Ted Rabinowitz's Blog, page 21

MARVEL VS. DC

This pretty much says it all.

You Can Make a Joke About Anything

I've said this for a long, long time, but since I went to a notoriously "That's Not Funny!" campus of the PC variety, many of my former classmates disagree with me.

Well, here's the proof that I'm right, and they're wrong...says the Jew.

Washington, Jefferson, Satan

So, y'all might remember how the Satanists struck at the Oklahoma legislators who didn't quite understand the concept of the Separation of Church and State.

Well, they're taking it to the next level, and hitting the Hobby Lobby religious exemption where it hurts.

We now live in a country where the most innovative guardians of the founding principles of our nation are Satanists.

One day, I drank a good cup of coffee.

Like, a REALLY good cup of coffee. We're talking coffee so rich that, without sugar and only a hint of milk, it tasted like coffee ice cream; coffee that took my nose, my soft palate and my tongue on a mellow voyage to Colombia. And it was served, of all places, at a California chain restaurant notorious for defiling the very concept of pizza with things like pineapple, guacamole, and chipotle jalapeños.

Astounded, I interrogated the server. Was this Jamaica Blue Mountain I was drinking, for only $2.50 a cup? Nope, she replied. Was there some special roasting process? She shrugged. Undaunted, I waited for my chance and sauntered behind the serving island to check out their coffee process, and I saw it. Giant machines with glass tubes and glass knobs on top, bubbling, steaming...

Percolators. The coffee was perked.

I've just ordered a percolator from Sears. I've read up on perc prep (clear water, coarse grind). And I will let you all know if it's truly just that good.

The Nerds Hate You - Even the Objectivists

[WARNING - WE LINK TO SEX STUFF IN THIS POST. 'KAY?]

We're all used to partisan takedowns on the Internet. Talking Points Memo points out the nonsense of Todd Akin, Sarah Palin, et al; Breitbart.whatever mocks the (frequently mythical) shortcomings of progressives. [Yeah, I'm a progressive. Get over it.]

But here's the deal: When you are so pig-ignorant that io9.com, a nonpolitical website devoted to science fiction and fantasy, has to highlight your stupidity, you have well and truly let down your team.

Like this guy.

This Is Not News

It seems people think their dogs are smarter than they actually are.

A Chunk of Denisovan DNA

Tibetans are uniquely suited to living at high altitudes where there's 40% less oxygen than at sea level. They're genetically similar to Han Chinese, except for one thing - a super-long string of DNA called EPAS1. It's that string that carries the traits that help them thrive, and now we know where they got it - from Denisovan Humans, a species we didn't even know EXISTED until we sequenced their genes from a finger bone four years ago!

Best guess, the ancestors of the Tibetans mated with the Denisovans, much like we mated with Neanderthals. (Some folks have 5% Neanderthal DNA in their genetic makeup.)

This stuff is so cool.

The Dark Side of Mindfulness

So, I've had a lot of friends recommend meditation and/or mindfulness as something that I should consider. I have, and I'm checking it out. But this article on Atlantic.com shows that meditation is not the unalloyed good that it's claimed to be. That doesn't surprise me, really...if you think about it, any program that has the real prospect of spiritual growth would also include risk and danger, just as any drug that's strong enough to be effective is also strong enough to have side effects. Something to think about.

For All You Browncoats and Firefly Fans Out There-

How adorable is this? Sean Maher and some little teeny browncoats at the Dallas Comic Con.

Sometimes, I Weep for My Country

The Wyoming State Legislature has voted to kill the Next Generation Science Standards for kids...because it might harm the state's coal and oil interests. In other words, no teaching climate change as fact.