took during one of my many wanderlust adventures, in this case, at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, CA, in 2005. Enjoy! Although, I think I’ll miss those clouds from the July masthead.
“Futurama is back, and now we know in what form. The show will return on November 27th as a full-length high-def film sold on DVD. It will be followed by three additional films, and each film will be divided into four episodes each to be aired on Comedy Central. So, that’s 4 DVD movies or 16 new episodes depending on how you look at it.”.. Link to TV Squad report from Comic-Con
“One goal of the anti-choice movement is to outlaw abortion. But, as Anna Quindlen points out, anti-choice activists are almost never able to identify what the legal consequences should be for women who terminate their pregnancies. So, pro-lifers, tell me: What should the penalty be? How much time in jail should a woman face for abortion?“… Link to Jill Filipovic at the Huffington Post
“Booksellers are not scientists, maybe we shouldn’t expect them to be able to discern between science and books desperately trying to wrap themselves in scientific credibility. I, however, am a scientist – and I can clearly see when an error has been made when stocking the shelves of the science section… It is my mission to correctly re-shelve books to the appropriate section of the bookstore.”… Link to Biologists Helping Bookstores
Two weeks ago, Dale Carrico tagged me for a meme that I was really looking forward to answering, but I realized it was the sort of thing I actually wanted to think about. And there’s not much thinking going on around here lately! But there’s not much sleeping, either. And last night I finally sat down to think about some of the answers. Here’s what I was working with: Read the rest of this entry »
I was sent this YouTube link by Joshua. I won’t embed it because of my columned formatting here, but I cannot recommend strongly enough that you click through and watch it.
I don’t know what this technology is (when I asked Joshua if he knew his answer was “wizards”).
I’ll skip the extended commentary on how obviously the first use of futuristic tech in clothing is to transform women from victorian-modest to nearly (or completely) naked. You can think about the exhibition at your leisure. But you should watch the video ASAP. And tell me what’s going on.
The future is now!
I’ve got nothing to say here that hasn’t been said better by The Bad Astronomer or Pharyngula:
How can anyone be surprised at this turn of events? Governor Goodhair of Texas has appointed a flaming, blatant, unashamed creationist and friend of the Discovery Institute, Don McLeroy, to head the Texas State Board of Education.
And here you can see a bit of what this fellow believes:
My Personal Confession
Given all the time in the world, I don’t think I could make a spider out of a rock. However, most of the books we are considering adopting, claim that Nothing made a spider out of a rock.
I don’t think I share a common ancestor with a tree. However, most of the books we are considering adopting, claim as a fact that we all share a common ancestor with a tree.
I don’t care where you live – if you can’t see how this affects you, whoever you are and whatever your place in the world, then you need to think about your interactions with society a bit more.
We’re happy to announce the inclusion, beginning this week, of the index to the JREF library, proudly labeled “The Isaac Asimov Library.” This is accessible to all readers by a simple click…As soon as we can put someone on the job, we’ll be offering these books for loan by mail. This will extend the reach of the JREF considerably, providing access to data that can serve students, writers, publishers, and the merely curious reader. Link to announcement at James Randi’s Swift.
A new dye due to hit tattoo parlors this fall will provide an exit strategy of sorts for people who have thought about getting a tattoo, then wondered if they might someday have regrets. The permanent but removable ink is made by storing dye in microscopic capsules that will stay in the skin for good. But if that butterfly tattoo on the small of your back starts looking lame, it can be zapped away with a single laser treatment that is simpler and less painful than the barrage of treatments now needed.… Link to CNN.com
I’ve been known to send political messages to my representatives (although I admit that I’m 99% more likely to do it when the appropriate lobby group sets up nice easy forms for me to click through). I’ve mentioned once before (in this blog’s previous incarnation, circa 2004) that the responses I receive actually make me feel as though our democracy isn’t hopelessly defunct.
Today’s response came in the form of email instead of via pony express, but it had equally lovely things to say:
Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which makes it illegal to discriminate in the workplace based on sexual orientation. I am proud to be a cosponsor and long-time advocate of this important legislation.
Throughout my term in public office I have supported the rights of individuals in the labor force, including the rights of gays and lesbians. As a member of the Oregon State House of Representatives, I had the privilege of chairing the legislature’s first hearing on gay rights in 1973. After my service in the State House, I continued to support anti-discrimination initiatives at the county and city level. Now in Congress, I have continued this fight. In addition to supporting ENDA, I proudly cosponsored and voted for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007to advance the ultimate goal of eliminating discrimination in our society. We have a long way to go to ensure the equality and safety of all citizens. I appreciate your letter and will continue to support efforts to defend human rights for every individual regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.Sincerely,
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress
Politically speaking, I should never leave this state.