The Intelligent Design Movement

“If you really want to know what is at risk from the anti-evolution movement, look at Kansas. And the reason of that is, when the anti-evolution movement got control of the state board of education, what did they do? They rewrote the definition of Science itself. Not just Biology. Not just Evolution. Science.”

This is a great speech by Ken Miller about the dangers of the anti-evolution movement in America, and the very real danger that they pose to our education system. In the process, he presents conclusive proof of evolution (as if we needed any more) and rips apart the reasoning behind intelligent design. It’s almost two hours of video, but half of that is taken up by the QA session. Even that part is well worth watching all the way through.

Hockey Fixation

This chart from The Globe And Mail is pretty cool and enlightening. The level of water consumption in Edmonton during the USA – Canada gold medal hockey game. I wonder what that chart looks like for an American city during the Superbowl.

Winterwood Investment

Very amusing. Look at the email I found in my Gmail inbox today (it’s an obvious scam, of course):

Winterwood Investment
32 Newman Street
London ,United Kingdom
E-mail: winterwinfo@gmail.com

RE: Employment Opportunities At Winterwood Investment

My name is Bishop Gate I work with Winterwood Investment we came about your email address and your brief profile through an email listing affiliated with the US Chamber of Commerce.

This is to seek your employment as a representative to this honorable company Winterwood Investment we take delight in supplying of products such as Building materials, Toys, Amusement equipments world wide.

Presently we are experiencing difficulties in receiving payment from our overseas customers in Australia, Canada and USA. However if you are the type that like or prefer working from the house you can grab this opportunity by becoming one of our privilege directors.

Your duty will be base on clearing and receiving our due payments in your location have it noted that for every transfer to your account that is cleared or payment receive by you, you will be entitle to 10 percentage of the total sum.

If this part time employment invitation meets your acceptance indicate your interest by furnishing this office with the understated information’s:

Full Name:
Full Address:( not p.o.box):
City:
State:
Zip code:
Phone Number(s):
Fax number:
Age:
Sex:
Current job:
Email Address:

Note that your responsibility is to receive payment from our customers in Australia, Canada and USA in your account and deduct your payment of 10% and you send the balance.

Do email the above information via this email address: winterwinfo@gmail.com

Thanks as we look towards a positive response.

Sincerely,
Mr. Bishop Gate
For: Winterwood Investment

Looks like the Nigerian kings and governments are extending their business relationships into the United Kingdom and have created Winterwood Investment, an “honorable company” that “take delight in supplying of products such as Building materials, Toys, Amusement equipments world wide”. Good to know that…

• the US Chamber of Commerce maintains a huge database of Gmail addresses, including mine!
• “Mr. Bishop Gate” doesn’t have a firm grip of correct punctuation, capitalization and or basic spelling, but still wants my help.
• the official company email is on Gmail. Really, no top level domain? Maybe that’s how they got my Gmail account when signing up at the US Chamber of Commerce themselves!
• I can “grab this opportunity by becoming one of our privilege directors” if I am “the type that like or prefer working from the house”. A privilege director? Sounds important! Where do I sign up? Oh…
• there’s no request for my bank account information? I have to wait for a reply from your email address to be scammed? That sounds like too much work, to be honest.

I halfway tempted to reply to the email with some fake information, just to see what the next steps would be. But I’m too busy washing my hair today…

Essen, die Einkaufshalle?

Der Essener Innenstadt eine kulturelle Neigung andichten zu wollen waere wahrscheinlich vermessen. Es war schon immer eine Konsummetropole – “Essen, die Einkaufsstadt”. Essen, das aus Polen und Holland ganze Reisebusse voller kauffreudiger Nachbarn anzieht. Aber irgendwie hatte die Innenstadt immer einen Reiz fuer mich. Hatte. Man mag mein Nasenrumpfen verzeihen – ich bin mit der Stadt aufgewachsen – aber der Reiz geht so langsam aber sicher floeten.

Heutzutage scheint Essen ja vor allem durch seine Geschaeftszentren glaenzen zu wollen. Erst kam das Essener City Center, die ueberdachte Einkaufsstrasse mit Geschaeften im Einheitslook  – welcher ja jetzt schon wieder geupdated und renoviert wird, damit auch ja alles konkurrenzfaehig bleibt. Und jetzt also der neue Limbecker Platz, das Mega-Einkaufszentrum, das ich zwar schon halbfertig im letzten Winter zu Gesicht bekam, aber dessen ganze Sterilitaet sich mir erst heute im sommerlichen Sonnenschein offenbarte.

Ich verstehe ja, woher die Anstrengungen ruehren. Erst kam das CentrO und drohte, den Essener Einkaufsplatzhirsch abzuschiessen; dann erwachte sogar das altehrwuerdige RheinRuhrZentrum aus seinem 70er-Jahre-Schlaf und putzte sich nochmal halbwegs fein heraus. Aber das sind Zentren, amerikanische “Malls”, die in der Mitte vom Nirgendwo stehen. Essen ist eine Stadt, und sie verliert zielstrebig ihre Identitaet als solche. Nicht, dass vor 10 Jahren noch jedes Geschaeft aus dem Anfang des Jahrhunderts stammte und in historischen Gebaueden mit mittelalterlichen Aussenverzierungen untergebracht gewesen waeren. Das waren schon immer grosse Kaufhaueser, die zu grossen Kaufhausketten gehoerten. Aber gegen die luftige Langeweile des neuen Karstadt Geschaeftes im Limbecker Platz war das alte, “historische” Gebaeude doch geradezu eine Offenbarung. Frueher waren die Geschaefte halt nicht so konzentriert, man konnte noch einen Trip von der HöLe bis zum Cinemaxx planen, und waehrend der Stippvisite bei Roskothen fand man tatsaechlich noch einen alten Spielzeugladen, anstatt billigen 1 Euro Ramsch. Und wenn ich mit dem Auto bei Horten oder an der Lichtburg vorbeifahren wollte, ja verdammt nochmal, dann konnte ich das auch!

Nunja, Ablagen “Grumpy Old Men” und “Frueher War Alles Besser”. Wahrscheinlich reagiere ich so empfindlich aus die Neuerungen, weil mich das alles zu sehr an die USA erinnert. Wie soll ich meiner amerikanischen Frau da noch den Unterschied zum traditionellen Europa zeigen? Das Prinzip “Mall” kriegt man doch auch “da drueben” alle paar Kilometer um die Ohren geballert – mit dem Unterschied, dass die Amis hoechstens ueber einen alten Indianerfriedhof zementierten, nicht aber gedenken, baldmoeglichst das ganze Geschaeftsviertel einer alten Ruhrpott Stadt ueberdacht zu haben. Scheint zumindest so…

“Essen das Konsumparadies”? Der Name mag durchaus noch zutreffen. Aber aus “Essen der Einkaufsstadt” wird irgendwie immer weniger.

Silent Reviews

• Live Free or Die Hard – Not really

Silent Reviews

• Spamalot – YES
• Clover - No
• Without a Paddle – No
  

California Housing

If you’re wondering what’s wrong with the housing market in California, look no further than this ad from last Sunday’s paper… SELLER MUST SELL! Well, okay, then! Let me just go to the bank and get a couple of millions from my saving account.

Silent Reviews

• Die drei ??? – Poisoned Email (“American English translation) – No. Bad grammar and stilted expressions aplenty…
• The Tony Awards – No

Memory

In 1990, I bought a 512KB system memory extension for my Amiga 500. Finally, Legend of Faerghail had extra sounds and combat animations!

In 1991, I spent several month’s allowance on 2MB of extra system RAM for my Amiga 500. I never used it, but at least I was able to play the initial, unoptimized retail version Das Schwarze Auge before anybody else could! I never got into the game.

In 1996, I spent over 300 German Marks on 64MB of system RAM for my PC. I thought that the resulting grand totalof 96MB would help me BSP’ing a bunch of tricky maps that I had made for Beyond Belief, but it turns out I was simply blowing up the converters in other places.

In 1999, I bought my first 64MB USB memory stick so that I could transfer files from my laptop to my parents’ home computer. I still have that USB stick, even though I’ve lost every other one since then.

In 2001, I spent over 400 German Marks on a 128MB Compact Memory Card for my camera. I could hold hundreds of 1600×1200 pixel photos I wanted to take during that trip, and I still filled it up.

In 2004, I spent $200 on a 1GB USB stick.I have no idea where it is, or what I used it for.

In 2006, I spent over $300 on a 4GB USB stick. I promptly lost it and bought another one. It died after a year.

In 2008, I bought my current 8GB USB stick for 100 bucks. It’s secured to my key chain with two metal rings, but even then it sometimes comes off.

Today, I saw 8GB USB sticks for less than 20 dollars. Each one could save approximately 15,000 copies of Legend of Faerghail.

Now, where is my 32GB iPhone?

Silent Reviews

• Up – Yes
• A Night at the Museum – Meh
• The DaVinci Code – Meh
• Angels & Demons (audio book) – Yes (until the final part)

I’m bahaaaaack! It might take a bit to get back to regular updates, though