people like bandwagons

In this issue: besides me acting like this is a newsletter or magazine: contest results, a new contest, I'm no longer a geologist, and a brief bit about bandwagons. It's amusing, you'll like it.

Contest results:
A strong showing from all this time, probably inspired by my provision of many photos to play with. Joe submitted this to me via e-mail:
I especially like how Martin's forehead is cracking open. And he's like "what the hell, guys?"

I should have said that you're all more than welcome to alter the photos with photoshop, or just with 'paint' as Joe has done. Very nice.

Anyway the winners for each photo. Every winner was a unanimous agreement, i.e. all of me agreed with myself.

Shannon wins the Martin/Lord/Other Guy shot, cause it really does look like a standoff between Martin and the Other Guy, with Lord as a kindof onlooker. Joe gets lots of merit for effort, and Steve's "inner mind" battle of Lord's is very good... especially the last line "Yessir, I will do that".

First Klien pic; I gotta say Shannon again wins with "since when did they start putting girls in these podiums?", although Steve's first suggestion is a close second, as "You know, I could really eat a banana right about know...." is about the extent of Klien's thought processes.

Second Klein pic win goes to Steve with "There's life outside Alberta??????", but Shannon gets points for noticing that he does indeed resemble R. Dangerfield in that pic.

Nobody commented on the last one, but I'd like to suggest that Steve's second suggestion for Klein pic 2 works equally well if not better in the last one (i.e. no equalization payments).

New Contest:
Here are the new contest pics. They are not political this time, and are inherently amusing to begin with. Note they share a theme.

I am no longer a Geologist:
The department is looking at changing its name from "Geology and Geophysics" to the less cumbersome "Geosciences". I for one am fully in support of this, and will start referring to myself as a "geoscientist" rather than a "geologist" from now on. Despite that the term makes me sounds more like a pale-faced snivelling lab-rat than the strapping, rugged, burly mountaineer that I totally perceive myself to be, the term does make me sound more like an actual scientist and less like I just have a collection of assorted pebbles from ditches.

I also like it because it's vague enough to make me sound like an expert scientist in any field beginning with "geo-". This includes geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geography, geomorphology, geodesy, geolocation, geometry, and geopolitics. Therefore I can now speak with authority about such wideranging topics as oil and gas production, environmental issues, roadbuilding and other construction, map making, GPS systems, archipelagos, Mayan culture, Pythagoras, and UN "imperialism" as viewed by particular countries, in addition to the stuff I actually know a bit about.

Bandwagons:
A note on my global-warming rant from Wednesday... I find this quote from Nietzsche to be particularly applicable: "men believe in the truth of all that is seen to be strongly believed in." In other words, people like bandwagons. If lots and lots of people believe something, they must have a good reason, right? Therefore I personally won't bother to look for reasons or evidence for my believing it too. And if anyone questions me I'll give them dirty looks and no research money.

"I'm not loquacious - I'm articulate!" "Yeah, like a lorry."
-Porridge