Interesting Links for 14-02-2012

[andrewducker]

• What I've Learned About Smart People.
  (tags: questions intelligence )
• A female apostle was erased from the bible during the middle ages.
  (tags: censorship christianity religion women )
• Metal substitutes are being tested to deter thieves
  (tags: materials uk crime metal )
• The Geek Social Fallacies of Sex.
  (tags: sex social geeks feminism )

Comments

[gonzo21]

Yeah, I was reading about that metal alternative thing the other day. What a weird world we suddenly live in, where people are stealing the plaques off war memorials for their metal content.

Or mains power cable. Just. Madness.

[danieldwilliam]

When I worked for an energy firm we had someone try and steal some cabling from our switching yard (which is the part of the power station that connects the power station to grid and converts 132 kilovolts into 440 kilovolts).

440 kv electricity will jump meters through the air and basically melt you.

We used to joke about putting up signs.

Warning. This site is patrolled by Daleks.

[gonzo21]

I'm actually a little bit surprised the number killed during metal thefts was as low as 10 last year. Human nature being what it is and all.

[danieldwilliam]

Yes there are many ways to die whilst stealing metal, most of which are really fatal.

Electricution, run over by a train, falling from a church roof, mauled by a guard dog.

After a few generations of persistantly high metal prices we should have evolved a sub-species of human who can sense electro-magnetic fields and industrial vibrations, who are immune to gravity and who smell of friendly dogs’ bottom.

[danieldwilliam]

I would love to spend a few days with the MOD’s forecasting team. If they have one

[momentsmusicaux]

> and we have to take steps and policies in order to make sure that those people have the skills they need to be independent

Hey, just carry on making the problem worse... ;)

[andrewducker]

Which one was that from?

[momentsmusicaux]

The US now being a third world country. That quote was the senator/congressman/whoever's response.

Which seems to me to be worse than totally missing the point, it's perpetuating the attitude that got them into that mess in the first place.

[momentsmusicaux]

I honestly can't tell whether the CiF article is trying to say they left out Israel or Palestine. They only say there's one country missing...

[khbrown]

I think the article is from a site that is critical of the Guardian's policy, viewing it as anti-Israel. So the omission is Israel, not Palestine; thus you could equally have a pro-Palestine site saying that Palestine is being omitted, and implicitly not mentioning Israel.

[momentsmusicaux]

I wonder whether the article's author is in fact being very clever and letting readers decide which country it is that is meant (in the article) based on their own opinions...

[khbrown]

It's possible, but seems less likely given the overall tenor of the site.

[philmophlegm]

The idea that early christian history was rewritten to downplay the role of women will be not at all surprising to any of the 100 million people who've read The da Vinci Code...

[andrewducker]

Or "The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail" :->

[philmophlegm]

True...true...

[alitheapipkin]

My favourite is Children of Destiny by Elizabeth Chadwick - not only does she have Mary Magdalen & Jesus reproducing but their female descendants are all Priestesses of the Goddess!