Voltaire was an epic correspondent. The "Republic of Letters" project at Stanford [rol] is analyzing Voltaire's letters and building relationship…
From: Stderr
This is a repost of an article from 2015. I selected this one because it mentions Never Let Me Go,…
From: A Trivial Knot
I did this exhibit in 2010. [caption id="attachment_6896" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] mjr, 2010, exhibit of 'column 5'[/caption] I used to know…
From: Stderr
Self care is retreating into worlds of imagination and letting the world burn. OK, no, we have to try to…
From: Great American Satan
This Saturday Night Live clip about Anderson Cooper and Kelly Anne Conway show how these talk show are just ritualized…
From: Mano Singham
and having fun. :D I've gotten so accustomed to doing gum arabic watercolours, I don't know that I can ever…
From: Affinity
The fairytale theme of every wedding is – perfect love. It is a good story that has little to do…
From: Odgraphix
The title is a bastardization of a lyric from a King Crimson song which said, “Confusion will be my epitaph,”…
From: Odgraphix
I got this old thing from a fellow on craig's list who was clearing out an old farm. Feels like…
From: Stderr
It's the North American Land Mammal Ages (NALMA). [caption id="attachment_36256" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Ray Troll[/caption] If you want the bigger picture,…
From: Pharyngula
I had no idea my elbows were explicitly girly! Apparently they are, according to I Don't Have To Choose, a…
From: Affinity
Today’s episode is another monologue episode. This time I’m sharing my experiences at PASTAHcon this past weekend. I brought my…
From: Bi Any Means
Rand Paul has gotten libertarianism wrong again. Despite the fact that he has attempted at times to throw off the…
From: Pervert Justice
I have a problem with this description. https://twitter.com/existentialcoms/status/920721446648782848 Old Atheism: "there is no God." New Atheism: "we need to bomb…
From: Pharyngula
If you've got an hour, you might find it worthwhile to listen to this podcast by Thomas Smith, Emotion is…
From: Pharyngula
By Jenna Olson Publisher of the Bolingbrook Babbler We want to remind our readers that Dr. Richard Carrier is suing…
From: The Bolingbrook Babbler
[caption id="attachment_22895" align="alignnone" width="250"] The Shadow as depicted on the cover of the July 15, 1939, issue of The Shadow…
From: Affinity
The title is a bastardization of a lyric from a King Crimson song which said, “Confusion will be my epitaph,”…
From: Odgraphix
It probably won't surprise anyone that the same institution employing an intellectually bankrupt conman has, under the guise of future "budget cuts,"…
From: Against the Grain
Sigh. I might once have been willing to take exception to this characterization of the history of New Atheism, but…
From: Pharyngula
“You’re not trans. You’re just a transtrender!” If non-binary people had a nickel every time we heard this, we’d be…
From: Bi Any Means
I re-watched the 2006 documentary, Jesus Camp the other day. It predicted Trump; not the who of Donald Trump, but…
From: Odgraphix
The fairytale theme of every wedding is – perfect love. It is a good story that has little to do…
From: Odgraphix
[caption id="attachment_36268" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Tumblinfeminist[/caption]
From: Pharyngula
Post-Harvey Weinstein, assault and harassment survivors are talking about their own experiences on social media using the hashtag #MeToo. As a…
From: Bi Any Means
Content Warning: discussion of rape culture, reporting, sexual harassment/assault, and rape. I will never forget back in 2015 when the…
Helen Lewis has a few words for the men of journalism (which also apply to every other area). It's easy…
From: Pharyngula
Guys, gather round. I get it. I understand. You care about sexual abuse, sexual violence, sexual harassment. In fact, you…
Crip Dyke has a stupendous analysis on the trainwreck calling itself "An Argument for a Liberal and Rational Approach to…
From: Against the Grain
GamerGate reached its zenith long before I began writing in earnest. I was fortunate to not be a direct target…
From: Against the Grain
Just so you know, Jason Thibeau (The Lousy Canuck) is going to do the cunning work of transferring all of…
From: Pharyngula
We have this thing called The Minnesota Goodbye -- if you lived here, you'd know what I'm talking about. You're…
From: Pharyngula
In case you want to start your day with a nice story for a change, go read this one. You'll…
From: Pharyngula
By Jenna Olson Publisher of the Bolingbrook Babbler We want to remind our readers that Dr. Richard Carrier is suing…
From: The Bolingbrook Babbler
We've been doing it all wrong. I was reading this article about blogs that review goddamn mattresses, which seems to…
From: Pharyngula
You may have heard that Scienceblogs is being shuttered at the end of this month, which is a real shame.…
From: Pharyngula
Eventually I will stop making fun of the "tactical" gear mindset. But for now, since I'm stuck in an airport,…
From: Stderr
I'm keeping up with the news from Ireland, where Ophelia is rushing up the west coast. Hurricanes and fierce winds…
From: Pharyngula
By Reporter X With Mayor Roger Claar on a business trip and Deputy Mayor Leroy Brown on medical leave, the…
From: The Bolingbrook Babbler
My posting about the paradox of "self defense" triggered much more response than I expected. [stderr] Like many of you,…
From: Stderr
Last fall, shortly after starting this blog, I became a theist. It's a secret I feel I must now reveal.…
From: I Have Forgiven Jesus
When it started to become clear that Donald Trump was actually being taken seriously as a candidate for president, the…
The fairytale theme of every wedding is – perfect love. It is a good story that has little to do…
From: Odgraphix
“We’re getting near that beautiful Christmas season that people don’t talk about anymore. They don’t use the word ‘Christmas’ because…
From: The Digital Cuttlefish
I have had to make a decision recently that is not the rational choice. Since I spend a fair amount…
From: Odgraphix
Among the many tax benefits that religious clergy get is that any housing allowance that they are given is exempt…
From: Mano Singham
The rapid succession of shooting tragedies has resulted in people realizing that the phrase ' sending our thoughts and prayers'…
From: Mano Singham
Well lookee here. Rep. Tim Murphy resigns from Congress after allegedly asking woman to have abortion Rep. Tim Murphy told…
From: Death to Squirrels
Since there are currently no pressing problems facing our great nation, the US House of Reprehensibles has just passed HB…
From: Death to Squirrels
There is this odd fantasy that some religious people indulge in that they think that atheists secretly feel some void…
From: Mano Singham
Full disclosure: I don't have anything close to a scientific background. I majored in Theatre ferchrissakes, and graduated with my…
From: Death to Squirrels
If I didn't study Volvox, I would probably study placozoa. Placozoa are animals, but you wouldn't know it to look at…
From: Fierce Roller
How can anyone be this sloppy? Originally published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2012, the study found that children were more…
From: Pharyngula
On re-reading Australian test cricketer Usman Khawaja's article about the racism he encountered in Australia as a young boy of…
From: Mano Singham
Another study has come out claiming a link between vaccinations and autism -- and it has been retracted. The paper…
From: Pharyngula
It's the North American Land Mammal Ages (NALMA). [caption id="attachment_36256" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Ray Troll[/caption] If you want the bigger picture,…
From: Pharyngula
[caption id="attachment_36244" align="aligncenter" width="500"] BoingBoing[/caption] Serial cables are neutral? No way. Chaotic evil. I had to make too many of…
From: Pharyngula
[caption id="attachment_22829" align="alignnone" width="720"] Visualization of networks in Brooklyn, and a map to escape them, on the White Spots app…
From: Affinity
[caption id="attachment_36239" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Strange Animals[/caption]
From: Pharyngula
A bit about the early development of human gonads. A few useful sources: Sadler TW. 2014. Langman's Medical Embryology. LWW.…
From: Pharyngula
My colleague Crip Dyke has a wonderful way with words: While The Advocate includes all this in its coverage, what…
From: Against the Grain
Fuck Nazis. [caption id="attachment_36286" align="aligncenter" width="500"] CNN[/caption] It's a trap!
From: Pharyngula
All of you teachers have been here. You want to get discussion going in the classroom, because that's a really…
From: Pharyngula
Apparently the United Kingdom is so verifiably transphobic that a British trans woman successfully appealed to New Zealand immigration to…
From: Against the Grain
When it started to become clear that Donald Trump was actually being taken seriously as a candidate for president, the…
I re-watched the 2006 documentary, Jesus Camp the other day. It predicted Trump; not the who of Donald Trump, but…
From: Odgraphix
What a piece of work is man How noble in reason how infinite in faculties in apprehension how like a…
From: Odgraphix
It probably won't surprise anyone that the same institution employing an intellectually bankrupt conman has, under the guise of future "budget cuts,"…
From: Against the Grain
Readers here are familiar with a deflection technique used by people with ugly views: they claim they aren't promoting bad…
From: Pharyngula
Crip Dyke has a stupendous analysis on the trainwreck calling itself "An Argument for a Liberal and Rational Approach to…
From: Against the Grain
Gregg Popovich is the coach of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team who has had a very successful career. He…
From: Mano Singham
The policemen who went into a rage because a nurse in Utah properly refused to give him a blood sample…
From: Mano Singham
Rand Paul has gotten libertarianism wrong again. Despite the fact that he has attempted at times to throw off the…
From: Pervert Justice
This Saturday Night Live clip about Anderson Cooper and Kelly Anne Conway show how these talk show are just ritualized…
From: Mano Singham
As he began his second term as Chinese president at the opening of Communist Party's 19th Congress, Xi Jingpin gave…
From: Mano Singham
When it started to become clear that Donald Trump was actually being taken seriously as a candidate for president, the…
I re-watched the 2006 documentary, Jesus Camp the other day. It predicted Trump; not the who of Donald Trump, but…
From: Odgraphix
The title is a bastardization of a lyric from a King Crimson song which said, “Confusion will be my epitaph,”…
From: Odgraphix
What a piece of work is man How noble in reason how infinite in faculties in apprehension how like a…
From: Odgraphix
I am finally home again after a week on the road. Most of the time was spent playing with my…
From: Mano Singham