4 Seamer: A few links and topics of interest.

A hit of new videos, topics and chats.

Atheist: Andromedas Wake who does a lot of really great astronomy videos and other things of interest on YouTube has this short video essay. Amazing and powerful. I don’t think I need to add much more, just watch it. I’ll post something later about my own feelings, but for now this is a great primer of how I too feel about being an Atheist.

A debate between PZ Myers and Jerry Bergman.  I know not everyone (ok hardly anyone) will watch this all the way through like I did. Its 1:43:00 long, so you’d have to dedicate some time to getting through the whole thing. I was very interested in what kinds of things Bergman had to bring to the discussion and I was not disappointed. There was pretty much nothing in terms of evidence, a lot of bat-nutty claims (Carbon atoms are irreducibly complex because if you remove any part of them they are no longer carbon…) and a LOT of claims of ‘lots of people agree with me but you can’t find them because they are too scared to actually agree with me in public’. Survive long enough to get to the Q&A section and Bergman even pulls out the ever so convincing ‘Evolution leads to Hitler’ and ‘The Nazi’s did what they did because of Charles Darwin’. I wish I was kidding, but he managed to say those things with a straight face. PZ through the whole thing sits and actually responds to most of the meaningful things, but at points lets Bergman blow up his own case for him. Its hilarious.

And a comic strip roll:

–SMBC explains…well…yup

–Calamities of Nature  dive into the meaning of spirits, ghosts, and whatever. Is it in the realm of science or not?

–Derryl Cunningham does a wonderful, but lengthy, discussion of evolution. Read and learn.

In other news, Jared Weaver and Howard Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels are going to the All-Star Game! I’m excited for Weaver, he got snubbed last year. I’m equally excited for Howard as well, he’s been deserving of this honor for some time. He may not be a huge home run guy, but he quietly goes about his business hitting for a high average and playing stellar defence in just about every possible fielding position there is! Seriously, I’ve seen this guy at 2nd, 1st, right field, and left field this year and he’s done GREAT at each!

Lastly, I’ll be heading out to Ontario next week, so hopefully I will come back with some interesting pictures to post.

4 Seamer: High and tight reads

A quick couple interesting posts from today,

Falsehood: Correlation Implies/Does Not Imply Causality  : A very interesting and in-depth take on the whole mess of people who’ll abuse stats to say one thing means (or might mean) something, and the people who’ll take clear stats and disregard them by the same way. Basically its an excellent primer on how to use the ‘Does/Does Not Imply’ situation. It’s a little long, but Greg Laden and his blog are good reads. http://xkcd.com/552/ XKCD writer Randall Munroe paints the excellent stick figure picture

A children’s activity book, I wish this was made up From Pharyngula. I’m ok with adults making their own choices when it comes to religion, you’re all big boys and girls you can make your own minds up. The kids who read this? No. They were told by their authority figures what the hierarchy was in no uncertain terms. These children can’t make up their own mind whether this is right or not. But that’s the way to do it right? Teach em the pecking order before they learn to question why it may not be proper…

 SMYYYYYTTTTTTHHHHHHH!!!!  Yes please! Move Souray, move a few others but not the top prospects, but PLEASE yes! We need his grit and determination back! But…in honest terms I give this a 30% chance of happening.

Well, that’s it for the first 4 Seamer. Lemme know what you want out of these. More of stuff, less of stuff, whatever. I suppose I’ll need more examples before any real patterns reveal themselves, but its a start!

My Halos are about to start their game in Florida, gotta run!

EDIT: GAH! I dunno how to do links properly still. The old Blahblha doesn’t seem to work in this. Anyone help?

NEW EDIT!: AHA! I have mastered the art of the link. *forhead smack*