Category Archives: Science

elf/human missing link found

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Ch'yeah, maybe not the missing link. I hope they take those to the drycleaner before returning them.No, it’s totally, totally true and on scientific websites and everything, so suck it unbelievers! I bet you didn’t even clap for Tink!

Alert TORn!!!

It appears that elves may be descended from humans, which kinda throws a wrench into all my Tengmar-speaking friends’ philosophies (yes, I have friends who email only in the Elvish languages of Middle Earth, and further, will not email those who only email in the Elvish languages of the Undying Lands, and no, I am not kidding; where do you think I got this strong an opinion about fandom?). Still, I have candid shots of me frightening Viggo Mortensen, so they’ll cut me a fair bit of slack.

Dr. Charles’ science blog, which I am devastated to learn does not belong to a certain Dr. Charles Dexter Ward who, after all, graduated from his course of study prior to the founding of Yale, reports that preliminary findings indicate that the missing genetic link between elves and humans has been isolated.

It’s not as straightforward as some evidence would lead us to conclude.

C'mon Aragorn, do it for me.

Remember pixies, elves, and the wee folk of legend? They were generally small, musical characters with playful natures, given to singing and dancing. In the Scandinavian folklore, elves were so musically inspired that they could dance a man to death. Were these diminutive characters originally inspired by real humans who carried a genetic variation, namely a deletion of the elastin gene that produces humans of short stature, elfin features, and intense emotional responses to music?

NPR recently ran a story on Williams Syndrome. They profiled a young man who became an excellent drummer, but who struggled in many other developmental areas such as measured IQ, fine and gross motor skills, and attention. His mother noticed that he was unusually sensitive to music as an infant. For example, the child was moved to tears by a Brahms lullaby. He possessed many of the characteristic physical features of Williams Syndrome (WS) which usually include a small upturned nose, long philtrum (upper lip length), wide mouth, full lips, small chin, puffiness around the eyes, and a prominent “starburst” or white lacy pattern on the iris of the eyes.

*runs to mirror*

I'll hold your sword for you, baby!

the revenge of Socrates

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 the death of Socrates. It ain't over yet!

After an apparently-peaceful slumber of some millennia, it appears that the legended philosopher Socrates has returned to wreak vengence on his killers. ABC via Fark.

The only thing standing in the way of safeguarding Kentucky hemlocks is the lack of funding, said Tim McClure, a state forest health environmental scientist.

“If we don’t act on this and put some resources to it, we’re looking at a major problem,” McClure said at Pine Mountain State Park, the latest site to report infested [haunted, ghoul-ridden] trees… Large-scale destruction in neighboring states has cost millions.

McClure said it’s not a matter of “if” more Plato. Yeah, I'd duck if I were you.Kentucky hemlocks will be under attack, “it’s a matter of when.”

So far, the bug [revenant] has attacked at least 100 trees at Pine Mountain and Rebel Rock in Harlan County.

Plato better watch his ass.

still not dead

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illinbut whoa, totally feeling like death would be preferable.

At least my doctor established that the weird skewbalding was due to a reaction to ibuprofen, so that’s it, no more exotic pharmaceuticals for me. I’ll stick with the Dong Quai and the aspirin, thank you very much. And the Ginger Tea. It’s true what James Barber said: it does get you high. So I guess you’re still sick, but you feel awful perky about it.

pic o’ the day: demons of outer space

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galaxy sh2-136

Operation Global Media Domination: i luv Brian Atene

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TIAAnd also Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert. But me wuvs Brian Atene best of all. Why? Check it out! I may have momentarily gone down six hundred thousand places on Technorati thanks to switching from raincoaster.wordpress.com to raincoaster.com, but I am #1 on Google when you’re looking for a horrific trainwreck of a video audition for Stanley Kubrick (CUE-brick!). It’s really just a matter of time until the G-gle catches on to the second in the series, Brian Atene 2.0: Good Day Mr. Kubrick 2006!

In related famewhoredom news, I applied for a job at Gridskipper, although my current state of penury precludes travel on anything grander than the Seabus, so wish me luck. Somebody’s been checking my Gawker Comments, so go me! Is that “break a keyboard?” Although I debate whether it was smart of me to give them the link to the tag “Operation Global Media Domination but not the one to Travel“. Live and learn; they can, presumably, operate a sidebar.

Also, got links on two pretty darned impressive sites this week. Not only are they among the Technorati darlings, but they’re readable besides, and Pharyngula is almost entirely focused on Squid and politics. Believe me, it’s extremely tempting to reference every single post in that one, but so far I’ve restricted myself to the Cthlhu license plate and the Octoporn. I am itching, however, to do something on the Mystery Blob from the Fjord that Time Forgot…all in good time, all in good time. Full disclosure: I am the one that dropped the link in the comments section (Blog Pimping 101) but in that case I had to link to my blog because the damn computer was overloaded and wouldn’t let me go to YouTube directly. I hope the vid worked for them.

Ace of Spades is the second new blog to give me a link, and they picked the Brian Atene 2.0 update. There’s no way that is the real Brian Atene, but we can only hope he grew up to be that funny. When is Defamer going to catch on to this? I emailed them days ago, dammit! When is Defamer going to say thanks?

In other news, posting is going to slow right down around here, because I am SICKSICKSICK (yeah, what else is new? Har, har) and tomorrow I have to take a teenager to Fright Night at the PNE, thanks to wrobitaille from Waiterblog Forum, who just up and gave me free tickets, cuz that’s how he rolls, yo. At least if I barf I can blame it on the icky zombies.

Wish me luck.