December 2010
That moment when you're reading a book and you...
snapesgrudge:
“We now live in a country in which the bottom 40 percent (120 million people)...”
– Sam Harris, A New Year’s Resolution For The Rich (via therecipe, rebeccam, gadgetry)
“I am therefore writing to you today to request that legal protection be accorded...”
– Holy books for the UK government! : Pharyngula
“[The headline “Political views ‘hard-wired’ into your brain”] is...”
– pandagon.net - it’s the eye of the panda, it’s the thrill of the bite
“Scientists have found that people with conservative views have brains with...”
– Political views ‘hard-wired’ into your brain - Telegraph
“Together, the results from the three experiments clearly demonstrate that...”
– Skepchick » Eating Disorders, the Media, and Skepticism
Best of Bootie 2010 →
Some neat mashups. Finally I can enjoy the Backstreet Boys without feeling dirty.
“Der kulturelle Relativismus, den viele Europäer heute vertreten, ist in diesem...”
– Michael Schmidt-Salomon, via «Wer für alles offen ist, ist nicht ganz dicht» - News Leben: Gesellschaft - tagesanzeiger.ch
“It was the peace of understanding that, while there might be quite a lot of the...”
– From the book Red Neck Blue Collar Atheist
“We have been gradually disempowered by a corporate state that, as Huxley...”
– Chris Hedges (via azspot)
“Then there’s another rather large problem. Take a look at Table I, which shows...”
– Science-Based Medicine » Placebo effects without deception? Well, not exactly…
“The whistle-blowing Web site WikiLeaks has not been convicted of a crime. The...”
– Banks and WikiLeaks - NYTimes.com, via DF
“A couple of months ago the EU concluded and agreement with the US called the...”
– Question to Commissioner Malmström on Wikileaks and Swift « Christian Engström, Pirate MEP
A lovely Christmas song →
“A few years later, another study estimated how often Americans attended church...”
– Why do Americans claim to be more religious than they are? - By Shankar Vedantam - Slate Magazine
“This Christmas Eve spare a thought for the Chrildren of Iceland, who will be...”
– They see you when you’re sleeping | MetaFilter
“This Christmas, for perhaps the first time ever, Britain is a majority...”
– Congratulations, Great Britain! : Pharyngula
None of the trees caught on fire (mainly because somebody forgot to buy candles). We did manage to destroy a priceless antique lamp with a remote controlled helicopter, though. Still, Christmas success.
Watchbrotherladies:
Hooray!!
“Sadly, after two years of public education on conflict minerals, when major Wall...”
– Giving your loved one a Wii this holiday season? A piece of Congo’s war zone may be inside
“The Bush administration went to extraordinary lengths to protect the men from...”
– Swiss Judge Seeks Atomic Secrets Trial for C.I.A. Moles - NYTimes.com
“On December 18, Hindu fundamentalists beat two dozen carolers, including young...”
– And this is the problem with using “insulting” as any kind of yardstick, or trying to make insulting things illegal. Because everything is insulting to somebody. Even Christmas carolers. Via Friendly Atheist » What a War on Christmas Really Looks Like
“In 2009, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center admitted a pregnant woman who...”
– Take a guess. Friendly Atheist » Catholic Church ‘Punishes’ Hospital for Saving Woman’s Life
“Thanks to Wikileaks, we now have access to some of the cables sent from the US...”
– How Wikileaks killed Spain’s anti-P2P law
“But many of these arguments are based on the idea that placebo effects depend on...”
– Evidence that placebos could work even if you tell people they’re taking placebos | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine
“A group of British schoolchildren may be the youngest scientists ever to have...”
– 8-Year-Olds Publish Scientific Bee Study - Slashdot
First comment on Slashdot:
It’s harsh but that’s how it is in these publish or perish primary schools.
“Challengers have mounted a vigorous assault on the science of climate change....”
– A Scientist, His Work and a Climate Reckoning - NYTimes.com
“Customer: “Woah! That’s a great stoner pizza! Wait, did I say that out loud?”
...”
– Not Always Right | Funny & Stupid Customer Quotes » Stone Baked Goodness
Comic Sans Criminal →
Mainly useful for its list of free alternative comic fonts.
“Your next job was developing healthcare software. It seemed like a more...”
– Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Dream Jobs That You’re Glad You Didn’t Pursue.
You know those computer application demo download forms where you’re asked for your phone number, and you enter it because nobody ever calls you anyway, so it doesn’t matter? Well, Autodesk just called me to ask why I downloaded the Maya demo. Kinda weird, but also kinda cool.
“MIT scientists have created a sort of genomic fossil that shows that the...”
– Scientists decipher 3 billion-year-old genomic fossils
“Our stubborn addiction to burning coal, oil and natural gas is changing not only...”
– The oceans’ SOS - Los Angeles Times
Fox News Comments →