“I'll say God seems to have a kind of laid-back management style I'm not crazy about. I'm pretty much anti-death. God looks by all accounts to be pro-death. I'm not seeing how we can get together on this issue, he and I...” ― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest Matches10 1 hour ago Continue reading →
An homage to Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot," this video explores humankind's place in the cosmos.Originally uploaded in December 2010, this update features a few minor revisions and a new narrator, L. Harvey Gold, who has provided voice-overs for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, the Biography Channel, IBM, ESPN, Toyota and others. (I was the original narrator, and I replaced the one major thing about the video that I wasn't satisfied with...me. - Seth Andrews) Continue reading →
We’ve long understood black holes to be the points at which the universe as we know it comes to an end. Often billions of times more massive than the Sun, they... By Caleb Scharf Related Article: Terrific Advance Praise for Gravity's Engines Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way... By Bora Zivkovic, Jennifer Ouellette In this groundbreaking adventure into the worlds of psychopaths, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that there is a fine line between a brilliant... By Kevin Dutton How does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? Can it actually feel an insect’s tiny, spindly legs? And how do cherry blossoms know when ... Continue reading →
◆◆◆Wednesday - June 13th - 7-9:30 p.m.◆◆◆ You can now purchase your tickets online or at the box office for the last episode of Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' episode 'Who Speaks for Earth?'. This is the famous episode on nuclear war in which Dr. Sagan argues that our responsibility for survival is owed not just to ourselves, but also to the cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring. There will be a discussion by Bill Nye and Michael Shermer following the episode on the future of mankind on Earth. Bill Nye "the Science Guy", scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our ... Continue reading →
This review of Ignorance: How it Drives Science by Stuart Firestein (Oxford University Press, May 2012, ISBN 13: 97801-998-28074) was originally published in Nature, 484, 446–447 (26 April 2012) as “Philosophy: What we don’t know.” At a press conference on February 12, 2002, the United State Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld employed epistemology to the explain U.S. foreign entanglements and their unintended consequences: “There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” It is this latter category especially that is the focus of Stuart Firestein’s sparkling and innovative ... Continue reading →
Dr. Peter Boghossian's May 6th public lecture, "Faith: Pretending to know things you don't know" Continue reading →
Can't make the conference? Enjoy all the speakers lectures on-line HERE for only $35 a day or $60 for the entire weekend. Once they have 'aired' live, you can wacth them on demand for no additional charge.Go HERE to place your order. Once paid through PayPal, you will be directed to the website for viewing.Speakers: Mr Deity, (Brian Dalton) Michael Shermer, publisher Skeptics magazine Brian Dunning, producer of the Skeptoid Podcast Robert Price, host of Point of InquiryDan Barker, president Freedom From Religion FoundationRichard Carrier, Biblical ScholarEddie Tabash, first amendment attorneyArron Ra, Atheist advocate and youtube sensationBarbara Forrest, Professor of Philosophy and Dover trial heroDave Silverman, president of American AtheistsJim Underdown, director of CFI WestDave Richards, Freethinkers for LibertyHeina Dadabhoy, skepchick writer See the schedule ... Continue reading →
Apollo Robbins (right) in action removing the wristwatch of Mariette DiChristina. (Credit: Flip Phillips.) “I see you have a watch with a buckle.” Standing at my side, Apollo Robbins held my wrist lightly as he turned my hand over and back. I knew exactly what was coming but I fell for it anyway. “Yes,” I said, trying to keep an eye on him, “that looks pretty easy for you to take off, but my rings would be harder.” He agreed, politely, while looking down at my hands and then up into my eyes: “Which one do you think would be hardest to remove?” While I considered the answer, he had already removed my watch and put it on his own wrist behind his back, unseen. ... Continue reading →
Toast always falls on the buttered side and cats always land on their feet. No animals were harmed during the filming of this commercial. The scenes are the result of awesome visual effects. Wiki Continue reading →
