| Happy Carl Sagan Day Everybody!!! |
[Nov. 7th, 2009|01:02 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  happy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Cloud Cult - The Ghost Inside Our House | ] |
Thanks to Phil Plait the Bad Astronomer, I discovered that today is Carl Sagan Day. I plan to commemorate the 75th year of his birth by watching the Pale Blue Dot, finish waching the COSMOS DVD and reading Broca's Brain, Reflections on the Romance Of Science by the man himself.
And here is his famous Pale Blue Dot speech for you all to enjoy.
Byyyyyyyyyyyyye |
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| Jenny McCarthy has a body count. |
[Nov. 1st, 2009|09:36 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  angry | ] |
I know many in the US are affected by this fool, and this madness is being exported to England's shores again.
Jenny McCarthy has a body count. Don't forget it.
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| And now,something pleasant |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|05:48 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  enthralled | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn feat. Stephen Hawking | ] |
As a much needed antidote to the ugliness of the BNP, I watched an awesome video on the youtubes this evening called 'Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?' It's mainly about the moments that happen when people realise how big the universe is, how full of wonder, majesty and beauty it is.
On a related topic, I recieved the DVD for Carl Sagan's Cosmos series in the post yesterday, he really was an amazing guy. |
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| Angry!!!1! |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|01:34 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | enraged | ] |
STUPID RACIST BACKWARD FAT UGLY SCUMBAG!!!!!!!!
*breaths*
Sorry about that, I needed to vent about the verminous pussbucket that is Nick Griffin. |
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| Newspaper Gagged From Reporting On Parliment |
[Oct. 12th, 2009|11:20 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | enraged | ] |
I've just read on Warren Ellis' blog that the English newspaper has been banned from reporting a story about the Government.
"The Guardian has been prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.
Today’s published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found. The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.
The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations."
http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=7836
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/12/guardian-gagged-from-reporting-parliament
Possible explanation here
http://thethirdestate.net/2009/10/what-the-guardians-banned-from-telling-you-a-third-estate-exclusive/ |
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| TAM LONDON |
[Oct. 4th, 2009|12:49 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  ecstatic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Baba Brinkman - The Rap Guide To Evolution | ] |
Absolutely astounding event, amazing talkers all day, and a great comedy gig in the evening headed by Robin Ince.
It's ten to one in the morning and I've got to get early tomorrow, so goodbye and I'm really looking forward to day 2. |
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| Weekend Update!!! |
[Oct. 1st, 2009|09:27 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | ecstatic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn feat. Stephen Hawking | ] |
I get to go to TAMLondon!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought seriously about the cost of the weekend £175, and talked to my Dad about paying the rest of the rent next month as well as dipping into a bit of my christmas money and decided to do it. I am a very happy bunny! |
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| Creation - The Darwin Film |
[Sep. 30th, 2009|09:45 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | London Town | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | my youtube subscription list | ] |
So tonight after work I decided to go to the cinema to see the new film by John Amiel called Creation. It's primarily about Charles Darwin struggling with the loss of his faith and the conflict that causes between him and his religiously devout wife.
It doesn't bash religion at all, rather the main themes of the film seem to be love and death. The love he had for his daughter and wife and the understanding of what place death has in the evolutionary development of species which is brought further home by the loss of his daughter. A brilliant and touching movie that affected me several times throughout the film.
I highly recommend you see this wonderful film even if you are religious, if only so that you can understand what he went through and why he finally had to publish. My deepest commiserations to the americans on my flist. I'm sure the DVD will be available before long and there are alway "other" means of seeing this film. Entirely legal ones of course. |
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| The Amazing Meeting London |
[Sep. 28th, 2009|08:27 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | George Hrab - She Suffers From Superlatives | ] |
Meant to post this over the weekend, doing it now instead.
There are still tickets left for TAMLondon, held on the 3rd and 4th of October. The speakers include Phil Plait, Adam Savage, Tim Minchin, Brian Cox, Richard Wiseman, Simon Singh and many others.
If I could afford it I'd go, but I spent my holiday money this year going to TAM7 in Vegas and had an absolutely amazing time. If any of my flist are in reasonable range of London, they should definitely make an effort to go. These are the reserve tickets, and there's only a few left. I had an amazing time at TAM7 and really do recommend you go if at all possible.
Bye!!!! |
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| Book and vid rec |
[Sep. 25th, 2009|11:18 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | good | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Carl Sagan - A Glorious Dawn feat. Stephen Hawking | ] |
Late last night, or more accurately early this morning I finished reading a new book by author Nick Harkaway, The Gone-Away World, a post apocalyptic book that takes all the well known tropes of this genre and makes them shine. A brilliant, imaginative and incredibly intelligent book that I can't recommend enough. Find out more at http://www.goneawayworld.co.uk/
The vid is a remix of the Comos tv show featuring a cameo by Stephen Hawking and a fair amount of autotune.
Brilliance. |
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| Happy to be stereotypically english |
[Sep. 15th, 2009|06:14 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | damp | ] |
| [ | music |
| | raindrops on my window | ] |
I just got home 20 minutes ago and just as I leaving work the heavens opened and a torrential flood of water came down. Unfortunately, I was wwearing my linen trousers today and everything beneath my shins on the front were soaked but I, being the very english englishman that I am had an umbrella.
So the moral of the story should be always carry and umbrella but is I think, check the weather forecast be deciding what to wear.
Stay dry. |
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| Phil Plait live now on blogtv |
[Sep. 12th, 2009|08:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
A bunch of science and atheist advocates on youtube are doing a live blog tv charity event for Medicines sans frontiers aka Doctors without Borders at BlogTV , and the Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait is joining them.
EDIT: Also, through various contacts, tv's Claire Bennet from Heroes, Hayden Pannetiere is on now as well. |
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| Yet another vid rec |
[Sep. 10th, 2009|08:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  impressed | ] |
I know I've been a bit heavy with the vids lately, but I haven't had much to say and have felt the need to pass on brilliant, interesting or funny things to you guys.
From the video sidepanel:
The Cat Piano is an 8-minute short film directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson.
The Cat Piano features the voice of iconic Australian artist Nick Cave narrating a poem written by Eddie White. Nick Cave recorded the narration whilst in Melbourne in 2007 while on tour with his band, The Grinderman.
Great fun! |
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| Cool freaking vid |
[Sep. 8th, 2009|12:00 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Wil Wheaton's new podcast | ] |
Brian Cox is an british ex-pop star who became a particle physicist who works on the LHC. He's currently filming a series for the BBC and his producer occasionally posts vids of their travels.
This is one.
P.S.
Video of DragonCon's SkepTrack is available online at http://www.stickam.com/doctoratlantis under videos. It's a livestream recording so the video isn't great but there's a live Skeptic's Guide to The Universe and Geologic Podcast with George Hrab on there along with a range of other things. |
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| Live Skeptics Guide show |
[Sep. 6th, 2009|05:59 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | jubilant | ] |
| [ | music |
| | LIVE Skeptics Guide To The Universe podcast | ] |
Skeptics Guide to Universe are doing a live show at DragonCon and are streaming it over the internet at
http://www.stickam.com/skeptrack
There's no video, but the audio is up and running now! |
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| UK Copyright insanity |
[Aug. 25th, 2009|06:41 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The gnashing of teeth at such stupidity | ] |
Came across this via BoingBoing, and it's very relevent to UK internet users. It's the same idea that rose and fell in france, 3 accusations of file sharing and your internet access is cancelled, but instead of 3 it's only 2!
The proposal was only released today so please can you contact your MP and get them to vote against this disgraceful and impossible to properly implement bill. You can contact them via Write To Them, a great website which will tell you who your MP is and make it easier to contact them.
And read here for several problems with the proposed legislation.
New fast-track P2P clampdown proposals announced today
Internet cut-off threat for illegal downloaders |
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| Confusing yet awesome |
[Aug. 24th, 2009|11:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
So as many of you may or not know, I'm crap at maths. It takes me a bit to work out my hours at work and I use a calculator to add up the stats for the incoming post master spreadsheet. And yet, I find the ideas that mathmatics can lead to absolutely awesome.
Dara O'Briain, the well known comedian who studied maths and theoretical physics at University college posted this link to a video that explains multidimensions. I think I got the basic premise, but you have abandon your petty 3 dimensional understanding of the universe.
Click here
Now excuse, I'm tired and now going to bed.
Toodles. |
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| The Guild Music video |
[Aug. 17th, 2009|10:13 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Felicia Day - Do You Want To Date My Avatar? | ] |
I don't know how many of you are familiar with Felicia Day's webseries the Guild, but she's put up a music video called "Do You Want To Date My Avatar?" Fun stuff.
Tell me, and her what you think. |
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