humour

What have the Scientists ever done for us?

Thu, 03/18/2010 - 12:15

Somewhere in the interior of PARLIAMENT. A darkened room with a very conspiratorial atmosphere. MANDELSON and BROWN are seated at a table at one end of the room. DARLING, dressed in Activist gear — black robes and a red sash around his head — is standing by a plan on the wall. He is addressing a committee of about eight Masked Activists. Their faces are partially hidden.

Darling:
We get in through the underground cooling system here... up through to the hadron collider chamber here... and the collider itself is in this big ring here. Having grabbed the collider, we inform Cox that it's in our custody and forthwith issue our demands. Any questions?

Harris:

Jenny McCarthy Jokes and Logical Fallacies

Tue, 03/16/2010 - 14:07

You might wonder what relevance jokes about an erstwhile Playboy centrefold might have to a science blog, but bear with me – all will soon become clear. Many readers of science blogs such as Layscience will be familiar with the singularity that is Jenny McCarthy, autism activist and antivaccine campaigner. Jenny’s point of view regarding science in general and vaccines in particular is that her own experiences trump those of orthodox science, and that her opinions, backed up with her diploma in logic from the University of Google, matter far more than the views of others with specific clinical and research experience and established authority in the field.

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas

Thu, 10/08/2009 - 14:22

I bloody love Christmas.

I once, as a plucky undergraduate, took part in a pantomime based on the Nativity story, up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne - the slogan on the t-shirts was the one above. And I think we all agreed on the sentiment. Although I preferred my one: "An eye for a why-aye leaves everyone blind drunk."

[As guitarist in the band, I was less enamoured with the mandatory wearing of antlers in the band pit; a sartorial albatross that continues to haunt me.]

So, that's why I followed the career path of the musician, rather than joke writer.

The Science News Cycle - A Visualisation

Tue, 05/19/2009 - 12:22

Minesweeper: The Movie

Sat, 01/03/2009 - 23:54

Hollywood have announced a new film version of the popular Microsoft game Minesweeper, and released the following epic trailer. I think you'll agree, this could be the film event of the century.