But you can be my friend anyway. Don’t expect much.
housekeeping
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Follow Me!
I’ve been dabbling my toeses in this Twitter thing, and you now have a prime opportunity to push me into the deep end. Look to the left. Look under “Alternate Dana.” You see that little “Follow Me” thingy? Click there, and you, too, can become a follower! But you’ll also be a leader, because I’ll probably end up following you, too. See how awesome that is?
If all has gone well, FeedBurner should soon be posting updates to this blog on Twitter. You’ll know it’s a new post because it’ll say “Nuevo Verdad” and display a link. That’s if I’ve managed to figure out this new-fangled technology stuff. Considering how addled my mind is after several days of cold medicine and severely reduced breathing ability, I may not have managed.
I’m also debating joining FaceBook because two or three friends are on my arse about it. However, I’m not sure how I could do that and avoid having coworkers suck me into playing Mafia Wars with them. FaceBook denizens with suggestions as to how to avoid that horrid fate, please share said suggestions in comments.
And I think that’s quite enough babbling about social media for now.
Waylaid
Stupid fucking summer colds. Geology, adventures et al will be on hiatus until I stop feeling like I need to take a pipe cleaner to my chest.
The Imminent Return of Sunday Sensational Science
I’m hard at work on quite a few Sunday Sensational Science posts at the moment, all springing from my recent trip back home. Arizona’s got lotsa science. And most of it is stuff that I could whip up something off-the-cuff for, since I’ve got plenty o’ Arizona science facts rattling around in my brainpan. But I decided I want to go in-depth. I want to take the opportunity to learn more than I knew before. And there’s one billion or so photos to sort through. So, nothing sensational just yet.
In the meantime, let me point you to a few posts that aren’t science at all, but were interesting nonetheless, and at least contain elements that kinda sorta resemble science.
There’s Vagabond Scholar’s Diagrams of Conservatism, helping us “Visualize the Insanity:”
It’s actually an interesting discussion, not just a lot of snarky diagrams.
For the one or two of you who don’t read Pharyngula, I’d just like to point out his discussion about atheists and society:
There is a strange correlation: most of the atheists I know are straight, yet when I post a pointless poll like this one, I know with near certainty which way the godless hordes of Pharyngula will try to skew it.
51.38% Yes
48.62% NoIt goes further, too. We atheists tend to strongly favor women’s rights and equality in the marketplace, yet only about half of us are female. I could bring up an article like this one, in which conservative democrats demand that abortion services not be provided under universal healthcare, and I know how most of the progressive godless readers here will respond: with anger.
And he’s right. The yes votes currently stand at 93%. I imagine our concern for social justice is just one of the many reasons religious right frothers hate us so.
For those of you wondering what that recent spike in gas prices was all about, here’s a possible answer:
A rogue oil commodities broker was caught manipulating a spike in world oil prices forcing his company to eat $10 million in losses. The disclosure occurred Tuesday when the price of crude oil reached a year’s high $73.50 a barrel at a time when the U.S. posts its highest demand on gasoline for the summer vacation season. By Thursday oil prices fell to $66.50 a barrel, down almost 10 per cent from Tuesday’s peak.
As that post points out, this isn’t the first time we’ve been shafted like this.
For those of you wondering what the “science” element was in that last one, well, economics is a science.
And that’s just about enough for a holiday weekend.
No Sunday Science Today
You should all be diligently working on your submissions for COTEB, you scurvy dogs. And I’ve been too busy press-ganging to whip up a post for this Sunday. Alas, that means even the heroic crew members who already made their contributions suffer a lack of sensational science this week.
See how it is when you make a pirate lawyer cry?
I’ll give you one little science tidbit: according to Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel, the most likely explanation for why Europeans had nasty epidemic diseases while Native Americans didn’t was that Europeans had more livestock. Makes perfect sense, really, considering so many of our diseases come from animals, and is a concept easily illustrated:
Yup.
Happy Hour Delay
Due to the vagaries of training and long calls, Happy Hour’s delayed today, my darlings. I’ll post as soon as I get home. From the brief glance I got at the political news, there’s just too much burning stupid for mere skimming.
In the meantime, remember to get your COTEB submissions in to [email protected]. Don’t make Captain John upset by missing the boat.
Gone Traveling
I’m off to Arizona for a much-needed vacation, my darlings. Posting is likely to be sporadic at best, alas, but I’ll do my best to get up at least one or two good ones for you per day.
In the meantime, you’ve got COTEB to keep you company, as well as a plethora of excellent blogs around the intertoobz. If you come up with any new and wonderful finds, let me know in this thread.
Normal posting will (with luck) resume on June 17th. See you then.
¡Hasta, amigos y amigas!
(Postdated for any late arriving patrons)
I Live
Catching up with ye olde parents, which is why there’s been nothing going on round the blog. I’ll have a few things up later today, my darlings.
Thank you for your continued patience. ;-)
Housekeeping Note
I’m going to be trapped in an all-day training extravaganza today. This means no internet access. Which means Happy Hour may be extremely late.
Argh.
I’ll catch up as soon as we’ve returned from our undisclosed location.
Taking the Night (Mostly) Off
Sunday Sensational Science is on hiatus this week. Most other blogging is also on hiatus for tonight. I’m stuffing my brain with fiction until it overflows. Sorry, my darlings, but it must be done.
In the meantime, check out this awesome upset at the Kentucky Derby:
Fantastic. That’s why I love horse racing.
We’ll resume our regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow.