Putting an end to it

In the opinion section of the Gateway (the University of Alberta student's union run news paper) there has been something of a debate each week regarding evolution and creation. Since for some reason, the debate is now even being advertised on my site, I figured I'd just try to put an end to it. The fact of the matter is that anyone who has ever become embroiled in such a debate has inadvertently come to the inevitable conclusion that you will never convince someone of a different opinion than yourself that they are wrong and that they will never convince you. You walk away from the conversation wondering how the other person could be so closed minded and blind to the obvious truth. People are stubborn. Pretty much once they've reached the age of 15 their ideologies are set and only life altering experiences will ever change it. A person may become more complacent over time about their ideology and this may lead that person having less of an impact on the ideology of the next generation, but the persons themselves are rather unchanging. It's like evolution is suppose, any individual is stuck in their genetic place. Small changes can occur but its just a matter of how much impact that individual has on the next generation that determines the eventual outcome of the population. The population will fluctuate with changes in the environment, but without the introduction of novel features or a stark need for change, there will be a fair amount of stasis in the relative proportions of ideologies in the population.

piling up

Right now I'm supposed to be working on either of two systematics papers, one on gerrids one on conodons, or an applied ethics paper, or even a paper on the value of amature field assistants to paleontology (particularly in day digs programs) or an interpretation of a wheeler diagram that my strat team constructed this last week. I haven't started any of them. And frankly I really don't feel like doing any of them today. What I'd really like to do is scan through my annotated bibliography of dinosaur paleopathology and find articles relevant to predator-prey relations (for somebody elses research project) or look up the mineralology of dinosaur bone from different locals or continue my ongoing quest to measure all of the relevant qualities of all the fenestrae in theropod skulls. After all, I haven't even been given the topics for my ethics paper, I don't have the references for my conodonts paper and I didn't print out my trees for my gerrids systematics paper. That prety much leaves the Day Digs paper and the wheeler diagram write up. Being that the wheeler diagram is due sooner, in the spirit of procrastination, I think I'll work on the Day Digs paper instead. University would be great if you got to do your own research, on topics that hold your interest. I've been told that grad school is like that (but not by grad students or profs) so I guess I'll have to wait until i've got a degree before people will just let me research what I like in peace.

A call for Wikipedia submissions

I was surfing wikipedia and was shocked to find that there was practically no discussion of marine reptiles. A search for Euryapsida doesn't even turn up any results. I'm imploring anyone with expertise on marine reptiles (even extant ones) to submit to the site. Honestly, how are people supposed to learn if we don't teach them. I set up a stub site that has a basic break down of the marine reptiles into diapsids (mosasaurs, marine crocs and marine iguanas) and Euryapsids (plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and placodonts) there is of course a plethora of others but I don't have the time to fill them in.

I hate the people who advertize on this site

When I've looked at the top of the screen on my blog yesterday and today, I was shocked to see ads for creation science, 7 day creation, bible help etc. HAVE I MENIONED THESE AT ALL? I'm a devout atheist and usually talk about biology, paleontology or ethics, not creationism. I usually don't even give creationism the time of day. If you are interested in these bible help places, please don't link to them from my site. It's just embarassing.

Free Vert Paleo Papers

I found a great web site that is giving away free copies of recent paleotnological papers in pdf format. I highly recomend visiting the site soon. I don't think that it is quite in agreement with international copyright laws and may be shut down soon. So all of you Paleo Pirates should head over now! the addresss is :
www.geocities.com/mesozoicdinosaurs/dinopapers.html#dinosaurs

the book quiz

You're The Grapes of Wrath!

by John Steinbeck

You're mired in a deep depression that encompasses you and everyone
you know. You're trying to get out of the depression, but your idea of help is, in
itself, pretty sad. While some are convinced that this all has a deeper meaning, you're
really just dull and tedious. And utterly obsessed with dust. You really need to focus
on something other than dust. Your best moments center around turtles.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.