Cultural constructs and science

Having mocked the idea of evolution as a social construct and the idea that the evolution-creation war is nothing more than a “social power struggle for control of biology departments and curricula“, I feel the need to point to a more balanced treatment of the idea. Over the last several weeks John Pieret has [...]

Too true

Canadian Cynic makes a head-to-head comparison between Tom Cochrane’s original Life is a Highway and the Rascal Flatts remake.
when you have an original that’s this good…I fail to see the point in remaking it when it turns out this bad…
Now I’ve never really warmed to Rascal Flatts (every time I hear them I wonder why [...]

Steve Fuller explained

In the Dover trial, the people who testified (or were originally supposed to testify) for the school board were the usual suspects – Discovery Institute fellows and the like.  But there was one surprise – Steve Fuller.  Unlike the rest of that crew, Fuller is a real academic who has made a notable contribution to [...]

Sans humanité

Oklahoma’s new anti-immigration law makes it a felony to knowingly harbour or transport a person who is in the country illegally. While actually being in the country illegally is a misdemeanour, treating them like humans becomes a felony. Talk about disproportionate punishments. It’s also remarkable that a state that talks so much [...]

Happy Birthday Oklahoma

Today is the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood.

Geek Fairy Tale

Randall Munroe (xkcd.com) has created a beautiful geek fairy tale. And I’m probably missing half the imagery.

1337: Part 1
1337: Part 2
1337: Part 3
1337: Part 4
1337: Part 5

Armistice Day

Today is the 89th anniversary of the end of World War I. It walled “the war to end all wars”, but many people see it as just a precursor to the Second World War, which started just 21 years later. So today, on Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in the US), we remember. And hope those [...]

Generalising Russell’s Law?

Barbara O’Brien reports on a spoof global warming denial site which many people – including ‘comedian’ Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and possibly Senator Jim Inhofe’s staff – took for the real thing.
Russell’s Law states that it’s impossible to distinguish a creationist from a parody of a creationist.  This incident makes me wonder if it’s possible [...]

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

The PBS documentary on the Kitzmiller v. Dover intelligent design trial airs on Tuesday. Adam Rutherford reviews the film in the current issue of Nature. The trial had a profound impact on the credibility of intelligent design and its usefulness as a wedge issue for the religious right. Rutherford says:
But the Kitzmiller vs Dover [...]

Pollsters in developed countries

In light of the election results, NACTA head Vishnu Bisram said
“I feel vindicated that the results have borne out what the NACTA poll predicted.”
As they say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  Yes, they got the numbers right (if you stand on one leg, cock your head, and squint you can just [...]