Earlier today, the Linux Epoch time … which is the number os seconds since January 1st 1970 when the world was created … reached this number:
Daily Archives: February 13, 2009
The Bible as Ethnography ~ 03 ~ Sometimes a Snake is Just a Snake. But not in this case….
Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve being naked yet not ashamed. In Genesis 3, the Serpent, who is wiser than average, tricks Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit of one of god’s two magic trees. This results in Adam and Eve recognizing their own nakedness, and compelling them to produce the first clothing. The word “naked” in the original Hebrew is either eromim or arumim. The former means naked (no clothes) and the latter means exposure as in exposing lies. The original Hebrew for the “clothing” that they put together, “chagowr” probably means “belt.” The parallel (and probably older) Babylonian/Sumerian story explicitly tells of “sexual knowledge.” Remember, the tree providing the forbidden fruit is the tree of knowledge. The only thing that is clear about this story is that it, the story, is heavily clothed in euphemism.
Origin stories sometimes refer to origins of sexual relations, sometimes prescribing and sometimes proscribing certain practices. The origin story for the Efe (Pygmies) and Lese (horticulturalists) of the Ituri Forest has the first Efe man teaching the first Lese man about sex. He does this by having sex with the first Lese woman. That is an incredibly outrageous concept. Efe men are not allowed to have carnal relationships with Lese women under any circumstances (though Efe women can marry Lese men). This, the Efe/Lese origin story is a kind of beginning and a kind of end for a certain sort of relationship.
Continue reading The Bible as Ethnography ~ 03 ~ Sometimes a Snake is Just a Snake. But not in this case….
Hints and Tips for Kicking Butt on the Wii Mario Kart
First of all, I want you to understand that I’m a lightweight in the Mario Kart game. Julia is not. So my pointers come mainly from watching her. (Watching her kick my butt, actually.)
I also want to make a few other comments that are not tricks, tips, or “cheats” on how to win, but rather, general observation.
Continue reading Hints and Tips for Kicking Butt on the Wii Mario Kart
This is not supposed to happen
Imagine if two people got in their cars and drove to work. They both live in different places and work in different places. They live miles from where they work. Their driving paths cross at one point.
There are no other cars in the universe, just these two (remember, I’m asking you to use your imagination). And from the first time they make the commute to work and back thereafter, the cars make the same trip every day on autopilot.
Eventually, this might happen:
According to Sorting Out Science (whence I totally stole this video) this is a reconstruction of a collision between two communicatoins satellites over Siberia. Think of all those people at that very moment looking at their cell phones and going “Hmmmm… must be in a dead spot…..”
Darwin’s Birthday Gallup Poll on “Belief in Evolution”
The Gallup Poll is not surprising in any of its results but it is, of course, alarming and interesting. Here’s a summary.
On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they “believe in the theory of evolution,” while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and another 36% don’t have an opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to education and, to an even greater degree, religiosity.
The data:
Believe in evolution 39%
Do not believe in evolutoin 25%
No opinon either way 36%
Not surprisingly, education level has a strong effect on tresponse. Have a look at this graph:
The good news:
Younger Americans, who are less likely to be religious than those who are older, are also more likely to believe in evolution. Still, just about half of those aged 18 to 34 say they believe in evolution.
Well, not great news, but good news.
In answer to the question “Can you tell me with which scientific theory Charles Darwin is associated?” only a little over half knew. That was asked before all the other questions. And, knowing or not knowing the answer to that question went way way up with higher education levels, not surprisingly.
The poll reporters conclude:
As Darwin is being lauded as one of the most important scientists in history on the 200th anniversary of his birth (on Feb. 12, 1809), it is perhaps dismaying to scientists who study and respect his work to see that well less than half of Americans today say they believe in the theory of evolution, and that just 55% can associate the man with his theory.
… Americans who have lower levels of formal education are significantly less likely than others to be able to identity Darwin with his theory, and to have an opinion on it either way. Still, the evidence is clear that even to this day, Americans’ religious beliefs are a significant predictor of their attitudes toward Darwin’s theory….
Feb 14 is tomorrow
Give your sweetie an Awkward Valentine.
Coleman Promises to Not Take Recount to US Courts!
“While Al Franken, Harry Reid and their allies will likely continue their efforts to short-circuit Minnesota election law, you can be assured that I will continue fighting to ensure the Minnesota voters — and nobody else! — will truly decide who won this election.”
Source: MnIndy
President Obama on Darwin’s Birthday
… and some other guy …
You must go to just after six minutes 20 second. And then it’s like, one second long. But there is is.
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Quiz: Who first and most consistently against slavery, Lincoln or Darwin?