www.jeffthefish.com

“Brent Spiner revealed this week that he may appear in the next Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, but when he said he didn’t want to act, he left many fans scratching their heads. Turns out Spiner has been secretly working with JJ Abrams and the effects team to reprise his signature role … without lifting a finger. ‘I made it very clear that I have aged too much to play Data anymore,’ says Spiner. ‘I said that I would be willing to be in the movie if they get the technology together, and so they are working on that right now.’ A body-cast mold of Spiner, created for a special effects shot in the third season of The Next Generation, provided the basis for a digital-effects version of his famous character so the figure can appear in the movie as a living, breathing actor. ‘I think it’s cool to continue on with the franchise,’ adds Spiner, who will provide the voice of Commander Data.”

From aintitcoolnews.com.

The BBC is reporting the discovery of a 23 million year old pinniped called Puijila in the Canadian Arctic. It’s around the same age as Enaliarctos, previously the most primitive fossil pinniped discovered, itself an important transitional form.

Here’s an important question that articles like this never answer: how do we know it’s a pinniped?

I’ll let you know when I find out.

UPDATE: Not Exactly Rocket Science has a post with more information about Puijila, including a partial answer to my question above: We know it’s a seal because of the shape of its skull and teeth.

Also check out this section of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s website, dedicated to Puijila, and linked to by NERS.

52% of the people who listen to Todd Friel’s Wretched Radio show don’t think so. Just thought you might like to know.

There are other interesting results on there, too. Of course, I don’t think anyone should watch American Idol.

My dear friend Taisha is brilliant! This weekend she made a Ray Comfort tampon holder out of felt! What could be more appropriate?

And what’s more, you can buy this lovely piece of functional art, and the proceeds get donated to a good cause! High five!

Hey guys, look at this. Check out the second section, “Errors and Contradictions in the Bible?” They’re upset about a new book by Bart Ehrman that deals with contradictions in the gospels, and they link to Ehrman’s interview on The Colbert Report, saying that “even a goofy interviewer can see through the ridiculous arguments of this author.”

Yeah. I think it’s just this side of possible that they don’t get Colbert.

AiG was also kind enough to include a response to Erhman’s book by one of their employees:

God laughs at the attacks on His Word and character (Psa. 2), but He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that they repent (Ezek. 18:30-32). Jesus still says to His Father, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” as He says to sinners, “repent or you too will likewise perish.”

May we all rejoice this weekend again in the wonder of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, which the four Gospels collectively give us a beautifully complementary and perfectly accurate and description of, so that by faith we might know the mercy and grace of God in the forgiveness of our sins and might be motivated once again to share that good news with others who are still lost in sin.

Dude, it takes you two paragraphs to say “OH YEAH?????”? You might be stupid. Just throwing that out there.

At first I was pretty skeptical of this account of a debate between Ray Comfort and an ordinary person who’d never debated anyone before. It just sounded a little too good to be true, but then, I frequently underestimate (or should it be overestimate?) Ray’s inadequacy.

But then he posted the audio. Hot damn!

In the last 24 hours I have been the victim of several interesting coincidences.

1. Yesterday morning while driving to work, an eighteen wheeler was backing into a parking lot, blocking most of 1st Ave. I had never seen this happen before on 1st Ave, at any time of day. I have been taking this route to work for two years.

A few blocks to the north, I encountered another eighteen wheeler doing the exact same thing into a different parking lot.

2. Yesterday I ate lunch at the Showbox SODO with my coworkers. The song Music Is My Hot Hot Sex by CSS was played over the speakers. I love this song, but I had no idea that anyone else on Earth did. I can never really tell if a band is famous because I don’t consume much media. I was very surprised to hear it.

Last night I went to happy hour at The Elysian with Jen S. and her sister Kate. Again I heard the song Music Is My Hot Hot Sex by CSS. When I commented on it to Jen, she told me that it was a popular song that they played on the radio. I had no idea. Apparently there’s also a video.

3. This morning, while thinking of writing this post, I looked out the window overlooking Starbucks and saw a sky blue eighteen wheeler parked on the street. At the same moment, a woman wearing a jacket the exact same color walked into Starbucks from the opposite direction. This is amazing because not only was I thinking about coincidences, but there was an eighteen wheeler involved, and I’m pretty sure that music was this woman’s hot hot sex.

I like thinking about the fact that this is just how probability and the human brain work. I’m sure I encounter coincidences like this all the time, but I don’t really notice them. Now my mind is on the lookout for them. At the same time, random events do have a tendency to clump together, and this is a great example of that. There was an episode of Numb3rs about this. I can’t find the clip of Charlie explaining it to his class, but here is a summary of the logic used in that episode.

Here’s some more funness from Omegle, the chat service that connects you anonymously to one other stranger. There are no user names and no identifying information whatsoever, unless you choose to share that with your conversation partner.

So stuff like this can happen:

Stranger: where u from honey?

You: seattle.

You: you?

Stranger: Beverlly Hills

You: oh.

You: i’ve driven through there.

Stranger: age?

You: 28

You: you?

Stranger: 25

You: gender?

Stranger: f

You: oh hai

You: i’m m.

Stranger: what is your kind of music?

You: i make hip hop / sampledelic stuff.

Stranger: you are beautiful?

You: but i listen to diverse forms of music.

You: i’m a little bit beautiful. but i’m fucking hilarious, and my music makes people love me.

Stranger: i likes Beyoncé , Britney Spears , Lady GaGa , Mariah Carey <3

You: oh.

You have disconnected.

I recently discovered the joys of Omegle, a chat service that connects you anonymously to one other stranger. There are no user names and no identifying information whatsoever, unless you choose to share that with your conversation partner.

So stuff like this can happen:

Connecting to server…

You’re now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

Stranger: hi

You: hi.

Stranger: hi

You: please don’t shout “MIDGETS” or something like that.

Stranger: what

Stranger: haha

You: that’s what’s been happening to me :)

You: it’s funny for about 30 seconds.

Stranger: why

You: i don’t know.

Stranger: why r they shouting midgets?

You: i guess they think it’s cute.

Stranger: haha

Stranger: so.. where u from

You: they didn’t offer an explanation.

You: i am living in seattle.

You: you?

Stranger: uk

You: oh boy!

You: i’m half english.

Stranger: im from scotland

You: oh.

Stranger: im half english too

You: oh good.

Stranger: yes

You: i thought i’d blown it.

Stranger: haha why?

You: what city?

You: i don’t know.

Stranger: dundee

You: oh.

You: do you like it there?

Stranger: not really its cold

Stranger: right now theres loads of mist its really creepy

You: you’re near the sea.

You: that’s cool.

You: it’s cold and rainy here too.

Stranger: yes

You: but probably not as col.d

You: and today it’s sunny.

Stranger: i bet id find your cold warm

You: quite possible.

Stranger: MIDGETS

You: oh dear lord.

Your conversational partner has disconnected.

My lady friend down in Tacoma, Christopher Grant Harris The Purple Fool, decided to make my album Welcome To Boy Zone his album of the month for April! And boy do I find if flattering. I think this is the part that gives me the most heart beeps:

The whole affair has a definitely endearing lo-fi quality to it, making the album as a whole nearly impossible to categorize… in a good way.

Thank you, my darling Christopher.