Winner: Best Opening Line of a Blog Entry, Science or Humor Category

From P.Z. Meyers:

Four of my favorite things are development, evolution, and breasts, and now I have an article that ties them all together in one pretty package.

The Blood Rain

This is pretty interesting, although I don't buy into the theory that it's origin is panspermic.


The red rain that fell in the Indian state of Kerala continues to create interest. Are the particles found suspended within it extraterrestrial in nature? The rain first fell on the 25th of July, 2001, but red rain phenomena continued to occur for two months thereafter, although in some cases other colors appeared, and there are reports of colored hailstones. This was no one-shot event. I’ve held off on this story hoping to get further information, but enough readers have asked for details that I’ll go with what we now have.

We know this much: The red color is caused by the mixing of microscopic red particles with the water, the characteristics of which are unusual. As noted by Godfrey Louis and Santhosh Kumar (Mahatma Gandhi University) in their paper on the subject, the particles vary from 4 to 10 microns in size and appear under magnification as red-colored glass beads. Electron microscope work shows them to have “…a fine structure similar to biological cells.”
And although they look something like unicellular organisms, the particles show no nucleus, although dyes reveal ‘…a layered structure after the dye penetration.’ They’re also quite stable over time, showing no decay or discoloration after storage without preservatives for over four years. No trace of RNA or DNA can be found.

Moreover, the major elements found in these particles are carbon and oxygen. The amount of material is substantial: With more than 100 reported cases of red rain, the authors surmise that, at minimum, over 50,000 kg of red particles are involved. They rule out particles washed out from rooftops or trees, and find it unlikely that, given the wide dispersion geographically, the particles are pollen or fungal spores. Nor do they believe a serious case can be made that the red rains were caused by desert dust.

Save the Gases!

I have to admit, I thought this was a joke.

*They* call it pollution, we call it Life!

Appearently, it was made in all seriousness, much like the Mah-ha-ye video.

The Past is Not Really As Good as we Remember It

Thaurloteion: mork and mindy was a spinoff from happy days?
Toast171: yes
Thaurloteion: the show about the 50s? with diners and motorcycles?
Toast171: eerrrrr... yes.
Toast171: also the show that invented the term "jump the shark"
Thaurloteion: how do these two relate?
Toast171: The Fonz fought Mork in a battle of psychokinetic prowess
Toast171: and won
Toast171: we dont speak of it
Thaurloteion: theres a part of me that doesnt believe you, but its fighting with the part of me that believes if a show goes on long enough, things like that will happen
Toast171: oh yes, it's all so horribly true
Toast171: and then there was the Happy Days Cartoon
Toast171: with the time machine
Toast171: and the magic-using ditz blonde from the 23rd century
Toast171: and some kind of pet
Toast171: that was also somehow magical
Thaurloteion: yes Mr. Cool
Thaurloteion: the fonz's dog
Toast171: hmmm.. she wasn't blonde
Thaurloteion: really, how was mork and mindy a spinoff?
Thaurloteion: because i thought it was set in the 70s
Toast171: it was as I said, and yes it was set in the late 70s/early 80s
Toast171: and later sported Johnathon Winters as a baby who aged backwatds
Toast171: TV is much better today
Toast171: even Stargate
Thaurloteion: so this
Thaurloteion: The character of Mork was introduced in an episode of Happy Days titled "My Favourite Orkan". Richie tells everyone he has seen a flying saucer but no one else believes him. Fonzie tells him that people make up stories about UFOs because their lives are "humdrum". Then, while Richie's at home, Mork walks in. He freezes everyone with his finger except Richie and says he was sent to Earth to find a "humdrum" human to take back to Ork. Richie runs to Fonzie for help. When Mork catches up to him, he freezes everyone but finds himself unable to freeze Fonzie due to The Fonz's famous and powerful thumbs. Mork challenges Fonzie to a duel: Finger vs. Thumb. After their duel, The Fonz admits defeat. But Mork decides to take Fonzie back to Ork instead of Richie. Then, Richie wakes up and realizes he was dreaming. There is a knock on the door and much to Richie's dismay, it is a man who looks exactly like Mork except in regular clothes asking for directions. When production on Mork & Mindy began, an extra scene was filmed and added to this episode for subsequent reruns. Mork contacts Orson and explains that he decided to let Fonzie go, and was going to travel to the year 1978 to continue his mission.
Thaurloteion: is accurate?
Thaurloteion: "famous and powerful thumbs?"
Toast171: eech... yes, every word is true
Thaurloteion: and people complain about Simpsons plots
Toast171: no matter how low you fall in life son, shows like this prove there really is no bottom to society. These guys were *paid* to write this. Someone thought it was a *good* idea. Be afraid.
Thaurloteion: but did they only think it was a good idea because they sold their souls to the devil for some cocaine and millions of dollars?
Toast171: dozens of dollars, but yes

A Man in Search of an Argument

Darwin's worst nightmare. A single post and 850+ comments. I read a few.

Weird, but not uncommon. A guy starts a blog solely for the sake of arguing with the millions of folks who must obviously be waiting for him to show up, then seems disappointed when only his friends arrive. So he argues with them perpetuating a self-re-enforcing cycle of loneliness and isolation. I read into the first week or so and they seems, sort of sad.

I see this a lot and was worried for a while I was getting like this. All I can say is that I think folks like this must be very very lonely.

Where to Shave

Go here
Click Main Menu
Click the "where to shave" option.
You can figure the rest out for yourself.

Smirk all day long as you think to yourself: "Roman Gladiator Mask"