Post edited ~5:20p EDT - thanks, zwol!Well, I'm coming back into blogging with a fury, aren't I? First politics, and now religion ( Read more... )

Happy Petrov Day!

Fred "slacktivist" Clark tells a story of an urban legend, a debunking, and two reactions. Short and (bitter)sweet.

Dan Shive (best known as the creator of El Goonish Shive) recently wrote a brief argument why alternate universes would probably not contain alternate "you"s. His argument looks correct, as far as it goes, but it is qualitative - lacking numerical estimates - and I don't see why it has to be. The data exists. Surely ballpark back-of-the-envelope ( Read more... )

Via kirabug, a proper description of the instinctive drowning response:

1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
   
2. Drowning people’s mouths ( Read more... )

A lovely story.

Via elynne: the real story of the autism-vaccine saga, in easy to read and visually attractive comic form.

The breakdown is here, if any of you missed it. I find most of these results fairly unsurprising (although the "yellow" region of the saturated color space contains a startling amount of green), but it's really cool to read through the details anyway. Favorite bits:

• The mnemonic* for how to spell "fuchsia".
  
• "Actual color names if you're a [girl/ ( Read more... )

I feel simultaneously terrible and 0.7 F° short.

Via Making Light, Paul Cornell: Wish Me Luck, I'm Going In. What with the recent stalling of the Equality Bill in Britain, he's had enough.

I wish there were a Christian organisation like British Muslims for Secular Democracy, who could liaise with the various gay Christian organisations, but also include those who aren't directly involved, who ( Read more... )