Sarah Jessica Parker = Toblerone?!?

I have just one thing to say about the Oscars.What the hell is Sarah Jessica Parker wearing? A gold tube with exploding foil at the top? Is she a candy bar wrapper or something? I mean, I’m not Ms. Fashionable, but what the hell?

Mmmmm Toblerone. Delicious, but not a good fashion inspiration.

Other than that, I have nothing to say. I watched the Oscars for about 20 minutes just because my roommate had it on. I usually don’t give a damn about them, but this year I’m especially apathetic since I hadn’t seen a single film that was up for Best Picture – yep, not even Up or Avatar. I blame that on the fact that I’ve been single for most of the past year, and I think I only watch movies on dates.

…And before I start contemplating how sad that is, I’m going to go to bed. Will post about my Stanford trip tomorrow!

I literally screamed with nerdy glee

A SHIRT COMBINING DARWIN AND POKEMON?! HELLZ YES!

*ahem*

Seriously, this is freaking amazing. I just had biggest nerdgasm since I found out Dumbledore was gay or that Alan Rickman was doing the Voice for Marvin, the Paranoid Android. This is a thousand times better than my Darwin/Pokemon mash up. I’m just sad I didn’t think of it first.

There goes eighteen more dollars from my wallet.

Chemical Party

Chemists don’t get enough love around here, probably because organic chemistry broke my soul two years ago. But here’s a fun nerdy chemistry video for all of you:

It’s a tad old, but I hadn’t seen it, so maybe it’s new to some of you too. Enjoy!

I am now a PUBLISHED twitterer, thank you very much

If you’re from Purdue, a Lady Gaga fan, or follow me on Twitter, you know about the drama that went down last night. Lady Gaga was set to perform a sold out, super anticipated concert at Purdue, and after her two opening acts, she canceled the show. Apparently the whole day she was dizzy from exhaustion and dehydration and had even passed out at some point, and she wasn’t allowed to perform because the show had too many potentially dangerous mechanics.

I didn’t get tickets (thanks to all the assholes who bought 6 just to resell for $400 dollars), so I wasn’t as upset as everyone who was there. Actually, I’m kind of glad I wasn’t there, because there’s no rage worse than a gay rage. Purdue students were anywhere from pissed to depressed, and the newspapers were probably creaming their pants.

That’s not the interesting part, though. One of my sarcastic tweets got published in the student newspaper:
Ahahaha! This totally cracks me up. I almost missed it because I didn’t pick up a copy today, but my friend told me about it. Yeah, I’ve made the big time, guys. My tweets are getting published. I can just smell that book deal around the corner.

…Shhh, let me have my delusions of grandeur.

Amazon catches Catholic priests red handed

Or should I say, sticky handed?As Dan Savage wisely noted, “The pope will be furious but I’m sure the altar boys are grateful.”

Though if you keep scrolling through the “Customer’s Who Bought This Item Also Bought” list, you see the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Maybe it’s just atheists using communion wafers (and lube) for nefarious purposes? ….Hopefully not at the same time?

(Via BuzzFeed)

I get mail: Redemption made easy

Ever since the Society of Non-Theists got an official mailbox at Purdue, we’ve gotten mail from fundies. We’ve been subscribed to a couple of Christian magazines, and this guy from Kentucky keeps sending us bizarre pamphlets, including one about how loving Jesus will somehow save you from Alzheimer’s (might save that for another post). I have to admit, I get really excited whenever I see a new letter in the mail, wondering what new crazy thing I’m about to read. After the long winter break, I checked our mailbox and was very happy to find a new one!

You know it’s going to be good when this is the first thing you see:The inside of the pamphlet is pretty boring compared to the Emo Jesus guilt trip on the cover. It’s just a bunch of Bible quotes about why Jesus is so awesome and you should accept him into your heart, yadda yadda. This would be a pretty typical, boring type of evangelism if it weren’t for the back cover, which made me laugh:Hmmm, I’m not sure which one to choose! This is way too tough. I wish I would have been given some sort of guidance. I am just a simple heathen, after all.

The whole thing cracks me up. The extensive highlighting and written instructions (as if I couldn’t get the point from one or the other); the idea that they think simply telling me which one is the right choice will make me realize the error in my ways; the even more ludicrous idea that making a simple check mark on a piece of paper has any real meaning; or the mysterious use of white out. Did they accidentally write to choose the unhighlighted one or something?Sorry, Jesus. Guess I don’t follow directions well.

Hmm, I wonder if that check mark applied to the club as a whole? Whoops, I guess I just damned almost 400 people to hell. Oh well, the more the merrier!

UPDATE: Apparently the white out was used to hide the address of the sender. But with a little sleuthing (aka a flashlight and the internet) I’ve found our sender: Fellowship Tract League. Here’s a PDF of the tract from their site. Wonder why they didn’t want me to know who they were? Somewhat tempted to send it back.

The creators of “The God Equation” probably won’t get this joke

Remember that nonsensical “God Equation” that was ripped apart over at Pharyngula about a month ago? Yeah, I don’t think its creators will get this joke:I really think the amount you laugh* at xkcd could be a good predictor of nerdiness/science knowledge. I know when I stare at a comic scratching my head, it’s because I don’t know something. This frequently happens when the punchline has to do with programming. Sadness.

*Assuming laughter correlates with getting the joke. If you get it but don’t laugh, I don’t get your sense of humor. If you don’t get it but laugh, you may be insane, really like stick figures, or have a judgmental nerd peering over your shoulder.

Ray Comfort Tampon Case

Usually I wouldn’t want to associate Ray Comfort with things that go in my vagina, but this was too cute to not share:Need something to hide your tampons in? Look no further than the Banana Man himself. I know if I saw a Ray Comfort shaped container lying around, I’d be too afraid to open it lest ignorance spill out ala Pandora’s box.

If you’re not sold, the profit goes to a program supporting young female paleontologists. Definitely a good cause!

(Thanks to Jason for the tip!)

PZ Myers dominates the Other category for Most Influential Female Atheist

I don’t know if I’ll ever “officially close” the Most Influential Female Atheist of 2009 poll, but this much is clear: PZ Myers is clearly dominating the “Other” category (though he’s still near the bottom overall). Or should I say, Ms. Paula Z. Myers. What I find most amusing is that he specifically asked Pharyngulites to not write his name in – seems like he doesn’t have complete control of his followers, after all. Our twitter conversation amused me greatly:

Me: @pzmyers is currently winning the “Other” category for Most Influential Female Atheist. Oh pharyngulites
PZ: I told them not to! RT @jennifurret: @pzmyers is currently winning the “Other” category for Most Influential Female Atheist.
PZ: So, @jennifurret , if I win…I don’t have to get That Operation, do I?
Me: @pzmyers Yes, yes you do. You better get control of your minions quickly, or I’ll be waiting for a photo of you in a dress
Me: @pzmyers Is still winning “Other” for Most Influential Female Atheist. When do I get the photo of him in a dress?
PZ: I think my mom has one. I’ll see if I can find it when I visit late this month RT @jennifurret: When do I get the photo of him in a dress?

And my favorite comment over at Pharyngula:

I’m not sure which is more intriguing: How Jen makes Little Pee Zed do it, or (assuming she succeeds) What Little Pee Zed then looks like. On the other hand, I’m not entirely certain I want to see pictures of either the convincing or the result…

The former will remain a mystery (insert evil cackling here). But joshing gets a million internet points for giving us a sneak preview of the latter:Excellent choice of dress, if I do say so myself!