Christopher McKitterick's Blog, page 39

Why facts are irrelevant to "believers."

By now, everyone in the world knows that the Obama administration - in a misguided attempt to appease the birther-loons - got Hawaii to release our Prez's full birth certificate this morning. The Trump has been trumpeting the trumped-up nonsense that the birther-loons have been quacking, in an effort to be in the spotlight. You win, Trumpenator! You've earned your full-monty Loon Medal! And Republican party? You asked for this.

Will this release stop the noise? Of course not. What the Obama administration did was nothing more than feed the trolls, and we all know where that gets us.

Let's take a look at these folks. They honestly believe that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is going to initiate the rapture of the chosen few on May 21, 2011, and that Almighty God His Father will destroy this world on October 21, 2011. If only, except for that pesky "destroying the world" part.

The world has been promised destruction pretty much as long as we've had religions. Remember that famous case when aliens were going to wipe us out on December 21, 1954? And of course Scientologists are pretty certain that the Alien Overlords are coming to destroy/free/probe us.

Despite facts to the contrary, people believe any number of insane things. The Roman Empire will last for all time! (Came close, relatively speaking.) The United States will always be a superpower full of rich folks! (Sorry, Americans.) Global warming is a myth! (Keep on believing that, Sparky.) You name it. I won't even get into religion, because, well, lots of folks get some kind of comfort from that, when they're not destroying infidels, "saving" people from their own culture's belief systems, or compelling people to behave strangely in nonsensical rituals.

What is wrong with people?

This article nails it on the head:

"A man with a conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point.' So wrote the celebrated Stanford University psychologist Leon Festinger, in a passage that might have been referring to climate change denial - the persistent rejection, on the part of so many Americans today, of what we know about global warming and its human causes. But it was too early for that—this was the 1950s - and Festinger was actually describing a famous case study in psychology.

Festinger and several of his colleagues had infiltrated the Seekers, a small Chicago-area cult whose members thought they were communicating with aliens - including one, "Sananda," who they believed was the astral incarnation of Jesus Christ. The group was led by Dorothy Martin, a Dianetics devotee who transcribed the interstellar messages through automatic writing.

Through her, the aliens had given the precise date of an Earth-rending cataclysm: December 21, 1954. Some of Martin's followers quit their jobs and sold their property, expecting to be rescued by a flying saucer when the continent split asunder and a new sea swallowed much of the United States. The disciples even went so far as to remove brassieres and rip zippers out of their trousers - the metal, they believed, would pose a danger on the spacecraft.

Festinger and his team were with the cult when the prophecy failed. First, the "boys upstairs" (as the aliens were sometimes called) did not show up and rescue the Seekers. Then December 21 arrived without incident. It was the moment Festinger had been waiting for: How would people so emotionally invested in a belief system react, now that it had been soundly refuted?

At first, the group struggled for an explanation. But then rationalization set in. A new message arrived, announcing that they'd all been spared at the last minute. Festinger summarized the extraterrestrials' new pronouncement: "The little group, sitting all night long, had spread so much light that God had saved the world from destruction." Their willingness to believe in the prophecy had saved Earth from the prophecy! (Click here to read the rest.)

Did you know that 25% of Americans still don't believe that Obama was born in the USA? Nothing will change their minds... in fact, trying to change their minds will only reinforce their beliefs. Last year, according to the Gallup Poll, 48% of Americans said that global warming's effects had been exaggerated. How about the whole "Aztec 2012 ZOMG!" craziness? And need I say more than the phrase, "Sarah Palin"?

I believe that humans are inherently good. I believe that seeking understanding, being open to change, and growing ourselves and our culture are our loftiest goals. I believe that, together, we can solve any problem, and that one day we will reach the stars.

Or is that only more proof of our infallibility regarding belief systems? Is it merely my own personal delusion?

Chris

Don't say the U-word!

This charmed me to bits. It's a reaction to Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon's freaking out about Rep Scott Randolph using the word "uterus" in debate. Enjoy!



Thanks to joe_haldeman for the tip.

Chris

Is Sugar Toxic?

First, read this NYT article on why sugar is so dangerous to your health. I'll wait.

I stopped eating refined sugars a year ago, and within two weeks I lost 10 pounds. I also started feeling healthier almost right away. This is why: Not only does sugar (cane, corn, you name it - refined sugar) make us fat, but it also causes insulin resistance. This makes it a primary cause for diabetes and metabolic syndrome. That means sugar causes heart disease. Worse yet, because of all these effects, it promotes cancer.

There's a terrifying thought, considering that it's in almost every prepared food you find in the grocery store.


Click the image to see the NYT article.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to give up refined sugar for one month. See how much your body responds.

Starting today, I'm giving up on diet soda, as well. Why? One's body sees the artificial sweetener and produces insulin in response... so the most dangerous aspect of sugar - that it promotes these diseases - can't be avoided by using artificial sweeteners in place of sugar. I've been noticing soreness in my guts, what appears from all symptoms to be a gall-bladder issue. Therefore, my body is responding to diet soda by producing insulin and increasing my triglycerides (blood fat) from artifical sweetneners.

*sigh*

I'll report in a month on how that's going. I hope to hear from YOU, too!

Good luck.
Chris

An Evening With Michael Byers and the Discovery of Pluto

Here's a don't-miss event tomorrow night at KU:

Tuesday April 19
6:30pm - 9:30pm
University of Kansas Student Union Ballroom, Level 5

Author Michael Byers discusses his novel, Percival's Planet , which was inspired by the true story of Kansan and noted astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto. Byers talk will be introduced by Steven A. Hawley, KU Professor of Physics and Astronomy and former NASA astronaut.

The Ballroom event will also feature a guided astronomy display including Tombaugh artifacts, presented from 6:30 p.m. by the KU Department of Physics and Astronomy. Following the talk, Michael Byers will sign his books. Click here to read a sample from his book, published in the New York Times.

The event will conclude with a telescope viewing session on the Kansas Union 6th floor deck (weather permitting).


Click the image to see more about Pluto.

I'll be there right after class!

Best,
Chris

Have you paid your taxes?

Today is tax day, a fine time to see how the big guys (don't) pay their taxes:



If you ever wondered who our politicians work for, this list pretty much sums it up.

Chris

"Alien Life in Science Fiction" presentation

What with LJ being under perpetual DoS attacks, I've forgotten to post this!

In about an hour, I'm giving a little presentation to the University of Kansas Astrobiophysics people:


ASTROBIOPHYSICS SEMINAR
"Alien Life in Science Fiction"
Thursday, April 7, 2011
2:30 p.m.
Room 2055 Malott Hall, KU

It's just a brief overview of how and why SF writers use aliens, with lots of photos of cool creatures ;-) You're welcome to join!

Best,
Chris

"Surveyor of Mars" story submitted. And ACCEPTED! Also, revision curiosities.

That story I mentioned in last Thursday's post, "Surveyor of Mars," is now fully revised and off to the editor for whom I wrote it! I really hope they like it. *fingers crossed*

EDIT: I started drafting this post late last night, and my editor already wrote back this morning. She called the story "amazingly good" - wow, that's about the best thing I've ever read first thing in the morning. What a wonderful way to start the week!

Interesting observation: Though I cut hundreds of words from my finished draft during the course of revision, the story ended up being 1,700 words longer by the time I finished. Here's the progress-tracking:

Original draft complete: 6700 words, March 30
Revisions:7650 words, March 31
8100 words, April 1
8250 words, April 2
8350 words, April 3Revisions complete: 8400 words, April 4 (and this was after A LOT of cutting)
Based on those word-counts, would you believe that I cut hundreds of words each time I made a pass? However, as usual, most of my reviewers' comments required me to ADD something.

Is this how it works for you, too, or do you actually end up with shorter work after each pass?

PS: In case you missed it above, I SOLD A NEW STORY! WOOHOOO!

Best,
Chris

"Surveyor of Mars"

Just finished the full revision of a new story! I really had a lot of fun researching and writing this one.

It's set in about 1900 on Percival Lowell's Mars after H.G. Wells' Martian invasion of England. A horrific civil war has wiped out the (sentient) Martians, and human pioneers are homesteading, mining, and looting the planet. It's told from the point of view of the Surveyor of Mars (the working title right now), a young man who emigrated because of troubles back home in Montana that led to his father's death. Unfortunately, troubles arise on Mars, too, and a war is brewing between the Company and the settlers...

Gunfighters, Buffalo Soldiers, pioneers, a habitable Mars that never was but could have been: I plan to work more within this setting! By the way, my icon for this post comes from Anoniadi's map of Mars as he and Lowell saw it circa the time of this story.

Inspiration came from re-reading Wells' War of the Worlds (naturally), reading Percival Lowell's Mars as the Abode of Life and Mars and Its Canals to get a feel for how people thought of Mars at the time, and reading Jonathan Raban's Bad Land , a wonderful look at the plight of the pioneers who settled northeast Montana, aka "The Great American Desert." Interestingly, my doctor (getting a checkup today, handily while I have the flu) asked about the book and said that his father grew up right where my main character lived (in Montana, not Mars). Here's a shot of some of my research and notes, including my new (Borders closeout-priced) Sony Reader ebook device, which shows a page of Lowell's Mars as the Abode of Life (1908).

Getting some final feedback from a few readers now, then off it goes to the editor tomorrow!

Best,
Chris

Over 9000.

Remember how someone posing as Anonymous announced war against the Phelpses, and a day later Anon said, "We didn't post that," then the Phelpses immediately replied by mocking Anon and got lots of media attention etc? The prevailing theory is that the Phelpses posted the initial letter (calling for war against, um, themselves) in order to draw fire in order to gain more attention. Makes sense, in a twisted Phelpses way.

The best part, though, is that their sites went down to denial-of-service attacks shortly afterward... and are STILL DOWN.

This interview between Shirley Phelps-Roper and an Anonymous rep - whose user-icon is freakin' Batman attacking a Megashark using a light saber! - is icing on the cake and sheds a lot of light on things. Plus it's enlightening (and entertaining in a schadenfreude way) to watch the crazy stream off dear Shirley:



My favorite part is when Lightsaber-Weilding-Shark-Battling-Batman says, "Shirley, I have a little surprise for you" about a note he uploaded to the main Phelps website during the interview.

So let's tally the score of this little feud:
Westbugger Baptiste Churz: 0
Anonymous: 9000

The childish part of me is so very happy.

Chris

xkcd helps us understand radiation doses.

My friend jeanineers posted a link to this very informative chart about radiation - what's safe, what's normal, and some extreme examples, created by xkcd.com's Randall Monroe. A handy thing to see right now:


Click the image to see the full-size version of this graphic on xkcd.com.

Spoiler alert: Most of us will probably never receive a dangerous dose of radiation in our lives even if we live near a nuclear disaster site.

Chris