Science Made Cool

A Christmas Tradition

As we do every year about this time, we're linking to the coolest, oddest, and most resolutely un-ironic Christmas theme Web site in existence: the NORAD Santa Tracker. It's just a matter of hours now before the giant radars and Keyhole-series satellites get to work. There are animations, and -- my favorite -- live commentary from the officers and airmen at NORAD headquarters.

World Not Ending, Film At 11

Following a link from the redoubtable Phil Plait at Skepticblog, here's a wonderful presentation of why the 2012 nonsense is, well, nonsense. I don't mean to be piling on here, because there's nothing so pointless as telling ignorant crackpots that they are, indeed, ignorant crackpots. But there seems to be something unusually tenacious about the 2012 nonsense. Maybe it's the massive film marketing campaign, maybe it's the rebound cycle from the Y2K nonsense. My personal theory is that it's residual Christian eschatology bubbling up through post-Christian scientism and boutique-spirituality syncretism. 

Anyhow, the short version: it's bogus. But you knew that, didn't you?

 

Friday Pair o'Sites

Submitted for your approval, two unrelated links. Or are they unrelated? The connections only become apparent in -- the Twilight Zone (cue music).

The always cerebral XKCD webcomic offers an interesting perspective on SETI.

And the always provocative GNXP 'blog offers an interesting speculation about the evolutionary advantage provided by hostility to medicine.

150-Year-Old Friday Parasites From Japan

At the delightfully cephalopodian Pink Tentacle Web log, there's a wonderful post about a Japanese work from the 1860s called Kenbikyu Mushi No Zu, which features illustrations of insects as seen through an imported microscope. Think of it as Hooke's Micrographia, but in a kimono.

Joining the Darwin Swarm

In just a couple of weeks we'll be celebrating Charles Darwin's 200th birthday by – what else? – blogging. We've joined the Darwin Blog Swarm: between February 12th-15th, 2009 we'll write posts focusing on some aspect of Darwin's life -- and so will a growing list of science bloggers.

Want to be part of the event? There's still time to sign on at Blog for Darwin: they're even providing a handy page of topics to riff on if you find yourself with Darwin writer's block.