Sending You Elsewhere

You know how I thought I'd have Written in Stone read in two nights?  Make that three.  Books with actual, real-life science content take longer to read than novels.  Whodathunkit?

So I'm sending you away.  Lockwood, for instance, has a magnificent post up on coffee, trees and rocks, which includes a glorious photo of a gingko clothed in fall color.  And he shows you how to get your nerd on in plywood.  And then you really must make it by Silver Fox's place, where gorgeous photos illustrate the difficulties of mapping in the wintertime (and yes, dear non-desert readers, our high deserts get quite a lot of snow, believe it or - well, you'll have no choice but believe it after you've seen Silver's shots).

Need something to vent at?  Something to really get your dander up?  Cujo's got two: an outrageously funny spanking of AFA's Bryan "If You Didn't Kill A Bunch of People, It's Not Worth a Medal of Honor" Fischer, and a post dissecting the idiocy of the Air Force vis a vis the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  Still not done?  In case you missed it at PZ's place, read Johann Hari's takedown of kosher and halal slaughter.  This, dear Mr. Jeff "Atheists Are Scaring Religious People Away From Skepticism!" Wagg, is exactly why religious claims cannot be shielded from skeptical scrutiny.  To take religious claims on faith just cuz their religious ain't just bad skepticism, it's aiding and abetting torture.  Oh, and the next time somebody tries to tell me how meek and mild religion is, I'm going to duct tape them to a chair and force them to read Jerry Coyne's post on visiting the Palace of the Inquisition (warning: do not read before/during/after any meal).

There.  That should keep you busy whilst I read.  Worthy posts, all, and just what one needs on a cold winter's night.

Well, those, and the video Lockwood put up on Twitter:



Oh, that takes me back to my Flagstaff days!  My roomie and I used to sit out on our porch on snowy evenings and watch the cars slide down the hill, occasionally placing small bets on just how spectacularly a particular - ah, how shall I say this kindly, um - risk-assessment deficient driver would bite it. 

How I miss those days!  Aside from the snow and ice, o' course.