The Nerds Hate You - Even the Objectivists

[WARNING - WE LINK TO SEX STUFF IN THIS POST. 'KAY?]

We're all used to partisan takedowns on the Internet. Talking Points Memo points out the nonsense of Todd Akin, Sarah Palin, et al; Breitbart.whatever mocks the (frequently mythical) shortcomings of progressives. [Yeah, I'm a progressive. Get over it.]

But here's the deal: When you are so pig-ignorant that io9.com, a nonpolitical website devoted to science fiction and fantasy, has to highlight your stupidity, you have well and truly let down your team.

Like this guy.

This Is Not News

It seems people think their dogs are smarter than they actually are.

A Chunk of Denisovan DNA

Tibetans are uniquely suited to living at high altitudes where there's 40% less oxygen than at sea level. They're genetically similar to Han Chinese, except for one thing - a super-long string of DNA called EPAS1. It's that string that carries the traits that help them thrive, and now we know where they got it - from Denisovan Humans, a species we didn't even know EXISTED until we sequenced their genes from a finger bone four years ago!

Best guess, the ancestors of the Tibetans mated with the Denisovans, much like we mated with Neanderthals. (Some folks have 5% Neanderthal DNA in their genetic makeup.)

This stuff is so cool.

The Dark Side of Mindfulness

So, I've had a lot of friends recommend meditation and/or mindfulness as something that I should consider. I have, and I'm checking it out. But this article on Atlantic.com shows that meditation is not the unalloyed good that it's claimed to be. That doesn't surprise me, really...if you think about it, any program that has the real prospect of spiritual growth would also include risk and danger, just as any drug that's strong enough to be effective is also strong enough to have side effects. Something to think about.

For All You Browncoats and Firefly Fans Out There-

How adorable is this?

Sean Maher and some little teeny browncoats at the Dallas Comic Con.

Sometimes, I Weep for My Country

The Wyoming State Legislature has voted to kill the Next Generation Science Standards for kids...because it might harm the state's coal and oil interests. In other words, no teaching climate change as fact.

From Sword Fighters to Jet Fighters

We're about all things nerdy here, and there's nothing more nerdy than engineering...unless we're talking military engineering! Here's a video clip of Pierre Sprey, one of the engineers of the classic F-16 fighter, talking about why the F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) is such a mess, a dog's breakfast, a clusterf***...a kludge. On a personal note, more than 40 years ago, my dad worked at the Pentagon as a math/engineering nerd, helping to evaluate weapons systems. He told me the generals enthused about an assault rifle that could throw a slug the length of a football field and offered multiple fire modes and attachments. These came at the design cost of complexity, lack of user-friendliness, and lack of reliability. The generals didn't consider that the US was fighting in jungles with limited sight

lines, humid environments that were tough on delicate machinery, and a draftee army with limited training opportunities. The Viet Cong used the AK-47 - it lacked options and accuracy, but it was rugged, easy to make, easy to use, and cheap.

I Think Warpo Might Have Missed the Point of "Cosmic Horror"

Seriously - how horrifying can an action figure be?

A Bright Spot in the Eco-Catastrophe

It seems that more than a dozen "developing" countries - including Brazil, which is enormous - have been making successful efforts to reverse deforestation. They may be having more an impact on climate change than richer nations. Think about it.

Very Last GoT Spoiler - Yet More Pedro Pascal

So, it seems that Pedro Pascal, the actor who played Oberyn Martell to such success on Game of Thrones, did an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit that was really very sweet.