Humor

If The Chinese Space Program

…is anything like their aviation program, we have nothing to worry about.

Take that, runway! Who’s your daddy now?

(“Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your seatbelts on until we’ve finished bouncing to the gate…”)

[From the Nav Log]

[Update at 2 PM EST[

A commenter says that it’s a fake. It’s still pretty funny, though.

By the way, perhaps Mark Whittington should apply for the job of running the Chinese Space Agency’s equivalent of the Public Affairs Office. Given the apparent umbrage he takes when anyone disses their space program, he should at least be getting paid for it.

[Update a little while later]

Mark is apparently as unfamiliar with the meaning of the word “ire” as he is with that of “affront.”

Hilarious.

Mark, the fact that you seem to have no sense of humor doesn’t mean that my comment wasn’t meant to be humorous. I have no “ire” toward the Chinese space program. In fact, that’s why you always seem to be so upset with me–because I don’t take it seriously enough to have “ire” toward it. I wish you’d make up your mind as to how I’m supposed to view it (or how you’re supposed to, for that matter). I also wish you’d quit fantasizing my views on things, and feebly attempting to propagate them to the world. I know that’s not going to happen, though.

Science And Society

In Defense Of Science

As usual (on this subject, that is), I agree with John Derbyshire:

Malraux (I think it was) said that there are two reasons to be a socialist: You may love the poor, or you may hate the rich. There are similarly two reasons to get worked up about I.D.: You may love science, or you may hate religion.

My entire and sole motivation in writing against I.D. has been love of, and reverence for, science, and indignation that people should claim a place for their theory at science’s table when they have done no science whatsoever to back it up, and plainly have no intention of doing any, and when their fundamental premises are not merely unscientific, but willfully anti-scientific.

Social Commentary

Just A Big Gorilla

Here’s a rave review of Peter Jackson’s latest–a remake of King Kong. I have a confession to make, though:

Jack tells me all children – “at least all boys” – love King Kong.

“He is the king of all the monsters, even better than Godzilla. Kong is stronger and smarter than Godzilla, who’s just a stupid, slimy lizard.”

Sorry, but I was never a big (or even little) King Kong fan. I’ve still never watched the original all the way through. I tried one night a few years ago, and gave up. It simply didn’t hold my interest, either as a boy, or as a man. The prospect of three hours of it, even with new spectacular effects, simply doesn’t motivate me to go to the theater.

Of course, I’ve never been a fan of horror or monster movies in general (I’ve never seen any of the classics–Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula–and have no interest in them). Lest my all-American red-blooded male credentials be questioned, though, I do like (or at least did as a youth) the Three Stooges.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!