Pharyngula

Pharyngula http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal en Copyright 2008 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:45:33 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.35 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 282607http://www.feedburner.com CNN screws the pooch <p class="lead">As part of an ongoing program of reducing their relevance and demolishing their credibility, <a title="Miles O'Brien To Leave CNN. Network Shutters Science, Space and Tech Unit - mediabistro.com: TVNewser" href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/cnn/miles_obrien_to_leave_cnn_network_shutters_science_space_and_tech_unit_102312.asp">CNN has just completely shut down their Science, Space and Technology unit</a>. Who needs good science coverage, after all, since nothing important happens in that area…and as the US continues to dumb down its educational system, the number of interested viewers is probably dropping, too.</p> <p>The media knows where the profits lie, and it's not in that expensive journalism stuff — it's in the cheap and popular domain of opinionated airheads shouting at each other. This is symptomatic of a deep intellectual rot in this country.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cnn_screws_the_pooch.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474946941" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474946941/cnn_screws_the_pooch.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cnn_screws_the_pooch.php Media Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:45:33 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cnn_screws_the_pooch.php A Natural History of Seeing: The Art and Science of Vision <p class="lead">Simon Ings has written a wonderful survey of the eye, called <i>A Natural History of Seeing: The Art and Science of Vision</i><sup><span style="font-size: 9px;">(<a href="http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/039306719X/pharyngula-20" target="_new" title="buy this book at amazon">amzn</a>/<a href="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=41505966&bfpid=039306719X&bfmtype=book" target="_new" title="buy this book at barnes&noble">b&n</a>/<a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1772498-9836638?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abebooks.com%2Fservlet%2FSearchResults%3Fisbn=039306719X&cm_ven=CJ&cm_cat=1616003&cm_pla=1772498&cm_ite=Abebooks-Book+Redirection+Allowed" target="_new" title="buy this book at abebooks">abe</a>/<a href="http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/partner?partner_id=30010&cgi=product&isbn=039306719X" target="_new" title="buy this book at Powells">pwll</a>)</span></sup>, and it's another of those books you ought to be sticking on your Christmas lists right now. The title give you an idea of its content. It's a "natural history", so don't expect some dry exposition on deep details, but instead look forward to a light and readable exploration of the many facets of vision.</p> <p>There is a discussion of the evolution of eyes, of course, but the topics are wide-ranging — Ings covers optics, chemistry, physiology, optical illusions, decapitated heads, Edgar Rice Burroughs' many-legged, compound-eyed apts, <i>pointillisme</i>, cephalopods (how could he not?), scurvy, phacopids, Purkinje shifts…you get the idea. It's a hodge-podge, a little bit of everything, a fascinating cabinet of curiousities where every door opened reveals some peculiar variant of an eye.</p> <p>Don't think it's lacking in science, though, or is entirely superficial. This is a book that asks the good questions: how do we know what we know? Each topic is addressed by digging deep to see how scientists came to their conclusion, and often that means we get an entertaining story from history or philosophy or the lab. Explaining the evolution of our theories of vision, for example, leads to the story of Abu'Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Haythem, who pretended to be mad to avoid the cruelty of a despotic Caliph, and who spent 12 years in a darkened house doing experiments in optics (perhaps calling him "mad" really wasn't much of a stretch), and emerged at the death of the tyrant with an understanding of refraction and a good theory of optics that involved light, instead of mysterious vision rays emerging from an eye. Ings is also a novelist, and it shows — these are stories that inform and lead to a deeper understanding.</p> <p>If the book has any shortcoming, though, it is that some subjects are barely touched upon. Signal transduction and molecular evolution are given short shrift, for example, but then, if every sub-discipline were given the depth given to basic optics, this book would be unmanageably immense. Enjoy it for what it is: a literate exploration of the major questions people have asked about eyes and vision for the last few thousand years.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/a_natural_history_of_seeing_th.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474835122" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474835122/a_natural_history_of_seeing_th.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/a_natural_history_of_seeing_th.php Books Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:55:32 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/a_natural_history_of_seeing_th.php Imagine 130,000 breasts bobbing in the sea <p class="lead">Some men's magazine was planning a cheesy promotion: they were going to include inflatable breasts with an issue. Sad news, though: <a title="Ralph magazine loses 130,000 inflatable boobs at sea " href="http://www.watoday.com.au/national/storm-in-a-ccup--130000-boobs-lost-at-sea-20081202-6pa5.html">the crate has been lost at sea</a>. </p> <p>There is some speculation that pirates are responsible. Very lonely, tasteless pirates.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/imagine_130000_breasts_bobbing.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474789143" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474789143/imagine_130000_breasts_bobbing.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/imagine_130000_breasts_bobbing.php Weirdness Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:47:37 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/imagine_130000_breasts_bobbing.php Give Bill O'Reilly apoplexy <p class="lead">I have a suspicion that that <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/mmmmmmm_yummy.php">photo of squid guts</a> in the last post is going to make a few people feel squeamish, and now I'm going to show something even worse: Bill O'Reilly. <cue frantic screams from everyone…"More squid guts! Please! Anything but Billo!"></p> <div class="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CIyQTHelV88&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CIyQTHelV88&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div> <p><i>Of course</i> Billo is outraged at the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/good_for_washington.php">news from Washington state</a>. How dare they allow atheists to express themselves? This is a Judeo-Christian nation, and only Christians are allowed to have a voice in the public square (Jews, too, as long as they're quiet and willing to pretend that they're pre-Christians).</p> <p>He urges his listeners to howl dementedly at Governor Gregoire. I may not have quite the reach of <a href="http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/billoreilly/a/oreillyquotes.htm">Mr Falafel</a>, but I'll suggest that you <a href="http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/">write polite, supportive letters to Gregoire</a> as an antidote. If you want a little instant gratification, there's also a poll to crash: <a href="http://www.micropoll.com/akira/microPollView.do?ID=122864">Under freedom of expression do you approve of the atheist representation at the State Capitol?</a>. It's split 51:49 right now.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/give_bill_oreilly_apoplexy.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474691345" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474691345/give_bill_oreilly_apoplexy.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/give_bill_oreilly_apoplexy.php Stupidity Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:03:06 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/give_bill_oreilly_apoplexy.php Mmmm-mmm. Yummy! <p class="lead">So you've got a 30lb. squid. What are you going to do with it? Follow along with the <a href="http://www.offalgood.com/site/uncategorized/giant-humboldt-squid">photo guide</a> and turn it into something delicious.</p> <div class="center"><img alt="guts.jpeg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/04/guts.jpeg" width="372" height="457" /></div> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/mmmmmmm_yummy.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474691346" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474691346/mmmmmmm_yummy.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/mmmmmmm_yummy.php Cephalopods Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:46:38 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/mmmmmmm_yummy.php Nice eyes <p class="lead">Also, nice footage of the Indonesian Mimetic Octopus.</p> <div class="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H8oQBYw6xxc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H8oQBYw6xxc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div> <p>(via <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/the_indonesian_mimetic_octopus.php">GrrlScientist</a>)</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/nice_eyes.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474474350" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474474350/nice_eyes.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/nice_eyes.php Cephalopods Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:54:15 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/nice_eyes.php National science standards? <p class="lead">I'll believe them when I see them. <a title="Greg Laden's Blog : National Science Standards: We can haz!" href="http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2008/12/national_science_standards_we.php">Greg Laden says we should all vote on this idea</a>: that we ought to rather thoroughly revamp how science is taught in this country by <a href="http://www.change.org/ideas/view/create_nationally_required_science_standards">setting national science standards on the teaching of evolution</a>. I'd like to see it if it could be done well, but I predict that such an initiative would set up some awesome squealing from the creationists…which is another reason to support it.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/national_science_standards.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474361708" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474361708/national_science_standards.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/national_science_standards.php Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:51:18 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/national_science_standards.php Florida! <p class="lead">The temperatures here in Morris are dropping into the single digits °F, snow is on the ground and probably not going away until the spring, and the lakes are all frozen over — we spotted our first icehouse on Lake Minnewaska last weekend. So what does that mean? I'm flying south this weekend, to Orlando, Florida!</p> <p>I'll be <a href="http://ucf.facebook.com/event.php?eid=50404621784">speaking at the University of Central Florida</a> on Friday, 5 December, at 7pm in Communications Building 101. Afterwards, we <i>tentatively</i> plan to adjourn to the <a href="http://www.eatdrinkandbelazy.com/">Lazy Moon</a> for refreshments — we can't be certain because it's a pizza place in a college town, so we may not be able to squeeze in, depending on how many show up. I'll post an update if we have to move elsewhere.</p> <p>On Saturday, 6 December, I'll be <a href="http://calendar.activedatax.com/rollins/EventList.aspx?fromdate=12/3/2008&todate=12/16/2008&display=Range&type=public&eventidn=2025&view=EventDetails&information_id=7427">speaking at Rollins College</a>, at 6:30pm in Crummer Hall. I don't have specific post-babbling plans there, yet, so perhaps someone can suggest something.</p> <p>I fly away, mission accomplished, on Pearl Harbor day, that Sunday. I have to be a little concerned, though, that the shock of traveling from Florida to frigid Minnesota might be a bit dangerous. I'll step off the plane in my flip-flops and bermudas and Hawaiian shirt and shatter from the shock. That means this might be the last time anyone gets to see me, so you better show up.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/florida.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474101086" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474101086/florida.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/florida.php Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:23:23 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/florida.php If you can't stand Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song, don't listen to this <p class="lead">It's exactly the same, except it's about atheists instead of Jews. Funny, but also grating.</p> <div class="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CFqSNpK9vm8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CFqSNpK9vm8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/if_you_cant_stand_adam_sandler.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/474035509" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/474035509/if_you_cant_stand_adam_sandler.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/if_you_cant_stand_adam_sandler.php Humor Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:46:51 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/if_you_cant_stand_adam_sandler.php Ken Ham: still whining, but an online poll supports him <p class="lead">Yeah, poor Ken — he's still <a href="http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/aroundtheworld/2008/12/03/zoo-museum-controversy-continues/">distressed that his attempt to prop up his credibility with the Cincinnati Zoo's was foiled</a>. He's also complaining about an "atheist (a professor from the University of Minnesota-Morris)" who engineered his defeat. I wonder who that might be?</p> <p>Even more foolishly, though, he cites an <i>online poll</i> to back up his claims.</p> <blockquote class="creationist"><p>The news website NKY.com (<a href="http://nky.cincinnati.com/">http://nky.cincinnati.com/</a>) ran an online poll on the controversy. They gave the following options:</p> <p> YES--The museum promotes a religious point of view that conflicts with the zoo's scientific mission. </p><p> NO--The promotion does not mean that the zoo endorses the museum or that the museum endorses the zoo. </p><p> As of last night, 86% voted "NO--The promotion does not mean that the zoo endorses the museum or that the museum endorses the zoo." I know this is not a statistically valid poll, but I think it does show, as we have seen many times before, that most people are not intolerant. Sadly, it is an intolerant minority that can intimidate people to give in on matters they should take a stand on.</p></blockquote> <p>Crazy innumerate wacko. He notes that it is not "statistically valid", and then in the same sentence claims it "does show". No, it doesn't, Ken. All it shows is that creationist fans beat science fans to this particular poll.</p> <p>But we can fix that, can't we, boys and girls?</p> <p>The <a href="http://nky.cincinnati.com/">poll</a> currently stands at 17% yes, 83% no, with a bit over 400 votes total. I suspect we can scramble that all around within an hour.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/ken_ham_still_whining_but_an_o.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473927628" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473927628/ken_ham_still_whining_but_an_o.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/ken_ham_still_whining_but_an_o.php Pointless polls Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:58:23 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/ken_ham_still_whining_but_an_o.php Prop 8: The Musical <p class="lead">It's a very <i>happy</i> song.</p> <div class="center"><object width="464" height="388" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="key=c0cf508ff8" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed width="464" height="388" flashvars="key=c0cf508ff8" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" src="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div style="text-align:center;width: 464px;">See more <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/jackblack">Jack Black</a> videos at Funny or Die</div></div> <p>The resolution is a little too pat, though. One thing we've learned from the last 20 years is that people will gladly vote against their economic well-being to support bizarre social values.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/prop_8_the_musical.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473907695" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473907695/prop_8_the_musical.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/prop_8_the_musical.php Weirdness Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:26:08 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/prop_8_the_musical.php Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefishes for the Home Aquarium <p class="lead">It's December, and Squidmas is coming. Maybe you're like me, and the kids have all moved out, so you're thinking having a little intelligent life at home would be nice. Or maybe you're kids are still home, and you think they'd love a pretty pet. Or maybe you just love cephalopods, as do we all, so you're thinking, hey, let's get an aquarium and an octopus! What a fun idea!</p> <p>One word of advice: <b>NO</b>. Don't do it. You can't just rush into these things.</p> <p>Here's a positive suggestion, though. Start reading <a href="http://tonmo.com/">TONMO</a>, the octopus news magazine online, regularly. If you haven't been reading it already, you aren't worthy of owning a cephalopod anyway. If you start dreaming about tentacles, then maybe you can consider feeding your obsession by <i>planning</i> to get a cephalopod of your own.</p> <p>Second positive suggestion: buy a copy of <i>Cephalopods: Octopuses and Cuttlefishes for the Home Aquarium</i><sup><span style="font-size: 9px;">(<a href="http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793806585/pharyngula-20" target="_new" title="buy this book at amazon">amzn</a>/<a href="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181&sourceid=41505966&bfpid=0793806585&bfmtype=book" target="_new" title="buy this book at barnes&noble">b&n</a>/<a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1772498-9836638?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abebooks.com%2Fservlet%2FSearchResults%3Fisbn=0793806585&cm_ven=CJ&cm_cat=1616003&cm_pla=1772498&cm_ite=Abebooks-Book+Redirection+Allowed" target="_new" title="buy this book at abebooks">abe</a>/<a href="http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/partner?partner_id=30010&cgi=product&isbn=0793806585" target="_new" title="buy this book at Powells">pwll</a>)</span></sup> by Colin Dunlop and Nancy King. This is <i>essential</i>. All in one place and in a very practical way, it describes all the important information you'll need to successfully keep a cephalopod in your home, and it may discourage all but the most fervent. Here are a few of the reasons you should not try to keep cephalopods, gleaned from this book and my reading of TONMO.</p> <ul> <li><p>They are difficult to raise. You will need a well-maintained salt water aquarium, which with all the apparatus required can be quite expensive, and you will need to invest a fair amount of time every day in maintenance. This is a job for a serious aquarist.</p></li> <li><p>They need live foods. What this means for most of us is that you'll need two tanks — one for the octopus and another to raise the octopus's food.</p></li> <li><p>A cephalopod's life is one of heart-breaking brevity. They do not live for long, even in the wild, so no matter what, you're going to have a pet funeral every six months to a year.</p></li> <li><p>There are few species that you can keep. Most can't live in the confines of a tank, a few are very dangerous, and many are rare, and it would be unethical to strip natural environments of these precious specimens.</p></li> <li><p>It will eat just about anything else you try to put in the aquarium. The cephalopod and its food will be the only creatures you will have.</p></li> <li><p>Forget keeping one as a pet—a cephalopod in the house is your Lord and Master, and you will serve it everyday. Forget those silly ideas that this will be your little pal, it is going to rule you.</p></li> </ul> <p>If you aren't yet discouraged, then you know your proper place in the universe and can consider getting a cephalopod. In order to figure out how to do so, you will first have to <a href="http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793806585/pharyngula-20" title="buy this book at amazon">buy this book</a>: it contains all the information you will need to proceed. Plus, it's beautifully illustrated with photographs of the beloved class, so you'll enjoy reading it, and it therefore makes an excellent Squidmas gift. Then what you may do is purchase a salt-water aquarium and supplies, but at first you should only raise something boring, like damselfish. Master the art of maintaining a stable aquarium for at least a year, and then you may consider obtaining a cephalopod for it. Conceivably, then, you could have one for <i>next</i> Squidmas. But don't even dream of it yet.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cephalopods_octopuses_and_cutt.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473840452" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473840452/cephalopods_octopuses_and_cutt.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cephalopods_octopuses_and_cutt.php Books Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:00:28 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/cephalopods_octopuses_and_cutt.php Kodos or Kang? <p class="lead">I've always wondered where this strange meme of one-eyed cephalopods came from — here's a poster from the heyday of B movies that suggests it has been around for at least 50 years.</p> <div class="center"><img alt="one-eyed_ceph.jpeg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/03/one-eyed_ceph.jpeg" width="425" height="673" /></div> <p>That's from a site with a <a href="http://www.picerpic.com/posters_of_the_best_movies_in_history.htm">collection of old movie posters</a>, that brings up old memories. I used to pedal my bike over by the old Vale movie theater in Kent right after school to browse the coming attractions. Most were pretty forgettable, but when it was always exciting to discover one of these cheesy posters (and the cheesier the better) heralding a monster movie for the Saturday matinee. A lot of these look very familiar.</p> <p>Oh, and if the theater didn't offer us any tacky thrills, there was a Saturday afternoon movie series on the TV that would fill in for us, giving us an education in quality film from the 40s and 50s that featured cheap makeup and clumsy costumes.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/kodos_or_kang.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473815142" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473815142/kodos_or_kang.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/kodos_or_kang.php Weirdness Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:02:05 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/kodos_or_kang.php Colbert and Buttars <p class="lead">The war on Christmas is heating up. Look: here's Colbert <i>mocking</i> atheists. He sneers at our atheist Christmas cards, and even laughs at our letters to our families.</p> <div class="center"><style type='text/css'>.cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;}</style><div class='cc_box' style='position:relative'><a href='http://www.comedycentral.com' target='_blank' style='display:inline; float:left; width:60px; height:31px;'><div class='cc_home' style='float:left; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 0px 0px 1px; width:60px; height:31px; background:url("http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-out.png");'></div></a><div style='font:bold 10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; float:left; width:299px; height:31px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-width:1px 1px 0px 0px; overflow:hidden; color:#707070;'><div class='cc_show' style='position:relative; background-color:#e5e5e5;padding-left:3px; height:14px; padding-top:2px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.colbertnation.com/' target='_blank'>The Colbert Report</a><span style='position:absolute; top:2px; right:3px;'>Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</span></div><div class='cc_title' style='font-size:11px; color:#868686; background-color:#f5f5f5; padding:3px; padding-top:1px; line-height:14px; height:21px; overflow:hidden;'><a href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/211968/december-01-2008/tip-wag---all-wag-christmas-edition' target='_blank'>Tip/Wag - All Wag Christmas Edition</a></div></div><embed style='float:left; clear:left;' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:211968' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed><div class='cc_links' style='float:left; clear:left; width:358px; border:solid 1px #cfcfcf; border-top:0px; font:10px Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; color:#b9b9b9; background-color:#f5f5f5;'><div style='width:177px; float:left; padding-left:3px;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/video/tag/Christmas'>Colbert at Christmas</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://shop.comedycentral.com/detail.php?p=76445&v=comedy-central_shows_the-colbert-report&SESSID=e404c55c0698e438f4508b6b848da5eb'>Colbert Christmas DVD</a></div><div style='width:177px; float:left;'><a target='_blank' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/video?keywords=green+screen'>Green Screen</a><br /><a target='_blank' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/81003/january-18-2007/bill-o-reilly'>Bill O'Reilly Interview</a></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div><div style='clear:both'></div></div> </div> <p>And then there's Chris Buttars of Utah. Somebody get the memo to him, stat — doesn't he know that the War on Christmas is to be waged with humor and sarcasm? He's <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11115527?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com">taking it seriously</a>! There is a bit of humor there, though. Advertisers and legislators in Utah — Utah! — don't seem to be taking him very seriously.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/colbert_and_buttars.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473753225" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473753225/colbert_and_buttars.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/colbert_and_buttars.php Humor Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:08:52 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/colbert_and_buttars.php Astrology poll <p class="lead">In a story that <a title="Daily Kos: Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday" href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/3/9614/57824/480/668700">discusses the astrological signs of Obama's cabinet picks</a> (humorously, don't worry), there is a poll: Are you a believer in astrology? It's going in a sensible direction, let's just tip it further.</p> <p>Yes...absolutely! 5% <br />Only when my horoscope comes true 12% <br />Eh...kinda sorta 14% <br />No! 67% 1 <br />Not sure/No opinion 2% </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/astrology_poll.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~4/473679760" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/473679760/astrology_poll.php http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/astrology_poll.php Pointless polls Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:59:54 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/12/astrology_poll.php