James Randi at TAM (doing a bit of magic)

1800s: Charles Darwin

1800s as Charles Darwin?

1400-1500s: Leonardo Da Vinci

Further back in time: Leonardo Da Vinci?

(someone at TAM pointed out this similarity)

Any other points in history where Skeptics/Men with magical powers have appeared?

I think the evidence is pretty clear and no real skeptic could doubt it. So that just leaves the question of:

How does Randi roll?

Time sled?

Time sled?

Tardis?

Tardis?

Phone booth?

Bill and Ted style phonebooth?

Delorian?

Delorian?

Or time train?

Time train?

Next time will not swallow the coat hanger whole.

Just read, it’s easier to explain by reading the court transcript (from this article).

Counsel: What is your name?

Chrysler: Chrysler. Arnold Chrysler.

Counsel: Is that your own name?

Chrysler: Whose name do you think it is?

Counsel: I am just asking if it is your name.

Chrysler: And I have just told you it is. Why do you doubt it?

Counsel: It is not unknown for people to give a false name in court.

Chrysler: Which court?

Counsel: This court.

Chrysler: What is the name of this court?

Counsel: This is No 5 Court.

Chrysler: No, that is the number of this court. What is the name of this court?

Counsel: It is quite immaterial what the name of this court is!

Chrysler: Then perhaps it is immaterial if Chrysler is really my name.

Counsel: No, not really, you see because…

Judge: Mr Lovelace?

Counsel: Yes, m’lud?

Judge: I think Mr Chrysler is running rings round you already. I would try a new line of attack if I were you.

Counsel: Thank you, m’lud.

Chrysler: And thank you from ME, m’lud. It’s nice to be appreciated.

Judge: Shut up, witness.

Chrysler: Willingly, m’lud. It is a pleasure to be told to shut up by you. For you, I would…

Judge: Shut up, witness. Carry on, Mr Lovelace.

Counsel: Now, Mr Chrysler – for let us assume that that is your name – you are accused of purloining in excess of 40,000 hotel coat hangers.

Chrysler: I am.

Counsel: Can you explain how this came about?

Chrysler: Yes. I had 40,000 coats which I needed to hang up.

Counsel: Is that true?

Chrysler: No.

Counsel: Then why did you say it?

Chrysler: To attempt to throw you off balance.

Counsel: Off balance?

Chrysler: Certainly. As you know, all barristers seek to undermine the confidence of any hostile witness, or defendant. Therefore it must be equally open to the witness, or defendant, to try to shake the confidence of a hostile barrister.

Counsel: On the contrary, you are not here to indulge in cut and thrust with me. You are only here to answer my questions.

Chrysler: Was that a question?

Counsel: No.

Chrysler: Then I can’t answer it.

Judge: Come on, Mr Lovelace! I think you are still being given the run-around here. You can do better than that. At least, for the sake of the English bar, I hope you can.

Counsel: Yes, m’lud. Now, Mr Chrysler, perhaps you will describe what reason you had to steal 40,000 coat hangers?

Chrysler: Is that a question?

Counsel: Yes.

Chrysler: It doesn’t sound like one. It sounds like a proposition which doesn’t believe in itself. You know – “Perhaps I will describe the reason I had to steal 40,000 coat hangers… Perhaps I won’t… Perhaps I’ll sing a little song instead…”

Judge: In fairness to Mr Lovelace, Mr Chrysler, I should remind you that barristers have an innate reluctance to frame a question as a question. Where you and I would say, “Where were you on Tuesday?”, they are more likely to say, “Perhaps you could now inform the court of your precise whereabouts on the day after that Monday?”. It isn’t, strictly, a question, and it is not graceful English but you must pretend that it is a question and then answer it, otherwise we will be here for ever. Do you understand?

Chrysler: Yes, m’lud.

Judge: Carry on, Mr Lovelace.

Counsel: Mr Chrysler, why did you steal 40,000 hotel coat hangers, knowing as you must have that hotel coat hangers are designed to be useless outside hotel wardrobes?

Chrysler: Because I build and sell wardrobes which are specially designed to take nothing but hotel coat hangers.

An amusing day in court that one.

Australian model Nicole Trunfio acknowledging the profession of holding up clothes.

From the guys at PhDComics

And I guess just typical journalist misquoting:

The curse of headlines.

Climate change denier and creationist. God help us if Abbott gets in.

I really wish Abbott hadn’t back stabbed Malcolm Turnbull out of the Liberal hot spot. He’s at least got half a brain more than Abbott and was prepared to take a stand for the environment (before the liberal party bribepolitical donation companies got their claws into him). If elected he’ll be our version of George Bush: ignorant, smarmy, religious as anything and completely unsuitable for the top job. He couldn’t keep his religion out of the Health ministerial workings imagine how things will regress with him in the PM seat.

Abbott was so bad as health minister I wrote to John Howard suggesting he should be sacked.

Although I’d prefer the Greens to get a bit more of a say (to make up for Labor’s back-down on taxing carbon and capitulation to mining interests) or perhaps a wild-card like the secular party to reel back in the massive bribery/infection of church into state. But for no other reasons than the National Broadband Network (NBN) and the GFC recession free status of Australia (unique in the developed nations) Labor should get another round. It seems the dummies are hung up on Rudd’s disposal and yes, it was rough, but let’s look at policy instead. The situation is as it is: both leaders trampled the guy before them. Deal with it.. Who stabbed who in the back is kinda expected since the “Et tu, Brute?” story has political origins.

Et Tu Brute...

Anyhow, if Abbott gets in all this talk about stopping the boats won’t be important. If Abbott wins the NZ PM had better get a boat phone system in place because hoards of Aussies will be paddling their way to New Zealand strapped to anything that can float!

Tony's direct line to stop the boats.

And if that’s not making any sense:

and the scary movie rip off (probably better known):

You’d think Tony Abbott would steer clear of phones altogether after getting stuck in the outback and unable to work a phone:

There was some discussion about using a satellite phone Mr Conway had left with the party to summon help in the form of a helicopter from Kings Creek station.

As the light was fading, the chopper pilot wouldn’t be able to land but could drop some supplies.

“Beer, water, food and rugs. Especially beer,” quipped the Opposition Leader.

Just one problem with that plan.

No-one in the group could get the satellite phone to work.

After failing to make a voice call, Mr Abbott tried sending a text to the only mobile phone number he could remember, that of his press secretary Claire Kimball back in Canberra.

“WERELOSTNEARFOSSILCREEK” the text said. No one could work out the key on the sat-phone to put spaces between words.

It’s probably just as well for Ms Kimball’s peace of mind that this alarming text failed to transmit.

While the concept of the armed forces/navy calling the PM isn’t particularly novel, it makes for a good visual though.

Check out #boatPhone on twitter for other news.

Not about a particular person, I'd be here all year filling these out!

Pretty big industry this tax evasion thing.

Let's be clear: negative gearing robs taxpayers and feeds bank profits.

Have my doubts it'll be fixed.. But..

Wonder whether they'll actually look into it?

Hope it gets a chuckle from someone at the ATO.. 

The BBC’s graphic on not sitting up “too straight”:

Correct posture (image from the BBC)

But the real position for corporate situations I think is quite often more like this:

Correct corporate posture.

Captain Planet vs Avatar's Na'vi

Not convinced?

Captain Planet!

Vs

Avatar Na'vi

The evidence stacks up

Both got mullets/long hair, blue skin and a love of mother earth that borders on x rated. The Na’vi are at home in skimpy loin cloths and Captain Planet is at home in red lycra underpants and dashing red boots. Both have clashed with giant robotic bulldozers, both have fought to save trees and both fell from grace to rise again with the help of the animals/mother Earth to drive out evil badguys who are hell bent on messing with the environment to the maximum extend apparently for no real reason other than greed.

The superman theory

So come clean Avatar cast: are we going to find out later that, like superman, Captain Planet is just a wayward Na’vi? Perhaps he floated across the expanse of space via one of those funky floating mountain lumps when a vine or two snapped. Then due to his link with the power (powers combined!) of the Earth he kicks arse on planet Earth for a while to inspire a multicultural bunch of “special kids”.

And I may just have found the missing link..

The missing Avatar-Captain Planet link?

Maybe it’s time for a captain planet movie? Just un-stretch the 3D models and.. well.. you’ve pretty much got the basics of a captain planet TV show.

Not only can they fly, squeeze under fridges, withstand a wide range of squash/flush and crush attempts (once I squashed one only to have then rip its “spine” out of its squashed body and keep on walking: just head, legs and trailing entrails as if nothing were the matter: better even because it was now a light weight version) but the bloody things don’t even need to piss!

The only known cute cockroach

That means there’s no “breaking the seal” problem on cockroach drinking nights thanks to this amazing little bacteria they picked up 140 million years ago. No conflicts between male cockroaches and feminazi cockroaches over the toilet seat issue.

Fantastic logic on this one "nearly fell in" etc

The cast iron bladdered creatures can stay up all night drinking in the post apocalyptic world without having to head off to the little cockroach’s room if they so choose. As an added bonus they’ve completely removed the whole awkward standing next to strangers at pub urinals issue (play the urinal etiquette game here if you don’t know what I’m talking about)!

Then after a hard night of drinking and recycling urine they can stumble home in the dark using the Earth’s magnetic fields to find their way. Amazing little revolting things.

Cyanide and happiness - excuses

Original comic found here.

Oh and why not.. Here’s another one summing up the duh-ness off Bella pretty well I reckon. Click to get the full sized one.

Twilight books summary

(see this blog for the original and other similar)

And another.

Sparkling vampire prose?

Now THAT is a transformer!

If I want some welding done on whatever “mad-max” vehicle I’m driving in the post apocalyptic/post comet strike world: I’ll be giving this guy a call to see what he’s coddled together out of scrappy wires, string, cardboard and metal.

Update: Image had died. That’ll teach me to rely on the internet!

Creationist swine flu

See the original one here.

A quick update as I’ve been a bit waylaid with getting back to the working world and haven’t even found much time for the new toy. But life’s going fine (and it’s nice to be earning an income after the bumming around on the bike touring in Europe). Heading into “winter” in Sydney I’m pretty relaxed about the temperature as I won’t be getting stuck in snow here.

Nath