Politics

Here’s How You Preserve a Dead Dictator Forever

Hugo Chavez died a few days ago, but he’s not exactly going six feet under any time soon. The late Venezuelan leader’s body is going to be on display for a week so people can pay homage. But bodies rot starting immediately, and regular old funeral home embalming only lasts a matter of hours. How…

Report: Twitter Is an Awful Predictor of Public Opinion

A new survey by Pew Research Center reveals that relying on Twitter to gauge public opinion might not be too smart: the reaction on Twitter to big national and political news seems to differ wildly from that measured by surveys. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Twitter reactions generally tend to be more liberal than the national average. Tracing…

In Oklahoma, faith-based explanations can get you an “A” in science class

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Common Education committee considered HB 1674 — a House bill that would prevent teachers in science classes from penalizing students who contest evolutionary principles with untestable, faith-based claims. It passed, 9-8. Writes Dana Liebelson for Mother Jones: Gus Blackwell, the Republican state representative who introduced the bill, insists that his legislation…

Scottish independence movement leader inspired by Ghosts of Mars

First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, who is also chief of the separatist Scottish National Party (SNP), has confessed to being a huge Marvel comics fan and a slightly ironic admirer of so-bad-it’s-awesome movie Ghosts of Mars. At a Scottish Film Fest event hosted by comic book writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass), the First Minister said:…

Debunking Scott Brown: Why There’s No Way That Drunk Tweet Was a Butt Tweet

Was Scott Brown drunk last month when he tweeted “bqhatevwr”? Whatever, the former Massachusetts senator says. It was just a classic case of a butt tweet. Really Scott Brown? We beg to differ. http://gawker.com/5979218/scott-browns-message-to-the-haters-bqhatevwr For those unfamiliar with the tweet in question, it’s long since been deleted. Fortunately, though, our friends at Gawker were able…

Libra: The 21st Century (Libertarian) Space Colony

There’s nothing hotter right now than starting your own libertarian-minded community from scratch. Or at least threatening to do so. Glenn Beck imagines building a community/theme park somewhere in the United States called Independence Park which would celebrate entrepreneurship and sustainable living. Others envision Idaho as the perfect spot to build a fortress-like libertarian utopia…

The Canadian government has officially declared itself anti-zombie

The cliche is that Canadians are unfailingly nice polite, but that apparently politeness does not extend to the living dead. When the New Democratic Party’s Pat Martin asked the government if the nation was prepared for a zombie attack, Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and put…

Watch the Canadian Parliament Hilariously Debate the Zombie Apocalypse

That’s it, I’m moving to Canada. They know how to have fun. Even in politics! In Canada’s House of Commons today, there was an incredible ‘debate’ about creating an international zombie strategy “so that a zombie invasion does not turn into a zombie apocalypse.” Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird told everyone that there…

Why US Internet Access Is Slow and Expensive

US citizens pay more for internet access than those in many other countries—and also get worse connections for their cash. This video explains why. Here, Bill Moyers interviews Susan Crawford—former special assistant to President Obama for science, technology and innovation, and author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded…

That Awful Privacy-Killing CISPA Bill Is Coming Back to Haunt Us

We thought we killed all those awful, horrible destroy the Internet-type bills in SOPA, PIPA and CISPA. We might’ve been wrong. Like a zombie looking for human blood or a sore loser demanding a rematch, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger and Rep. Mike Rogers plan to re-introduce CISPA to the House later this year. The problem with…

We will not change the world with memes alone

Internet political scientist Evgeny Morozov has written a powerful essay in the New Republic about problems with the popular idea that the internet is an inherently democratizing force. The occasion for his ire is Steven Johnson’s new book, Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age. Morozov upbraids Johnson and his cohorts for…

Suddenly the feds aren’t so hot about T-Mobile merging with MetroPCS

What Country Best Represents the Future?

Back in the early 1990s, there was a popular idea in the United States that Japan represented the future. With its booming economy and sophisticated tech industry, the country seemed poised to become the next great superpower. But when the Asian bubble burst, science fiction writers and futurists imagined China as the next great nation,…

Mark Zuckerberg Officially Entering the Dirty World of Politics

BuzzFeed reports that Zuck and wife Priscilla Chan will hold a fundraiser for NJ Gov. Chris Christie—meaning that Facebook now has political ties. It also means the Republican governor has some serious Silicon Valley cash headed his way. The event—which will surely draw a throng of affluent and powerful tech figures—is likely the first of…

41% of Democrats are young-Earth creationists

Contrary to popular belief, science denialism is not confined to the political right. Over at Scientific American, Michael Shermer expounds on the harsh reality of the “Liberal War on Science”: We are well aware of the Republican war on science from the eponymous 2006 book (Basic Books) by Chris Mooney, and I have castigated conservatives…

Facebook Tag Everybody You Know in This Gigapixel Inauguration Picture

There are a number of amazing gigapixel inaugortation images kicking around the web, but this one is by far our favorite—because it lets you tag anyone you recognize via Facebook. Put online by the Washington Post, you can pan and zoom to your heart’s content until you find your nearest and dearest. Then, you can…

Eric Schmidt’s Daughter Recounts the Duo’s Bizarre Trip to North Korea

Eric Schmidt’s trip to North Korea in order to spread the good word about open Internet has been kind of strange from the start. Today, he posted on Google+ how he warned the country that it might be left behind. You know, Internet. Politics. All that jazz. Schmidt’s daughter, who accompanied him on the “vacation”…

Physicist aims to publish a science fiction novel to raise $2 million for new laser weapons

A physicist is asking for help publishing his wild new science fiction book series — and possibly also creating a new superweapon that would change the face of war forever. Australian-born physicist Adam Weigold is trying to raise $20,000 on Kickstarter to pay for editing and marketing for his novel Dragon Empire, which is about…

That high school principal who made the Terminator spoof got a two-day suspension

Thank goodness, the principal who showed a silly video of himself as the Terminator during school announcements won’t actually lose his job. Erick Naumann is just getting a two-day suspension, after a meeting where a dozen parents, teachers and staff members spoke in his support. Typical comment: https://gizmodo.com/high-school-principal-could-lose-his-job-for-making-a-t-5975834 “I don’t think he was trying to…

High school principal could lose his job for making a Terminator fan video

How twitchy are people about the issue of school violence right now? Very, very twitchy. So much so, that a high school principal who made a silly video of himself as the Terminator, complete with imagery from the James Cameron films, could be suspended or fired. Erick Naumann had recently become principal of Everett High…