Open Thread
pharyngula | May 26, 2009I am mired in meetings today (yes, it's summer, I'm on a 9 month appointment, and I'm also on sabbatical…but necessity has roped me in yet again). I'm going to be wrestling with academic obligations almost all day, so you're going to have to entertain yourselves for a bit. Here's an open thread, say what you think!
For a little ferocious inflammatory commentary to prime the pump, here's Pat Condell.
grrlscientist | May 13, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, Lincoln Center, Julliard School
A view of Manhattan from the Julliard School,
located in Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 May 2009 [larger view].
I posted this picture of Manhattan, which I snapped yesterday, to let you know that I am thinking of you, but I am working hard on a writing project right now. My deadline is Friday, and I am hopeful that I will deliver a good product. As you know, Friday evening, I will be visiting AMNH's sneak preview of their new mammals exhibit, so I won't be doing much…
pharyngula | May 4, 2009Let me just say: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRGGGHG. It's the last week of classes here; I have to finish a big pile of grading, and there's a hogshead of administrative work hanging over my head. I also chose, freely and of my own irresponsible will, to flit off to New York for a pleasant weekend with a mob of science nerds and English majors (and unholy chimeras of the two), which has put me even further behind. I'm stepping away from my thin metal and glass interface to the universe of the interweebles to get some work done. You'll just have to chat among yourselves about something or other for a…
pharyngula | April 9, 2009I am unrepentantly pandering to the current obsessions I see in the comment threads with this link: bacon will help you get over a hangover.
This observation needs to be scientifically tested. Report back with the results of your trials.
pharyngula | April 2, 2009Another blog entry tops the 1K mark: I'm closing the God, abortionist thread and opening this one up for any spillover. Clearly, we need faster, more powerful servers to keep up with the chatter going on here.
Again, I've lost track of whatever the subject was, so I guess you can talk about anything.
pharyngula | April 1, 2009The Science of Watchmen thread has bloated up abominably, and the topics have wandered far afield. It is now closed, but you can talk about whatever right here, instead.
pharyngula | March 26, 2009There was a good suggestion in the comments that I have a thread dedicated to suggestions for a new car. I do have criteria: it should be amphibious, it must have tentacles, and the ability to fire a cloud of ink is desirable; it must also at least have mounts in place for a bank of lasers. I need a squidmobile.
Unfortunately, any new vehicle is not for me, but for my wife, Mary (I get to inherit her decrepit Honda Civic). She has different requirements. This would be a commuter car to get her to and from work every day; our first need is for safety, then good gas mileage and efficiency,…
pharyngula | March 23, 2009I've received a few queries about the end of the Battlestar Galactica series, and I can't offer an opinion — I didn't watch it. Since there seems to be enough fans here, though, I'll turn you loose on it. Great? Sucked? Eh?
I didn't watch it because I haven't watched much of the series at all. There are a couple of reasons: 1) I'm old enough to remember the original BSG, and was not at all interested (I know, it's radically different, but I didn't know that at the beginning); 2) it's on the Sci-Fi Channel, which has become the label of instant recognition for cheesy formulaic crap; 3) I did…
tlambert | March 18, 2009By request here is a new thread for folks to argue with Tim Curtin. Tim, this is the only thread you are allowed to post on.
pharyngula | March 14, 2009I have a horrendous series of connections to get home — Bloomington → Atlanta → Detroit → Minneapolis — and I'm getting these annoying email alerts from the airline every 20 minutes warning me of problems and delays in my various connections. Apparently, there's some storm in Atlanta that is messing up schedules all over the place. So maybe I won't get home. Maybe I'll be trapped in airports for days on end. The best result at this point is that I drag my tired frame home late, late tonight.
So…Open Thread! Fill the void caused by my absence with interesting conversation about whatever you…
pharyngula | February 22, 2009It's been quiet here today for a good reason: I'm facing a bunch of deadlines, and I told myself I'd stay offline until I'd met them. I haven't met them quite yet, but I hate leaving the blog dead for a day…so I'm just offering this note of explanation, and setting this up as an open thread.
Now I'm gone again, back to my labors.
pharyngula | February 9, 2009People are requesting an open thread to just talk about whatever they want, and I'm willing to oblige. Here you go. Let it all hang out.
However, since I'm a tyrant who must meddle to some degree, I impose one restriction: no libertarianism. It's a cancer that is taking over way too many threads, and I'm contemplating making it grounds for banning, as it's the same thing as the godbotting evangelical stuff. I'll delete anything that goes down that tiresome road in this thread.
And if you mention Ayn Rand, you will be taken out and shot. <Wait, guards, not me! Any mention of she-who-will-…