Random Book Reviews

So I work in a library.
So sometimes I pick up books.
Randomly.

Here are two of those. On the same topic, i.e. the propensity of people to believe in fake stuff.

Here they are:

Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction : Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoscience Begins

Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology

Both books pretty much cover the same ground, including a brief look at what science is as well as some examples of very nonscientific stuff (i.e. aliens) as well as instances when science worked really well at decipher the truth (the Cardiff giant) as well as when it took a bit longer for scientists to catch on (the Piltdown man) -- although catch on they did -- eventually.

It seems that the major difference between science and pseudosciences is where you begin. If you begin with an hypothesis and then explain away evidence that shows your hypothesis to be full of hocus-pocus, it's not science. If other people can't duplicate your results, it's not science. If your hypothesis can't be falsified, it's not science.

I recommend these books for anyone wanting to indulge in a bit of light reading on the subject of The Silly Stuff People Believe and Why They Believe it.

I Want One of These

I just watched "How to Train Your Dragon."

Now I want one.

Anyone? Christmas present?

A Limerick

A ditty I wrote for my Geography class:

I'm a mud volcano from Indonesia,
I bubble toxic sludge, if that please ya;
     An oil rig drilled,
     So out came the swill,
'Cause East Javan village--who needs ya?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just want to wish a Happy Turkey Day to all my readers! May your Thanksgiving be full of stuff to be thankful for, and may you all go comatose from eating too much turkey and ham and stuffing and other stuff!

Clumsiness, Or, How the World Keeps Getting in My Way

I've been told I'm clumsy. I've thought I was clumsy. I would even go so far as to call myself positionally and spatially challenged.

But after over twenty six years in the same body, I've come to the conclusion that it's not my fault. It's the environment. Really.

I live in a world full of malicious, anthropomorphic inanimate objects who plot and scheme and move when I'm not looking so they can put their marks on me--lovely bruises of various sizes and shapes. I find myself with bruises I have no memories of getting, which leaves me to conclude my bed is involved somehow.  It really is impossible for so many things to move into my way when I'm not paying attention unless they're deliberately setting out to do so.

I've tripped on a wire that was attached from an outlet to a camera that cost about twelve of my cars (haha now you don't know the cost of this camera or my car) that caused this camera to crash onto a linoleum floor. I've managed to trip on perfectly flat surfaces and walk into chairs that I just set down.

But you know who's behind this all? The doors are. Yes, the doors. You know, those things that guard the portals in and out of buildings. And cars. And microwaves.

It always comes down to the bloody doors.

Dungeoneering. Crafting. Milestones

Well, I've been a bit busy this weekend, but on Friday, on both sides of a six-hour sleep period, my RS chars got some milestones in.

First, Rebel Dragon and 85 crafting:

Then Elf Sphinx got Total level 200 and Dungeoneering level 20, respectively.

Okay, so actually level 21.

I feel that medium dungeons take too long and are not much fun to do if you're skilling on the available resources. Plus, they take well over an hour and a half sometimes while a small dungeon can be thoroughly mined, logged, and fished out in 20 minutes.

Just the way of things, I guess.

Rebel Dragon finally did a skeletal wyvern task. The only reason I'm doing them is I want to make those Super Prayer restores at lvl 94 herblore someday if I ever get there.

Incidently, here is Elf Sphinx battling a mighty planar-freeze thingy. Or, as I think of it, the tentacly thing in the ice room.

It's More than a Coffee Maker...

[insert angelic 'AAAAHHH" here]

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present:

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Super Brewer of the Gods, sent down from a consortium of pantheons to enrich the lives of ordinary mortals. With the mere push of a button, your cup will be running over full in less than a minute of lovely, sweet, awesome coffee. You can use the handy little cups in assorted flavors in the spinny thing carousal to the left, or you can use your ordinary dime-store coffee if that's all you can afford after acquiring this thing. It's sleek, it's shiny, and made out of pure Awesonium.

I don't even feel bad for all the pennies that died to buy this thing.