Alas, this is my very last day in Iceland. I’m packing up and cleaning up, and heading off to the airport this afternoon, then flying for 6 hours. I estimate that I’ll get home about 10pm Central time, when I will flop into bed and may not move for a long, long time.
You know what that means: the blog will be neglected even more than it has lately. Behave yourselves! I don’t want to get home to find beer spilled all over the carpet and bras dangling from the ceiling fan. If you’ve left bloody creationist entrails all over the place…well, that’s OK. I’ll clean those up when I get home.
Also when I get home, I’ll be putting up the much-delayed Carnival of Evolution. It’s been delayed because Iceland happened, and I’ve been terribly distracted by marvels of nature. Sadly, my laptop also seems to be dying a death of paroxymal seizures — I’m hoping to be able to diagnose it and fix it when I get home, and barring that, I’ll be able to use one of the other laptops at home, but right now I’m limited to the iPad, which isn’t so great for longer writing projects.
So, epic foreign saga time is almost over, look for Pharyngula to be back to its old self Monday morning.
bon voyage
I’m limited to the iPad, which isn’t so great for longer writing projects.
yup.
that’s why I went with an Asus Transformer.
keyboard docking for the win.
I hope you managed to visit the city of Husavik as well. Their Phallological Museum would sure be a nice addition in the US. Preferrably next to the Creation museum…
I do not have an iPad, so forgive my ignorance: can’t you just plug a keyboard into one? Or perhaps even use a Bluetooth keyboard?
Or perhaps even use a Bluetooth keyboard?
bluetooth works, but it eats the battery.
I didn’t bring my portable keyboard. 2½ weeks of living out of a suitcase demands stringent self-restrictions on what I could carry.
As an economist, I feel obligated to give you some advice. If you were prompt with your mortgage or rent payments, you could continue to live at home.
No thanks required, I’m pleased to explain how the economy works to you sciency people.
Creationists aren’t the problem. The problem is that the slimepit has started to metastatise into parts of FTB.
metastasise, rather.
Not here, though. Those liars will be expunged if they show either of their faces here.
Even here, we’re getting a lot of the “whine, whine, look how moderate and superior I am” types.
Yeah, in the current climate, you’re more likely to find heaps of MRA and slimepit denizen entrails than creationist entrails. And it isn’t over yet.
hyperdeath,
the environment here is self-correcting, which is why the slimepitters can’t get a foot in. So I wouldn’t worry about them too much. I’m more worried about self-proclaimed allies on FtB who turn out to be censors and liars and hypocrites.
Have no fear. I’m sure by now they’re absorbed in reading about William Lane Craig.
Rorschach, I agree that Pharyngula is self correcting, but the same can’t be said for the rest of FTB.
I see you’ve been over at Hallquist’s place. That new post of his makes me laugh, cry and vomit all at the same time.
My response was exactly the same. I went with the laughter.
On neglecting Pharyangula: I’m sad to note that on several recent occasions you have allowed life to interfere with blogging. Get a grip, man! Priorties!
Speaking of Hallquist, did anyone else notice his weak-wristed defense of Miller and how he ignored every single cruel and entirely off the wall misogynistic thing said about Watson? Is that just the level we’ve gotten to? Where anything and everything is expected to be said of Watson so no one bats an eye lash?
Using homosexuality as an insult is not appropriate. The English language is rich with possibilities for insults — why use gendered or anit-gay insults when there are good ones out there?
Weak-wristed is an anti-gay insult?
Sorry that’s the first I’ve heard of that.
I may have phrased that poorly. It claims that the person to whom you refer is gay and is using that implication as an insult. ‘Weak-wristed’ is right up there with swinging hips, a lisp, and probably some other stereotypes that have been used for, in some cases, hundreds of years in terms of a main-stream association with male homosexuality. Sorry I was unclear.
Well, it pinged my radar, and I found this:
Like “limp-wristed,” should be avoided.
***
What’s most aggravating is Orac‘s ignorantly throwing in there to support the “too much invective from both sides and everyone should tone it down” nonsense and to suggest that there’s “probably” been more aimed at Watson than Grothe. Apparently, I can still be disappointed.
lol
I clicked on his post about Judith Jarvis Thomson’s violinist — which he said he was quite proud of! — and wondered why he didn’t just save himself the trouble by linking to old Pharyngula comment threads.
There’s an understatement, Orac.
My mistake. I honestly had no idea it had that connotation.
julian, don’t you know that’s not a reasonable response? Where’s the “I didn’t know so it wasn’t my intent and therefore it can’t be an insult”? Where’s the “How dare you call me a raging homophobe!”? Where’s the “Language police! What are people gonna be banned from saying next?”? Where’s the “We use it down at the pub all the time, and no gay guys seem to mind”? Where’s the “Show me the dictionary entries that say it always has that connotation”?…
:)
No problem. I understand. I have lost track of the number of things I have learned (and then forgotten and learned again) hanging around Pharyngula.
By the way, your correct response should have been:
Phhhfftt! :)
Not to derail things too much, but Icthyic, how do you like the asus transform?
PZ was a great guest, we really showed him a lot in the time he was here and I’m sure a good long sleep is needed. Also being daylight out at midnight didn’t help his sleep schedule.
Huh, I never knew that “weak-wristed” had an anti-gay connotation either. I know that limp-wristed did, but never equated the two. I will avoid weak-wristed in the future.
Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind for me is a bad percussionist, since wrists and fingers are the things that need to have the strongest muscles if you’re going to be a good percussionist. However, as stated, I’m striking that from my dictionary.
We really enjoyed having you. I think people can look forward to reading that article you read to us last night.
I will pray for a safe journey home for you and your friends PZ. Sorry that’s just how I roll. On a side not weak wristed is not a very common phrase in MN (as PZ can attest to) but makes perfect sense when you think of the phrase he is “limp wristed”. I don’t use the latter but have heard it many times before in a bar setting.
I equate “weak-wristed” with “I’d as lief thrust with a bent wrist” in fencing. So there ha.
Hehe @ #11
Don’t worry, I know I’m stupid. That doesn’t mean that I like that, but as they say “Take thy due place”.
Must you be?
Holy crap, my link didn’t work.
Well, here it is, and you’re all expected to click on it and listen to the song because it’s damn good.
As long as we are talking gendered or orientation based insults, could some please explain to me why ‘douche’ and its variations are not considered gender based?
To me douche and its variations when used as an insult are clearly gender related and are based on the idea that a women’s genitals are dirty and disgusting.
Could someone please explain to me why this word and its kin are given a free pass but other equally gender based insults are not?
A douche can be used to clean any orifice or body part. It is not simply water, but can contain medicine/drugs. Men can use douches as well.
A medicated enema would fall into this category. And we all know how rectums are dirty and disgusting, right?
tccc
Vaginal douching is, at best, completely useless; at worst, actively harmful to the women who use it.
Calling someone a douche is calling them useless or actively harmful.
we do have a very irritating Zombie that needs to be put in the Pen though.
tccc, basically, what chigau said, but here’s a more detailed explanation if you want, courtesy of Caine:
[ / lurking ]
@8, 10, 11…
Well, on the one hand, this whole recent kerfuffle has allowed me to whittle down my ‘blogs I should read regularly’ list substantially. I get enough of this sort of crap* in my daily life, I don’t have the energy or patience to fight it online too (but I applaud and thank those who do!). Given the availability of a few spaces where I feel safe and welcome, yeah, I’ll choose those for my free time, tyvm.
Here’s hoping your flight is/was uneventful, PZ! :)
(*apologists, and deniers, and clueless bumbling idiots, and the willfully ignorant, and unchecked trolls. Just so we’re clear.)
[ lurking ]
Why bother? Your deity doesn’t exist in the first place, prayer doesn’t work in the second, and those words are an insult to atheists in the third. If you meant it to be nice, it failed utterly and totally. What a delusional unthinking loser.
That’s a tic worth overcoming.
Gazda 3
The Museum which would look well in Washington DC at Husavik, when you studied at it, has moved to, but not yet opened in, Reykjavik