Author Archives: whyevolutionistrue

Another reason why modern pop and rock suck

September 19, 2020 – 2:30 pm

The link to this video came from reader Andrea, who said, This may be one reason why you can’t stand today’s music… an insane overuse of the supertonic… the second note on the scale. BTW, the guy in this video has a cool keyboard. Combine supertonic obsession with autotuning, and you get a bunch of […]

Posted in Get off my lawn!, music | Comments (58)

John McWhorter talks to Sam Harris

September 19, 2020 – 1:15 pm

It’s supposed to be my day off, so I’ll save the braining for other days. But here’s a nice listen if you have an hour to spare. If you click on the screenshot below, you’ll get to hear an hour and eleven minutes of linguist and writer John McWhorter chatting with Sam Harris on Harris’s […]

Posted in conversations, podcast, race, racism | Comments (17)

Alan Dershowitz, in Newsweek, decries the University of Chicago’s adherence to Groupthink

September 19, 2020 – 11:30 am

Say what you will about Alan Dershowitz, but in his new piece in Newsweek (below) he’s right—and by that I mean he agrees with me. Dershowitz’s article is about the University of Chicago, and in particular the English Department’s new Statement of RightThink, along with its announcement  that grad students in the next year’s class […]

Posted in Colleges acting badly, colleges and universities, wokeness | Comments (10)

Caturday felid trifecta: Traveling with cats; Japan and its cats, ancient Chinese poet becomes cat slave

September 19, 2020 – 9:30 am

From Smithsonian Magazine, a history of traveling with cats. Click on the screenshot: The article is mainly historical, showing how cats moved around with humans, usually taken on ships. And there are a few modern traveling moggies, too, like the one in the photograph above. Have a read: here are a few photos and excerpts […]

Posted in Caturday felids | Comments (12)

Readers’ wildlife photos

September 19, 2020 – 7:45 am

Reader Doug Hayes from Richmond, Virginia, sends regular installments of birds he sees in his yard or nearby. This is “The Breakfast Crew” series, and we’re up to part seven. Doug’s captions and IDs are indented: This Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is an honorary member of the Breakfast Crew, as I have been photographing […]

Posted in birds, mammals, photography, Readers' wildlife | Comments (10)

Saturday: Hili dialogue

September 19, 2020 – 6:30 am

RIP, RBG. More on the late esteemed justice below, and see the thread from yesterday evening. Back to business. Arrrrrr, maties! It’s Caturday: September 19, 2020, and National Butterscotch Pudding Day. It’s also International Eat an Apple Day, International Red Panda Day, National Gymnastics Day, and (ayyyyye!) International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Kiss the […]

Posted in Hili Dialogue, Kulka, Uncategorized | Comments (35)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87

September 18, 2020 – 6:53 pm

This is bad news for so many reasons, and also unexpected given that RBG, as she was called, seemed too tough to die. The news is in the New York Times, which says she died of metastatic pancreatic cancer, always fatal. Condolences to all who admired her, and especially to her family. And of course […]

Posted in law | Comments (102)

A lovely video about making a ring

September 18, 2020 – 2:30 pm

I find this video, in which jewelry-makeer Pablo Cimedvila (also a champion paralympic swimmer) manufactures an intricate and beautiful diamond ring, mesmerizing. (His YouTube channel, with many fascinating videos, is here, and his online store is here.) I had no idea how much skill goes into this wearable art. At least I think the centerpiece […]

Posted in art, craftsmanship | Comments (12)

Ben Schwarz on the University of Chicago’s new grad-school admissions policy

September 18, 2020 – 12:15 pm

I’ve written several posts about the dissolution of The University of Chicago’s commitment to free expression, embodied in the Kalven Report‘s mandate that—except in exceptional circumstances involving University operation—our school should take no official stand on any issues of morality, ideology, or politics (see, for instance, here, here, and here). And up to now it […]

Posted in Colleges acting badly, colleges and universities, wokeness | Comments (4)

Words and phrases I detest

September 18, 2020 – 10:30 am

It’s time for your host—now even more peevish than usual because of the pandemic—to vent about his most-despised words and phrases. And you can add yours in the comments, or perhaps you’d like to inform me that language changes and these neologisms are fine. In that case, take a number and get in line. As […]

Posted in Get off my lawn!, grammar and language | Comments (116)