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| Representations | [[ Harold and Aaron sitting on a hilltop under starry skies... ]]
/ Aaron: When we understand something, we've developed some sort of mental model for how that thing works. / Aaron: In a sense, it's as if there's a replica of that thing, albeit an abstract virtual one, saved in our brain. / Harold:... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=572 |
| The Ultimate Representations | [[Scene: starry night; landscape with no trees.]]
/ Harold: If the advance of knowledge is nature organizing itself as better representations of itself*, where does it all end?
/ [* - See previous comic for 1st part of this discussion.] / Aaron: I guess the ultimate representation is the creation of... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=573 |
| Epiphany | [[ Ferdinand sitting in front of a television while Harold looks on... ]]
/ Ferdinand: I've just had an epiphany! I'm leading such a pathetic life!!! / Ferdinand: All I do all day is read comics, play video games, and watch superhero animated movies. / Ferdinand: Maybe I need to do more-- like raise... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=574 |
| Giving Versus Taking | Annual Taxes Paid Versus Money Received
/ [["Federal Spending Received Per Capita" on x-axis, "Federal Taxes Paid Per Capita" on y-axis]]
/ Red: States that voted Republican in 3 or 4 of the last 4 presidential elections / Purple: States that voted twice for each party / Blue: States that voted Democratic... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=575 |
| Artist and Audience | [[ Harold and Aaron sitting back against a tree on a point of land. ]]
/ Harold: What's the proper relationship between and artist and his audience? / Harold: If the artist always caters to the audience, then it's pandering. / Harold: If the artist ignores the audience, then it's arrogance. / Harold:... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=576 |
| Lil' Calamities and Curious George | [[ Lil'Ferdinand, watching TV. ]]
/ Adult: TV again? Why don't you do something constructive, like read a book?
/ [[ Adult (off panel) hands a book to Lil'Ferd.]] / Lil'Ferd: Man, I hate reading! What is this?... "Curious George"? / [[ We now see a page from a "Curious George" book, where George (a... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=577 |
| Disconnect | [[Harold and Aaron are out for a walk with a sunset in the background and red trees.]]
/ Harold: In our modern Western society, we value critical thinking and the scientific method for acquiring knowledge. / Harold: Nevertheless, our education system still puts a large emphasis on rote learning and instilling... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=578 |
| The Treachery of Images | Raymond: The text bluntly reminds us that the picture is nothing more than a representation.
/ Harold: But there's also the irony that _everything_ we see is really just a representation. / Harold: What do you think, Ferd?
/ Ferdinand: [[weeping]] It's so _sad_!! What could be more heartbreaking than... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=579 |
| The Tweaker Strikes Back | Text Panel: For the upcoming release of Star Wars on Blu-Ray, here's a sneak peek at some of the changes made by George Lucas. / Caption: The Cantina aliens are replaced by cuddly creatures...
/ [[ Obi-Wan and Luke look at a blue cat, red dog, and green bear creatures. ]]
/ Obi-Wan: What happened to the... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=580 |
| The Physics of Math | [[Aaron and Harold are walking through the woods]]
/ Aaron: Biology is just applied Chemistry, and Chemistry is just applied Physics, but Math stands above them all as the most pure discipline. / Aaron: Mathematical truths are absolutely necessary and transcendent, but our knowledge of these truths always... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=581 |
| Interbreeding | [[ Harold and Aaron at a lake, sitting at the end of a dock. ]]
/ Harold: The conventional view has been that humans today descended from a single population that arose in Africa and replaced all other Homo species without interbreeding. / Harold: But recent evidence suggests that Homo erectus, Neanderthals,... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=582 |
| Serene for Now | [[ Harold and Aaron sitting on a hill top under starry skies ]]
/ Harold: The nighttime sky sure is peaceful. We're pretty lucky that such a serene place like earth exists for us to live on. / Aaron: Serene? Asteroids wider than a half-mile strike the earth every 250 thousand years or so. That means... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=583 |
| Time Dilation | [[ Ferdinand at a bar, trying to pick up a young lady. ]]
/ Ferdinand: According to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, time goes slower the lower something is in a gravitation field. / Ferdinand: That means I'm actually younger down here [[ Ferd points down himself]] closer to the earth than at... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=584 |
| Spreading Science | Text Panel: As Science become increasingly important in our society, what is the best way to inspire kids to study these subjects? / Caption: Fill a large auditorium with people with Science degrees, and sprinkle in kids that are less interested in science...
/ [[ We see a young kid in an auditorium... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=585 |
| A Time for Every Skill | [[ Aaron and Harold take a walk. ]
/ Harold: People often think of survival of the fittest as survival of the absolute best, but really it's only best for a given environment. / Harold: Viewed this way, every skill, no matter how obscure, may have some use if just given the right situation to thrive... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=586 |
| Michele Bachmann | Text Panel: Michele Bachmann doesn't think Evolution or Global Warming are true, and she's said the cervical cancer vaccine has caused mental retardation. Here's an exclusive look at her views on other Science topics. / Caption: On Gravity:
/ Michele Bachmann: Why should we believe something that's... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=587 |
| Life Without Death | [[ Harold and Aaron take a walk... ]]
/ Harold: It won't happen during our lifetime, and maybe not the next generation, but someday soon we'll have the technology to prevent death from old age. / Harold: The afterlife is such an important aspect of so many faiths. What will happen to religion in a world... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=588 |
| Presidential Prejudice | Ferdinand: In 2008, the U.S. finally elected a black president. But looking ahead to 2012, there's still a lot that can be done for underrepresented groups. / Ferdinand: Those with facial hair clearly face prejudice. We haven't had a president elected with a beard or mustache in over 100 years! / Ferdinand:... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=589 |
| Who Benefits from US Prosperity? | [[ Today's comic is a chart. ]] / [[ Heading: Who Benefits from the United States' Prosperity? ]] / [[ Left (vertical) heading: Percentage Change Since 1967 ]]
/ [[ Left scale runs from negative 40% to positive 100% in 20% increments. ]]
/ [[ At 0%, a horizontal line extends rightward showing the year,... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=590 |
| Lying | [[ Harold and Aaron, walking along an open ridge-line...]]
/ Harold: Lying is ubiquitous in out society, especially the "white lies" we use to spare feelings-- from telling someone she doesn't look fat in a dress to hiding details about past relationships. / Harold: But even when we have good intentions,... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=591 |
| Ig Nobel Prizes | Text Panel: The Ig Nobel prizes were recently awarded for "Research that makes people laugh then think." Here's a look at some of the winners. / Caption: The Chemistry Prize was for determining the ideal density of airborne Wasabi for waking people in an emergency.
/ Ferdinand: But really, the best... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=592 |
| Then and Now | [[ Harold and Aaron take a walk. ]]
/ Aaron: Fifty thousand years ago people went from birth to death, repeating the exact same routines and customs as any previous generations they could remember. / Aaron: They had no expectations of any changes or innovations within their lifetimes. / Harold: And... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=593 |
| Ten Years Later | [[ A two part graph ]]
/ [[ Left half heading: "Deaths in the U.S. in the last ten years" ]]
/ [[ A tall blue column represents the deaths due to "Cancer": 5.61 million. ]]
/ [[ A thin blue line, almost no height at all, represents deaths due to "Terrorist Attacks": 2,977 ]] / [[ Right half heading: "Money... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=594 |
| Destructive Forces | [[Harold and Aaron are walking through the forest.]]
/ Harold: Throughout history, religion has been a destructive force, bringing great suffering, torture, and death. / Harold: But with the many weapons of destruction created by physicists, biologists, and chemists in the 20th century, is science any... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=595 |
| Making the Big Time | [[ Harold on a park bench with a young man. They're talking, the man happily describing his accomplishments. ]]
/ Harold: So you're an actor?
/ Man: Yup, I fell in love with acting at age five, and have been involved with theatres one way or another ever since. / Man: I finished first in my class at... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=596 |
| Irreversible | [[ Ferdinand and Harold, sitting with their backs against a tree, on an island or spit, looking out across the water. ]]
/ Harold: Sooner or later we all make mistakes in life. / Harold: But frustratingly, no matter how hard we try, it's impossible to reverse the past. / Ferdinand: #@%*ing entropy. / {{alt:... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=597 |
| An Unprecedented Opportunity | [[ Ferdinand sitting in front of a computer, as Raymond watches. ]]
/ Raymond: The Internet provides an amazing and unprecedented opportunity for self-expression. / Raymond: No time in history has it been easier for someone to share their singular vision with thousands or even millions of people without... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=598 |
| The Great Debate | [[ Not the usual cast of characters today. Two men, rapping into mics. ]]
/ Harlow Shapley: Da outer part of da galaxy is where da Sun's at, if ya playa hataz say "no" then rat-tat-tat goes my gat, spiral nebulae are part of da Milky Way, otherwise Andromeda's too #%@*ing far away! / Heber D. Curtis:... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=599 |
| The End of the Iraq War | [[ Harold rushes in with news, finds Aaron at a table reading a newspaper. ]]
/ Harold: Did you hear? After over eight years, the Iraq war is ending! Obama announced that all troops will be home by December 31st! / Aaron: So can we use the money saved from the first two weeks out of Iraq to finally... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=600 |
| Studying Time | [[Ferdinand and a guy are sitting on a bench.]]
/ Ferdinand: So what do you do?
/ Theoretical physicist: Theoretical physics -- I study the nature of time and time travel.
/ Ferdinand: What about particle physics? / Theoretical physicist: Theoretical Physicists in the 1960s and 1970s were incredibly successful... http://calamitiesofnature.com/archive/?c=601 |
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