If the moon was made of barbeque spare ribs, would you eat it?
Here’s a little SNL humor to keep all Alert Readers grinning at year’s end. Will Ferrell does Harry Caray hosting an astronomy talk show, Space: The Infinite Frontier. His guest? Caltech astrophysicist Dr. Ken Waller, played by a nearly-hysterical Jeff Goldblum. Enjoy, and Happy New Year to all Alert readers!
Richard Feynman and the malaise of science envy
What’s not to envy (I mean, besides the clothes and hair)? Feynman, a physicist who knows baloney when he sees it, chilling at a Caltech blackboard. Image courtesy of the American Institute of Physics Of late I have been engaged in a discussion with Tom and Todd about whether or not Intelligent Design (ID) is [...]
Johannes Kepler, Christian astronomer and flat-out genius, opposed intelligent design 400 years ago. This is a man worth knowing
Hans von Aachen, Johannes Kepler, ca. 1610. This image is really a refreshing exception to all the drawings and paintings of Kepler that make him look tight-jawed and authoritarian. It captures the man’s humanity and, IMO, his neuroses, quite well. Image source: art.com Happy birthday, Herr Kepler! He was born on 27 December 1571 at [...]
Thank God for atheists
Atheist symbol from PZ Myers‘s blog, Pharyngula. Halo added by psnt.net‘s top-flight graphics squad Since psnt.net was launched ten months ago, we here at the site have had the pleasure of meeting — virtually — a large number of very interesting people. Some of these are fellow Christians who share, more or less, our view [...]
Fear not
Sandro Botticelli, Mystic Nativity, 1501. National Gallery, London. Click on the image for a high-resolution version. Image source: Wikimedia Commons Dear Alert Readers, I hope this find each of you enjoying a day of celebration and rest. Christmas is to me the greatest of all miracles. Holy Week is sobering, Easter is wonderful, but Christmas [...]
Why I am a Christian
Marc Chagall, White Crucifixion, 1938. This is my favorite image that reflects Jesus’ love for the world. Chagall was Jewish (note Jesus’ prayer shawl) and the background images show scenes form the Holocaust. Image source: The Art Institute of Chicago For those of you who are new to psnt.net, welcome. For those of you who [...]
And now for something completely different: Texas firing squad executes Santa for Jesus
Click on the image for an entertaining video. Posted on YouTube by Repent Amarillo: “We are the Special Forces of spiritual warfare, and we’re looking for a few good warriors.” Goodness! This video brings up so many thoughts, it’s hard to keep track of them. Should I follow the Christian militia thread? Or the one [...]
Winter solstice + lunar eclipse = coolness
Tonight’s eclipse in more detail than you probably wanted. The central part of the Earth’s shadow is called the umbra and is indicated by the central red circle in the image above. Between 2:41 and 3:53 A.M. the Moon will be fully within the umbra for observers on the East Coast. For observers to the [...]
Advent IV: Let’s hear it for silence
John Neff, Performing 4’33″ by John Cage, 2002. Silver gelatin print. From an exhibition at Suitable Gallery, Chicago I went Christmas shopping with my kids today, and it was really fun. It is nice to go out to Target and get some things for people one loves. But it’s the first time I’ve been shopping [...]
Negating the inverted inversion: why most atheists reject far too little
Lothar Wolleh, René Magritte. The artist in front of his 1966 work Le Pelerin (The Pilgrim), 1967. Source: Wikipedia. This low-resolution image complies with Wikipedia’s non-free media use rationale This article first appeared at Religion Dispatches LAST YEAR I DELIVERED a presentation at a nearby college about science and faith. I spoke of my attraction [...]
