Happy New Year

2006-01-01 19:19

I keep hearing people (including one blood relative) say we are awaiting the Lord's presence, that the advent is upon us. I have a friend who believes there is something we haven't discovered yet that we may one day call "God", and that he can tap into it and get what he wants out of life. Another friend believes in the healing power of near-touch known as "reiki" and practices tarot and astrology. A woman named JZ Knight claims to channel a 50,000 year old spirit from Atlantis, and manages to convince her followers to raise great sums of money to make a movie that peddles her promises of happiness. A US politician speaks to a massive mega-church in Louisville, at an event called "Justice Sunday: Stop Filibustering People of Faith." Wars continue to be waged in God's name. Programs about psychics and haunted houses proliferate. People believe things without reading the major counterarguments to their belief. They turn a blind eye to facts and real, peer-reviewed information that is accepted by consensus. They prefer stories that appeal to the child in them, whether they make sense or not. And this preference is continually exploited by people who want money and power. It sometimes feels like there is a willful ignorance blooming in humanity. The Enlightenment is a distant echo.

Please, those of you who are rational, share your thoughts with these people, gently, patiently, and help Reason regain its footing in 2006.

Happy happy New Year! May the coming months bring about great joy and understanding. Notice I've begun a trove of pickle pictures (link: Pickles) to provide solace during these, the days of the Fiery Jesus Storm of Doomaggedon.

Jon Stewart Plays Video Games for 11 Hours Straight

2005-06-19 16:45

Excerpt from the Daily Show, June 7, 2005:

Jon Stewart: And by the way, I'm the guy you're talking about, who sits and plays these games--and forget about even interacting--alone, in the underwear, at 4 a.m.

[...]

Jon Stewart: I once... I once went to bed at 4 a.m. and I go, "I saved the world!" and [my wife] literally rolled over and said, [in a whisper] "You've been playing for 11 hours." And I was like, "Yeah... but I... saved the world." You know, you just... you feel small.

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