There was a secret in fandomsecrets today about the book Holes, discussing that song in it. Apparently everyone who's ever read the book made up a tune to it.

Here's mine. And here is where I am trying to rally fandomsecrets people to do it. I DARE ANYONE ELSE HERE WHO DID TO VOICEPOST IT TOO. DO IT PEOPLE. I am now deeply curious what kinds of music multiple people will write for the same words. DOOO IIIIIT. DO IT FOR SCIENCE!!!!

It was important for all of you to know that.

Carl Sagan's Religion of Science

A detailed summary of Sagan's personal views on God and God's relationship with science.

For those of you who do not wish to read all of this, I shall provide a summarizing quote, and elaborate with my own thoughts:

And just what is Sagan's answer to the God hypothesis? His famous quote says it all: "The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." (7, p. 4) Like the Hebrews' I AM, so is science's COSMOS IS. The only remotely traditional view of God Sagan nods to is Einstein's concept that God is the sum total of the natural laws. Yet Sagan's cosmology is far from a sterile compilation of laws. The answer to the ultimate question of the cosmos (Sagan doesn't define this question any further) is yet to be found, but Sagan is certain that the answer will "resonate with the religious sensibilties of human beings." (3, p. 287)

Thus, to arrive at an answer to the question of the origin and nature of the universe that is both intellectually and religiously satisfying, all we need to do is to keep looking for the facts. Knowledge is at once the ultimate means and the ultimate end.

i.e. - and here are my thoughts on religion. The foundation of the theology of the Western God is "GOD IS." God is existence. To know God is to know existence or -- to know existence is to know God. Science is religion. The answer to all answers, whatever that is, must be one that will fulfill all our own being -- the physical AND the spiritual.

Man's sight restored after 12 years with implantation of tooth

Fake Carl Sagan just said "twatwaffles" on the radio. NOBODY SAYS THAT. I MADE THAT WORD UP.

BWEE XD

That should not excite me as much as it does but goddamn I love Sounds From Space

For anyone who didn't know--

The girl who did the voice of Annamarie in All Dogs Go to Heaven was also Duckie in The Land Before Time.

Her psycho alcoholic father shot her and her mother dead before setting their house on fire and shooting himself when she was 10 years old.

You're welcome.





;____; like those movies weren't already depressing enough

gqmf_rp

Star Trek all-worlds RP comm.

Go!

About 3 of you know why it is HILARIOUS that Barry Manilow was at the 4th celebration downtown.

LAUGH WITH ME YOU GUYS. THAT WAS EPIC.

Also how much do I love EVERYONE knowing Copa? I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Oh my god this was so amazing. XD

Someone has been stripping my Klingon.

No, you get no explanation. It means EXACTLY what it says.

While doing some filing, I had on TV a program on WETA about Second Life.

I have only ever heard the name of the game before, never had any idea what it was.

My face actually hurts from staring at the TV looking EXACTLY like my icon does right now for the ENTIRE TIME.

Question: Has ANYONE here ever played this?

1500 incarcerated criminals.

Dancing.

To Michael Jackson.

It starts off kinda slow, but trust me, YOU WANT TO KEEP WATCHING UNTIL THE NUNS COME IN.

Really.

This is some crazy shit right here. XD

MY CLASSES. LET ME SHOW YOU THEM.

Monday 7:30 pm - 10:20 pm GOL-105 Physical Geology
Instructor: Christopher Khourey
Introduces the composition and structure of the earth and modifying agents and processes. Investigates the formation of minerals and rocks, weathering, erosion, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. Lecture 3 hours. Laboratory 3 hours. Total 6 hours per week.

Tuesday 7:00 pm - 9:45 pm HIS-183 Survey of Museum Practice
Instructor: Mike Henry
Explores the role of the museum in society and traces the foundations upon which these public, cultural, and educational institutions are built. Emphasizes the management and interpretation of historic properties and collections. Lecture 3 hours per week.

Wednesday 7:30 pm - 10:20 pm GOL-105 Physical Geology LAB
Instructor: Christopher Khourey

Thursday 7:00 pm - 9:45 pm HIS-180 Historical Archaeology
Instructor: David Clark
Introduces both the methods and theories in historical archaeology as practiced in the United States and worldwide. Includes time and space, field survey, excavation, and archival and laboratory research. Some field trips to site excavations. Lecture 3 hours per week.

Fall term begins August 24. I have to be bored out of my mind for only two more months before I get to go back to my SCIENCE!!!





EDIT: And on a similar note:
( A 1200x1600 macro. Yes, it needs to be that big. You'll see why. )

Hey you guys!

I have an actual discussion topic for you.

I was inspired by a post by a friend of mine about playing with Transformers toys as a kid.

( HOLY TL;DR BATMAN!!! )

And that's what I did as a child. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN, FLIST. I want to know what
(and who) you all played with as kids. Tell me. NOW. GO.

o.0

There must be a plague going around.

(Obligatory joke in bad taste: GET THE SHAMWOW GUY NEXT!)

THIS.

IS.

SO.

CUTE.

...what does it say about me that the first thing I figure out how to do with my blackberry is use it to read Carl Sagan?

The title of this question amuses me. And my flist needs cutespam today.



Badgers: The Cute That Eats Your FACE^TM

“Miles Away”
Carol Ann Duffy

I want you and you are not here. I pause
in this garden, breathing the colour thought is
before language into still air. Even your name
is a pale ghost and, though I exhale it again
and again, it will not stay with me. Tonight
I make you up, imagine you, your movements clearer
than the words I have you say you said before.

Wherever you are now, inside my head you fix me
with a look, standing here whilst cool late light
dissolves into the earth. I have got your mouth wrong,
but still it smiles. I hold you closer, miles away,
inventing love, until the calls of nightjars
interrupt and turn what was to come, was certain,
into memory. The stars are filming us for no one.

HEEEEY YOUUUUU GUYYYYYYYYYYYS

Interview with Dave Galanter, Star Trek novel author

I'm a reporter! XD

I love this question.

The answer, of course, which many of you may know, is Pierre Gringoire, one of the main characters of Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

No one will probably read all of this, so I will summarize.

Pierre has found himself accidentally married to a beautiful gypsy woman, having already previously that same evening been evicted from his home, refused payment for his play, fallen asleep under a mattress in a gutter which was subsequently set on fire, entranced by a goat and a song, captured and kidnapped by thieves, forced to attempt feats of agility which ended in him face-down on the floor on top of a mannequin covered head to toe in hundreds of little bells, staring face-to-face with DEATH ITSELF more than once, AND ON TOP OF THAT, HIS HAT WAS TAKEN AWAY. Oh, the pity of that. It was such a good hat.

SO! At last, alone in the room of his gypsy wife, he attempts to sweet-talk the young lady, which first confuses her, then obligates her to draw a knife on him, at which point he IMMEDIATELY gives up on THAT, thank you very much. He'd really rather just have a snack. But he doesn't drop it entirely. He must know why. And what. And quote things in many languages as he does. He is incredibly annoying.

Esme: "Why were you stalking me?"

Pierre: "I don't know. Why do you have a goat and why is your name what it is and why is the sky blue and why do you sing in that language and--"

Esme: "I don't know."

Pierre: "Yes, but WHY??"

Esme: ...*vague explanation involving a shoe*

Pierre: "What is that? Where did it come from? What do those words mean? What language are they? Where do you come from? Are you an orphan? When did you get here? Are you psychic?? Who was that guy that likes to break stuff? What--"

Esme: *OMG STFU* What is your name, anyway? I suppose I might as well know, since we're married and all...

Pierre: *MOUNTAINOUS TEAL DEER ON STEROIDS* *RELATES ENTIRE LIFE HISTORY, EVOLVING INTO A CONVICTED IDEALISTIC MONOLOGUE DESCRIBING A BLISSFUL FUTURE AND ENDING IN A POIGNANT POETIC ENTREATY TO SENTIMENTS OF CHASTE BONDING*

Esme: Cool story, bro. *totally unrelated lingual query*

Pierre: ...*answers with shocking brevity*

Esme: OK. *DISAFUCKINGPPEARS*

Pierre: ...*blink* *shrug* *calmly drapes himself over a wooden box or something and goes to sleep*




You see, other than the being kidnapped by gypsies and married part, this has all happened to me... pretty much verbatim, in a lot of places. This and much weirder shit. Pierre is somehow perfectly the essence of so much of who I am. This includes randomly, outtafuckennowhere, deciding to stalk total strangers in the middle of the night, sleeping in BIZARRE locations, waxing poetic at GREAT length, taking every opportunity to slip in intellectual shit, and having absolutely no real interest in sex.

Throughout the entire book, every scene Pierre is in is something essential to who I am, some situation I'd handle exactly the same way, some gesture I'd make or conclusion I'd draw, the same reactions, the same motivations (or lack thereof)... It's like Victor Hugo peeked forward in time and wrote me into a book.


I will say, though, I feel like I'm not ALWAYS as big a flake as Pierre can be, and when I'm not Pierre, I'm Ratty from The Wind in the Willows. Indeed, he was the character I most identified with from about age 5 to until I read Notre Dame for the first time in my senior year of high school.

The third character who is essentially, completely, all-emcompassingly me is Judah Low in Iron Council by China Mieville... but that version of me is not written quite as humorously and self-mockingly as Pierre, and Judah is the me I prefer not to advertise because I know people will completely misunderstand it. If you REALLY want to know, you'll have to read the book, because I'm not explaining. I know better than to confess to crimes you haven't committed but WOULD without so much as a second thought or a moment of regret.

EDIT: And of course, Spock.That's just a given.