Please watch this short commercial from our non-sponsor, Columbia Sportswear:
Notice anything odd there? Well Nat Heffernan did, and he brought it to our attention. The narration begins "Man didn't outlive dinosaurs or rotary phones by sitting still. We adapt." And then later, in a stern voice, "Texas isn't surf country." Ok, two things. We didn't outlive dinosaurs at all. Not even close. While we're still learning about mammalian evolution during the "dinosaur age," it's likely beyond all reasonable debate that there were no humans around to run from a T-Rex. (This article gives evidence that mammals weren't the mouse-like pipsqueaks we had earlier believed though. Wow.)
It's been a battle, but we've finally launched the new version of the software we use to power randi.org. This new software promises to be more secure, faster, and offer more features than we've had before. We hope to add more features in the coming months.
Here's a guide to some of the changes you'll find.
The pilot of The Mentalist(CBS)opens with a smarmy-looking man who resembles a Ken doll approaching a press conference outside a residence where parents are thanking police and volunteers for searching for their missing teenage daughter and utterly failing (as she has just been found dead). My first thought was "Who thanks police for their help while their dead daughter is being gurneyed off to the morgue like three feet away?" But that is neither here nor there for a review – I just accepted that the show wasn't going to be about realistic displays of emotion, and that they were trying to jam about a dozen plot elements into ten seconds.
The JREF is looking for a seasoned professional to be our Director of Operations, the manager of the day-to-day operations for the JREF. The Director of Operations reports to the President in cooperation with the Chairman of the Board, and is responsible for the organization's consistent achievement of its mission, goals and financial objectives. The Director of Operations also serves as Functional Manager for all employees, Event Manager for Special Events, and Member Relationship Manager.
A dynamic self-starter, the Director of Operations will have theability to communicate vision and mission to lead and develop staff as well as interact with the public in a professional manner. Strong interpersonal skills and excellence in oral and written communications are critical, as the new Director of Operations will be responsible for working with a broad spectrum of constituencies.
If this sounds like you, then please read the full job announcement for details and instructions
The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon (EST) Wednesday, November 19, 2008.
According to Wired News, things are good for those with "gifts." The author, Ryan Singel, apparently interviewed a few "psychics" and asked them to report. Troubled investors have been turning in droves to so-called online "psychics" to advise them on what to do during these difficult economic times. I'm not terribly surprised by this "news," but the article itself has a few interesting points for dicsussion.
