March 9, 2009 11:37 by scibuff
Pareidolic crocodile
Just came across this image on Digg. While most people will probably recognize the shape of a deadly predator, it really is nothing else than a common cumulus cloud. For not completely understood reasons, humans tend to see patterns and connections in meaningless data. Usually, there is no harm done. Majority of these images are just for a good laugh. Once in while, however, someone does something as insane as buying a toast with the Virgin Mary’s face for $28,000 on eBay. I’m not sure if it’s just wishful thinking, or the need to believe in something borderline ridiculous, but if there, by some crazy cosmic coincidence, is Virgin Mary, and you really believe that one day she gets so frakking bored out of her mind and decides to appear on a toast, you truly deserve to be scammed out of $28,000 to purchase it.
March 6, 2009 15:36 by scibuff
Artist impression of the surface of Pluto. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
On August 24, 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term “planet”, effectively demoting Pluto to just a dwarf planet. The least qualified people chronically afraid of advancements of our understanding of cosmos, immediately flooded the blogosphere and social media with a wave of protests. One can truly judge the “severity” of an issue by the involvement of proponents of pseudo-sciences such as astrology. Nevertheless, the resistance faded as many realized that Pluto’s classification had no impact on their lives; with the exception of those who, as Sheldon Cooper brilliantly put, “participate in the mass cultural delusion that the Sun’s apparent position relative to arbitrarily defined constellations at the time of your birth somehow affects your personality“.
Unfortunately, some, to this day, have not forgotten about the unlawful demontion of their beloved so-called planet, which, by the way, exerts less gravitational influence on you that the computer you are using to read this article. The goverment of the state of Illinois decided to take the matter into their own hands by declaring Pluto a fully-pledged planet. Obviously, their motives have nothing to do with that fact the Clyde W. Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930, is a native of Illinois?! – The entire matter is just borderline ridiculous. Once again, politicians who have no education in the matter, make a decision just to appease their own anxieties. What truly surprises me is that this is not coming from an enlightened state such as Oklahoma (although they are trying really hard to keep up), but the very home of Barack Obama, who above all, values rational thought.
