Other people get email » « Royal Society statement regarding Professor Michael Reiss

You don’t have to stop commenting!

Just to clarify the ScienceBlogs 1,000,000 Comments contest: the millionth commenter didn’t win anything. Everybody who makes a comment on Scienceblogs up to 30 September is automatically entered in a drawing to win a fabulous trip for two to New York. If you slept through the moment when the millionth comment was entered, you didn’t miss anything and you didn’t lose, necessarily.

So keep on talking. But shhhhh, don’t tell anyone: you only need to make one comment to be entered, and more comments don’t increase your odds.

Other people get email » « Royal Society statement regarding Professor Michael Reiss

Comments

  1. TheWireMonkey says

    So, what if I already live in New York? Can I win a fabulous trip for two to Minnesota? Seriously. I love to go there!

  2. scooter says

    It’s hard to comment when you ain’t got no internets, or electricity, damn we got the shit kicked out of us.

    I’ll post pix from the hood if anybody ever shows up with a line truck and starts working on this mess.

    -houston

  3. CadicusTheDamned says

    I second #1’s idea. I have a sister in Minneapolis and only an ex-girlfriend in NYC that hates me. Plus, I’d love to drink a few stouts with the infamous professor.

  5. Nick says

    Commenting on ScienceBlogs is like eating your veggies. It’s good for you, it makes you feel better, and occasionally it flings you across the continent and expands your mind.

  6. zer0 says

    Odd, I tried to say “heart” PZ by doing the ol’ less-than-3 trick, but I guess it thought it was a broken html tag… oopsies!

  7. Trish says

    I think that my going to New York would promote world peace and feed all the hungry kids in China my Mom always told me about when I didn’t want to eat my veggies.

    Thank you. Crown please?

  8. mhogan says

    It’d be great to win a trip to New York. I’d love to visit the Hayden Planetarium at the Natural History Museum (even if it’s sans Pluto).

  9. Marc says

    Oh, really? I only have to comment ONCE? Good to know.

    Now, how do I go about putting this new bit of information to good use?
    :)

  10. Christopher says

    Comment. Comment comment comment.

    Insightful comment. Explanation of insightful comment.

    Commentary comment. Reinforcement of commentary comment.

    Conclusive comment.

  11. Longtime Lurker says

    You mean there’s a chance that Peter Rooke will win a trip up here to my neck of the woods?

    Gotta stock up on milk before the sicko gets here!

  13. Alcari says

    I wanted to post something sarcastic, but it might win, and I don’t to win with a non-post.

    I just can’t think of anything usefull to say.

  14. Spiv says

    I could use a vacation to new york. But alas, I am a lonely crump- two tickets is redundant. Unless of course I can get them on staggered flight times to go twice? That would be sweet.

  15. Ichthyic says

    wait.

    more…

    comments…

    don’t…

    increase…

    your…

    chances?

    then…

    I’m…

    wasting…

    my…

    time.

    thanks.

    (pretend there was a separate entry for each of those lines – I’m far too lazy to actually do it).

  16. Elvish Pirate Monarch says

    The secret of this contest adds to my comprehension of the mysteries of the univers…awww enlightenment

  17. lollipop says

    A trip to NY? I’m in – I’ve only been there once.

    I wish I had more to say, but my brain is fried..

  29. Bryan says

    Sorry guys, no need to enter. Logic proves I win!

    1. The odds of life are soooooo rare(like 1 in a BILLION MILLION DILLION!)
    2. Life exists (aka “I win” (the game of life)).
    Therefore 3. There is a God.
    4. The odds of this contest are sooooo rare (like 1 in a THOUSAND THOUSAND and change)
    5. There is a God (see 3)
    Therefore 6. I win (the game of SB)

    SUCKERS!

  31. Martin says

    I’m sure I’d be able to win even though I’m from Norway. Right? I mean, it hardly costs anything to fly over the pond these days. Barely.

  32. says

    I suppose that my comments won’t cease
    But an answer could give me some peace
    Could a “trip for two” be
    One who’s local (that’s me)
    And the other a beauty from Greece?

  36. says

    Or another, for what it is worth
    From the opposite side of the earth–
    I don’t mean to be rude
    But the prize could include,
    Say, a sweetie who lives down in Perth?

  38. Helge says

    seems like the right thread to post to, if you don’t really have anything to say but still want to go to NY

  39. Boomer says

    Well I just went to New York City this summer, but it was only for long enough to realize that I need more time there to see and do everything I want to. So I’d be glad to go back!

  42. says

    And I don’t mean to cause you more strife
    But one question, as sharp as a knife:
    Would you mind, if I won,
    If I have me some fun–
    Or does “trip for two” mean it’s my wife?

  45. ryanm says

    Is it true that if I win I get to pick my favorite science blogger to meet up with me in NY for dinner? P.Z., I reckon you have a pretty good chance of being summoned to N.Y. yourself, if that be the case…

  48. LisaJ says

    Oh, but it was so fun competing for the 1,000,000th comment. I still wanna know who it was… any idea?

  50. SteveM says

    Odd, I tried to say “heart” PZ by doing the ol’ less-than-3 trick, but I guess it thought it was a broken html tag… oopsies!

    You mean like this: I <3 NY

  53. Mercurious says

    Hey Cuttlefish… maybe “trip for two” means your wife and your girlfriend will go together…….

  54. SC says

    If you go to the Sb home page there’s a link to a schedule of the celebrations going on this month in the US and beyond.

    Rev. – Just emailed you. Let me know if you don’t get it.

    scooter – Glad to hear you’re intact. My mother was just deployed there by the Red Cross and is on her way down.

  62. tsg says

    You mean like this: I “I have boobies for New York”?

    With the “I” next to it, it looks completely other.

  65. Hank says

    I wouldn’t feel right winning on a superfluous comment that added nothing to the site’s discussions, so let me tell you why I think Christianity is clearly wrong.

    Most Christians readily cite the Bible passage John 3:16 as the core of their faith. In a nutshell, it means that God sacrificed his own son for our sins, and concurrently, that Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

    The Great Sacrifice.

    Let’s look at this while staying consistent to mainstream Christian beliefs.

    In the Trinity, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one.

    God, and therefore, Jesus too, has always existed, since the beginning of eternity.

    Jesus, in human form, knew that he was going to be killed, and he knew that he would rise from the dead in three days:

    “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (2 John 2:19)

    Jesus also knew that he would then ascend into heaven to live for all eternity at the right hand of God. That was the deal: Exist for eternity in paradise, go to Earth for 33 years, teach a bit, return to paradise. The time since then has been spent waiting for the other shoe to drop; that is, for Christ to return to Earth.

    So then, where is the sacrifice?

    I mean, “to sacrifice” means to give up something you need without expecting to get it back. Certainly, if God told Jesus that the only way to save mankind was to leave heaven permanently, ie. sacrifice his spot, then I would recognize the great gift. But he didn’t. He sent him to visit and come home.

    It’s no different than me putting a slug nickel in a gumball machine, yanking it back out, and proclaiming that you should really thank me for that gumball you’re enjoying because I sacrificed my own nickel for it ESPECIALLY FOR YOU. It’s silly to claim I sacrificed a nickel when I clearly got it right back. Why is it different to say God sacrificed his son when he clearly did not?

    The crucifixion itself was not the sacrifice either; Jesus the man giving up his life. The sacrifice of a life is a purely human construction. It is the ultimate gift a human can do precisely because we only get the one life. Death is scary, because neither you, nor I, know what comes afterward. Maybe nothing comes afterward, thus the correct use of the words “human sacrifice.”

    Gods have no fear of death, even in human form, because they not only already know what is on the other side, but that death simply means they get to go home, where it’s much nicer.

    So what?

    So we are faced with a choice: Either God is playing us for suckers, talking about a sacrifice that clearly is not, or, drum roll….someone made the whole thing up and forgot to wrap up the logical contradictions.

    Hmmm.

    This is carefully weighed evidence directly from Christian Holy Scriptures, and theists can not satisfactorily dispute it. The best they’ve done is to say that Jesus had to suffer so we couldn’t say something like “You don’t know how it feels to be human.”

    However, an omnipotent god wouldn’t need to do that.

    No, to call Jesus divine is to admit that there was no sacrifice. Conversely, to say that Jesus sacrificed his life, you can no longer call him divine. The best you can do is to say a divine Jesus pulled a fast one on us because human sacrifices were all the rage in the Bronze Age, and faking one was the best way to get our attention.

    And insisting that Jesus really sacrificed his life for us means nothing less than he was fully human–with no link to the divine. A true sacrifice. Dead and gone forever.

    Thus, the “Mystery of Faith.” So it goes with all of religion: When things go our way, then God is responsible. When things go badly for us, or we’re faced with an irreconcilable contradiction in dogma, well then, God works in mysterious ways.

  71. The Swiss says

    cool, two tickets to The city! (Never been to the US yet…)

    There are still some deeply mysterious aspects to this contest though. My fiancée is in Bali for the rest of the year. Do we we get two tickets to fly separately to NY? or do I have to find a new girl here in Switzerland?

  75. says

    Are trolls eligibe? The idea of a troll winning seems rather distasteful.

    Trolls can win a prize to be sneezed on by me. Maybe then I’ll get my voice back and change back into human form.

  78. Lluraa says

    Hank,
    Permit me to share with you what many in my faith community beleive and feel. We beleive that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ and He taught us how to relate to God and to one another.
    Humankind though the years have done a heck of a job in messing up following in the name of Jesus but some day, we might get it right.
    I beleive that the more science discovers the more we see the glory of God’s creation.

  80. sjburnt says

    Jees! For those first few callers, the distance between Moorhead and Minneapolis is about five hours. (That’s Minnesootan distance, ya know.

    Do you suppose I could win a trip from Minneapolis out to Moorhead?

  83. tsg says

    Jees! For those first few callers, the distance between Moorhead and Minneapolis is about five hours. (That’s Minnesootan distance, ya know.

    As a resident of another state that measures distance in minutes, I can tell you the time it takes to get somewhere around here is only very loosely related to how far away it is.

  86. Bunk says

    There’s no way you can trick me into posting just for a chance to win a fabulous trip for two to New York. No way at all.

  91. Victor says

    So PZ Myers is going to personally reward me with a trip to New York City from his proceeds off this popular science blog website?!?! Amazing, simply amazing.

  92. Emerson Ross says

    Here’s my first comment on Pharyngula…although I’ve been a devoted reader for a good year!

  93. Pierce R. Butler says

    Somebody’s got to say it: New York – ehh.

    If I win, can I swap the tickets etc for something useful?

  98. says

    As organizer of the Missoula Area Secular Society (M.A.S.S.) and recently appointed “Vice President of Secular Affairs” for the Missoula Skeptics… I would LOVE a trip to NY to meet some of the NY Skeptics and maybe do some other cool stuff too. So, here’s my entry for the contest. I’ll keep my fingers crossed (no, really, it totally works!!)

  109. Espen says

    A trip to New York…hmmm…it would be nice to see the U.S. while they still allow atheists to enter. They do still allow atheists to enter…right?

    Anyways, keep up the good work Professor :)

  110. Nerd of Redhead says

    I would much prefer something useful like a new iMac. But the Redhead would probably demand the NY trip.

  116. Bad Albert says

    I’ve already been to Minnesota. I drove through a couple of months ago so I would rather go to New York. I’ve wanted to see the World Trade Center ever since they did that remake of King Kong. I guess it’s too late for that now.

  119. says

    You mean that the sycophant posse and the pro-creationists baited here have equal chance to win? How could any god allow it?

  121. says

    I’ll add to the folks wondering what happens if one of the well-known kooks and trolls wins — mroberts? JAD?

    I’ve been to NY once: spent one day at the AMNH, and the other on the lower Manhattan bsu tour. If we went back? AMNH again, and maybe have a look at that vacant lot across the street if the weather is decent (but it sounds like Seed has a programme of cool sci-stuff for the lucky winners to see).

    My choice of SciBlogger to have dinner with? Wilkins. I’m seeing PZ in TO next month anyways.

  125. jj says

    “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

    – Douglas Adams

  126. Taxorgian says

    I would comment more often, but sadly I’ve not much to say. I would like the trip, of course!

  131. Patricia says

    Llurra – Explain the magical under pants, please. That’s what all the truly inquiring minds want to know about.

  133. Quiet_Desperation says

    I would like to be molested by the TSA, so count me in!

    Wait. What? There’s molestation to be had? Will the TSA agent be Condoleezza Rice in that gestappo-ish outfit she wore a few years back? I am *so* there.

    Oh deary deary me, I’m going to get in trouble here again. :-(

  137. Quiet_Desperation says

    What do you want to bet that Woot (of (.)(.) fame) wins?

    Anyone know what the deal with Woot is?

    Sometimes I totally agree with him. Or her. It?

  139. The Cheerful Nihilist says

    I posted this morning at about 999,997 (Science Blog Time). When I hit the refresh button, the counter was at 1,000,001.

    That was pretty cool. Then I went to work. That was not.

  145. Ag says

    You know, I kind of felt like a squid at work today (if squids worked in corporations, that is). I was threatened with work, so I wrote down a thousand and seven questions for my manager (creating an inky whirlpool of confusion)chucked the files on her desk, and jetted myself out of there…backwards!

    I got some really strange looks for that.

  148. Ag says

    You know, I kind of felt like a squid at work today (if squids worked in corporations, that is). I was threatened with work, so I wrote down a thousand and seven questions for my manager (creating an inky whirlpool of confusion)chucked the files on her desk, and jetted myself out of there…backwards!

    I got some really strange looks for that.

  150. Scote says

    “So keep on talking. But shhhhh, don’t tell anyone: you only need to make one comment to be entered, and more comments don’t increase your odds.”

    Well, thank goodness. I’d hate to think that trolls had better odds of winning, or those annoying people who try and post “First!” with nothing to say about the actual topic at hand.

  151. gruggach says

    I’d love to visit New York. I’ve never been.

    If aliens were to study our TV broadcasts to learn about us they’d think we all lived in New York or LA.

    Or Cincinnati if they lucked out and caught old WKRP re-runs.

  152. Adam says

    Nothing to see here. Just a typical lurker to the blog.

    Hiding, just waiting to pounce. for a trip to NY.

    *meooow*

    Damn, need bigger cats….

  153. E.V. says

    Last I heard, Lluridd, Las Vegas is Sin City and NYC is The Big Apple.
    I wouldn’t bet on the Jesus myth stuff, it seems to fall apart under the scrutiny of logic. Oh BTW, it’s i before e except after c believe it or not.

  155. Clintsc9 says

    So where is the comment supposed to be put?

    I’d love a trip to New York but don’t know where to comment.

    Somebody help.

  157. Lluraa says

    Llurra – Explain the magical under pants, please. That’s what all the truly inquiring minds want to know about.

    Pat, there are many garments that various religions wear, for example Jewish men wear yamukles, and prayer shaws, some Christians wear special garments for their liturgical celebrations, monks and nuns in both the Christian and Buddhist communities wear special clothes, and Mormons have special undergarments that are particularly meaningful for them. Truly inquiring minds may want to google it or go to a library for a better and deeper explaination. But surely as a good scientist you know this.

  159. E.V. says

    Who’d a thunk Cuttlefish had a girl in every port? I thought his poetry was for posterity and erudition and he’s just using it to score some chicks. Who needs a sports car when you have his talent.
    He does raise an important concern though; do you both have to leave from the same port of call? Just wondering.
    “I’m in a New York state of mind…”

  161. HP says

    Actually, I’m really hoping that the prize goes to a creationist, or an anti-vaxxer, or a global warming denialist. I think it would make for fantastic theater.

  162. E.V. says

    LLuraa,
    We know about the garment. The point is that no garment, prayer shawl, penis sheath, etc. is actually magical and that a belief that it is anything other than purely ceremonial is ludicrous.
    So do you believe the Mormon garments have mystical properties?

  164. says

    does that mean this is the place to post if you haven’t been inspired to post anything else recently?

    Hey, maybe I should bring out the old “face it, a lot of Junk DNA isn’t junk, but creationists can still go screw” argument. See

    Nature 454, 1042-1045 (2008) | doi:10.1038/4541042a

    at http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080827/full/4541042a.html

    and compare and contrast to PZ’s http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/06/its_junk_get_over_it.php

    There, that’s sorta on topic, and maybe I’ll WIN THE BIG PRIZE!!1!!1!

  165. Yaroslav Naumenko says

    You know, considering that I only live 2 hours from NY, it will be very silly for me to win…

  169. Chris R. says

    I am single-handedly, with this comment, attempting to increase the odds that the winning comment will be from this thread. Please do not make my effort be made in vain, Scienceblog gods of chance ;)

  172. says

    “I’d love a trip to New York… I’ve never been. – Michael, #168

    I double dated with my wife to the New York World’s Fair in 1964. Haven’t been back since. I hear it’s changed.

  175. says

    The odds may be against me but on the off-chance, I really wouldn’t mind a trip to New York. I missed it when I actually lived only a few hours away. Slothful me.

  176. Skwee says

    Crescimento e Desenvolvimento do liberalism in various arbitrary harmful difamação.
    (What happened when I ran this blog’ s slogan through all the languages of Google Translate.)

  179. says

    “I’d hate to think that trolls had better odds of winning, or those annoying people who try and post “First!” with nothing to say about the actual topic at hand.” – Scote, #150

    Watch Woot win it. (.)(.)

    Or Woot’s mom. ( . )( . )

  182. JJR says

    Feeling glad not to be working in either Galveston or Houston (where I have worked in recent years, 2005-2007) right now. Ike just gave us in Denton, TX some light rain and cooler Fall-like temperatures in its wake.

    My folks down in Sugar Land, TX had to sit around without electricity or AC for 42 hours, but now they’re back on the grid. Big tree lost some big limbs, but it stayed up and didn’t crash into the house. Mom says it was worse than Alicia with regards to the wind, but not as bad as regarded the flooding, which in Alicia got up into our back yard and ruined the downstairs carpeting.

    It got up pretty far into the front yard, too, with big ol’ brownish whirlpools around the street drains.
    I still remember that, all the way back to 1983.

    From late 2005 to early 2006, I lived/worked in Galveston, in some apartments right on Seawall Blvd. I always felt nervous the whole time I was there, particularly since Galveston had just dodged the Rita bullet right before I moved down there. I will miss the Balinese Room, though they always were playing Russian roulette with that structure, and finally lost. I count myself lucky that my position with TAMUG didn’t work out after all; If I’d stayed, I’d be out of a job. Plus, I used to work for AIG in Houston and their stock just tanked, plus their Houston operations have been temporarily relocated to Austin, TX.

    Me, I enjoyed walking to work this morning with the temp a cool 50 F. Guilty pleasure for this former greater Houston-Galveston area resident.

  183. windy, OM says

    Hey, maybe I should bring out the old “face it, a lot of Junk DNA isn’t junk, but creationists can still go screw” argument.

    How much is “a lot”? If those “2,000 long non-coding RNAs” are functional, that would still not make most of the genome non-junk. If you are going to argue that the 80% of the human genome that’s transcribed is probably functional (and not just in the general sense that transcription itself may be useful for something), fine, but then we need to explain how humans manage the genetic load of maintaining all that by selection.

  186. Chris Leithiser says

    Of course, those of us with multiple e-mail addresses would never dream of commenting under more than one name; that would be wrong.

  187. Patricia says

    Llurra – I’m not even remotely a scientist. I’m a farmer, herb & egg peddler, and a strumpet. Late at night I morph into an ignorant slut.
    So please do tell about the ‘garments’, you have everyone’s attention!

  190. Sven DiMilo says

    Just took a trip to NYC yesterday…my last-ever trip to Shea Stadium, in fact (last time I was there? 1971!)
    Mets were up by 2 until Atlanta scored 5 in the top of the ninth.
    Anybody got a decent relief pitcher for sale?

  197. Justin Higinbotham says

    Hah, I love your work PZ and can’t resist a shot at winning a sweet trip out to NY. Keep up the good work.
    Justin

  198. says

    Llurra – Explain the magical under pants, please. That’s what all the truly inquiring minds want to know about.

    Pat, there are many garments that various religions wear, for example Jewish men wear yamukles, and prayer shaws, some Christians wear special garments for their liturgical celebrations, monks and nuns in both the Christian and Buddhist communities wear special clothes, and Mormons have special undergarments that are particularly meaningful for them. Truly inquiring minds may want to google it or go to a library for a better and deeper explaination. But surely as a good scientist you know this.

    Now please explain to us how native Americans are the descendants of the Israelites. And I don’t want to google it I want you to explain it because you came her blabbering on about Mormonism in too many threads to remember.

    Now please. Go right ahead.

  199. Kougaro says

    Well, since i got to put something in this comment : PZ, your blog is very good, I really love it, please continue posting lots of godless thoughts and commentaries.

  201. says

    To contribute to the spam…

    I’ve been reading this blog since long before it had thousand-comment-posts, and I haven’t been commenting very much, because other people always seem to be doing much better than I could hope for. I was just wondering if Seed would follow up with sending me from my Eastern Europe location to New York if I won.

    In any case, sincere thanks for being a candle in the dark, PZ.

  202. Ohika says

    Daily lurker here. I can’t resist entering contests for fabulous prizes despite the long odds…

  206. MikeM says

    I am concerned about concern trolls. It’s not that it’s not your right to express these opinions, it’s that something bad may happen if you do.

    I’m so concerned. Concerned, concerned, concerned.

    Autumn in New York.
    Why does it seem so inviting?

  211. Robert J. Grieve says

    So here is my comment: Coney Island Hot Dogs, Real Kosher Delis on Flatbush Ave, a Tongue Sandwich on pumpernickel with mustard and horseradish, China Town, Little Italy, Arthur Avenue, Brighton Beach, Katz’s Deli, and so much more. NY NY. Bring it on.

  212. SC says

    I can’t believe how many lurkers there are! It’s so easy sometimes to slip into thinking you’re having a more “private” conversation, and there are probably a few hundred people reading. Yikes! :)

    Rev. – Got it.

  215. blorf says

    @ 137
    A while back Dr Myers made a comment along the lines of ‘I don’t care if all you do is post links to boobies’ and w00t crawled out of the woodwork. I am a big fan of boobies, and envy the professor for getting to go to the galopagos and see them live.

  217. Pete Rooke says

    Ah, how sweet it would be should I win. If only God concerned himself with such things. Question: If I do win is the sci.blogger obligated to meet me even against their will? I would very much like to meet Dr. Myers.

  220. SC says

    I would very much like to meet Dr. Myers.

    If that doesn’t send shivers down your spine, nothing will.

  226. Duke York says

    Only one comment to enter the contest? Scandalous!

    This is my first comment in the time frame ^_^.

  228. Patricia says

    Sven, I think you’re right.
    SC, No kidding, who knew there are so many of the Ilk! Wow, and look how pretty they are. Like a whole school of bright silvery flashes. *tears up* HI!!!

  230. Pete Rooke says

    @ Patricia/SC

    I like the idea of unknown people being exposed to diff. opinions and arguments. It give my analogies/various philosophies more relevance.

  232. Patricia says

    PZ, If Pete Rooke wins, and you have to meet him, I can FedX you out my 10 tined manure fork. You’re gonna need it.

  234. says

    To Lluraa et al.

    Since we are on the off-topic topic of religious costumes, I will contribute a second-order off-topic comment/question:

    There was at least one report that the success of Hoopoe being elected as the national bird of Israel could be attributed to the resemblance of the crest to Jewish costume headdress. What could it be? Shtraml?

    [Source: http://www.7kanal.com/news.php3?id=247389%5D

  235. Wowbagger says

    #211 – makes me think of this:

    Statue of Liberty, Staten Island Ferry;
    Co-op city, Katz’s and Tiffanys;
    Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge;
    The Empire State where Dylan lived;
    Coney Island and Times Square;
    Rockefeller Centre, wish I was there…

  236. Patricia says

    Pete, If you want to play rough let’s go back to the other thread. Be sure to bring your invisible friend.

  239. amphiox says

    Whether Lluraa and others are Poes does not matter that much to me. I would still respond the same.

    If it was supposed to be satire, then let my response be part of the satire. Happy to oblige.

  240. pcarini says

    Permit me to share with you what many in my faith community beleive and feel. We beleive that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ and He taught us how to relate to God and to one another.

    This is definite proof that Llaura isn’t of the Morg and is just fucking with us. The Mormons don’t believe that Jesus IS God, they believe that Jesus is his “only begotten son”. i.e. he’s the only one that God created by an actual act of fucking. They believe that the rest of humanity are his “spirit children”, but not his actual offspring.

  241. MikeM says

    Posted by: Patricia | September 16, 2008 6:53 PM

    Sven, I think you’re right.
    SC, No kidding, who knew there are so many of the Ilk! Wow, and look how pretty they are. Like a whole school of bright silvery flashes. *tears up* HI!!!

    My toenails blush just thinking about it.

  245. Nerd of Redhead says

    Peter Rooke, I will maintain a respectful tone as soon as you do something worthy of respect. That sir, is you leaving this sit never to return.

  247. Thanny says

    Well, I’m 10 minutes from NY state, and about an hour and a half from the city, so that’s not much of a trip to win.

  252. Cliff Hendroval says

    #235: Quoting Cub FTW!

    Yeah, NYC is a $12 train ticket for me, too, but if they put me up in a fancy hotel that’ll be nice.

  258. BMS says

    I’d love to go back to New York. Haven’t been since the early ’90s. I needs me some Junior’s Cheesecake (fresh, not frozen and shipped).

  266. Robert says

    Well, too bad I have nothing good to say. I doubt very much that a trip would inspire me… so there.

  268. Hank Fox says

    Dear Scienceblogs:

    Yes, I want to enter your contest for a Fabulous Trip for Two to New York City! Pick me!

    (Besides, I already live in New York state, so I’ll be a cheap winner.

    But if you have money left over and can score me a couple of tickets to The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, that would be cool too.)

  270. eiaboca says

    Plus, commenter, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report tickets are free. You need to get them pretty far in advance, though. You can do it by calling them or emailing them…the stuff is on their website.

  274. sil-chan says

    I already won The Game. If you think up up down down left right left right A B select start you enable the invincibility mode and hence cannot lose.

    (Apparently the game was made by Konami)

  278. JHAT says

    I’m in, even though I live in NY state and visit NYC frequently.

    As others have suggested, I wouldn’t mind visiting Minnesota. It’s my native state and I haven’t been there in years.

  280. JoJo says

    I’ve been to New York City and to Minnesota. However, I’ve never been to Petrograd or Kuala Lumpur.

  281. MrSquid says

    Well, even without the carrot – er, apple – being dangled, I enjoy posting the occasional comment to converse with other educated folks about issues that concern me. But I like prizes…

  284. bernard quatermass says

    I lived in NY from 1999-2008. My best friend is still there, so going there would be fun. But I go there anyway.

  285. Troy says

    I guess than I should use this opportunity to comment, because I would love to see the museums in NYC (not to mention there is at least one Minnesotan science blogger I would like to meet).

  287. Ronald Brak says

    Well this is going to be a sensible comment. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if the winning comment had been something really stupid like the word, “Blurrrbbbbgrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh?”

  288. featheredfrog says

    I, too would prefer a trip to Minnesota – doesn’t even need to be for two.

    Oh, by the way: <3 yields <3

  291. featheredfrog says

    ooh, double-secret meta html

    I can’t even figure it out. it worked in preview…. :(

    &<3 is [& amp ; & lt ; 3] eliminating the spaces…

  293. Grimalkin says

    AdamNelson – It’s because we haven’t quite figured out how to get our dog-sleighs airborne long enough to get to the States to pick up our prizes. It’s our own darn fault!

  294. Ray says

    A comment for the sake of winning? OK. Not that I want to go to New York (been there done that what the heck?) but winning would be cool. Can I send someone else? Can I trade for cash? …

  304. says

    Hey wow, a contest! I like contests. Especially ones where all I have to do is make one comment, like this one, in order to enter. Yay Pharyngula! Yay Scienceblogs!

  307. says

    My first comment………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Wow, I’m boring. You all are soooooooooo smart. Sooooooooooooo interesting. BAH! I’M AN ATHEIST WITHOUT A BAND!

    -OregonKill

  313. Double_Helical says

    PZ! YOU ROCK! first time posting on your site. If Richard Dawkins is a 6, and you are a 7, then I am an 8….

  321. Yoshitigger says

    I know this contest is futile because by the time a winner is announced, we’ll be on the event horizon of a black hole created by the LHC.

    My socks told me so.

  322. tguy says

    What if you submit a comment that’s held for moderation or even rejected? Because the blog I just commented on has rejected my innocent little missives before, I’m going to exploit PZ’s hospitality and cross-post here.

    The subject is the curious incuriousness of many prominent Republicans when it comes to comptuers and the internet. I think I’ve hit upon why they lag behind their peers in computer savvy.

    Conservatives are good upstanding citizens, and that’s why they aren’t much into the computers and those internets. Everyone knows the internets are a cesspool of porn and librul politics. A fine man like John McCain will have nothing to do with that.

    I also have heard the malicious rumors about George W. Bush going back on the google. Don’t believe the smear tactics. He might have tried the google a few times long ago, but he gave all that up.

  324. says

    I didn’t even hear about this contest. Now I can’t remember if I’ve posted a comment within the contest’s window.

    Problem solved, I suppose.

  328. Dustin says

    Sweet! There’s an opt-out. Now I can comment with confidence, and dance in a club in my black turtleneck with my arms above my head.

  333. says

    Posting to test the Canuck Eligibility Hypothesis (hereafter refered to as CEH)

    Might need a few extra replicates though…

    (although due to my wave-particle duality nature, ain’t I already in New York as well as Vancouver, and say, Kuala Limpur?)

  337. Porridge Bird says

    Me not very edumacated. Me usually only lurk, afraid to open mouth and “remove all doubt” as to level of intellect. Today me get pumped, post bold comment and wave to smart, savvy, sophisticated Pharygulites, if only for a chance to win shiny bird-thingy trip to Noo Yawk.

    Me also wave to silly, timewasting xtian trolls.

  338. MPG says

    I presume it’s open to anyone no matter what country they live in, correct? The rules don’t mention only entrants in the USA are eligible. Well, I’m entering anyway.

  344. G.L. says

    Wow, that sounds like a great prize! :) Just so this wouldn’t seem like a waste of cyber-space – keep up the good work, PZ, and keep blogging. :D

  345. says

    If nothing else, this thread informs us of just how many lurkers are around most days. And not only that, but lurkers that are willing to post.

  348. Derek says

    What do I get to do in New York (assuming I win, of course)?

    If I get to desecrate a host in Times Square on live TV… then sign me up.

  350. Alicestronaut says

    “If nothing else, this thread informs us of just how many lurkers are around most days. And not only that, but lurkers that are willing to post.”

    That’d be me then! I’ve never commented before but figured it’s time to start..

  351. says

    If I win, the number of atheists in the United States would be increased by 2. The number of atheists in Belgium would be decreased by 2, however, although there is no shortage of us here at the moment. I am of the strong opinion that this should be taken under consideration when you are awarding the prize.

    Highest regards
    Tom K.

  355. Blenster says

    I’ll sign up for this… :-)

    Love the blog… I lurk most often but that’s because most of what I might say in a comment is already hit upon by others and I don’t feel the need to be unnecessarily redundant, just to see my words on screen. Or I’m lazy. ;-)

  359. CaptPetro says

    Powers on, net is up, nature is awesome! I’ve noticed since Ike how many folks are thanking the sky fairy for their survival. Is this a similar syndrome to a battered spouse “sure he beats me, but he loves me so much…”?

    Cheers from Katy Texas

  361. Jkessler says

    Oh good, there was a fire alarm test in our building when the millionth comment was entered. Was soooo disappointed lol

  369. Cava says

    I’m commenting maybe for the third time on Scienceblog, it would be somehow unfair should I win…but I would take it ;)

  372. anon says

    But do make sure you post at least one comment with every lame email address you have ever used.

    And make sure you remember to check your many inboxes at announcement time…

    anon

  373. Stefan says

    Holy cow! (Or should that be “secular cow”?) No lurking, a chance to stand up and be counted, and a possible trip to New York! Well, count me as a fan.

  382. Ticktockman says

    I just know the winner will be one of the “PZ must die for murdering our holy cracker!” limpwits, but I’ll throw my fedora in the ring anyway.

    -TTm

  383. Blondin says

    Although I’ve never won anything in my life and would dearly love to visit the Big Apple I know I’m not really likely to win this trip because, even though I’m not superstitious, I just seem to be jinxed and only bad stuff ever happens to me even though I try to be a good person and even if I do win I’ll prob’ly (maybe) just give the prize to someone more deserving and needy than me because I get such joy out of giving joy to others unless the prize is not transferable in which case I’ll just have to go to New York and do some kind thing for some needy person there in order to ease my guilty conscience.

  388. FrankM says

    Read the blog daily, rarely ever comment. Hopefully this rare comment will land me a free trip. :-)

  394. says

    Oh, this’ll greatly reduce the quality of comments on this site… Although that’s not that high sometimes anyways…

    How about giving the price to the funniest, most insightful, most science-based, or something like that comment? Oh, well. I’ve always wanted to visit NYC.

  396. Smeg says

    What person in their right mind would want to visit that cesspool?

    I want to go to LA where the real fun happens…

  401. David C. says

    I haven’t been to N.Y.C.in many years.I think the last time was when that gorilla climbed to the top of the Empire State building.I guess he was too big to use the elevator.

  404. Gary says

    Usually by the time I get to read the blog, comments I would like to make have already been made. Not this time.