The fat lady is in the green room warming up.

Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomer posted this a while ago

Once again, it's amusing to me able to watch this from a detached perspective. We are on the cusp if the downfall of modernity. Things are definitely coming apart at the seams like a faulty parachute.

I have no kids. What a relief! This impacts me only insofar as I have to deal with the crackpots day to day. I don't have to worry about my progeny suffering through the New Dark Ages. Ever seen Idiocracy? It's time you did.

*sigh*

I have to go to work.

Tattoos and FSMism

Those who know me, know I have tattoos. Current inventory: 8

The comments to this article on Venganza.org (home-site of the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster) descend for a time into a debate about whether the tattoo is real.

Having had 8, I can tell you the following facts about MY tattoos:

1. Fresh tattoos have relief (are raised) and are red around the perimeter. After hours of being poked innumerable times by needles saturated with foreign goo, I defy anyone's skin not to be.
My few- days- old JollyFish


2. Fresh tattoos have to be kept moisturized. Every tattoo artist I've been to has recommended use of A+D or "Tattoo Goo" for 4 to 6 weeks.

3. Fresh tattoos are hard to photograph well without professional lights and other equipment. The sheen of the moisturizer creates glare from the flash of the cheap consumer camera.

My "Tux - The Linux Penguin" tat



4. Even old tattoos are hard to photograph, because the colors tend to be muted by dry skin, so you need to put lotion on ... but... then you have the sheen issue. You just can't win.

5. A photograph of a tattoo... that is to say an amateur photograph which is intended to capture a tattoo... rarely does the tattoo justice. The best thing to do is get out there and show it off.
Me showing off JollyFish and others @ MSHNVM



6. I sent bobby a pic of me with my JollyFish tat, and he didn't post it.

7. That made me sad.