Ted Rabinowitz's Blog, page 24
February 22, 2014
Map Day - Pangea
Just found this map over at io9.com- the supercontinent of Pangea as it looked about 200 million years ago, but drawn up with modern political borders to give us some idea of what went where. Don't know why, but for some reason the rift valley/fault line/river/inland sea separating the Americas from Africa is particularly intriguing to me.
February 14, 2014
February 13, 2014
Snow Day
It's worse than it looks. Click on the image and see.
Some Gorgeous "Red Mars" Artwork
This is a beautiful concept-art view of a colonized Mars taken from a space elevator leading down to Pavonis Mons. The white cable is the massive elevator cable. [N.B. According to the artist, Ludovic Celle, the cable's curve is an artistic choice, not some unexpected visual artifact of an alien environment - we could expect the cable to appear straighter if we saw it in reality.]February 8, 2014
Ham on Nye - the Dessert
If you're expecting an analysis of the debate between Average Joe Rational Guy Bill Nye and Creationist Power Suck Ken Ham, I'm sorry, I can't oblige. I didn't watch the debate.
Those of you who know me in person know that this isn't because I don't care; rather, it's because I care so much that hearing Ham come up with yet more warmed-over nonsense to support his erroneous interpretation of a sacred metaphor, instead of looking at the tangible physical evidence and being willing to revise his opinion as new data emerges, drives me freakin' loopy.
Yes, I have intellectual anger issues.
That said, the debate has spawned some fun stuff like this.
Those of you who know me in person know that this isn't because I don't care; rather, it's because I care so much that hearing Ham come up with yet more warmed-over nonsense to support his erroneous interpretation of a sacred metaphor, instead of looking at the tangible physical evidence and being willing to revise his opinion as new data emerges, drives me freakin' loopy.
Yes, I have intellectual anger issues.
That said, the debate has spawned some fun stuff like this.
February 3, 2014
On a Personal Note-
- it sucks to have leftover business and emotional crap from childhood; it sucks almost as much to try to clear it away with the people involved; but every now and then, you gotta. Tonight wasn't as bad I'd feared...I just hope that the folks on the other side handle it well.
And there's still more to do. Sigh.
Would it were bed-time, and all well.
And there's still more to do. Sigh.
Would it were bed-time, and all well.
February 1, 2014
Science Strikes Back
If you're like me, you have a minor, low-level burn whenever you hear yet another denialist parading his or her ignorance. Climate deniers, evolution deniers, anti-vaxxers, the whole sad, neurotic crew who demand, day after day, that the world be the way they want it, instead of accepting it for what it is...and trying to drag the rest of humanity down with them. If they were the only ones affected by their abandonment of reason, it would be one thing; but their craziness is guaranteed to harm the rest of us.
So it's nice to know that - every now and then - science, logic and reason strike back. Read about it here.
So it's nice to know that - every now and then - science, logic and reason strike back. Read about it here.
January 27, 2014
New York - SO Close!
We *almost* made it into the top ten "Least Bible-Minded Cities in the Country." Better luck next year.
January 22, 2014
Read This!
First, apologies. It's been a while since my last post. Life sometimes gets in the way - selfish, I know.
That being said, here's an article that's very, very, very interesting. It plays tangentially on the geek side because it deals with a character type that's very common in crime and action movies; and it's also a unique look at one of the biggest issues in neurobiology.
Go!
Read!
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/life-as-a-nonviolent-psychopath/282271/
That being said, here's an article that's very, very, very interesting. It plays tangentially on the geek side because it deals with a character type that's very common in crime and action movies; and it's also a unique look at one of the biggest issues in neurobiology.
Go!
Read!
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/life-as-a-nonviolent-psychopath/282271/
January 4, 2014
So I Got the Kvasir
So I have a bottle of the Kvasir I talked about here. Three blocks from my apartment!But it's big, and it's got a bottle cap, not something you can reseal...so, all my NYC friends, let me know if you want to split a dram...
