Scientific American turns 162

Happy Birthday SciAm. I may not buy your print edition as often as I'd like, but I'm a voracious listener to your daily 60 Second Science podcast as well as your weekly Science Talk podcast, which along with the CFI's Point of Inquiry, I savor all week long.

My Life Poster

A close up of the poster I made with some pics from my travels, Apple's iPhoto, and detailed instructions on the Mike Matas Blog. You can see how it hangs here.

The loft at Pacific Electric

In the spirit of Dnice's Mashmamdali blog and the paterfamilias' documentation of The Addition to the house in Vienna, I've uploaded some photos of my pain cave. I hung the Ikea tracks and panels over a year ago, but the lanterns above the couch and the curtains around the bed just went up last weekend.

Apparently, it's a dramatic prairie dog, not a chipmunk

But who cares? This five second clip from a Japanese TV show made my day:

33.33333333

Today, I've been alive precisely 33.33333333 years. I decided to commemorate this mathematically significant anniversary by cutting my hair shorter than it's ever been in all that time.

The trouble with Islam

Sent to me via my mother, from her cousin in Lisboa...

DZK: Free online Hip-Hop

Finally, an effective neutralizing agent for Christian music has emerged. His name is DZK and the D.C. Metro area is his headquarters. For toothsome hip-hop and superb lyrics, check out WarLab.com. You can listen and even download the tracks for free. My favorite cut is Bow Down; see if you can guess why. The rap is first-rate, and my old friend Dnice produced the website. Enjoy and spread the Word.

Pascal's Wager: useful for a change

Last weekend while pumping gas for Soy at the Arco on Franklin and Gower, the guy at the next pump approached and asked me if I knew Jesus. He launched into his proselytizing with Paley's Watchmaker analogy; I recognized what he was doing when he pointed to an apartment block across the way and asked if it was fair to assume that an architect was behind its design. The problem with the Argument from Design is that it demands a prerequisite ignorance of basic scientific knowledge. Darwin's law of natural selection adequately wounded Paley's argument in 1859; Richard Dawkins' 1986 book, The Blind Watchmaker, should have been the final nail in its coffin. Ignorance is bliss for believers, apparently.

Gas station missionary then proceeded to outline what I recognized as Pascal's Wager for me in broad strokes. Unfortunately, before I could explicate the successful rebuttals (see here and here) to Pascal's flawed chart, the cars behind us began honking for our gas pumps and the evangelist took his leave.

A significant problem with campaigners for Christ is that they don't know science and Enlightenment philosophy as well as most atheists know the Bible. If you're going to approach random strangers at gas stations to attempt a religious conversion, you should do your homework first. One more thing: do not act so smug and patronizing when you learn that I was raised a Roman Catholic. I am atheist because I employ reason in my thinking; not because of the doctrine of Transubstantiation or papal politics (though I do have ethical problems with the latter).

Here is a very interesting (if a bit nerdy) video that repurposes Pascal's Wager for a more pressing problem:

Rudy Giuliani is a demagogue

Pat Buchanan gives his view on Giuliani's vicious and pandering attack on Congressman Ron Paul in May's Republican debate. Paul is the one Republican candidate for whom I actually reserve some respect -- so of course he won't get the nomination.

here's the link

The Addition (updated 07/02/2007)

The small deck & screened-in porch with its screen torn out:

Building out the new kitchen:

Incorporating the screened-in porch:

The new roofline outlined:

And a new roof!...

...shingled out! Like the old kitchen's bay window?

No bay window! New deck! Like the stairs?

No stairs for you!

the patio and door to the new storage room:

the central vertical pipe is for the gas stovetop:

arches sans columns:

the semi-installed cabinetry:

Avast! Kitchen Island, ho!

...sailed around to the other side:

The arch and columns will be fixed:

New siding, but no door:

Now there's a door:

Counter tops installed, matching the hardwood stain:

The sink, tile, range hood, & pantry door are in:

Looking out from the dining room's new bigger window:

the double oven installed & family room painted:

the second a/c unit installed on the new patio:

the new bricked-in posts match the old brick:

a new step up to the deck, for ease of use by senior citizens:

a better view of the range top and hood:

An old chandelier is new again:

Lights installed, hardwood floor finished:

Widened doorway enables a clear view, back o' the house to the front:

New paint, new in-ceiling speakers, new room on left, new fan, new mantelpiece, old hearth:

front of the house to the back; stairs papered 'cause the upstairs closets are now going under the knife...

the new family room!

the new kitchen!

the new 360 degree view!