Gemsbok probably have more adaptations to dry conditions than any other antelope. They even recover the moisture from the breath they exhale in their sinuses. They will also fight for shade.

Today is the last day of SkepchiCON, a skeptic and science track at the Convergence Convention, which in turn is one of those science fiction and fantasy conventions. I’ve attended a number of panels most of which I participated in, and they have all done well. For the most part, I’m told, the Skepchicon tracks get a larger audience than many other events, suggesting that we-all are doing something right. Skepchick Car2D2 deserves a huge round of applause for her awesome efforts in organizing this event.

I’ve had a great time visiting with friends and colleagues from in town and out of town, gawking at interesting costumes, and having excellent conversations. Yesterday, while sitting on one of the panels, I was able to point to Commander Willian Riker (sitting five rows back) and say to him, in reference to the person in the front row, “Number one … did you hear the Klingon in the front just say that ‘human beings are doomed?'”

(A guy in a Klingon suit had so lamented in relation to overall human stupidity.)

In a couple of hours, PZ Myers and I will run a panel by ourselves (I think … perhaps someone has been added one never knows) on “New discoveries in evolution.” Overall, the theme of the panels I’ve been on seems to have been how to figure out good from bad information about evolution and science in general. I think we may end up discussing that in part as we discuss recent evolutionary items of interest.

Two interesting metaphors emerged during the ongoing conversation that will form the seeds of a couple of blog posts … if you remind me to talk about them. Just ask me about the Big Monkey and the Rain Forest Bouquet. It will all make sense later when I explain.

OK, now it is time to get some coffee and head back down to Bloomington where I will rub elbows with star troopers, zombies and furries. Live long and prosper. Nanu nanu.

Scene: Berkeley, California, April 1986. A bar. Five conference attendees, myself included, grabbing a hamburger and a beer in a fern-bar on or near Telegraph.

All eyes are on the TV’s mounted over the bar, where we watch footage of an air strike against Libya. This is the retribution by Ronald Reagan against Insane African Leader Muammar al-Kadafi. The White House was issuing statements about al-Kadafi’s involvement in bombings in Europe, the OPEC oil ministry kidnapping, linkage to the infamous Jackal, and so on. Nikki, a friend and colleague, said something, and I remember asking her to repeat it. Nikki is a low-talkier. You’ve got to lean in really close. So I leaned in and heard her say, “Lybia is the only country in Africa where the people get to share in the national wealth. They love Kadafi. Others should take a lesson from him.”
Continue reading Flight 103 from Frankfurt →

This is a canal paralleling the Gariep (aka Orange) River in the Northern Cape of South Africa. Around the turn of the 19th century missionaries moved into this area and developed water irrigation systems that supported the development of an orchard industry which is still going strong, with an increasing focus on table grapes. The dry conditions facilitated drying fruit, so this is essentially the tried apricot and raisin capital of the world. Or at least, southern Africa.

This water wheel turns with the force of the water in the canal, and with the wheel rotates a cup which picks up a small amount of water with each rotation, dumping that into a sluice that feeds to an irrigation pipe or ditch.

There are two lies you will hear from anyone who is into the sport of angling. 1) “It was THIS BIG!” and 2) “Catching fish isn’t the point. It’s the experience of fishing that matters.”
Continue reading “I only fish for the fishing, not the catching” →

Our guest is Ben Radford, columnist and managing editor for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. Ben is a veteran investigator of paranormal incidents, and the author of “Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries.” He’ll share stories about his favourite investigations, and the techniques he uses to bring real science to bear on paranormal claims.

Speaking up” Markus Volter with OmegaTauPodcast.net

Details here

When the dotcom bubble burst, hotelier Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on happiness. In an old friendship with an employee and in the wisdom of a Buddhist king, he learned that success comes from what you count.

Continue reading Chip Conley: Measuring what makes life worthwhile →

A dam at a game preserve in the Waterberg. I believe that one crocodile lives here. Gets bigger every year. (It probably has friends in the nearby river.)

I had never felt airsick before, or since. But now I was a nauseated rag doll flopping around in the middle row of a six seater prop plane and I was ready to hurl at any moment.
Continue reading Flight 447 and the ITCZ →

A handful of posts that made people mad at me, or each other:

Slaughter a Cow Every 28 Days: How the Bible Ruined Western Society

Mail Order Brides and Hypergyny

Mail Order Russian Brides, Woovending, Shell Oil and Silence

The Natural Basis for Inequality of the Sexes

The Plant Blogging Carnival Berry Go Round is up and running at Agricultural BiodiversityWeblog.

The Carnival of Evolutoin # 25 is at Culturing Science.

Unlikely to come to a theater near you, this obscure foreign film would make you laugh, cry, and wonder about what is really possible:

Hat tip: Java Joe

According to a Social Analysis who has studied the issue. Gillard is the new Prime Minister of Oz.

Continue reading Nobody cares that Julia Gillard is an atheist →