by Dietsch on August 30, 2005
Americans are scientifically illiterate, reports the Times. For example:
One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth, an idea science had abandoned by the 17th century.
The CIA Factbook tells me that there are roughly 235 million Americans above the age of 14. I don’t know how many of those are adults, meaning 18 or older, but let’s say 90%.
That means 42.3 million Americans believe the Sun revolves around the Earth.
42.3 million.
That is astonishing.
[Links: Scientific Savvy? In U.S., Not Much - New York Times; CIA -- The World Factbook -- United States]
by Dietsch on August 26, 2005
I always thought Deepak Chopra was a bullshit artist and a scammer, but his questions about evolution are delightfully stupid. Various commenters on the blog address his questions, as do a few science blogs (I’ll link to one below), but here’s my favorite among his questions:
7. What happens when simple molecules come into contact with life? Oxygen is a simple molecule in the atmosphere, but once it enters our lungs, it becomes part of the cellular machinery, and far from wandering about randomly, it precisely joins itself with other simple molecules, and together they perform cellular tasks, such as protein-building, whose precision is millions of times greater than anything else seen in nature. If the oxygen doesn’t change physically — and it doesn’t — what invisible change causes it to acquire intelligence the instant it contacts life?
Let me repeat this: If the oxygen doesn’t change physically — and it doesn’t — what invisible change causes it to acquire intelligence the instant it contacts life?
So, oxygen becomes smart as soon as we breathe it in? Really? I had no idea! So that must mean that when I drink beer, it becomes super-intelligent beer! Genius beer, even!
But wait. What happens to beer’s genius when I go take a piss?
[Link: Intelligent Design Without the Bible, via Kottke; Moonbat anti-evolutionist: Deepak Chopra]
Edited to turn on comments and to add that among the commenters on Deepak entry is Steven Colbert.
by Dietsch on August 25, 2005
by Dietsch on August 23, 2005
by Dietsch on August 18, 2005
Hey, those of you who give a damn about these things, please go over here and help me test the beta version of MT 3.2. I’ll probably upgrade on the main blogs as soon as 3.2 leaves beta.
It’ll be especially helpful if you leave comments since I want to play around with the Community features in 3.2. If you have a TypeKey ID, try posting comments both with and without it. If you don’t know what I mean, don’t sweat it.
Don’t worry about the design on the test blog. I’m just using the default MT templates (which, admittedly, are much, much nicer than the old defaults), and I’ll be using my own design after I upgrade this blog.
Okay, thanks.
by Dietsch on August 15, 2005
From the can’t-believe-they-said-it department (emphasis added):
In his ribald and tender first book, “Wild Animals I Have Known: Polk Street Diaries and After” (Green Candy Press, 2002), and now in a new memoir, “Let’s Shut Out the World” (Green Candy Press), Mr. Bentley announces himself to a gay literary scene suffering from middle-aged doldrums. And he does so in back-door fashion, with a diary and a memoir whose substance is, raunchily, bracingly and tenderly sex.
[Link]
by Dietsch on August 1, 2005
Let’s see whether I have this straight. Makers of P2P software are responsible for illegal or harmful uses of their products; gunmakers are not. Property rights outstrip the right to life, unless, of course, you’re a fetus.
