Archive for the ‘All’ Category
Science-Book Challenge Update
I just finished reading Edward O. Wilson's The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. My book note is here. It was a charming little book, oddly written in quasi-epistolary, addressed to a generic Southern Baptist pastor. It's more or less a series of essays recounting reasons why humankind might wish to forestall its […]
In: All, Books, It's Only Rocket Science
Millet's Oh Pure and Radiant Heart
I have finished reading Lydia Millet's Oh Pure and Radiant Heart (Brooklyn, New York : Soft Skull Press, 2005; 489 pages). I'm pretty sure that I chose to read it because of a recommendation by Mel at The Indextrious Reader, but now I can't find a link.* I read a lot of novels but, to […]
Bodin on Heliocentrism
After Copernicus published De Revolutionibus in 1543, acceptance of the idea that the Earth orbited the Sun was neither immediate nor universal. Some appealed to common sense: No one in his senses, or imbued with the slightest knowledge of physics will ever think that the earth, heavy and unwieldy from its own weight and mass, […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, It's Only Rocket Science
Park on UFOs
On 1 February 2008, Robert Park (in his What's New) reported this incident: OTHER DIMENSIONS: THE GOVERNMENT’S UFO COVERUP. I was invited this week to join a panel of "experts" on "It’s Your Call with Lynn Doyle," an Emmy Award-winning, viewer-interactive news talk show on the Comcast Cable Television Network. The subject was "Are we […]
In: All, Curious Stuff, It's Only Rocket Science
I Hear from Chris Dodd
You may recall that earlier in the Democratic primaries I supported the campaign of Senator Chris Dodd. Today I got an email from Dodd that I thought I would share: Dear Jeff, We have been through a lot in this past year and your friendship and support have meant so much to me. That is […]
How to Please Picky Eaters
Hidden amongst my recent email was one sent from one of the larger service providers that puts its own little advertising at the end of each email. The email itself came with a few attached photographs of a reasonably tasty-looking naked man. At the bottom of the email was this message: "Ideas to please picky […]
In: All, Faaabulosity, Laughing Matters
Beard of the Week XXXIII: A Fresh Perspective
This week's beard belongs to Albrecht Dürer, easily in my top-10 of most extraordinary artists ever. This amazing self-portrait was painted when the artist was 29 years old, in the year 1500. Is it symbolic that Dürer paints himself in this remarkably self-possessed, self-confident pose, looking directly at the viewer? It's also interesting that he […]
In: All, Beard of the Week, Music & Art
Laughing At Creationists
Thanks to blogger Tinyfrog* I now know about a series of short videos that go under the collective title "Why do People Laugh at Creationists?" Apparently they were written, produced, and presented by a YouTube user named Thunderf00t. I am delighted to point them out because 1) they get across some terrific scientific ideas, at […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science, Laughing Matters
Earthrise
This remarkable image of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon is actually what it seems to be. It is a frame captured from an HDTV video taken on 7 November 2007 by the Japanese KAGUYA spacecraft, which is currently orbiting the Moon on a surveying mission. They tell us that the Earth is seen […]
In: All, Eureka!, It's Only Rocket Science
Ceci N'est Pas Une Blog
This is a blog posting about itself. According to my blog-software statistics, this is my one-thousandth posting since the first one I posted on 18 October 2004.* To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that I'm still writing here regularly three-plus years later. Evidently it works for me somehow. I've noticed that one-thousand is an […]
In: All, Books, It's Only Rocket Science
Total Lunar Eclipse, 20 February
Before I forget to mention it, this item is from NASA's Science News service: On Wednesday evening, February 20th, the full Moon over the Americas will turn a delightful shade of red and possibly turquoise, too. It's a total lunar eclipse—the last one until Dec. 2010. They have more on the eclipse here, with times […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science
The Prime Mammal
I love reading Daniel Dennett. His voice, his pace, his examples, his metaphors, his ideas all seem tuned exactly to my taste. One of his books that I read last year–for which I finally finished my book note–was Freedom Evolves (New York : Viking, 2003, xiii + 347 pages). I was not as dazzled by […]
Was Mary a Woman of Authority?
Chris at Americablog passes along ("Religious high school refuses female referee") this little absurdity. Quoting a story from Sports Illustrated: The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not […]
Beard of the Week Special: Valentine's Day 2008
The beards in this special edition BOW belong to yours truly, Jeff (on the right), and his beloved partner, Isaac (on the left). Bill will recognize this photograph, because he took it. The occasion was our first night in Rome on our trip in April 2007. To celebrate our arrival we had dinner al fresco […]
In: All, Beard of the Week, Personal Notebook
GetPercent
The website GetReligion discusses press coverage of news stories about religion, and how well they exhibit an understanding of the religious issues involved. Their name comes from the idea that "The press…just doesn't get religion." Well, in this little example I'm afraid there's a bit of a need for some GetMath. In a story called […]
In: All, It's Only Rocket Science
Beard of the Week XXXII: Beard Eroica
This week's rather elegant beard belong to the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen (1873–1953). His reputation was built largely on his success as an organist, although his smallish catalog of works is diverse. (Wikipedia bio; a brief appreciation in French) This past Sunday we had a cultural outing with friends to Baltimore, where we attended an […]
Cinematic Penises
The last two films that we watched here at Björnslottet were Mrs. Henderson Presents (directed by Stephen Frears; official site; Wikipedia on) Black Book (directed by Paul Verhoeven; official site for "Zwartboek" {english option available}; Wikipedia on) One thing that that two films had in common, in addition to both being seen here recently, is […]
In: All, Music & Art, Personal Notebook
Dueling Punch-Lines
I don't even remember how I ended up looking at the b3ta.com photoshop challenge on the subject of "pylons", but I doubt that it matters. All I wanted to mention was This cartoon, in which a man finds a pylon in his soup, I find hysterically funny every time I read it, and I can't […]
Within the British Isles
Just in case, like me, you've long had trouble sorting out which of the following are strictly subsets of the other Great Britain United Kingdom British British Isles not to mention what to call someone from Scotland, whether they are also British, and what's the deal with Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, […]
Vogel's Cat's Paws and Catapults
More catching up. Months ago I finished reading Steven Vogel's Cat's Paws and Catapults : Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People (New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1998, 382 pages). I enjoyed it immensely. Here's my book note. This book comes with a confession on my part, all about judging a book by its […]
In: All, Books, It's Only Rocket Science