Global Spin

You Are a Feminist

Yes. You are.

go see Serenity

I rarely ask you to do anything for me, but this time I'm imploring you: go see Serenity this weekend. Not later, not on DVD, but this weekend if you can. My motives are selfish: I want someone at SciFi to notice it and say, "Hey, that would make a good TV show." Better yet, I want Mark Cuban to say, "Hey, that would make a good HDTV-straight-to-DVD/download show." But that's probably pushing it.

Just see the movie. I guarantee you'll have a good time.

the family of tool users is growing

Chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and even some birds have been shown to use (and sometimes even fashion) tools in the wild, for a variety of purposes. The latest find is that gorillas use tools in the wild, which means that there isn't a great ape that doesn't use tools.

As much as the world hates to think this, it's becoming more and more obvious that the difference between humans and other animals is one of degree, not of kind. We haven't developed some innate difference, we just happen to have found a runaway combination of existing qualities like social networks, tool use, and language.

the poor things

What can we do? Stick figures everywhere are in severe danger!

banned books week

It's Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate our (rapidly shrinking) ability to read stuff that other people tell us not to. So go do something naughty and maybe read a book, too.

an eventful week

We just launched a complete redesign at work. The site is now called Eventful, and it's geared toward making event sharing as engaging as possible. (The company is still called EVDB, but I won't mind if you call it Eventful too. It's easier to pronounce.) As I posted in a comment this morning:

We worked like crazed beavers to get the new site out. Please do check out the new search features, the all-new social networking, and the brand-new levels of privacy on everything from calendars to venues. And the spiffy new sticker for adding events to your blog.

Once you have, please please please let us know what you like (and especially what you don't). We're still working like crazed beavers on that next rev...

Finding the Silver Lining of Any Disaster

Ah, The Onion as ever finds the most succinct way to sum it all up when it comes to companies like Haliburton.

happy yarrrrr day

Since it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day, you might enjoy Ben's first joke:

What does a pirate dog say?

Arrrrrrrf.

Thank you folks, he's here all week. Now cleanse your palate with something actually funny.

Scientist Fiction

Here is the link: The Pentagon's New Goal: Putting Science into Scripts

Here is Kerrigan's rant as I could not have said it better myself:

ummmmm.....so rather than fund education, let's just make movies and have the kids learn from them instead! because we all know how much accurate science there is in movies - hell, I watched enough ER to get my degree in medical science!

Anyway, that's not quite the point of the article, 'cause the Pentagon wants the movies to inspire kids to study science and stop the brain drain, but if you inspire them and then refuse to educate them, you haven't done a whole lot.

the return of penguin lust

Patrick pointed out a New York Times article on conservatives flocking to March of the Penguins because it "affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing", not to mention (ugh) intelligent design. "Hooey" is the word that comes to mind, mostly because I saw the same film and didn't feel even a twinge of neocon longing.

Don't let a few kooky fans get in the way of seeing the film, though. It's an extraordinary documentary on a fascinating subject, and well worth the price of admission.

bush v kerry, revisited

Today's Boondocks is right on the money. Harsh, but so true.

Is there any hope that voters will actually remember this in 2008? Heck, in 2006?

more power! [cackle]

SpaceX, one of the new private space race competitors, has announced the Falcon 9 project, a launch vehicle with enough oomph to send big satellites into orbit or supplies up to ISS. Better yet, launches could be as cheap as $20 million each, which puts it smack in the middle of Space Prize territory. Go SpaceX!

Something Light (and bouncy!)

You're Tigger. Playful and fun-loving, you enjoy
hanging out with friends even though you don't
always have to be the center of attention.
You're never pessimistic or sluggish. Your
enthusiasm is at once endearing and
over-the-top. You're the quintessential
extrovert.


Which famous feline are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

evolution schmevolution

Jim Moore pointed out that the Daily Show is going to do a whole week entitled Evolution Schmevolution :

For those of you interested in the debate over ID, creationism & evolution, there is a multipart series examining the question coming up next week (12-15th), hosted by Jon Stewart (The Daily Show).

This should be ... interesting.

Indeed. I look forward to downloading it catching it on Comedy Central.

powered by trail mix

Deana sent this article about a power-generating backpack that turns the up-and-down motion of walking into electricity. According to the article, "The energy you exert could be offset by carrying an extra snack, which is nothing compared to weight of extra batteries." Nice.

gettin' hitched, California style

Ah, finally my state does something to be proud of. At least the Senate and Assembly have, by approving the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. Now we'll see if our Guv'nor is a better man that I think he is, because he has to sign or veto it in the next 30 days or it will become law despite him.

As an aside, I'm really glad that Marriage Protection is finally being used in the true sense, rather than the ironic way it's been used by the religious right. (i.e. this actually does protect the right to marry, not protect the status quo.)

UPDATE: OK, maybe not. Our governor is a wingnut.

fafblog vs. feds

Once again, Fafblog sums up my thoughts better than I could do myself.

If only there existed some sort of federal agency for emergency management, perhaps under the supervision of a cabinet-level department for securing the homeland! In the absence of such powers and resources, what is a chief executive to do but bolster morale as best he can through boisterous jokes and heartily-staged photo ops?

What indeed?