Subscribe to this blog in Radio:
Didn't find what you were looking for?
E-mail this blog's author, Bruce Umbaugh:  |
|
 |
Saturday, June 18, 2005 |
On Not Understanding Science.
Eugene Volokh (Law, UCLA) opines on evolutionary biology and religion, and Pharyngula correctly notes that most of the discussion is a tissue of confusions and mistakes. (Some of the comments at Pharyngula's site are also rather funny.)
What interests me in particular here is what this display tells us about the limited understanding of science and scientific methods even among educated people and scholars. If professional scholars in fields like law have so little understanding of the nature and structure of scientific inquiry, is it any surprise that in the population at large nonsense like creationism and its offshoots, like Intelligent Design, have considerable traction?
UPDATE: There is a priceless comment by one Bruce Anderson over at the Volokh Conspiracy site . . . .
[Leiter Reports]
10:02:07 AM 
|
|
Executive vs secretary in case of spilled ketchup
CNN reports that after a secretary named Jenny Amner accidentally spilled ketchup on a Richard Phillips, a senior associate at the law firm Baker & McKenzie, he sent her an email demanding £4 to pay for cleaning his trousers. His email:
"Hi Jenny. I went to a dry cleaners at lunch and they said it would cost £4 to remove the ketchup stains. If you cd let me have the cash today, that wd be much appreciated."
The secretary replied a about week-and-a-half later:
"With reference to the e-mail below, I must apologize for not getting back to you straight away but due to my mother's sudden illness, death and funeral I have had more pressing issues than your £4.
"I apologize again for accidentally getting a few splashes of ketchup on your trousers. Obviously your financial need as a senior associate is greater than mine as a mere secretary."
She then forwarded the exchange to her friends in the firm and the message was soon ripping like wildfire through London's law community.
She wrote that she had told various partners, lawyers and trainees about his e-mail and they had offered to "do a collection" to raise the cash.
"I however declined their kind offer but should you feel the urgent need for the £4, it will be on my desk this afternoon."
Subsequently the e-mail exchange was forwarded across the legal world, with comments added questioning Phillips' generosity.
Link (via Gadgetopia)
[bOing bOing]
10:00:00 AM
|
|
Geldof smartmobs eBay.
Russell Buckley calls the Geldof smartmobbing of eBay, "community power:"
CNN reports that eBay bowed to the pressure of the community yesterday and withdrew all sales of Live 8 tickets.
Tickets were awarded on the basis of an sms lottery and started appearing in hours on eBay for 100's of dollars. But good old Sir Bob, branded eBay as an electronic pimp and condemned the auctions as against the spirit of the event.
But that's not all. On Sky News, he urged people to go on eBay and "mess up the system":
"Everyone should go on and pretend they have got tickets for Live 8 ... otherwise go on and bid ridiculous amounts of money for the tickets already on the site," said the feisty Irish rocker.
His call didn't go unheeded. Within minutes, bids for hundreds of dollars turned into millions and eBay was flooded with false auctions.
eBay had no choice but to back down quickly from their previous "there's nothing illegal about selling them" to "we've listened to the eBay community". They should have seen this one coming, I think, when Sir Bob first made his displeasure known.
But it proves that there's nothing so powerful as a community that has decided to act in unison. Even mighty corporations and governments must bow down to its wishes. Community power has arrived, but we ain't seen nothing yet. [Smart Mobs]
9:48:17 AM
|
|
|
