Science & Sagan For All!
Yeah it's pretty brilliant. The interview is great, the guy sounds clever. If I ever had to join a certain religion this would be it. Filesharing & information is considered holy. Sign me up.
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
I just love that two of the things they consider as sacred symbols are ctrl-c and ctrl-v.
Good lord, I just read that.
I swear your guys generations is defined by satire/making fun of itself. Better than mine I suppose, defined by angst.
I swear your guys generations is defined by satire/making fun of itself. Better than mine I suppose, defined by angst.
:3 We need something to laugh at!
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
Whoa. wild.
You know in all the years I've been here I've never been sigged?
I remember getting in a long debate with eddie about qualia, and that consciousness bit. It ended with him blocking me for a looooong time.
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Guys, evolution isn't true! JUST LOOK AT THIS PEANUT BUTTER.
Edit_
I can't get this video to work! I'm almost sure I'm doing it right.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.
omg I know the video you're talking about and it's HILARIOUS. I'll see if I can find it.
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
The URL is in the post. You should see it if you press Quote.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.
For some reason the link you were using wasn't allowing it to show up. Here you go though.
I knew Frank would come to my rescue. Thanks.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Supermod!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh when did I become such a dork.
I think the way he learned about evolution was by a 9th hand account of half a 30 second long overheard conversation.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh when did I become such a dork.
From inception.
(not the movie)
Don't talk about my inception.
.
!!
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
<3 lub blub lub blub lub blub.
(non-scientific notation: <3 *flutters*)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6H0E77TdYnY
NERDY AWESOME I WANT LIKE SIX OF THEM.
You know in all the years I've been here I've never been sigged?
WATER BEARS!
Did you see that on my Facebook, or did you find that somewhere else? I'm subscribed to SciShow on Youtube, which is a new but great channel for sciencey things. I recommend it to everyone.
You watch it too? I love that show.
You know in all the years I've been here I've never been sigged?
http://www.cracked.com/article_19442_8-simple-questions-you-wont-believe...
wat
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
wat
holeh sheet
It says "simple" questions.
#3. How Many Species of Animal Exist
How is that a simple question?
I thought the exact same thing when I read that one. maybe shoulda made it 4.
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
The coast line and gravity ones were the ones that made me scoff about the "simple" part.
That question about how many species there are reminded me of when I was a very little girl, four maybe five, and I saw on some documentary or something that someone had discovered a new fish and it just blew the doors off my world. I remember I had this utter crushing sadness as I realised that up until that moment I had thought we humans knew everything about our world and then this euphoria as I understood that there was in fact more!
That question about how many species there are reminded me of when I was a very little girl, four maybe five, and I saw on some documentary or something that someone had discovered a new fish and it just blew the doors off my world. I remember I had this utter crushing sadness as I realised that up until that moment I had thought we humans knew everything about our world and then this euphoria as I understood that there was in fact more!
That's awesome. I hope I still have moments like that ahead.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.
That question about how many species there are reminded me of when I was a very little girl, four maybe five, and I saw on some documentary or something that someone had discovered a new fish and it just blew the doors off my world. I remember I had this utter crushing sadness as I realised that up until that moment I had thought we humans knew everything about our world and then this euphoria as I understood that there was in fact more!
That's awesome. I hope I still have moments like that ahead.
You are studying biology? (was it?) I am positive, within any of the sciences, you will have these moments. I think it may be one of the big attractions of science in general, that euphoria a moment of learning or discovery can bring. Science as a drug!
wat
Noooooooooooooo!!! Don't link me to Cracked! Augh! There goes my afternoon...
This is why we can't have nice things.
You are so right.
Science is definitely a drug. So addicting.
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
That reminds me. I posted this on facebook the other day, via. another cultie, so you guys may have already watched it, but I was going to post it here too, then I forgot.
watching made me ridiculously happy!
confession time.
i rarely watch old science shows without prejudice because i can't reconcile today's advancements with what they had to show back then. it feels like they're showing outdated / obsolete information.
i'd make exceptions for sagan and any other program that has universally accepted truths that have not been challenged conclusively, but the credibility of those older shows suffer to me.
this is probably more true for nature shows.
That question about how many species there are reminded me of when I was a very little girl, four maybe five, and I saw on some documentary or something that someone had discovered a new fish and it just blew the doors off my world. I remember I had this utter crushing sadness as I realised that up until that moment I had thought we humans knew everything about our world and then this euphoria as I understood that there was in fact more!
That's awesome. I hope I still have moments like that ahead.
You are studying biology? (was it?) I am positive, within any of the sciences, you will have these moments. I think it may be one of the big attractions of science in general, that euphoria a moment of learning or discovery can bring. Science as a drug!
I'm studying physics, but a part of me wants to study biology and evolution. Either way I'm sure I will have heaps of those moments.
That is all the fun of science! Not knowing then finding out. It's amazing. I still remember when I realized evolution is true.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.
I'm studying physics, but a part of me wants to study biology and evolution.
join us plz.
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
I remember you mentioning the physics before, but for some reason I thought you said you were switching.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-quasicrystal-extraterrestrial.html
GUYS. SCIENCE.
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
GUYS. SCIENCE.
Whaatt. This is awesome. Crystals are mathematical!
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
Everything is mathematical.
That's what I was thinking...
This is why we can't have nice things.
I know.
It's a saying ish.. I stole it from Finn the human. He says mathematical, rhombus and lovely things like that instead of amazing or spectacular or rad.
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
HEY EVERYONE LISTEN UP
today I'm going to tell you about my favorite Eukaryote. I promise this will be interesting and you will not be disappointed.
my favorite Eurkaryote is a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.
here's a recent picture of the fella.
here it is having sex!!1
so, why is Toxoplasma gondii so goddamn awesome to me? I'll tell you why! (some of you may already be familiar, don't spoil it for the other children!)
these funny little parasites find their way into brains. their brain of choice is rats. what effect do they have on these rats' brains?
they cause the rats to become sexually attracted to the cat scent. specifically, cat urine and feces. now you may be asking yourself
well, this effect is advantageous to the parasite. EVOLUTIONARILY ADVANTAGEOUS.
Toxoplasma gondii reproduce in the stomach of cats. where there's cat shit, there's cats. they literally lead the rats to their deaths so they can reproduce by being eaten by a cat.
the infection is highly precise, as it does not affect a rat's other fears such as the fear of open spaces or of unfamiliar-smelling food.
yeah, I know. they've evolved to do this and it's FUCKING RAD. just another reason why science is fucking awesome.
bonus round:
humans can also be infected with Toxoplasma gondii. there's evidence showing that many people have it in their brains, like, substantial numbers. unlike rats, we do not become attracted to cat shit, because we are humans and we are generally > cats
it does have an effect on our behavior though. it has been shown to increase our risk-taking behavior, making us more reckless and daredevilish.
studies have also shown behavioral changes in humans, including slower reaction times and a sixfold increased risk of traffic accidents among infected males, as well as links to schizophrenia including hallucinations. recent epidemiologic studies by Stanley Medical Research Institute and Johns Hopkins University Medical Center indicate that infectious agents may contribute to some cases of schizophrenia. a study of 191 young women in 1999 reported higher intelligence and lower guilt proneness in Toxoplasma-positive subjects.
so how about that? isn't evolution awesome?
and isn't our natural world FUCKING TERRIFYING sometimes?
in conclusion, that is why Taxoplasma gondii is my favorite Eukaryote.
the end.
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
I remember reading about Taxoplasma gondii before.
Thank you for the refresher course! I had nearly forgotten all about them.
do I win the science thread?
“if you want to be a bird,” you said once, “with colorful plumage and buoyant trills, you must also be ready for hollow bones."
yes you won.
I was going to post this this morning but then I forgot.
This is a little satire poem I wrote about my scientific methods some years ago.
My Tendencies
Brilliant sun rising up out
an orange horizon puddle
gives me cause to calculate
And I am aware of things
not as obvious
yet I think of Einstein, given clout
for chalking up stuff I muddle
without fuss
I suppose I really envy
his ability to articulate
Observing a lovely sparrow
worm hunt the damp morning soil
nearby a sly cat crouching
amongst young springtime grass
And I'm struck by sudden jealousy
towards Darwin
and his knowing
of which questions to ask
These are the sorts of problems
perturbing my mind and me
while I find a strange amusement
within my tendency
to swallow a shot of vodka
for washing down
my daily dose of Omega three
vitamin C
lysine
calcium
magnesium
zinc
amino complete
complex
Then, I'm not sure what came over me
but I thought of Freud
and blamed it all on my damn ovaries
You definitely won. Brilliant.
"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan
Taxoplasma gondii is the goddamn boss
yeah. Science.
fuck yeah science
Yay science!
I heard about that. It's hilarious. They said he's doing it to get around file sharing laws by making it a religious practice. Seems legit.
"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism." -Carl Sagan
"Am I cruel? Probably. Is she an idiot? Yes." -jane s.