tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post4223133858174530704..comments2024-03-20T03:33:22.357-07:00Comments on Skeptophilia: Pavlov's curseGordon Bonnethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-84043001001411774252012-05-08T15:19:40.549-07:002012-05-08T15:19:40.549-07:00"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Ship'..."Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Ship's Captain speaking. For our maiden voyage of the Titanic II, we have some extra safety protocols that need to be addressed: No Titanic hats or Titanic foam fingers allowed. All deck railings are made of wood for ease of 'knocking,' and we suggest you utilize them appropriately. Animals will be permitted to exclude Black cats. All vanity mirrors will have a plastic coating and no ladders will be permitted. We also ask that no guests on the front deck outstretch their arms or engage in any arm flapping motions. This is an ice-free voyage. Our beverages will not contain them. We apologize for the inconvenience. Also, at nightfall, all guests will need to report to the front deck for mandatory foreign object detection detail. For the safety of passengers and crew, we can assure you that at no time will this vessel stray more than 500 miles from the Equator. For our passengers that are having trouble sleeping due to engine wash from the persistent jet fighter escort, we offer earplugs from the concierge. Enjoy your stay!"Hontseur Thotshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10799765178908406877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-35028912171516857312012-05-08T08:03:13.819-07:002012-05-08T08:03:13.819-07:00People make sense of the world by creating stories...People make sense of the world by creating stories. In the world of narrative, nothing is disconnected and nothing happens without a cause. Real-world events must sometimes be twisted to make them fit the narrative model and give them drama.<br /><br />So if one ship named Titanic sunk, and a second ship with the same name was launched, and it ... just cruised peacefully along for many years, well, that's a bit of an anticlimax, isn't it?<br /><br />In other news, one would at least hope that people would wait for a second data point before drawing a line to connect them. After all, any ship that sinks was named -something-.<br /><br />Then there's the charming illusion people have that the universe revolves around them. That's why, of the thousands of disappointed Twins fans that day, not to mention those swearing as they watched on TV, it's -my- hat that affects the outcome.Tyler Torkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460706772136362593noreply@blogger.com