Just letting you all know. I feel like I ought to remind everyone that you carry your self in a bloody gelatinous goo cradled in a bone bowl that you hold about 5 feet above the ground while tottering about on two long sticks, and a fall is a traumatic catastrophe, that no sensible designer would allow to persist. We ought to have four legs, or better yet eight, and our brain ought to be held much closer to the ground. Stupid evolution.
Also, the drugs we take to permit better healing ought not to put you in a stupor that leaves you chronologically confused and incapable of calculating the force generated by a 5 foot fall under an acceleration of 9.8 m/sec2. Stupid medicine.
Stupid weather.
Anyway, I’m told it takes 3-5 days to recover from a stupid fall like this. I’m right on track, and insist that I will be recovered enough to inflict more genetics on my students by Monday. I’m supposed to be delivering an online quiz/exercise today, and I’ll have to see how that goes. Would you want to take a quiz composed by an addled brain?
Yay!
Good to hear… I mean, read.
Good.
I’m also glad that the text is pretty lucid. The spelling of the title is a bit wonky, but we can’t be having with spelling police.
GNU Terry Pratchett.
Two more knees? No thanks.
You had me at “bloody gelatinous goo”.
Maybe? “Addled” could entail lots of different content.
Glad to read that you are on the mend.
Have you had a DEXA (Bone Density Scan) ?
I’m also at a high risk for falls, and was found to have severe osteoporosis.
Now I’m on Evenity to try to rebuild those weak bones.
If you haven’t already, consider that test.
Good.
Can I have a couple of drinks first?
Don’t forget that our current design allows us to view predator and prey over tall grass. I would hate to lose that.
Glad to hear you’re healing as expected. I also like your title parody as if written by an American of the near future.
Guess this means you’re not a believer in intelligent design.
Happy you’re well enough to post. Hope you keep getting better.
Glad to hear that PZ is almost OK.
After a fall like that, when I don’t hear from him for a day or two, it makes me nervous.
As I’m sure most people know, falls in older people can be very serious.
This is a really good idea.
One of my close friends is in a high risk group for osteoporosis.
I’ve been nagging her for years to get a bone density scan.
After a serious fall recently, her doctor ordered a bone density scan.
She is younger than me by a few years, and…has severe osteoporosis.
I’ll take that quiz composed by an addled brain — in a subject I haven’t studied in decades — over healthcare policy composed by an addled brain (or worm-riddenone), or for that matter any other policy composed by an addled brain. Unfortunately, we’re not getting the quiz…
Fluoridation, Mandrake. Fluoridation.
The idea that you’re on the computer so soon after a concussion is somewhat concerning to me. Your students will survive an addled quiz, but I’m used to at least several days off given a mild concussion, and easily weeks off if it’s worse.
Earlier this year my wife had knee replacement surgery. The next day the surgeon visited her in the hospital room saying everything went well. As he was about to leave, he stops and turns to her to say, “Oh, by the way, your bones are kind of soft. we recommend a bone density scan when you’re able.” We are leaving in a couple of hours to get that done.
More signs of unintelligent design.
Recent article in Nature on the mechanisms of how exercise is beneficial to bone health:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-025-02455-w
Happy Friday the 13th.
… incapable of calculating the force generated by a 5 foot fall under an acceleration of 9.8 m/sec2. Stupid medicine.
I dunno – did MDs create the Metric/Imperial conversion conundrum?
(When Granny Weatherwax let her soul travel inside the body of a bird to scout far and wide, she first put up a sign saying “I aten’t ded” next to her body in case someone came upon her and thought the comatose body was more permanently stilled)
(She also spelled “empathy” with ‘m’ as first letter)
Osteoporosis combined with a bad fall is what killed both Freeman Dyson and J. Lovelock.
And be small. Less mass, less force via F = mass x 9.81 m/s^2.
So the evolutionary ideal is eight legs and small. Oh, wait…
[pedant]
No. Canonical form is ‘I ATE’NT DEAD’ from Lords and Ladies.
—
Also, happy that I am to see PZ is improving, I note I see no obvious obnubilation despite his protestation.
And distribute that brain among all the limbs. That regenerate. Oh gods, I just realized they detach parts of their brain.
Smithsonian – Severed octopus arms have a mind of their own
Science – This octopus grew a ninth arm—which soon developed a mind of its own
SciAm – How Octopus Arms Bypass the Brain
Wikipedia – Hectocotylus
It’s my understanding that physicists call gravity a, “weak,” force. I beg to differ.
Pierson’s Puppeteers were tripedal.
They were really, really smart.
(sort of)
Pz even addled your complaints are an epic read.
Glad to know and hope it stays that way for many years to come for you PZ!
Best wishes and please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.
@ Fishy : Well, gravity is relatively speaking! At least PZ wasn’t suffering with issues with his strong or weak nuclear forces and is still working fine electromagnetically – esp neurally – speaking! ;-)
Get well soon, PZ!
I have already taken Sye Ten’s proof of god quiz and Oklahoma’s teacher qualification test — it can’t be any worse than those.
Please, PZ, be careful, take your time healing. If you rush it, you could cause more serious (re)injury.
I commented many months ago about how poorly our bodies adapted to a bipal stance; precarious balance and more serious head injuries as well as back deterioration.
#11 charley wrote: Don’t forget that our current design allows us to view predator and prey over tall grass. I would hate to lose that.
I reply: Do you really think we will all hide in tall grass and see when the magat thugs come for us, physically on the streets, in our homes or through election manipulation, environmental destruction and financial corruption?
There’s two things your country needs:
1) Medical research
2) Sensible units
With these two, you’re good!
@ ^ drdrdrdrdralhazeneuler : Actually I gotta disagree and say there’s a LOT more than just two things the USoA needs starting with an immediate change of regime and governance system, preferential voting, massive re-education campiagns – and better education campaigns esp on scence and critical thinking, whopping big taxes on billionaires and Big Businesssés, a whole new SCOTUS with a couple of exceptions and reasonable qualfying members with theTrump traitrors removed from it, an end to Murdoch media’s brain-washing and, well, just an end to Murdoch media full stop, having the humility and sense to follow the best ideas of the Europeans and more .. but, yes, also those two things too!
StevoR, “There’s two things your country needs” ≠ “There’s ONLY two things your country needs”.
It follows you are not actually disagreeing with them.
@ ^ John Morales : True.
since as @11 says, eyes up high is good, and brain has to been near eyes, I think the eight or why not six legs approach is best. Maybe use the woodpecker brain protection system (which is argued about). At least you’re not pelican, blind and then dead at thirty from eyeball-water impacts.
bcw bcw, snakes get by without any legs.
@ ^ John Morales : Likewise earthworms, legless lizards, caecialians (an order of amphbians) and almost all fishes too.. Some mammals like the pinnipeds (seals) and cetaceans too depending on whether you count flippers as legs and, well, snails and slugs that have feet but no legs as well. Among others.