I have a cunning plot, but I don't yet know what it is

Today someone tweeted me to the effect that they had just finished listening to my podcast novel for the second time, and how was the sequel coming along....

I replied that the sequel had been started but progress was slow, due to the fact that I'd been doing other things. I assured them, however, that the sequel would be forthcoming. And I really meant it, despite not having touched the draft for several years. Every so often I get a query about the sequel, and I generally reply in the same vein, though each query fills me with guilt for withholding stuff from my listener/readership. This time the request spurred me to read what I'd got so far, and it turns out I really want to know what happens to the characters in the story.

There is only one way to find out, so I'll have to schedule some regular, major time to continue with the first draft.

Burnee links for Tuesday

Not in our name: Dawkins dresses up bigotry as non-belief - he cannot be left to represent atheists - Comment - Voices - The Independent

Fire

Yet another in a lengthening list of anti-Dawkins pieces by atheists who want the "atheist community" to disown the notorious militant baby-eating atheist deathlord. Currently it's his (possibly ill-considered) 140-characters-or-less utterings on Twitter that are causing some of his erstwhile supporters exasperated sighs mixed with genuine puzzlement. (Personally I think there should be an alternative to Twitter, devoted solely to spleen-venting and invective. Maybe it should be called Splutter.) Dawkins is to a large extent a product of his background and upbringing, which by certain accounts included a modicum of tradition-borne privilege. Whether that privilege has in the past insulated him from the immediate effects of less-than-critically-self-aware spontaneous pronouncements I don't know. One can but speculate, and await the inevitable fall-out.

RDFRS: Calm reflections after a storm in a teacup
Richard Dawkins explains what he meant. That's all right then.

Kids can't use computers... and this is why it should worry you - Coding 2 Learn
A blogpost after my own heart. Think about it: if you rely so much on one particular aspect of your life, should you really be so clueless about "how it works" and "how to work it"?

Don't be fooled. Pope by name, pope by nature | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer
More of the same, then. Which ironically could be a good thing if it signals a continuing "no compromise" approach, and the Catholic Church's continuing marginalisation.

The Inspection of Steiner Schools | The Quackometer Blog
Andy Lewis makes some cutting remarks about an incident at a Steiner school, then goes on to express more general concerns about how inspection of Steiner schools is, to put it mildly, flawed.

'Unbelieving' WLC - William Lane Craig exposed by Lawrence Krauss - YouTube

It beats me why Krauss agreed to engage again with Craig, given what happened last time.

Do a good deed or three, after listening to Skepticule

Here's the latest episode of the internet's best UK-podcast-featuring-three-guys-named-Paul:

http://www.skepticule.co.uk/2013/08/skepticule-052-20130728.html

Skepticule 052 — altruistically non-cynical about desirable Jewish symbols scientifically festive for human origins. Or something.

The meaning of scripture

From a Facebook thread, concerning the mutability of scriptural interpretation:

• 

  Paul Jenkins You're at liberty to interpret the Bible any way you want. There's enormous scope for this: along with different translations and appeal to context, there's also the option to claim that something that is superficially nonsense is actually quite sensible and profound — if only we were party to God's ineffable intentions. It's a bit like when a novelist goofs in the plotting and gets mail from fans asking how can such-and-such be, since it appears to contradict something in the early chapters. The novelist merely replies that it does actually make sense, and all will be revealed in the sequel.

  3 hours ago · Like
• 

  Ian Taylor "Mark 16:17-18 - King James Version (KJV)
  17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
  
  18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
  Come on Paul, reinterpret this for me.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Ian Taylor Oh yea, "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.", clearly means that they'll put gramma's quilt back over her when they're done the 'laying hands' bit!

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Paul Jenkins "Come on Paul, reinterpret this for me."
  
  OK, I'll have a go. But I don't know the original language, so I'll leave that aspect.
  
  "Mark 16:17-18 - King James Version (KJV)
  17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"
  
  Well, when signs _follow_, it means that these are evident later, not necessarily at the current time (which would explain why believers may not be able to do these things now). Casting out devils could mean anything, but speaking with new tongues simply means they will be inspired to great oratory.
  
  "18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
  
  Anyone may "take up serpents" — the text doesn't actually state that the serpents won't kill them. As for drinking deadly things, this will likely cause them to be poisoned to death, but it will probably be a relatively painless death (without hurt), despite the grimaces on their faces (which God probably makes them do for the sake of discouraging others from following suit).
  
  Laying hands on the sick is merely a symbolic gesture — the recovering refers to the multiple times they do it.
  
  That's just off the top of my head. With some time devoted to it I could probably twist it into something completely unrecognisable. (I shan't be doing this, by the way.)

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Paul Jenkins "...and they shall recover.", clearly means that they'll put gramma's quilt back over her when they're done the 'laying hands' bit!"
  
  I think you're getting the hang of this.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Ian Taylor Well, we've all heard this kind of apologetics, sure, which amount to caviling. Not really the kind of thing GOD, as Jesus, would bother telling us, and not really the kind of thing a believer would believe Jesus meant to tell us.
  The Gospels really should come with a warning, you know, for the kids and the stupid, maybe even the faithful.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Paul Jenkins This matter of interpretation reminds me of a story I heard about a group of Plymouth Brethren who needed pews for their Meeting House. Someone alerted them to pews being salvaged from another church, but when the Brethren saw the pews they said they weren't suitable because there was the shape of a cross formed in fretwork in the back of each seat. (Plymouth Brethren eschew crosses).
  
  However, the Brethren were satisfied when it was explained to them that the pews did at one time have crosses carved into the backs, but they'd since been "cut out".

  2 hours ago · Edited · Like
• 

  Ian Taylor how pragmatic of them.

  2 hours ago · Like

It's ongoing, so there may be more...

Skepticule 51 is available for your listening pleasure

This is shorter than our usual podcast, but still contains plenty to ... complain about:

Bad SF; Theocratic school management; Hoax disaster rescue; Secular Promise; Rain dance killing; Muslim prayer TV call; Teenage TED cancer test; Westboro consistency;

http://www.skepticule.co.uk/2013/08/skepticule-051-20130713.html

Burnee links for Friday

Science education vs. high-profile ignorance | Ars Technica
Some say creationism in the UK isn't a problem, and that we don't need to worry about it. As for free creationist DVDs being distributed to British schools, "British school teachers are not stupid enough to uncritically accept these things." But what America has now, Britain often gets eventually. This is no time for complacency.

Science is not the Enemy of the Humanities | New Republic
Bask in Pinker's luminous prose, in defence of scientism.

Repudiating scientism, rather than surrendering to it » Pharyngula
In which PZ expresses his disappointment with Steven Pinker's essay on scientism.

100 of Britain and Ireland’s secular thinkers you should know about, who aren’t white men | The Heresy Club
This is a useful list — SitP organisers take note. (I'm reminded that all the speakers in the main hall on the final day of Winchester Science Festival were women. I'm also reminded that QED's list of speakers this year was satisfyingly diverse.)

National Secular Society - Woking Council issue 'clarification' on worshippers’ parking policy
Sounds like progress, but I'm wary. I'd like to see the criteria Woking Council are using to decide who gets free parking.

Skepticule's half century

Just a quick reminder in advance of an imminent Skepticule announcement: if you haven't yet listened to the 50th episode of Skepticule, in which the three Pauls engage in a bit of gratuitous retrospective self-congratulation, here's your chance. Catch it before it goes away! (It's not going away, but listen anyway....)

http://www.skepticule.co.uk/2013/07/skepticule-050-20130707.html

Including the regular Pearced Off, plus a bonus contribution, features and other goodies you didn't know you didn't want to miss.

Subscribe here:
http://www.skepticule.co.uk/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Get it from iTunes here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=330565544

Download the mp3 file here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/revup/Skepticule-050-20130707.mp3