Random Asides

Bad Chart Thursday: World’s Tiniest Landslide

Bad Chart Thursday: World’s Tiniest Landslide

I volunteered to do Bad Chart Thursday today. I found this fantastic bad chart showing the results of the presidential elections from last Sunday in Venezuela. I had it all planned out in my head. I was going to show you the video that aired a few weeks ago on Venezuelan public TV of Hugo Chavez arriving in heaven and being greeted by Che Guevara and other historic figures from the Latin American ... »

Bad Chart Thursday: Subversive Subtext in Maggot Painting

Bad Chart Thursday: Subversive Subtext in Maggot Painting

You know, most people who see the video below or even participate in maggot painting events have pretty much the same reactions: “Wow, cool!” or “Amazing!” or “That’s fucking disgusting!” or all of the above. No one seems to want to talk about the artistic merit of these works or how the differences in technique bring out (or suppress) the emotional range ... »

Bad Chart Thursday: At the Zoo

Bad Chart Thursday: At the Zoo

So, Rebecca gets a lot of emails. That’s not new. She also gets these odd suggestions, like one she shared with the rest of us the other day. They’re a little like the emails we get at the physics department at my university from people who have discovered that Einstein was wrong — just a little less elaborate maybe. Instead of a 200 page Word document, she gets these: I wanted to ask ... »

Twix Video Still with Deborah and Bruce

Twix Helps Dicks Get Chicks?

(I wrote this flippant piece back in December 2011 but didn’t post it for some reason. But what else am I going to do with it? It’s just been staring back at me from the Drafts folder for the last fourteen months…so here you are.) PB + chocolate. Worth the calories. I sat down at the computer last night for some laid-back Sunday evening blogging. Before getting started, I took a ... »

Sunday Open Thread: Share Your Music

Sunday Open Thread: Share Your Music

Heard any good music lately? Looking for some music to add to your playlist? Join our open thread and share away! My music playlist is short because I’m so picky about music. And then I find a song I like, I play it five times, and I’m over it. I’ve used Apple’s Genius a few times to find songs but I usually don’t have much luck. So I really want to hear what you all ... »

Betty White Day: A Holiday I Made Up (Because Why Not)

Betty White Day: A Holiday I Made Up (Because Why Not)

Guess what today is? January 17th is Betty White’s 91st birthday, and a few years ago I made a decision to celebrate it as Betty White Day (creative, huh) because (a) I have been watching the The Golden Girls since I was a little kid, and (b) I really like Betty White (and the rest of the cast). I would say that I liked her before she was cool, but hell, she’s been cool longer than I&#... »

That’s Not Bullying

That’s Not Bullying

[Trigger/content warning: Bullying, threatening language]* Scene 1: “Hey, you fucking faggot. If I see you in this hallway again, I’m going to take a broomstick from the janitor’s cart and rape your faggot ass with it. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you stupid fucking faggot!” This was said as I was being shoved up against the wall of lockers, face first, as a crowd of other students gathered arou... »

Ask Surly Amy and Elizabeth: Cats, Genetics and Diseases

Ask Surly Amy and Elizabeth: Cats, Genetics and Diseases

Message: Hi guys. I need your help to clarify a question that’s been bugging me for a while now. I’m a crazy cat lady and so is a friend of mine. We meet over coffee to discuss our “babies.” She said her cat – a beautiful Norwegian with probably the lushest coat I ever saw on a cat – was falling ill (urinary tract problems mainly) because it was not a pure breed but had some Maine Coon... »

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