Twitter

Firstly, if you don't understand what Twitter is (I presume you have at least heard of it by now), watch the video above to understand it. Secondly, join in on the fun and follow me!

If you are from the Windsor, Ontario area, you may want to follow this link to Twibes to find a directory of local Windsorites who use Twitter.

Just beware, Twitter can become ridiculously addictive.

Atheistic Pareidolia

Pareidolia, better understood as the perception of seeing a distinct image in a collection of formless matter, is so common in the theistic world that it is rarely a surprise anymore to read about the appearance of Jesus or Mary on a piece of toast, a potato chip, or some other random surface. Yet the atheists always seem so silent in respect to finding their own random patterns to which they can attach meaning. No more!

Then again, I do hear that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is showing up a lot lately (and purposefully).

The sketch is by 'That Mitchell and Webb Look'.

Quack Hospital

Ever wonder what a hospital run by quacks would be like? Above is a glimpse into this not-too-unreal world done as a sketch by the geniuses at 'That Mitchell and Webb Look'.

Not that there aren't holistic healing centers that would love to take care of you like this, but generally speaking most people vie for a more traditional form of emergency care when they are faced with, you know, an emergency. There are exceptions, of course.

Enjoy the video and think twice the next time you want to go for that ionic footbath, acupuncture or naturopathic treatment—since you are reading this blog, you should already have more sense than money and I'm just preaching to the choir, right?

Fiction: You Must Drink 8 Glasses of Water Daily

There really is a good reason to be skeptical about any health claim that relies on some stringent guideline for the entire human species. Case in point, there really is no good reason why you should be drinking eight glasses of water every day, as you have undoubtedly have heard numerous times from multiple unreliable sources. In fact, the entire meme may have arisen from a misunderstanding:

In 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board, now part of the National Academy of Sciences's Institute of Medicine, suggested that a person consume one milliliter of water (about one fifth of a teaspoon) for each calorie of food. The math is pretty simple: A daily diet of around 1,900 calories would dictate the consumption of 1,900 milliliters of water, an amount remarkably close to 64 ounces. But many dieticians and other people failed to notice a critical point: namely, that much of the daily need for water could be met by the water content found in food.

Furthermore:

The Board revisited the question of water consumption in 2004. Its panel on "dietary preference intakes for electrolytes and water" noted that women who appear adequately hydrated consume about 91 ounces (2.7 liters) of water a day and men about 125 ounces (3.7 liters). These seemingly large quantities come from a variety of sources—including coffee, tea, milk, soda, juice, fruits, vegetables and other foods. Instead of recommending how much extra water a person should drink to maintain health, the panel simply concluded that "the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide."

As the most interesting man in the world says, "stay thirsty my friends"—just don't take that too literally.

'The Flying Spaghetti Monster Was My Co-Pilot Today'

Maybe some of you remember the 'Jesus was my Co-Pilot' article a few weeks ago—it is rather likely that you may then appreciate the following parody of the article, which summarizes my own experience yesterday:

A Missouri pilot Windsor scooter rider conducting aerial pipeline inspections above Essex County is grateful to be alive after a power failure Tuesday careless driver in an SUV unexpectedly changed lanes during a turn, forcing him to glide power slide to an emergency landing stop in a Lakeshore cornfield on Tecumseh Road near Janette Ave.

"I'm doing good thanks to Jesus the Flying Spaghetti Monster," said William 'Chuck' Wilson Konstantine Palanski, standing beside his Cessna 182 Skylane at Rochester Town Line and Concession 3 1986 XC125S Yamaha scooter.

"Jesus Christ The Flying Spaghetti Monster was my co-pilot today, no doubt about it."

"As far as textbook emergency landings power slides go, it doesn't get any better than this -- beautiful day, perfect, flat cornfield pavement with two-inch corn minimal shrapnel," said Wilson Palanski.

Wilson Palanski, who has 25 years and 24,000 flying hours little motorcycle, said this was his first forced landing power slide, but that gliding a Cessna safely to a stop in a flat field this was a relatively simple manoeuvre for an experienced pilot adrenaline junkie such as himself.

I just thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who adorns my helmet, for letting me walk away from the accident mostly unharmed. After all, this could have ended a lot worse. A few more scars and an awesome story to tell never hurt. Chicks dig scars, right? Good looking out, Flying Spaghetti Monster!

This happened while taking a corner at approximately 45 km/h, when a a careless driver ran me out of my lane with a sudden lane change. This forced me into an emergency power slide to avoid a collision. The driver did not see me at all and continued on his way after the incident; other drivers stopped to see if I was alright. Save for some road rash, a sore shoulder and ankle I am completely alright. My scooter is also in good condition, just requiring a replacement amber turn signal cover.

Please be extra cautious during the summer months for motorcycles, scooters and bicycles. One extra look can save a life.

Atheist: Radcliffe of Harry Potter Fame

Score one for the atheists. Not that it matters in any significant way, but I found it interesting to discover that Daniel Radcliffe, who portrays the Harry Potter character on the silver screen, has declared himself as an atheist, although a less-than-militant one:

"I'm an atheist, but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. Anything he does on television, I will watch."

I find this particularly hilarious because of the vast amounts of attention the Harry Potter series of books and movies has received from Christian media, constantly being labelled as nothing short of the enemy of god. To understand the full extent of this phobia, read here, here, here and here.

I especially like the way the young actor finished off this interview:

There we go, [...] that's half of America that's not going to see the next Harry Potter film on the back of that comment.

Truer words have not been spoken.

Sixteen Years In Canada

Sixteen years ago today, my mother and I officially immigrated into Canada through the United States at the Buffalo, New York/Niagara Falls, Ontario border crossing to join my recently immigrated grandparents. This was achieved by means of the footpath on the Rainbow Bridge (pictured above) and although I have a spotty memory of the event (I was all of six years old), I remember being aware of the grandness of the occassion.

I have proudly adopted this country as my own in this span of time, while retaining most of the Ukrainian/Russian culture thanks to my family's diligent effort.

Overall, this is just a post of gratitude. Thank you, Canada.

*Update* Looks like we didn't emigrate a moment too soon.