Today on Twitter, Jeff Sharlet (author of great books like The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power ) let loose with some choice words for those who believe that most if not all disagreements can be resolved through dialogue: Harvard Crimson scolds Dartmouth protesters for failing to pursue “dialogue.” Student self-repression.thecrimson.com/article/2013/5… &... »
Reddit user Pyyio posted a brilliant illustration of the difference between the way Redditors treat men and women. This is something that seems obvious to those of us who have been on the site for a long time and have seen the ridiculously fallacious graphic that gets posted to any woman who dares include her face in a photo (see featured image), but this example should clearly spell out the probl... »
Back when I first joined Facebook in 1953 or whatever, I just added anyone who asked to be my friend. At the time, I saw Facebook as an easy opportunity for marketing Skepchick and The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe; a way for fans to hear what was going on and say hi. When I hit 5,000 friends a few years ago, Facebook prevented me from adding anyone else, so I stopped and only added people... »
Yesterday, the Internet orgasmed with the release of the first trailer for the screen adaptation of Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card’s sci-fi classic about a boy who murders things. Here’s the trailer: I’m so glad they used the Inception horn blast. I was scared for a minute that there would be one sci-fi blockbuster that didn’t use the Inception horn blast. As some of ... »
I’ve been amping up my reading of late, mostly catching up on sci-fi classics that I’ve missed or forgotten, and I’ve been posting reviews over on GoodReads. I wasn’t planning to even write a review for Fahrenheit 451 because it’s such a tiny, well-known, much-read book that I didn’t think there was much to say. And then I got to Bradbury’s notes at the en... »
UNFORTUNATE UPDATE IS UNFORTUNATE: The organizers have had to cancel the event. Sorry for posting too soon. Some women who work in tech in San Francisco want to bring me out for an event on Tuesday, May 21 at the DNA Lounge. There will be free tea (but you gotta pay if you want yours spiked) and badass feminists aplenty. Here’s the Facebook page and here’s an Indiegogo page where you c... »
Did you know that the National Day of Prayer is still a thing that is celebrated in the ostensibly secular United States of America? It is! It’s the first Thursday of every May, which happens to be today. And did you know that humanists celebrate today as the National Day of Reason? They do! At least since 2003, anyway. Did you also know that today is BAD CHART THURSDAY?? Well it is, and I w... »
I have about a dozen things I’ve been wanting to post this week, but instead of writing, I’ve been screwing around with the site. You may have noticed this as you tried and failed to log in, post a comment, or sometimes even open the site. As an apology, please accept this short compilation of snippets from a show about a terrifying stuffed bear that came to life and found Jesus: My fa... »
