Shit that Pissed me Off This Week – 7/12
Death Valley Officials Have Asked Tourists to Stop Frying Eggs on Rocks and Pavement
OK, those National Park Rangers just don’t want to let tourists have any fun! I mean, why are we going to Death Valley National Park if not to engage in science experiments that…don’t work?
Turns out that you can’t just fry an egg on the pavement. It isn’t quite that hot. You could do it if you have a frying pan and the video that is inspiring all of this failed egg frying even mentions that it doesn’t work without one but facts are unimportant when you are trying to do science!
Check out the SCIENCE!
Cleaning up after yourself is also, apparently, unimportant. Better to just leave eggshells and unfried eggs all over the place because you were too stupid to follow directions.
The message here is clear: don’t tell people how to do cool science experiments because they will probably just fuck it up.
My CONvergence Schedule
Boy do I have a lot going on at the convention this weekend. While I have no idea why anyone would be interested in tracking me around the con, just in case you have an interest in stalking (or avoiding) me, here’s what I’ll be up to at the convention.
Thursday, July 4th
6:00 PM – The Mark Time Radio Show. I’ve been a voice actor on this show for um…about ten years? This year’s show is an expanded version of “The Sword in the Couch,” which was featured at the first Big Fun Radio Funtime show.
7:00 PM – Opening Ceremonies. I wrote and directed the Opening sketch and I’m pretty happy with it. All I can say about the sketch is that it is going to be awesome. It s also filled to overflowing with amazing talent. I also contributed a little bit of writing to the rest of Opening Ceremonies and rumor has it I might be helping out with at least one bit.
9:00 PM – Super Spy Smackdown. I will be the Master of Ceremonies for an epic battle between the greatest super spies ever assembled. Comedy commentary will be provided by a team of experts including Tim Uren, Joseph Scrimshaw, Dawn Krosnowski, Kelvin Hatle, Caroline Symcox and Christopher Jones. As always, Melissa Kaercher will be running the tech.
11:00 PM – Vilification Tennis takes over the Fearless Comedy Room Party in room 224!
Geeks Without God Talks about CONvergence a Little bit More
Well CONvergence is almost here and even though we geeked out about the convention a couple of weeks ago, we decided we wanted to do it a little more. This week we talk about stuff like the costumes that we’ll be wearing (OK – the costumes Nick and Molly will be wearing) and we tell some fun stories from past conventions.
The con is coming up in just a couple of days so if you are as excited about it as we are, this episode is a great way to whet your appetite.
Shit that Pissed me off This Week – 4/5
New York’s Cardinal Dolan wants to Improve the Catholic Church’s Message about Gay Marriage
Oh that’s great Cardinal! I’m glad to see that a high-ranking member of the Catholic Church finally realizes that the Church has no right to make moral judgements for those individuals who aren’t Catholic and you’d stay out of the political arena and…wait a minute.
No. That’s not what he thinks at all. He wants gay people to know that sex is only OK if you are trying to produce offspring so while it is totally OK to be gay, you can’t actually have sex or be married or anything like that. Gay people are totally entitled to friendship, though.
He also wants gay people to know that the Catholic Church is not anti “anybody.” They don’t hate gay people. They just want to make sure that gay people know they aren’t permitted to sexual fulfillment the way straight people are.
I came up with a new message! What do you guys think?
So basically, the difference between gay guys having male friends who are gay and me having male friends who are gay is a lifetime of unresolved sexual tension? I bring this up an awful lot but you know what? If that is really what god wants for gay people, god is a dick.
How about you work on improving that message, Cardinal?
Geeks Without God Talks About Conventions!
This week, we brought our friend Matt Savelkoul back to the podcast so we could talk about conventions and atheism. We are appearing at the Skep-Tech conference this weekend so the episode works as sort of a set-up for that appearance. Actually, we spend most of the podcast talking about CONvergence because that is the convention all of us know the best. Given the breadth of the topic, it’s pretty amazing that we managed to keep the podcast under one hour.
Matt also gets to ask us five questions because he’s been on the podcast before. I gotta say that I love having return guests because as much as I enjoy our five questions, I enjoy the change up when someone gets to ask their own questions because it’s different every time. I also like spending time talking about what I like. That’s why I’m co-hosting a podcast, I expect.
One final bonus, if you listen to the podcast, you can find out how to win a free copy of Atheist Voices of Minnesota! That’s cool, right?
Die Hard – The Swede
If I were ever a super hero, or so I’ve imagined, I would be known as Offensive Racial Stereotype lad. I bring that up because at CONvergence this year, I played a small role in a Swede of Die Hard and my super hero alter ego came out to play.
I have a small role but it is one that will ensure I shall never be welcome in Japan. The punishment, without a doubt, fits the crime.
Nearly six months later, the Swede is done and it was worth the wait. Enjoy!
Alphabetical Movie – John Carter
When it comes to evaluating a movie in terms of how well it meshes with the source material, I’m not a great judge. I read all the time but almost everything I read is non fiction. I like reading about history, religion, nature and a host of other topics.
I also love reading fiction but here’s why I don’t: I can’t stop.
I don’t want to know what is going to happen in the middle of the story. I want to know how the story ends. In order to know that, I need to slog through the middle and I want to do that as quickly as possible.
Another Podcast? What is it with me?
I’m a bit behind on this one but last week’s Renaissance Music Podcast was recorded live at CONvergence 2012. The Dregs performed two live songs for the podcast and I also told a story about a time I tore up my knee for comedy. The good folks at the podcast regularly feature Dregs music so if you are a fan of the Dregs or you want to hear some funny stories about working at the Renaissance Festival, please check them out.
Yes, yes, I KNOW we need a Bigger Boat
Note: These are my thoughts about some of the issues facing CONvergence. They should not be construed as policy decisions, policy recommendations or as a dismissal of the point of view of anyone making suggestions for the convention. I’m just thinking out loud.
Once CONvergence is over, the inevitable parade of commentary begins on what would help make the convention better. I don’t hate this commentary. I welcome it. One comment we hear almost constantly is “x panel needs a bigger room” and while the comment is absolutely fair, the response is not so easy.
Geeks Without God Episode 2!
Hey everyone! Episode 2 of Geeks Without God went live this morning! Recorded in front of a live audience at CONvergence, we talked to Kammy Lyon of Skepchick.org about SkepchickCon and coming out as an atheist.
It’s only 30 minutes long! Go listen!
Grail Diary 