It never fails to amaze me just how much hubris the human race can muster up on its own behalf.

The thing is, if you want to take an actual look at the history of the earth's geological age, and say, use a year as an analogy for how long its been around compared to us, we don't show up till around 5 seconds to midnight December 31. --thank you David Attenborough for that image--

Life on earth will continue blithely on without us. The earth will sweep us off its back as surely as a water-buffalo swats a gnat, with about as much notice, and future palaeontologists will look back at the 'human' era as one of the many branches that was doomed to fail and become extinct .... something just a wee bit more successful than the Neanderthal.

And we thought the dinosaurs were a failure. Take a look at how long they lasted in geological time compared to us so far. I think they win.

Claws down.

The article in Wired seems to be a 'dumbed down for public consumption' version of an article that appeared in Scientific American in August 2007. The original was authored by Dr Susana Martinez-Conde and Dr Stephen L Macknik, and referred to a study they had completed in 2006. There is a preview available here:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=windows-on-the-mind

unfortunately one would have to pay for the whole article as they are a subscription magazine. But the proof is in the preview, and if anyone should want more, I would encourage them to go to their local library and find the magazine there. The article in Scientific American is much more educational.

Perhaps the Republican Candidate's response is linked to all the hell they got in for attempting to fraudulently use all those songs in their campaign ads that were later pulled because the artists who owned the songs had not given their consent? Perhaps the party had been downloading them..

But, what do I know. I just watched the rest of my country re elect the same bozo into the same minority government Proving that people everywhere get their IQ's lopped off at the knees when elections star. . At least the Head Bozo didn't get the Majority he wanted, Things remain pretty much the same as they were yesterday. Except Prime minister Bozon gets to be happy he keeps the key to the club pool house.

Down South on the other-hand, Oh jeez I am so happy I am not having to live through the election poop you guys are having to go through with the Wicked witch of the way up norther than here. If she gets to be your new VP you can bet Shiny new apples will be on his desk every morning. **insert high pitched cackle, poof of badly animated smoke with the word *POOF* written on it in big bold 24p letters, hairpins clattering to the ground here**, and she'll be *GONE!* off to speed back to the the community centre to see how her 'babies without birthrights' Christis (silent T of course) meeting, to see about housing for these misguided young 'mothers to be' Freedom Centres to borrow from Margaret Atwood, a Freedom 'From' Centre more likely: "We would provide for all her needs and expenses, she would have access to doctors, counsellors and peers on call for her 24 hours a day, in a safe, secure environment, free from stresses that might unduly effect the health of the mother or the baby she is carrying!" in Palinese it sounds nice, but translated into English our 'scenario gets a tad more complicated: Forced Confinement, Constant 24 hour monitoring, 24 hour full propaganda assault, total control of her environment,
I know, I am not an American, but I may in fact have far more experience that she in foreign policy. While she can say she can see Russia from her house. Not only can I see the USA from my house, but I have been to it several times and also, I can speak the language, and oddly 'some of my best friends are American. ;
-m