Majikthise

Two Views On Erection

Was Pinnochio an incomplete genetic knock-out?

Oh. My. Intelligent. Designer.

A collaborator of mine told me today that he gave a seminar about the evolution of infectious disease where he mentioned me in the acknowledgements, as "Mike, who is now at the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics."  The first question he received afterwards was, "Mike. Is that Mike the Mad Biologist?" (Really. I'm not kidding).  This is still freaking me out.

Dear Intelligent Designer, what have I done? I'm metastasizing across the internets (and as always, I blame it on The Evil Baby).

Green, Pork, and Scams

Would he could he for a bribe? Would he, could he with a tribe?

Tom DeLay Denies All Charges (As Told by Dr. Seuss) (link fixed)

Hat tip to Micah Sifry (offline).

Superficial health "news"

Decaf is deadly [BBC]

What's administered nasally, "affects the brain," and enhances sex drive? Palatin Technologies calls it PT-141 but their little code name isn't fooling anyone.

"We've got to A-B, because we're B-A'ers."

Posted by Thad

For your viewing pleasure -- last night's Daily Show clips:

Inarguable Failiure

Bush's Timeline

Beleaguered Bush

Thanks to jwz and Ewen McNeill for digging up the Mac-friendly links.

- Thad

Friends in low places

I'm backing a lobbying campaign to make David Horwitz discover Pandagon and add Jesse and Amanda to his Network.

They've got potential. I really think they could go all the way this season. Except for one little thing:

Is it that a passed out Panda banner doesn't really strike fear into the hearts of liberal-haters everywhere? Maybe if we replaced it with one that had fangs and blood dripping from its mouth.--Amanda

Problem solved:

Words to the wise

Cancer, Baby writes:

So instead I give you this small piece of advice: Be very careful who you piss off in a hospital parking lot. You can't necessarily tell that people are sick just by looking at them, so don't assume they aren't. And if you're going to be an ass, you should understand that although most cancer patients are, in fact, trying to preserve their lives, they have a very special relationship with their mortality such that they are likely not afraid of you and the Cadillac Escalade that substitutes for your penis. I've been through three major surgeries and nine rounds of chemotherapy, motherfucker, so quit squawking about your poor, excruciatingly painful sprained ankle, you wretched weenie.

ED: The last word of the quote has been change to reflect the original author's edit.

Dead Russian composer personality test

If I were a Dead Russian Composer, I would be Dmitri Shostakovich! I am a shy, nervous, unassuming, fidgety, and stuttery little person who began composing the same year I started music lessons of any sort. I wrote the first of my fifteen symphonies at age 18, and my second opera, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District," when I was only 26. Unfortunately, Stalin hated the opera, and put me on the Enemy Of The People List for life. I nevertheless kept composing the works I wanted to write in private; some of my vocal cycles and 15 string quartets mock the Soviet System in notes. And I somehow was NOT killed in the process! And Harry Potter(c) stole my glasses and broke them! Who would you be? Dead Russian Composer Personality Test

Via Silly Humans.

O'Reilly on the First Lady

Guest: cntodd

Apparently Bill O’Reilly is a bit ticked off that some Americans found First Lady Laura’s comedy routine to be a bit inappropriate. Indeed, on his Factor show tonight he called such people “extremists” and part of the “Kool-Aid left”.

In response to some comments Bill said the following:

Jim, who lives in Delaware writes, "Laura Bush's speech disparaging her husband before the international community demands an apology to God."

Wow. With all due respect, Jim, don't you think God has better things to do than critique a few harmless jokes? Perhaps the deity is offended by the word "Chippendales", but I kind of doubt it.

Ellie from Ohio picks up the theme. "I no longer think of Laura as a lady of good faith and taste. No Christian woman could compromise her values that way."

It's just amazing. What this brouhaha proves once again is that extremism is irrational, but plenty of people are caught up in the trap. All Laura Bush did was provide a few laughs in a gentle, well-meaning way. And the ideologues go nuts.

Maybe O'Reilly should listen to his own words of advice for once.

Of course, I didn’t find Laura’s comments offensive, but I don’t think someone who did makes them an extremist. My little old conservative grandmother who has been in church every week of her life would probably have been offended if she knew Laura was making horse masturbation jokes. That doesn’t make her an extremist.

What pisses me off is that O’Reilly, who is normally the anti-smut and pro-family champion, had a cow last summer when Whoopi Goldberg made some sexual jokes about the President’s last name. Indeed, in an interview with Ben Affleck shortly after the event, O’Reilly asked,

Now what do you think when Whoopi Goldberg gets out there and denigrates the office of the presidency?

So if those who get upset by First Lady Laura’s jokes about sexual tension and horse cock are “extremists,” then what does that make Bill O’Reilly for griping about Whoopi?

By the way, he ended the segment wondering just how many extremists are out there. To find out, he is taking a poll over at his main website, billoreilly.com that asks readers whether or not they approve of First Lady Laura’s comedy routine. Why not help poor Bill out by heading over and voting no! He promises to air the results on his show.

[X-posted at Freiheit und Wissen]

Meta-ethical fortune cookie?

Tonight, towards the end of our shift, one of our female servers came up to myself and another manager. In her hand she had a fortune cookie fortune. A table, she said, had given it to her and asked her if she could think of a good circumstance under which the fortune would be applicable. The fortune read: “Don’t do what you should, do what is right.” Her tip, they told her, would depend on the quality of her answer.--Dylan

Does this fortune/injunction fit any meta-ethical position? I think this might be an anti-cultural relativism cookie*--Don't just do what you should (i.e., what's socially acceptable, prudent, polite, advantageous), do what's (morally) right.

I don't think I would have gotten a very good tip.

*Typo fixed, previously read "an cultural relativism"