Customers! Oy! 4 Jun 2009 I used to run a service department so that’s why this site amuses me so much. Yeah, I know I’m probably fifteen years behind everyone else: The World: America’s Theme Park (Note: this takes place at our cafe in Kuranda, Australia.) Tourist: “Lady, how about we make a deal? I wanna buy this bottle from you.” Me: “Oh, sorry. We only have four of the blue ones and they’re not for sale.” Tourist: “So you’re telling me I can’t buy this?” Me: “Yes… I know it’s a nice bottle, but we do need it for the water.” Tourist: “Lady, I don’t think you understand what I’m getting at.” (The tourist pulls a wad of US money from his wallet.) Tourist: “I got REAL money here!” Humor Social evolution
Social evolution A quote for the day 3 Aug 2008 Social organization is not peculiar to men. Other societies, such as those constituted by bees and ants, have also arisen out of the advantage of cooperation in the struggle for existence; and their resemblances to, and their differences from, human society are alike instructive. [T . H. Huxley, Prolegomena to… Read More
Ecology and Biodiversity Supernatural selection 2 6 May 20104 Oct 2017 Part one is here. Rossano divides naturalistic explanations of religion into five distinct types: (1) commitment theories, (2) cognitive theories, (3) ecological theories, (4) performance theories, and (5) experiential theories.I want to discuss this taxonomy. Read More
Evolution Dreams of memes and replicator machines 7 Aug 2009 Susan Blackmore is a really interesting person. She thinks broadly about many things and her conversation is great fun. But her recent article in New Scientist is less fun and more handwaving, and the reason why is, I think, of the greatest importance to thinking about evolution… replicators. Read More
“Trust me. I’m a metaphysician”: Customer: “Well, I don’t know what it is I always get. My daughter usually gets it for me.” […] Me: “…was it ‘coffee’ or ‘not coffee’? Customer: “Hmm…I believe it was both.”
Ha! Even nice Americans can be rude that way. I remember the couple that hosted me as an exchange student complaining about people not speaking English when they came to visit México.