On "Gridlock"

About a year ago when the new Doctor Who‘s second season began a frequent chorus was heard in online fandom–“David Tennant is good, but I can’t help but wonder how Christopher Eccleston would have been.” Tennant seemed traditionally Doctorish, while Eccleston’s performance was something else, like a force of nature. Eventually the chorus died downContinue reading “On "Gridlock"”

On Creationism Nonsense

I wrote recently something along the lines of “Flat Earthers and Creationists know more about science and the way the universe works than Brannon Braga.” Braga, of course, is the long-time Star Trek writer who wrote such scientific howlers as “Genesis” (in which people de-evolve into shrews and spiders, neither of which would be inContinue reading “On Creationism Nonsense”

On a Non-Theist in the House

Congressman Pete Stark of California made news this week as being the only member of Congress to “come out of the closet and [acknowledge] that he does not believe in God.” This revelation came from a survey done by the Secular Coaltion for America. From their press release: Rep. Stark is the first open nontheistContinue reading “On a Non-Theist in the House”

On An "Oh, Shit" Moment

This evening I went through on-line job listings. I saw an opening that looked interesting with a non-profit poverty relief organization. Hmm, said I — this could be cool. So I started their application process. Upload the resume? Check. Fill out contact information? Check. Then they wanted to test some basic reading comprehension skills. Hmm,Continue reading “On An "Oh, Shit" Moment”

On a Pastafarian Insight

This occurred to me at work today. Might the Flying Spaghetti Monster be one of the Elder Gods? Consider. Pastafarians bless one another with the saying, “May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage.” Conventionally, we think of the Noodly Appendage as, well, pasta. Could it actually be a tentacle? Could the pasta merely beContinue reading “On a Pastafarian Insight”

On Voting and a Recurring Dream

I’ve had a recurring dream the past few days. The first time it happened I woke terrified. It haunted me after I woke in the morning, as much from its subject matter as its vividness. And I’ve been gripped with a terror ever since. In the dream a space shuttle crashes. It’s coming in forContinue reading “On Voting and a Recurring Dream”

On a Place in the Universe

Nothing puts things into perspective like seeing an image of the Earth taken from deep space, with the planet just a disc of light. No borders, no cities, just light, such as in this recent image from the Cassini space probe in orbit of Saturn. The things we worry about every day, they seem soContinue reading “On a Place in the Universe”

On the Creationism Museum

Outside Cincinnati in the rolling hills of Kentucky a museum is being built, the Creation Museum. Its idea? To present exhibits based on the idea that the Biblical account of creation–that an omnipotent diety created the universe and everything in it in seven days a few thousand years ago–is literally true. From an Associated PressContinue reading “On the Creationism Museum”