13 Examples of Evidence for Evolution

13 Examples of Evidence for Evolution

1. The independent arrival of useful traits.  For example, the wing in insects, birds, and bats.  Or, the complex eyeball in humans and squids.

2. The human appendix, tail bone, wisdom teeth, goose bumps, and male nipples.

3. Vestigial organs in others.  Whales have 'leftover' hind leg bones. The eyeballs of the blind cave fish, Astyanax mexicanus, and penguins' wings are other examples.

4. Fossil evidence.

5. Drug-resistant Tuberculosis.

6. Pesticide-resistant insects.

7. Dog breeding.  (The Great Dane, the Chihuahua, and the Dingo.)

8. The Flounder and other flat fish. The eyeball on the "bottom" travels to the "top" of its head.

9. Flu vaccinations. Every year.

10. Modern transitional examples. From the eye spots of flatworms to the primitive eye of the nautilus.

11. Nylon eating bacteria.

12. A peacock's ridiculous tail.

13. DNA.  No, you are not a monkey, but you do share genes with a pea plant.

13 Suckier Things About Travel

You caught me.  I say I love to travel.

But what I really mean is I like to be in different and strange places.  Nobody really likes to travel these days.
And if you're forced to endure the ordeal that business travel has become I pity you.

This post is dedicated to you.  Let's commiserate!


13 Crappy Things About Travel That Have Only Gotten Worse in Recent Years

1. Airport security.  The illusion of safety.  Now we have body scanners.  If body scanners are intended to detect items not picked up by metal detectors, and vice versa, why doesn't the TSA march us through both?

2. No free meals.  Remember when you'd get a free sandwich for coast-to-coast flights?

3. Airline baggage fees.  Every airline now charges for checked bags depending on your status.

4. Overhead bins.  The overhead bins for carryon luggage are smaller and crammed fuller than ever before.

5. Packing.  You are now forced to allocate your toiletries into Petri dish-sized containers.

6. Standby.  Have a change of plans?  Want to get home before that terrible storm rolls through?  Unless you have earned a mid- to high-tier status, you will now be charged a hefty fee (~$75) to standby for an earlier.

7. Mileage status.  Your travel miles earn you fewer perks.

8. Mileage status (again).  Should you lapse in status for one year, the next year you're deported to the end of the line.  Hello, boarding group 11 and 12!

9. Delays.  The airlines will try to sell you the idea they have improved on-time performance.  Just look at our shiny new statistics.  What they don't tell you is they measure their performance by an inflated "travel time" not actual flight time.  They don't even need to burn extra fuel to make up the time in the air.  The extra padding ensures an "on-time" arrival for most flights with a late departure.

10. Common courtesy.  Passenger courtesy has declined significantly.  People push and shove to board so they can pack their sprawling belongings into the overhead bins.  These also happen to be the same folks eager to slam down into full recline without checking for a laptop or sore knees pressed into their seatback.

11. Flight options.  Fewer and fuller flights mean you have fewer alternatives when they cancel your original flight for "mechanical" reasons.  Don't fret!  You may receive a discounted, $99 hotel voucher to the dirty airport hotel room of your choice.

12. Hotel pillows.  I'm pretty sure the only reason the pillows in the hotels are worse than in years past is because they are the same pillows.  Does anyone like feather pillows?

13. Toilet paper (yes, I went there).  Any time your toilet tissue crinkles, you know you're in for an uncomfortable stay.  To make matters worse, this rough (cheap) toilet paper somehow has been designed to ensure frugality and rips off into individual squares.

Do you think traveling has gotten better or worse in recent years?

Thank you CubaGallery on Flicker for the great photo!

The Puzzling Mind Clip Show

 

Sometimes it's nice to reminisce and be reminded of funny, exciting, or profound moments from the past.
Television studios use clip shows to do this – although the practice has become rare.

Clip shows are not always a Best Of show.  They can also be a convenient way to bring audiences up to speed on things they may have missed in past episodes.

Sometimes history is worth repeating.

Today, I'm bringing you my blog clip show.  Here are 13 posts compiled from the archives.

Please don't be shy and feel free to leave a comment anywhere.  I love to hear from you.

10 Ways Writing is Like the Rubik's Cube
Are You Afraid of Process?
13 Reasons Why You're Not Published
Do You Need a Deadline?
Don't Do What You're Told!
It's the Journey, Not the Destination
Story Structure and the Rubik's Cube
Go Ahead, Quit! It's Not Taboo.
The Rubik's Cube and The Great Gatsby
Short Stories? Like, Gag Me With a Spoon!
The Trick to Writing – Revealed
Billions of Free Story Ideas – At Your Fingertips!
13 Popular Novels Gone Dirty

And if you haven't checked out my latest Rubik's Cube writing post you're in for a treat.  This one really does require audience participation:  The Rubik's Cube Writing Promptetition.  If you're a writer, then you should share something with the world.

Thank you for stopping by!

Thanks to Cyaniona on Flickr for the great photo!

13 Popular Novels Gone Dirty

You Have Been Warned!

For some reason 50 Shades of Grey gets a lot of attention in the media these days.  It's not like erotic novels are something new.

In fact, I'm pretty sure E.L. James was inspired by these other well-known novels before the censors got to work.

Me?  I just like how these long-lost titles sound.  But then again I snicker when I hear the word, masticate.

 13 Popular Novels Gone Dirty

1. The Son Also Rises
2. A Tail and Two Titties
3. The Great Gasping
4. The Girl with the Dragon Taboo
5. The Mount of Monte Cristo
6. The Adventures of Sure Cock Holmes
7. The Bi-Curious Case of Benjamin Butt-Man
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Servicing
9. The Lord of the Cock Rings
10. Brave Nude Girl
11. Alice Tugged
12. A Midsummer's Night Ream
13. Harry Potter and the Gobbler Gets Tired

Actual titles we have to live with:
1. The Sun Also Rises, 2. A Tale of Two Cities, 3. The Great Gatsby, 4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 5. The Count of Monte Cristo, 6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (James Bond), 9. The Lord of the Rings, 10. Brave New World, 11. Atlas Shrugged, 12. A Midsummer's Night Dream, 13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

And a bonus: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Bone

Did I miss any?

13 Things I Did In San Francisco Last Week

A Redwood crashed through our intended bridge.

I just got back from a trip to San Francisco.  Apparently the Bay Area didn't get the memo on the heat wave!  It was 50 degrees cooler on the Fourth than it was in Chicago.

This is true whether Mark Twain said it or not, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

Other than the blustery weather, it was an action-packed and beautiful trip.

Here are 13 Things I Did in San Francisco Last Week:

1. Took a fortune cookie factory tour in Chinatown and ate piping hot fortune cookies.

2. Hiked through the Muir Woods Redwoods forest on an alternate trail because a behemoth had fallen and smashed through the bridge on the main hiking trail.  My quads cursed me for taking the steeper detour.

3. Shivered watching the Fourth of July fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge.

4. Got sunburned on the tops of my hands on a cloudy day that barely climbed above 60 degrees.

5. Rode a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge – hence the sunburn.

6. Ate lunch and drank wine in Napa Valley after touring the Jelly Belly factory.  After enduring a questionable jazz rendition of Roxanne I wished I was back at the Jelly Belly factory instead.

7. Found free parking for dinner in San Francisco.

8. Watched buffalo (bison) graze in the city's Golden Gate Park.

9. Drove for hours and hours through the winding expanse of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

10. Drove down Lombard Street and up Twin Peaks.

11. Saw dolphins at Fort Point – at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.

12. Ate wonderful cassoulet with a nice Bordeaux.  The last time I ate this dish was almost five years ago – in Toulouse, France.  Oh, and I also had fantastic Chinese (obviously), Korean, and Indian food.

13. Witnessed illegal firework transactions on the streets of Chinatown.  (This did not occur in the vicinity of Grant and Washington streets.)

Have you been to San Francisco or the Bay Area?  What was your favorite part?

Burning Through 13 Books

I have been burning through books lately.  

Since I'm not yet up to speed on GoodReads, I'll use this post to share 13 books I've read recently.

I just reached the end of this one earlier this evening so I'll kick things off here:

1. No Shelter (Holly Lin) by Robert Swartwood

Very solid thriller with a well developed female protagonist.  The pacing in Part II was too slow and I felt a bit impatient waiting for more to develop.  Fortunately the chapters are short and read quickly.  Once through her 'daily life' section, there was a bigger payoff.

Over all it was well written and definitely a page-turner.  If you like over-the-top, kick ass female characters, then Holly Lin is for you.
Good for a debut novel.  Recommended.

2. Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

I like Chuck, but this was like a bad porno script – and not in a funny, ironic way.  
Not recommended.

3. Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers by Tucker Max

I'm almost embarrassed to admit to reading this, but it was free.  I saw it was from the I Hope They Sell Beer in Hell guy and thought I'd see what all the hoopla was a few years back since I never read that.  This one was mildly entertaining.  Somewhat humorous.  Certainly obnoxious and juvenile.  I think the "fratire" moniker for the genre is dead on.
Not recommended (unless you are a pubescent boy).

4. Kitchen Confidential:  Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

I like the guy's travel show.  He's full of snark and loves to drink.  Who knew he could write?  This is a great book and very interesting.  This is how to write memoir.
Highly Recommended.

5. The Abysmal Brute by Jack London

Inspiring story about boxing and corruption.
Recommended.

6. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

It won the Pulitzer Prize for a reason.  It's short.  It's great.  Perfect before the trip to Cuba.
Highly Recommended.

7. Coding Isis by Davis Roys

Pretty good techno-thriller.  The story was pretty solid and fast paced, but there were some minor distractions.  Mainly the fact that all of the characters use British colloquialisms, especially since it's set in Washington D.C.  Otherwise, well-written.
Decent debut.  Recommended.

8. The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted by Andrew E. Kaufman

I loved this book.  It's a psychological thriller.  Patrick, the main character is easy to identify with and very likable – even though the story opens at his mother's funeral and he's basically spitting on her grave.  Hooked.  You've got to read more.

You get two parallel stories with Patrick investigating a toddler's murder and the back story of him being abused by his mother.  It's multi-layered and it works wonderfully.  Great twists and turns that are surprising in the best possible way.

This ranks as the best book I have read so far this year.
Highly, Highly Recommended!

9. Baby Shark by Robert Fate

Decent revenge thriller.  The premise is unique.  A strong female protagonist seeking revenge for the murder of her pool hustler father.  It's set in the 50s, although at times I was having to force myself to suspend disbelief.

Well-written, but only average over all.  Penn of Penn & Teller highly recommends the book, but I'm pretty sure it's mainly because he's friends with the author.
Recommended if you like this genre or strong female MCs.

10. Pandemic by Jesse F. Bone

This is actually a short story, but I like the premise so much I included it here – also I read it on my Kindle, so that counts as an eBook, right?

This SciFi story was written in the 60s so it was a little difficult to read the dated prose.  Also, not terrific writing, but again the premise was really cool.  Read it and see why.
Recommended.

11. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Stephen King doing young adult fantasy.  This was a reread and it reminded me why I liked this story so much.
Highly Recommended.

12. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I gave up halfway through.  I just couldn't do it.  I know it's supposed to be some sort of classic for fans of fantasy, but it's one of the few books I've given up on.
Don't Bother!

13. Touch by Elmore Leonard

If you're looking for the Elmore Leonard who writes gritty Crime Novels, then you're in the wrong place with this story.  I love those other novels, but Touch is by far my favorite Leonard novel so far.

This young stigmatic seems to perform miracles – or are those simply coincidences?  It doesn't matter.  Lots of people want to exploit him.  And it wouldn't be a Leonard novel without the wacky cast of characters including con men and outlandish priests.
Highly, Highly Recommended!

Any significant book you've read so far this year?

Thanks to Pcorreia on Flickr for the nice photograph!

13 Single-Use Kitchen Gadgets

Protect Your Bananas Before It's Too Late!

13 Single-Use Kitchen Gadgets

1. Banana Bunker
2. Apple peeler
3. Bread maker
4. Cake stand
5. Waffle maker
6. Onion goggles
7. French Fry slicer
8. Lettuce knife - ordinary knifes cause browning
9. Hamburger press
10. Pasta dryer
11. Orange peeler - I love this thing.
12. Panini maker
13. Bacon Wave (As Seen On TV)

And because I'm in a silly mood, here's a bonus item to help parents clean up in the kitchen (it's a baby mop):

Do you have a favorite kitchen gadget to share?

13 Foods I Can Live Without

How can you know pleasure if you've never experienced pain?

How can you know love if you've never experienced hate?

And how can you know what foods you'll never eat again if you've never delved into the bowels of American cuisine? (Yes, pun intended.)

Now don't get me wrong, this is not a list of foods I hate.  

I've eaten everything on this list.  I've enjoyed at least half of everything here at some point.

But those data points have been recorded.  I can move on with my life.  And if I never have to revisit any of these foods – or food-like substances – again, I will still lead a fulfilling life.

13 Foods I Can Live Without

1. Velveeta "Cheese" - Seriously, what's the molecular makeup of this stuff?  I'm pretty sure it's not organic.  Until some grad-student researcher concludes that it's a legitimate food item, I've had enough.  But...if Kraft decides to go with the 1960s style packaging seen above, I just might get back on the wagon.  Delicious!

2. Spam - Yes, I know this meat-like product is very popular in Hawaii.  But have you ever pan fried this stuff?  Your kitchen fills up with that blue burnout smoke of a drag race.  Forget about your arteries, what about your lungs?

3. Ground Bologna  - Is this really any better than Spam?  Or right, it's spreadable.

4. Powdered Milk - Trust me, this is not good on any cereal.

5. Hamburger Helper - Hey, I was a broke college student - and yes, this was way before Pink Slime was even a glimmer in the eye of the public consciousness.

6. Anything with Cream Cheese - Yes, this includes cheese cake.

7. Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets - Okay, think deli-meat and nacho cheese calzone, but made with puff pastry, not pizza dough.  And now Hot Pockets are made with 'real cheese' – whatever that means!

8. Grape-Nuts - An alleged 'health food' cereal.  It's really like pouring milk over a bowl of gravel – not very healthy for my teeth.

9. Foie Gras - This is a fattened duck liver and it's very popular in France.  I have eaten it in France.  It's supposed to be a delicacy.  PETA, you'll be happy to know I do not like it.

10. Those glistening mashed potatoes at the Lone Star Steakhouse in Jackson, Michigan - When you've managed to transform ordinary produce into something born out of a high school science fair, you've gone too far with the heavy cream and butter.

11. Cream of Mushroom Soup-based dishes - Really?  Do I even need to elaborate?

12. Lou Malnati's Pizza - This Chicago-style pizza is famous for having a layer of thick sausage spread across its entire diameter.  Yes, it's blasphemy for somebody writing from Chicago, but I can still do without it.

13. Chicken in a Biskit - Full disclosure:  These are actually delicious.  I loved these crackers throughout my college years.  But now I've got things like blood pressure and cholesterol to consider.  Imagine taking a buttery Ritz Cracker and dousing it with the seasoning packet from Chicken Ramen Noodles.  Delicious.  But also Heartburn City.  (By the way, I still do eat Ramen Noodles.)

What foods would you be happy to do without?


Thank you to Paul Malon on Flickr for reminding us how awesome the 60s were!

The Boy With Thirteen Toes

Special Thanks to Serenity Photography on Flickr

The Boy With Thirteen Toes

A boy was born with thirteen toes,
No wetting mucus lined his nose.

He never grew to six feet tall,
And learned to walk before he crawled.

He lurched and hitched and dragged his leg,
One special shoe, soft as a beer keg.

Toes ached and bruised, shoved into that shoe,
What in the world do you think you might do?

To curse the sky would make much sense,
Yet this boy wore a bright smile as his defense.

Death and Taxes

With Tax Day looming in the U.S., I thought it would be fitting to write about something more certain than taxes:  Death.  


Today I bring you thirteen actual ways people have died.


Of course, this is the Internet, and I also write fiction, so don't believe everything you read here – at least not in this post.


Although I do write fiction, I certainly did not make up any of these stories.  True stories are often stranger than fiction.  And these thirteen were the most interesting to me.


If you don't agree, well, what else would you rather be doing – your taxes?


13 Tales of Death Stranger Than Fiction

1. In 1919, twenty one people died during the Boston Molasses Disaster.  A storage unit released over two million gallons of molasses creating a massive wave as high as 15 ft. devastating more than three city blocks.
2. Jimi Heselden, the owner of the Segway company, died after careening over a cliff while on his – yes, Segway.
3. Jogger, Robert Gary Jones, was killed when a small airplane making an emergency landing struck him from behind.
4. In 1953, Frank Hayes became the only deceased jockey to win a race after he died of a heart attack while on his horse.
5. The war between humans and robots began in 1979 when Robert Williams became the first known human to be killed by a robot.  He worked at a Ford Motor Company assembly plant.
6. In 1980, Monica Myers, the mayor of Betterton, Maryland, drowned and died in a tank of raw sewage.
7. In 2009, Vladimir Likhonos died after dipping his chewing gum in explosives that he mistook for citric acid.  He suffered massive injuries to his face when the chewing gum exploded.
8. In 1995, a persistent man in Canberra, Australia shot himself three times with a pump action shotgun before he finally died.  He first inflicted a non-fatal shot to the chest.  Reloaded and blew away his jaw and throat.  Not quite dead, he finished the job firing the final shot with his toes.
9. This death was like a Rube Goldberg Suicide Machine.  Jacques LeFevrier of Normandy, France, attempted the most convoluted suicide I've ever heard of.  He intended to hang himself with a rope by jumping off of a cliff over the frigid ocean.  But first he drank some poison and set his clothes on fire.  Oh yeah, he also had a gun and planned to shoot himself the moment he jumped off the cliff.  Well, he missed himself with the bullet and it shot through the rope.  He splashed into the water below putting out the flames.  The impact, or the intense cold of the water, apparently induced vomiting, saving him from the poison.  Witnesses on the beach rescued him, but he later died of hypothermia at the hospital.
10. We have another winner in death!  In 1927, J.G. Parry-Thomas, set a new land speed record of 171 mph despite being decapitated by his car's drive chain during the attempt.
11. In 2001, a Memphis Darwin Award Winner rushed to the Post Office to file his taxes before midnight.  He attempted to beat a train and coincidentally collided, head on with another reckless driver also rushing to beat the train.  Fortunately, nobody on the train was killed.
12. I will conclude the list with two writers who also died strange deaths.  (I don't have nearly enough room here for writers who committed suicide.)  The first is Sherwood Anderson.  If you have studied writing as I have, you probably have read his short story, Hands.  He died from a punctured colon after swallowing a toothpick at a party.
13. Since the US Tax Code is so convoluted and mysterious, I thought it would be fitting to conclude with the death of Edgar Allan Poe.  Poe died on October 7, 1849.  Many theories have been postulated, yet the mystery of his death remains unsolved.

Please share this post if you found it interesting.  Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you, Faerie Girl on Flickr for the surreal photo.

Funny 13,000 Word Blog Post

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then today's post should be worth at least 13,000.  Enjoy!

Fabulous writer and blogger, E.C. Stilson
(She's their left boob. Go check out her other work!)

Yes, those are baby carrots!

R2D2

Mr. Disney, just what are those mice doing?

Harry Potter vs. Twilight

Birth Announcement
It's a boy!

Scarves

If you found this amusing in any way, please send people my way!

13 Sports For The Retired Runner

I can't imagine my life without running.  But I suppose the day may come when I will need to find an alternate way to keep a healthy lifestyle.  It's fun to ponder these things from time to time, isn't it?

So, here are 13 sports that would suit me if I weren't a runner:



1. Mixed Martial Arts
2. Rugby
3. Hockey
4. Football - Running Back
5. Speed Skating
6. Mountain Biking
7. Pole Vault
8. Biathlon
9. Snowboarding
10. Lacrosse
11. The Rings - Gymnastics
12. Ninja Warrior
13. Trapeze

What about you?  Do you have a "back-up" passion?


Thanks to sundero on Flickr for the refreshing picture!

13 Reasons Why Daylight Saving Time is Dumb

I know we're already over a week and a half past Daylight Saving Time, but I'm still feeling the effects, so without further ado:

13 Reasons Why Daylight Saving Time is Dumb

1. Daylight Saving Time (DST) lacks consistency globally.  Even from region to region, there is not always a uniform start and end time, or whether or not a region even participates.  Ever hear of Indiana?  To further wreck havoc, in 2007, the US Government decided to extend DST by several weeks in each direction.

2. DST creates confusion regarding last call at the bars.  If an hour of drinking time is gained are local laws broken?  If an hour of valuable drinking time is lost, will that trigger a riot?

3. DST is yet another suspect government policy concocted by a womanizer.  Thanks a lot Ben Franklin!

4. Roosters and other farm animals don't really observe DST.

5. In the summer, the sun already shines 24 hours a day in Antarctica.  What's the point?

6. DST can severely disrupt people's circadian clock.  Think forced Jet Lag!  I don't know about you, but I don't like anything messing with my sleep.  You know the saying, let a sleeping dog lie?  Well, the government better make sure they have their rabies shots up to date!

7. When we "fall back" a paradox may occur where identical twins are born out of birth order.  Really, it can actually happen!  The first child is delivered at 1:59am and, five minutes later, the next baby is born at 1:04am.  That's before the older sibling!  Hurry, go check the space-time continuum!

8. DST endangers children.  With the extension of DST, the safety of school children is compromised as they are now required to go to school in the dark before the sun rises.

9. Lost productivity for businesses.  Meeting times are often difficult to coordinate during each time shift.  Not to mention the loss of productivity from employees with disrupted sleep patterns.

10. Computer mishaps can be attributed to DST.  Most modern software incorporates measures to address DST, but not all updates are foolproof.  Remember Y2K?  Anyway, my wife is a scientist and she was forced to reanalyze a massive amount of data for her study that spanned across a DST time shift.

11. On the first Monday after DST, studies suggest a higher rate of heart attacks, car accidents, and work-related accidents.

12. What about your household pets?  I'm surprised PETA isn't up in arms.  They are usually more upset about the inhumane treatment of animals than any inhumane treatment of humans.  And to force a dog to go for a walk an hour earlier or later just might equate to torture!  Okay, never mind animals.  What about the young kids?  Does anyone enjoy the nuclear fallout when a young child's routine is played with?  Now multiply that by sleep deprivation and you've got WWIII!

13. DST adjustments occur twice per year.  Whether it only takes you a single day to adjust to the time change, or several weeks, multiply the unnecessary stress, sleep loss, and other risk factors by two.

How does Daylight Saving Time affect you?


Thanks to niseag03 on Flickr for the great photo.

This Is Not A Post – Or Is It?

13 Reasons I Did Not Write A Post Today

1. Electricity has been out since last week
2. Computer crashed
3. Too busy
4. Forgot my blog password
5. In the midst of a covert government mission (oops!)
6. Th3 l3tt3r 3 is brok3n on my k3yboard
7. This post didn't pass editorial review
8. Slept through the deadline
9. Stuck on an airplane
10. Out of original ideas
11. My captors only allow 10 minutes of internet use every 8 days
12. Couldn't find anything suitable to wear for the occasion
13. I'll be back to the usual post.  It will be a 'Make up post'.

Maybe this counts as a post after all.

Have you let anything slip inadvertently?

13 Ways You Can Be Fooled



I Pity 'da Fool!

Mark Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies:  lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Politicians love this adage.  They will have you believing the Earth is flat even while you're in orbit peering down at its obvious roundness.

Why do everyday people—intelligent people—doubt things like Man-made climate change, the safety of vaccinations, and the evidence for the evolution of species?  People still doubt well-established facts, even with the availability of overwhelming evidence derived through the scientific method.

How can this be?
It's not simply because they have been fed lies.  The truth is, it's surprisingly easy for anyone to be fooled by faulty thinking.

Here are thirteen reasons why people can be fooled into believing nearly anything.  And yes, I am guilty of #9 ;-)

1. Confirmation Bias - Favoring evidence that supports your position while ignoring contradictory evidence.

Just remember, Columbus concluded that he had arrived in India; thus, he called the natives "Indians".

2. Slippery Slope Fallacy - Arriving at an extreme or absurd conclusion in order to discredit the initial premise and conclude it too must also be absurd.

A popular fear in the automotive industry was that once robots were introduced, all of the human assembly jobs would be eliminated.

3. False Dichotomy - Considering only two possibilities for an argument, so if the first is falsified, then the alternative must be true by default.

The following phrase is an example of a false dichotomy, "if you're not with us, you're against us." 

Actually, choosing "neither" is also a viable option, but it is ignored by this false dichotomy.  Things aren't always black-and-white.  That's why one of my favorite songs is "The Beauty Of Gray" by Live.

4. Correlation Does Not Imply Causation - A relationship between two events does not necessarily mean one event caused the other to occur.

In 2006, Airborne, an herbal supplement company, paid $23M to settle a class action lawsuit settlement for making claims their product boosted the immune system.  David Schardt, a senior nutritionist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, "There's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment."

This surprised many people who had never gotten sick after taking Airborne before entering crowed surroundings.  But correlation does not imply causation.  They would have likely experienced the same effect by taking sugar pill or nothing at all.

5. Popularity - Conforming to an ideology because of its popularity rather than its merits.

Slavery, need I say more?

6. Coincidence and Ignorance of Probabilities - Believing an improbable, (or inevitable,) event is caused by an unseen force or conspiracy.

This is related to #1 above.  We tend to exaggerate the significance of seemingly unlikely events because we generally don't understand the true statistical probabilities involved.

Do you know someone who shares your birthday?  The statistical probability that two people in a group of thirty randomly chosen people will have the same birthday is 0.71.  (The closer that value is to 1, the higher the certainty.)  Doesn't seem so profound now, does it?

7. Baby Goes Out With The Bathwater -  Discarding every argument on the basis of falsifying only one.

This is a popular tactic in the courtroom.  To discredit, or to raise reasonable doubt, of a single statement can be grounds to throw out the rest of the testimony.

8. Comfort Zone - Resisting ideas that run counter to one's familiar ideologies.

We have a vested interest in being 'right' in society, so we fight very hard to avoid admitting any flaws in our cherished ideas.

For example, it's easier to just vote for one particular political party because that's how your family has always voted, even though the party's current policies will actually cause you and your family significant trauma.

9. Hasty Generalization - Drawing a conclusion without considering all of the variables.

One bad apple spoils the bunch, is a hasty generalization.

10. Authoritativeness - Drawing a conclusion with an overreliance on authority.

The relative fame, or perceived intelligence of an expert can sway you to accept their position even if they are wrong.  Look how many people were convinced not to vaccinate their children because of Jenny McCarthy's recklessness.  (See #4.)

11. Burden of Proof - Not understanding that the burden of proof really lies with the person making the extraordinary claim against conventional wisdom.

This is how science works.

12. Ad Hominem Attack - Attacking the person making the argument, rather than their claim.

Politicians, lawyers, and pundits, oh my!

13. Easy Way Out - Deciding to believe 'simple and wrong' with certainty.

Often there is no simple answer to a complex problem.

Just remember, "There are two ways to be fooled.  One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true."  — Søren Kierkegaard


Have you ever been fooled in any such manner?

13 Words That Sound Naughty But Really Aren't

13 Words That Sound Naughty But Really Aren't

1. PENAL  
(subject to punishment of crimes)
Is it a penal offense for men to stroll naked on the beach?

2. CONDIMENT  
(substance used to enrich the flavor of foods) 
It was too late to tell her I forgot to use any type of condiment.

3. CIRCUMSCRIBE 
(restrict) 
My escape from the hospital was thwarted when the doctors circumscribed me.

4. MASTICATE  
(chew) 
I furiously masticated the babysitter's sweet candy before my wife returned home with the groceries.

5. FARTLEK  
(training technique for runners) 
The young men were supposed to stay packed together, but the fartlek was particularly intense.

6. MANHOLE  
(covered opening) 
In his new position, Rodney provided his crew with safe entrance to his manhole.
[He's a city public works employee with responsibilities.]

7. SPOTTED DICK 
(British pudding (dessert)) 
Buck proudly presented his spotted dick to Kitty and she gobbled it down with a smile.

8. GESTICULATE 
(to use gestures for emphasize words or instead of speaking) 
The subway passengers sat uncomfortably while the homeless man's dirty coat swung open from his wild gesticulations.

9. SEXAGENARIAN 
(person in their 60s) 
Now that she was a sexagenarian, she decided to forgo birth control altogether.

10. DICTATION  
(speaking words to be transcribed or recorded) 
Feeling powerful, he leaned back and allowed his secretary to take his dictation.

11. PIANIST  
(person who plays the piano) 
[I had to steal at least one from The Simpsons – the rest are my invention.]

"This guy walks into a  bar, he takes out a tiny piano and a twelve inch pianist, oh, no, wait, I can't tell that one!"  -Krusty the Clown 

12. ANGINA 
(intense chest pain)
I know the doctors say your angina looks really bad right now, but do we really have to stop loving each other?

13. TITTER (giggle)
Rebecca couldn't suppress her nervous titters after she spilled frigid iced tea on her white shirt.


Do you have any favorite words that sound funny, are fun to pronounce, or sound dirty like these?