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- Yeah, in a Minute... is the personal dumping grounds of Paul Landry:
- professional software engineer
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- partially omniscient, witty, tech geek
- user of "adult language" (oh my!)
- 37?!?
- rock / blues / jazz fan
- skeptic, and
- raconteur...
- Yeah, in a Minute... is the personal dumping grounds of Paul Landry:
- NAME AND PRONOUNS:
- "Paul" / "he–him–his"
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- But not leastly, [Fuck Facebook!]
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News Gathering vs. Confirmation Bias
- Remember, if you do not have at least one source of news that you turn to regularly, with which you routinely disagree, then you are not practicing news gathering! You are practicing [confirmation bias].
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Science
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[S]cience is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.
The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30-second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
— Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996) at p.32.
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[S]cience is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.
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Tag Archives: science
New study indicates populist attitudes are associated with gullibility.
Populism exists throughout the political spectrum as a political ideology that defines society as conflict between ordinary people and the elites. Many conspiracy theories fit populist ideals in how they hinge on the elites as responsible for ordinary people’s societal issues. New research, published in Political Psychology, found that populist attitudes are associated with conspiracy […]
Also tagged rational thought / critical thinking
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First Dose of Moderna
Today, my wife and I each got the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Thanks Dolly! So far — some nine hours later — no side effects to speak of. The injection site feels about as sore as a seasonal flu shot makes you feel. I can tell you that, again, so far, this […]
Facemasks are the Most Important, Powerful Public Health Tool
Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifying before Congress on Wednesday: Facemasks — these facemasks — are the most important, powerful public health tool we have. Goddamn right. Now, some people are saying that Dr. Redfield “walked back” his remarks, after being publicly disputed by Comrade Trump, but that’s […]
Also tagged covid-19, rational thought / critical thinking, reason
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Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden
Scientific American: Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly. The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is […]
Also tagged covid-19, environment, politics
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Grant Imahara, Former Mythbuster, Battlebots Champion, Dies at 49
The Discovery Channel: We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Grant Imahara was an electrical engineer who dedicated his life to using his skills to make people smile. Beyond […]
Also tagged entertainment, rip/remembrance, tv
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Everything looks fine, until it isn’t fine.
Well, as Dr. Phil Plaitt (aka The Bad Astronomer) states below, this video is very, very good at explaining why we don’t see this stuff until it’s too late, and why early action gets called overreaction. Dr. Joe Hanson (of It’s Okay to Be Smart) explains in very easy to understand terms. Hey folks. Confused […]
Happy First Day of Spring!
Happy First Day of Spring! The equinox happens at the earliest point in 124 years. #SpringHasSprung pic.twitter.com/G8ZhnDUzVc — WilsonSevereWX (@WilsonSevereWX) March 19, 2020
Also tagged twitter
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Holy Shit! Man Walks on Moon +50 Years
As you no doubt well know by now, today marks the 50th anniversary of man’s first steps on the Moon. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Lightyear, er uh, that is to say, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walked upon the surface of the Moon 50 years ago today, while astronaut Michael Collins orbitted the […]
What is atrial fibrillation, and why is your watch telling you about it?
John Timmer at ARS: Your heart has four chambers, two atria and two ventricles. The atria are smaller chambers at the top of the heart, and their contraction fills the larger ventricles with blood. The ventricles then provide the powerful push that sends the blood either to the lungs to pick up oxygen or out […]
Also tagged apple, awesome, health, insanely-great
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Science in a bottle: 132-year-old experiment washed ashore in Australia
Kiona N. Smith at ARS Technica: A 132-year-old message in a bottle turned up on an Australian beach earlier this year, but it’s not a love note or a treasure map: it’s a science experiment. […] “This bottle was thrown overboard on 12th June 1886, in 32 degrees, 49 minutes latitude South and 105 degrees, […]
Also tagged awesome
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