Relaxation Day is a Very Dangerous Day (Doctor Who Edition)

My G+ friend Sue finds the most awesome stuff. Lots of it is geology (and when I get off me arse, I’ll be bringing you some of her delights, as well as pure yum sent in by other readers – you guys have a good eye for sweet rocks!). But occasionally, she finds other things that delight the geek heart that beats within this chest.

Case in point: this Dalek relaxation video.

Dunno about you, but I don’t find that very relaxing. Not because it’s a Dalek shouting “RELAX!” at me, but because it gets me all wound up for Series 7. I don’t want to wish the summer away, but… why can’t it be fall?!

Other fun bits: Lockwood sent this to me the other day, and it made me feel rather glowy inside.

Heh. I am a magician. Or will be, as soon as I finish a book. But at the moment, I’m relaxing by watching a NOVA program called Why Ships Sink, in which I get to see a cruise ship lose an argument with a granite outcrop.

Earlier today, I read this gem on Dispatches from the Culture Wars:

Vegetarians are Murderers!

That is the inescapable logical conclusion of this op-ed piece written by Michael Marder in the New York Times in favor of “plant liberation.” Plants, you see, have a “vegetal soul” and they respond to stimuli, therefore … well, something. He doesn’t really say what.

He babbles about Aristotle’s concept of the soul and cries for “respect for vegetal life,” which left me with the irresistible impulse to post this sermon by Reverend Maynard of Tool:

And the angel of the lord came unto me, snatching me up from my place of slumber.
And took me on high, and higher still until we moved to the spaces betwixt the air itself.
And he brought me into a vast farmlands of our own midwest.
And as we descended, cries of impending doom rose from the soil.
One thousand, nay a million voices full of fear.
And terror possesed me then.
And I begged,
“Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?”
And the angel said unto me,
“These are the cries of the carrots, the cries of the carrots!
You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust.”
And I sprang from my slumber drenched in sweat like the tears of one million terrified brothers and roared,
“Hear me now, I have seen the light!
They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul!
Damn you!
Let the rabbits wear glasses!
Save our brothers!”
Can I get an amen?
Can I get a hallelujah?
Thank you Jesus.
Life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on……..

This is necessary.

I lived with a vegan for three years, and was afraid to play this in his presence, because I thought he might stop eating completely. Judging from the above-cited article, this may not have been an irrational fear. Yes, the author states that his findings “do not mean that we should stop eating plants.” But I’ve known a few people who’d be inclined to take that leap from the concept that vegetation has a soul. There are, after all, people who already believe we should dine on nothing.

I’m afraid I’m too addicted to eating for that sort o’ thing. Also, science has moved beyond Aristotle. Talk to me about vegetal ethics when you can show me plants have the functional equivalent of a neocortex.

Should you need some more aids to enjoyment of a lazy Saturday, allow me to point you toward our own Stephanie Zvan’s story on the Scientific American guest blog: “The Gravity of the Situation.” I read it a few days ago, and found myself delighted by the way such a short piece sucks you right in. She uses the senses wonderfully. I feel fortunate to be blogging alongside such an accomplished author in two venues!

And, to round things out, don’t miss this lovely piece by Hank Fox. Made me want to saddle up and head for the mountains, that did. Too bad I haven’t got a horse…

That wraps up my lazy time. The show is over, research awaits. Also, I need to educate myself on the difference between slickensides and foliation surfaces. One of the bad things about being largely self-taught in geology is that I can be fooled by things that look like one thing but are really something else. The good thing is that I’ve got professional geologists in the audience who can set me straight, thus teaching me something new, and giving me a reason to go seek out more stone walls on a sunny day in search of examples. Perhaps that will be another lazy Saturday adventure.

Other than spending your time round here, how are you entertaining yourselves during your rare moments of shuffling off the busyness and just enjoying a bit o’ fun?

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Relaxation Day is a Very Dangerous Day (Doctor Who Edition)
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2 thoughts on “Relaxation Day is a Very Dangerous Day (Doctor Who Edition)

  1. 1

    One of the bad things about being largely self-taught in geology is that I can be fooled by things that look like one thing but are really something else.

    I don’t think this is a problem associated with being self-taught in geology. “A” looks like “B” all the time. You often have to think about the greater context to really determine what you’re seeing.

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