The standard argument for crop circles is so preposterous that it borders on a straw man — that they are too complex to have been created by humans. The fact that crop circles are almost always documented by ELECTRONIC EYES being wielded by people flying inside GIANT HOVERING METAL BUGS so that the believers in humanities inadequacies can talk about them via A HUMUNGOUS INTERCONNECTED NETWORK OF MILLIONS OF TURING COMPLETE MACHINES is rather conviently forgotten. Hence this little comic.
EDIT: This image is currently the top post on skeptic board over at reddit. Here is the comment thread which includes some great discussion on what oil is made from. I will be needing to update my pic I think.
You've no doubt noticed the complete lack of action by myself here on the site, or on Twitter. Real life has not been kind recently and so I've not been left with any time or energy to write. The cause of this absence would make a good post in itself, but I would rather wait till events settle.
I've always tried to hold myself to high standards on this blog, but at the moment that means writing nothing at all. So I'm trying a new approach. I will attempt an update every sunday or monday - but it can be as silly and throwaway as this one.
Better than nothing I guess?
Crop Circles
Comic #2 - The Uncanny Valley
Say you are making an artificial life form. As you get closer to 'human' your robot eventually enters a region called "The Uncanny Valley" where it suddenly become extremely repulsive. Ben Goldacre recently wrote in his miniblog that the maybe the same reasoning could be used to explain why nutritional therapists are more disgusting than really out there people like homeopaths.
I can't have been the the only one to think that The Awful Poo Lady manages to satisfy both cases? Especially after that daily mail article.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. My apologies.
Skeptobot has an official mascot, Skeptobot - the skeptical robot.
A Super Internet Chum by the name of Dimrill has been kind enough to create a super-duper living* mascot for the site. A Robot with a Top Hat and a Monocle. And he's looking skeptical of something. Do you see? It's perfect and I love it.
Dimrill's artistc talent helped inspire my embarrassing attempt at getting some of that xkcd and Wellington Grey mullah, in the post below this. Expect a quick succession of updates as I try and push it out of sight and mind. Oh and anyone wanting to point out I've used the American spelling for this British Robot (and site) can shut up. 'Sceptic' just makes me think of a septic disease.
For more of Dimrill's excellent shenanigans visit his website. (The little animated gif people are my favourite.)
*not living
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