Author Archives

Unknown's avatar

writer, singer, webwrangler, blogger, comedy tragic | about.me/vivsmythe

  • Fun with statistics and ‘splaining

    By on

    When vos Savant politely responded to a reader’s inquiry on the Monty Hall Problem, a then-relatively-unknown probability puzzle, she never could’ve imagined what would unfold: though her answer was correct, she received over 10,000 letters, many from noted scholars and Ph.Ds, informing her that she was a hare-brained idiot.

  • Tick bites, Mammalian Meat Allergy and Acute Anaphylaxis

    By on • ( 7 )

    This week on Catalyst: most people remove ticks incorrectly, and by doing so they vastly increase their chances of developing life-threatening allergic reactions.

  • Media Circus: Metadata Edition

    By on • ( 24 )

    NB: updated 2015/02/23 with links (below) re Abbott’s counter-terrorism czar announcement

    I agree with LDP Senator David Leyonhjelm on something!

    What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

  • Media Circus: Will They Or Won’t They? Edition

    By on • ( 41 )

    It seems that no matter how often Mr Rabbit tells us all to stop talking about who might move for a spill and that we should talk about his wonderful magic policies instead, still everybody insists on speculating about how much longer he will last as PM.

    What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

  • Vale Colleen McCullough

    By on • ( 4 )

    I know what I’ll be rereading for the next few weeks.

  • Media Circus: Gratuitous Knighthood Edition

    By on • ( 25 )

    The primary absurdity came with the Abbott government restoring the grades of Knight/Dame to the Order of Australia in the first place, such secondary absurdities as this particular captain’s pick were inevitable from that point forward.

    What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

  • Media Circus: Lost Dog Finally Found Edition

    By on • ( 7 )

    I wish there were more feel-good stories like this dominating the news.

    What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

  • Today in Mind Blown, IMDB Division

    By on • ( 7 )

    Alan Rickman photoshopped with an H on his forehead like the holograms in Red Dwarf

    [Alan Rickman] auditioned for Chris Barrie’s character Rimmer in Red Dwarf (1988).

    1988 was the same year that Die Hard, where Rickman played the villainous Hans Gruber, came out.

  • Media Circus: #JeSuisCharlie Edition

    By on • ( 8 )

    Je Suis Charlie graphic from Charlie Hebdo website

    I want to be stalwart in solidarity with the French as they resolutely stand against terrorism aimed at the heart of their multicultural democracy, and by extension, our multicultural democracy as well. How to best do that in this swirl of emotion following these murders while refusing to fall into the polarising trap that the terrorists have set for us? I don’t have any easy answers.

    What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

  • Standing Up For Leelah

    By on • ( 5 )

    image text macro of a candle with superimposed text: #FixSociety Leelah Alcorn 1997-2014 #standupforleelah

    [Content Note: discusses harassment, family rejection of transgender teens, suicide, trans* erasure, and silencing tactics commonly used to stifle discussion of these matters ].

    I find more and more recs for articles written by Arthur Chu in my feeds lately. This post prompted by reactions to the Tumblr’d suicide note left by transgender teen Leelah Alcorn is a particularly strong piece: Cover-ups, Concern Trolls and Suicide. Chu questions why some people want others to stop sharing Leelah’s words.