Wednesday, September 14, 2005

school is hard, ID proponents are stupid and Mac's in Sri Lanka

Well, school is hard.

Sometimes I find that I don't like reading all the time. And writing all the time. And listening to lectures about logic and about how my logic professor is an insomniac and how she expects us to know the definition of a 'sentence of the sentential calculus' at 4am after being awaken from a deep sleep. I don't like drinking a lot of coffee and lecturing at students who really don't give shit. I don't like not accepting late homework. I don't like failing people. School is very psychologically taxing and sometimes it only takes one or a few other stressful things to bring you directly to the brink of a serious breakdown. Which really sucks.

But sometimes things go better. I do enjoy thinking about science. Namely about biology. Recently about how problematizing our concept of a gene is no argument against genic reductionism and how Darwin was no revolutionary when it came to thinking about humans.

So, ID proponents are still idiots.

I found this article in the NY Times to be quite funny. And so did Yaniv, which is always reassuring. Anyway, the article says that Intelligent Design proponents think that new movie about Emperor Penguins, 'March of the Penguins', is simply great evidence for intelligent design. PZ Myer deals with this over at Pharyngula, but I can't help reproducing a bit of it here:

"I've seen the movie and very much enjoyed it, but who in their right minds sees intelligent design in flightless bird parents having to alternate 70 mile waddles in order to keep their young fed? It was a movie about pitiless Darwinian circumstances. Drop the egg, it freezes and the embryo dies. Newborn chick wanders away, it freezes and dies. One parent dies of predation or weather, the other has to abandon the young to starve, freeze, and die. As an inspiration to conservative Republican ruthlessness, I can see it...but Intelligent Design? No way."

Yup. Mac, unsurprisingly, is now living in Sri Lanka.

I once knew this guy named Mac. He was a wild man. I'm not sure what his real name is and I forget what is last name is. But I remember having several good times with him. And I also remembering him being particularly 'mature' for his age. Like I didn't know he was 12 years old when he and I smoked about 3 grams of nugget on a five hour car ride to Pinkham Notch New Hampshire. I swear. Or that time we did a bunch of other drugs together. Or that time we got all drunk together. Yeah. College is kind of a haze.

I met Mac through THE Ian Fitzpatrick and we did some good hangin' out together. I've recently discovered Mac (and vice versa) on Myspace.com, the bane of my roomate's existence. Let's be honest Brian, you have a problem. Anyway, it turns out that Mac is now living in Sri Lanka. It also turns out that I am not at all surprised.

That is all.

I hope nobody gets the plague soon. That would be a bummer.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dunn,
Although I could not attribute a particular memory to it, I heard you say "Dude...why did you have to bring that up?" so clearly from your comment on myspace that it made me feel like we were still driving in "the beast" up to Tucks Ravine with too many people in the car and more weed per person than many states of the fair Union in which you reside. I totally heard it. And then you giggled. Fucken' A man, it's been a while but some shit, the good stuff, does not get forgotten at all. I remember that drive and consequent trip(s) (remember we were making mushroom tea and the head ranger came up on us?) like yesterday, I remember all sorts of shit like yesteray from Juniata, eating more mushrooms, sleeping in that scary house, Charlie the nieghbor and his chain, you playing guitar...I could go on and on.
Sucks to hear that you're teaching logic. Surprisingly I've been thinking a lot about it cause logic is the basis for language, and language is sometimes so inept, that I feel like things, life in general, can be illogical. My life has been certainly illogical since I've been here...

But it is logical, or unsurprising I guess, to anyone like you who knew me so long ago and yet fully understands my wierd ass nature, that I am in Sri Lanka smoking weed on my balcony and driving around on a motorcycle. I'm good at getting around and meeting good people, but keeping myself alive is another story.

Let's fucking hang out when I get back. For real

And that's my first name and I still am probably as or more crazy than I was then and I think I was 15.
Also, intelligent design is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of...

Somehow I miss that giggle even though it's been, man, what, 6 or so years. Wow. You must have a great giggle, cause I certainly don't have a great memory...the good times.

Anonymous said...

"Well, school is hard.

Sometimes I find that I don't like reading all the time. And writing all the time. And listening to lectures about logic and about how my logic professor is an insomniac and how she expects us to know the definition of a 'sentence of the sentential calculus' at 4am after being awaken from a deep sleep. I don't like drinking a lot of coffee and lecturing at students who really don't give shit. I don't like not accepting late homework. I don't like failing people. School is very psychologically taxing and sometimes it only takes one or a few other stressful things to bring you directly to the brink of a serious breakdown. Which really sucks."

Time of your life, kid.... (Except for maybe the pee-sleep walking. That's a little ... weird.)

Matthew D Dunn said...

Nah. I'm pretty sure college was the time of my life.