Samuel Jackson - 'Wake the F++k Up' for Obama

Children's bedtimes stories used to bore me to tears (maybe that's the point?) until I finally came across one that really resonates with the reality of parenting: Go the F**k to Sleep. And if the book itself wasn't already awesome all on its own, the audio version was read by none other than Samuel Jackson. If you haven't heard it yet, have a listen here.Well, last time he wanted his child to go the fuck to sleep, but he wants you to wake the fuck...

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Science vs. Philosophy? Nigga Please...

When it comes to the question of the importance and relevance of philosophy, I'm not sure whether Lawrence Krauss just loves the attention of being polemic, doesn't get just how narrow-minded and simplistic his beliefs are, doesn't realize he's committing some major category mistakes and some basic logical fallacies that a first-year philosophy student would easily identify, or is just too stubborn to admit that he spoke out of his ass without knowing...

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Making Sense of Spelling

If you're a bibliophile and a lover of the beauty and sensuousness of the spoken and written word (like Stephen Fry in this fantastic animated essay), then you probably already know about the  sophistication, the richness, and the history (animated, no less) of the English language.But if don't have a strong background on grammar and etymology, or if you're learning our language for the first time, you may sometimes find it frustrating, confusing...

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5 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know about People

If you haven't already, at some point in your life you will most likely have to deliver some sort of presentation to an audience. And if you want it to go well, you need to make sure you know your material inside and out. But while mere knowledge and understanding of the material are necessary conditions for a successful presentation, they are not sufficient.Remember that you are speaking to an audience, and for your presentation to make an impact...

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Ecce Homo Art "Restorator" Alpha Dog

A few weeks ago we posted a video on our Google+ page about a Spanish lady who attempted to "restore" an ecce homo fresco of Jesus. The New York Times also reported on it.Well, what started out as the presumed Son of God turned in her capable hands into the retarded offspring of Chewbacca, so you'd think she would be hiding in shame... oh, but you underestimate this lady's cojones. Stephen Colbert reports, and congratulates:The Colbert Report Get...

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Apparently Mitt Romney Can't Stand Half of All Americans, and Most of Them Are Conservatives and the Elderly...

You may have heard a few days ago that Mother Jones released a devastating series of videos showcasing Mitt Romney talking to a bunch of rich buddies and donors, and saying what he REALLY thinks about poor people when he doesn't know there's a camera rolling. Many are calling this the death of his campaign, but given that the Republican constituency is apparently made up of masochists who actively and consistently vote against their own interests,...

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We May Need a Break, But You Can Still Follow Us

As you probably know already, I consider this blog as purely a project of love and civic duty. It's my way of contributing a little bit to the world by sharing interesting, and hopefully thought-provoking, things I come across. I make no money from it, since I have chosen not to include ads or to solicit donations.Unfortunately (for our present purposes), I have a grueling semester ahead of me, with around 200 students for whom I am responsible....

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Steven Pinker on Taboos, Political Correctness and Dissent

It's Steven Pinker... he's got things to say, and you already know that whether you agree with his views or not, he's always interesting to listen to, and he always manages to stimulate you to think about those interesting things yourself, so why not have a listen to a few things he has to say?And if you want a longer (and hilarious) treatment of these and other related questions, don't forget you can find his lecture on cursing, veiled threats and...

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60 Seconds Adventures in Economics - The Invisible Hand

If you thought the Open University's 60 Second Adventures in Thought were over, think again! Yes, they may be done with paradoxes and strange thought puzzles (for now), but there's plenty of other fascinating things to explore, and they have decided to devote some attention to the field of economics.Of course, no introduction to economics would be complete without Adam Smith's concept of the "invisible hand," that self-directed mechanism through...

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How to (and Why) Prove a Mathematical Theory

When it comes to the world of our sensory experience, the idea of "proof" is somewhat misplaced, since there is always the possibility of new evidence contradicting something we previously had every good reason to believe, not to mention the fact it could all be a dream or a simulation in The Matrix!But in the world of abstract ideas, especially numbers, the kind of reasoning used there does lend itself to proofs because you get to specify exactly...

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Release the Clinton!

First it was the economy, stupid. But apparently not only did trickle-down Republicans not get it, they regressed and went backwards, so it's time for President Bill Clinton to come back and school everyone in what can only be described as a masterful rhetorical and substantive performance.And because Republicans don't seem to get the economy stuff, Clinton identifies the source of their confusion: it's arithmetic, stupid! :)Anyway, here's something...

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Some Fun Analysis of the DNC

As you may have been able to tell a long time ago already, I have some major problems with Republicans, but to be fair, I also have some major problems with Democrats: mainly the fact that they are big pushovers who don't have the balls to stand up to greedy conservatives and do the right thing for the people they represent.And I hope this is something that's going to stay, but at least in campaign mode they are finally standing up to the avalanche...

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Michelle Obama's Speech at the DNC

There are some things about President Obama's first term that we may find infuriating and disappointing, even though his record, though vilified by the opposition, actually shows some amazing improvements that aren't sufficiently touted in the mainstream media. So yeah, there are some disappointments, especially given the promise and the hope that he awoke in us when he first decided to run . That idealism, unfortunately, was on a head-on...

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Abusive Obsessive-Compulsive Has to Punch Wife Exactly 20 Times

You're probably already aware that having a mental disorder is a nightmare in its own right, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to have multiple mental disorders at once? The folks at The Onion have:In that case, if she's not making mistakes in sets of 20 all at once, the beatings are kind of her fault, right?...

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