A nice idea, but I suspect the execution would be pretty difficult. Hollywood special effects are a lot better now than in 1938, but there are many more science-educated people who would be a lot harder to fool too. All it would take is one slip-up, caught and pointed out by some bright teenager, and [...]
Archive of posts filed under the History or Folklore category.
“Moon *Not* Made of Cheese, Physicist Explains”
Just in case you were wondering. I don’t know the context of that quote, but I’m very concerned about the science deniers in the US. It seems that, despite mandatory science classes in high school, most people still don’t understand science. Conservatives seem to think that science is like religion: convince enough people of something [...]
“Halloween Sadism: The Evidence”
It seems that our parents were — again — worried about absolutely nothing. Which makes sense… anyone contemplating such a move would quickly realize that if they did it on a mass scale they’d be tracked down in a day or two at most, and even targeting it at the one brat that has been [...]
“We like zombies… because we *are* zombies”
I always wondered at the popularity of zombies in popular fiction. They have no skill and no intelligence, and they move very slowly, their only truly horrifying trait (other than their dire need of cosmetics) is that they won’t stop so long as they can move even a single digit in your direction. It requires [...]
“War boffin: Killer cyber attacks *won’t* happen”
Sorry, conservative politicians. You can’t use cyberspace as an excuse to continue your campaign to involve the US in a major war every twenty years or so. But don’t be too disappointed, it wouldn’t kill enough young men to satisfy you, or be very lucrative for your weapon-manufacturing backers, anyway.
“8 Reasons Young Americans Don’t Fight Back: How the US Crushed Youth Resistance”
I’ve often wondered why things were so different in my parents’ childhood books, which I often read as a child myself. Teenagers seemed far freer to do things in those days than what I experienced in my youth, as well as far more willing. While part of that might be poetic license and wishful thinking [...]
“Gigantic KRAKEN fingered in prehistoric murder mystery”
I’m constantly amazed at just how weird the world actually is. If someone tried to pass off something like this as fiction, he’d probably be laughed out of print.
“Genetics and technology make Columbus Day a fraud”
Something to think about this time next year.
“Gay-bashing cult plans picket of Steve Jobs funeral”
Ever get the impression that some assholes will do anything for a little publicity? And that those same assholes generally have far too much time on their hands? If the First Amendment were ever put on trial, these people — who I won’t explicitly name because it would give them the undeserved recognition they’re trying [...]
“Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade”
As far as I’ve been able to tell, most climate scientists — the honest ones — seem to agree that global warming should be happening, according to the data they have. They also agree that it isn’t, that the evidence just doesn’t support their models (i.e. their best educated guesses) of what the temperatures should [...]