tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post953448936572706188..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Hiram Is Baffled, and He's Turned It Into a Friday Thirsty.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-44380236924697025722014-01-28T04:19:06.669-05:002014-01-28T04:19:06.669-05:00 HOMER: Gee, Lisa, looks like tomorrow, I’ll be... HOMER: Gee, Lisa, looks like tomorrow, I’ll be shoveling 10 feet of global warming.<br /><br /> LISA: Global warming can cause weather at both extremes, hot and cold.<br /><br /> HOMER: I see. So you’re saying warming makes it colder. Well, aren’t you the queen of crazy land! Everything’s the opposite of everything!<br /><br /> (Homer dances, twirling and waving his arms.)<br /><br /Ripbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685894007541567391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-47794072516493360012014-01-28T04:06:31.981-05:002014-01-28T04:06:31.981-05:00And then they lost to the Packers in overtime. And then they lost to the Packers in overtime. Edna Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11438002061912782295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-12971741362309218002014-01-26T15:49:04.668-05:002014-01-26T15:49:04.668-05:00A & S:
I'm old enough to remember when PB...A & S:<br /><br />I'm old enough to remember when PBS's "Nova" used to broadcast documentaries which had substance rather than the science "rock videos" with their headache-inducing camera techniques it now shows.<br /><br />The early programs assumed that the audience either had some knowledge of science and/or technology or were willing to learn something about Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-72415011525328772072014-01-26T15:40:55.768-05:002014-01-26T15:40:55.768-05:00He wasn't even a scientist and had no backgrou...He wasn't even a scientist and had no background in archaeology or history. However, one needs to consider when those books were written. It was the time of the counter-culture and just about anything scientific or technical was portrayed as being bad. Anything which flew in the face of conventional wisdom, like his books, was welcomed.<br /><br />I read his first 2 books in high school Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-54380672081463139782014-01-26T10:06:51.078-05:002014-01-26T10:06:51.078-05:00QWV, what truly saddens me is that channels like D...QWV, what truly saddens me is that channels like Discovery, TLC (The Learning Channel) or A&E (Arts & Entertainment) began with a focus on high quality documentary-style programming that, prior to the 500 channel explosion, was usually relegated to PBS or Sunday mornings on the Big Three networks. <br /><br />But, also in the beginning, there was dearth of such content and advertisers Aware and Scaredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14700345349806280657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64907309460389761512014-01-26T08:53:38.932-05:002014-01-26T08:53:38.932-05:00Because, of course, nobody can do anything technic...Because, of course, nobody can do anything technically demanding without extensive hand-holding. Von Däniken was just another 'flake. introvert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9044174202753714692014-01-25T22:52:38.014-05:002014-01-25T22:52:38.014-05:00Humans are animals. More specifically, humans are...Humans are animals. More specifically, humans are primates. The father of modern taxonomy, Linnaeus, classified us as primates long before Lamarck or Darwin even broached the subject of evolution, let alone anyone suggested the Big Bang or whatever else that suggested anything other than Special Creation for life and the universe, so for the love of all things holy its got nothing to do with a Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-89802207821275972362014-01-25T20:54:56.168-05:002014-01-25T20:54:56.168-05:00It does, indeed, but I've always heard the lat...It does, indeed, but I've always heard the latter (even from people of earlier generations not inclined to mangle the language). Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-31178013401692621152014-01-25T20:53:28.777-05:002014-01-25T20:53:28.777-05:00We have a lot of students with these ambitions, to...We have a lot of students with these ambitions, too. As far as I can tell, a lot of them end up working for the TSA (in fact, some of them already work for the TSA, which may explain some recent airport experiences, not to mention the TSA's enthusiasm for gadgetry). Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84158899885353828882014-01-25T20:51:21.187-05:002014-01-25T20:51:21.187-05:00I always want to follow Yaro into retirement and c...<i>I always want to follow Yaro into retirement and commune with the trees.</i><br /><br />Indeed. This feeling is completely independent of whether I feel I am surrounded by idiots or not (actually, I very rarely feel I am surrounded by idiots, and, when I do, it's usually because <i>I'm</i> behaving like an idiot, or at least feeling grouchy. I do occasionally have to bit my tongue whenContingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4119895959646461152014-01-25T20:10:44.797-05:002014-01-25T20:10:44.797-05:00Vikings fought Romans! Don't believe me? Then ...Vikings fought Romans! Don't believe me? Then watch the movie "The Viking Queen", produced by Hammer Films and which shows up on TCM from time to time. The only catch about that flick is that there weren't any Norse anywhere in sight. The "Vikings" were Druids.<br /><br />While I'm at it, King Arthur and his knights all wore shining armour, at least according to Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-21439999016999910872014-01-25T19:42:55.881-05:002014-01-25T19:42:55.881-05:00Often, those people fall back on the "studies...Often, those people fall back on the "studies have shown...." argument to support their opinion.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-13538881719989959972014-01-25T19:41:41.720-05:002014-01-25T19:41:41.720-05:00On the other hand, how many people can fill out th...On the other hand, how many people can fill out their tax returns?<br /><br />I used to take my stuff to an accountant. Unfortunately, I'd often get them back with mistakes and, one year, I stopped doing that because I had enough of paying a lot of money for lousy work.<br /><br />The next year, I went through the previous return, figured out what was done, and started doing my returns on myQuarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-14059194958492919772014-01-25T19:36:08.206-05:002014-01-25T19:36:08.206-05:00I remember when Erich von Daniken's books got ...I remember when Erich von Daniken's books got a lot of attention. According to him, there wasn't anything that the ancient peoples did unless they were assisted by aliens.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-34830573479706472042014-01-25T19:30:56.831-05:002014-01-25T19:30:56.831-05:00That's because they always think they're s...That's because they always think they're smarter than you.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9029454505167999362014-01-25T19:30:11.629-05:002014-01-25T19:30:11.629-05:00You mean science isn't conducted like it's...You mean science isn't conducted like it's shown on Discovery?<br /><br />A while back, PBS's "Frontline" had a documentary about that. I think the title was "The Real CSI" and it nicely debunked the notion that each and every piece of evidence is distinct and clear-cut.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-42624858254666929272014-01-25T19:29:51.276-05:002014-01-25T19:29:51.276-05:00I grew up with homeopathic remedies that actually ...I grew up with homeopathic remedies that actually DO work for most of my ailments, but one of my parents actually studied it for 15 years and knows what to use and what not to use and how to best prepare ingredients. I'd never touch anything in pill form sold online or at stores here in the U.S. The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-32489210135010519142014-01-25T19:27:12.228-05:002014-01-25T19:27:12.228-05:00I want a horned hat!I want a horned hat!The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-30517991062066170622014-01-25T19:26:46.522-05:002014-01-25T19:26:46.522-05:00I had an even worse experience while I was teachin...I had an even worse experience while I was teaching. I was completely clueless about whoever the latest warbler of pop ditties was and which TV show on the commercial channels that anybody who was anybody just had to watch. I wasn't just a philistine--I was defective.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-8765225570134175102014-01-25T19:26:21.713-05:002014-01-25T19:26:21.713-05:00Thanks, introvert.prof. I think we were mostly bei...Thanks, introvert.prof. I think we were mostly being tongue-in-cheek here, and I was being sarcastic about the fact that if ancient Greeks realized the earth wasn't flat, why people would expect that Columbus wouldn't know that. But thanks for the history lesson.The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-85469977534477350932014-01-25T19:24:14.549-05:002014-01-25T19:24:14.549-05:00I AM the OCD sibling, and seriously: no one should...I AM the OCD sibling, and seriously: no one should be expected to experience summer in January!The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-65239744088928637512014-01-25T18:45:24.037-05:002014-01-25T18:45:24.037-05:00And Vikings wore those horned helmets, too.And Vikings wore those horned helmets, too.Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17506113565483915394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-40919323859524992462014-01-25T14:04:35.207-05:002014-01-25T14:04:35.207-05:00That "eat your cake and have it, too" ma...That "eat your cake and have it, too" makes much more sense than "have your cake and eat it, too."CrayonEaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10126396989880932207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-24113361610113210772014-01-25T12:31:44.172-05:002014-01-25T12:31:44.172-05:00But it's all "radiation," isn't ...But it's all "radiation," isn't it? And radiation is bad, right? /sarcasm<br /><br />The thing I've noticed is the people who practically brag about their ignorance of science, or their inability to do "math" by which they mean "arithmetic," but if you bragged about ignorance of, say, the latest Great Novel to drop off the NY Time list without a trace, introvert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-42499169929698691902014-01-25T12:24:33.909-05:002014-01-25T12:24:33.909-05:00Columbus knew the Earth was round; anybody who was...Columbus knew the Earth was round; anybody who was anybody and had any sort of education in Columbus' day knew the Earth was round. You can find out the Earth is round by observing the shape of its shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, or by watching ships go over the horizon.<br /><br />The thing Eratosthenes did, as Surly pointed out, was to calculate the Earth's circumference introvert.profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09042783611716432247noreply@blogger.com