“How about their overall creepiness?”
HT To Matt

This is a world where massive amounts of data and applied mathematics replace every other tool that might be brought to bear. Out with every theory of human behavior, from linguistics to sociology. Forget taxonomy, ontology, and psychology. Who knows why people do what they do? The point is they do it, and we can track and measure it with unprecedented fidelity. With enough data, the numbers speak for themselves.

The point that Anderson is trying to make is that now that we have such an overabundance of data, we don’t really need science anymore. We don’t need to worry why things happen, only that they do happen, and that’s good enough.

The problem with this sort of thinking isn’t just that it mistakes correlation with causation, but that it elevates the role of data in our thinking about natural phenomena to an undeserved level. As I mentioned before, scientific reasoning begins with data – it doesn’t end with it. In Anderson’s world, there’s some level of data at which we can stop asking why. He claims that the more we learn (that is – the more data we have) the farther we are from having good theoretical models that account for the facts.

That’s an interesting position, but it’s wrong. Even in the cases he uses, such as theoretical physics, the volume of data isn’t what threatens our mental models – nor does it need to fundamentally alter how we go about creating those models. As he correctly points out – data without a model is just noise. To go from that truth to a conclusion that boundless vistas of disconnected data are somehow more than noise is quite a conceptual leap.

More data doesn’t change – and certainly doesn’t obsolete – good scientific reasoning from facts toward organizing principles that account for those facts. Instead, new mountain ranges of data provide the possibility of new discoveries and challenges to existing theoretical structures that simply cannot explain them. We’re not facing some data-driven obsolescence of the scientific method.

Instead, we’re probably looking at an acceleration of it.

Until now, that is. In a move that has all the hallmarks of inspired genius, someone has discovered that all that the Garfield comic needed was to give Garfield himself the heave-ho.

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb.

So, today friends, I salute Garfield Minus Garfield

That may be so, but roughly half of the comment on the gizmodo report looked forward to its application in the porn industry. I’m sure that never occurred to the system’s developers at Stanford.

My mother-in-law has been making biscuits for about 60 years, and I decided to film her one morning as she was preparing to do her thing. As a retired school cook from Boone County WV, she’s probably made in excess of eleventy twelve bazillion biscuits, so she’s something of an expert on the subject. If you can forgive the telephone call in the middle of the episode, you may pick up a thing or two. The recipe that she uses is below.

Boone County Biscuits

Ingredients :

2 C Self-Rising flour (preferably Hudson Cream brand)
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
About 1 C Buttermilk

Supplies:

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet
Large mixing bowl
Wooden Spoon
Biscuit cutter

Method: In the video

Makes 6-8 biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter.

HT to Angry Alex

The Space Giants:

Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons:

Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot:

This isn’t the opening, but this scene reeks of such amazing awesomeness, that I had to post it:

Ultraman:

Opening

Way Cool Battle:

Ancient Anime: Prince Planet

Ah yes, who wouldn’t want to come from Planet Radeon – the planet of universal decency?

Astro Boy

Who wouldn’t want rocket feet? Go go go Astro Boy!

Good demo of the Color Range selector tool, and no juice boxes were harmed in the filming of this episode.