Politics, duck

[sapote]

My favorite part of our debate-watching potluck last night was when McCain was carrying on about that three million dollar planetarium projector Obama approved funding for, and the people next to me kept going "What an unbelievably awesome thing to spend money on."

Me, I think the bear DNA thing sounded pretty cool too. Why do they always seem to call out the cool science funding first?

Comments

[lurkmuch.livejournal.com]

Hee! Two of the three of us watching it last night are former science museum employees. And we were all "SCIENCE EDUCATION, YEAH, THAT'S *IMPORTANT*, YOU COLOSSAL DOUCHE".

For we are nerds, and also easily worked up.

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

I kept listening to these "earmarks" in the last debate, and going "Bear genetics! Volcano gasses! AWESOME!". If they were like, we want fifty bazillion dollars for a DEATH RAY, I would be upset - oh wait, I am upset - but if someone wants to spend .0001 % of the federal budget so that some schoolkids in Chicago can see space, I am so on board I'm practically the captain.

(and apparently it wasn't actually an earmark! The Adler Planetarium people have written a letter (http://adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf) and they are just plain not going to stand for this!)

(ooh, ooh, and the bear hair study results (http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/09/17/news/news01.txt) say we aren't about to lose bears as a species! Which I personally enjoy knowing!)

Actually, with y'all's insider knowledge: is that a lot to pay for a planetarium projector, anyway? Apparently it's the cost of 2 new IMAX theaters.

[lurkmuch.livejournal.com]

A DEATH RAY?! THAT WAS AN *OPTION*?!?!?!

Ok, I am very against killing people...but I am totally on board with death ray. Ditto robots and disintegration beams. (I am at one with my inner John Sheppard.)

I have no idea what the going rate for projector is, other than *really fucking expensive*. (The science museum I worked for no longer has a planetarium because they couldn't afford to replace the projector, if that tells you anything.)

But the Adler Planetarium is totally sweet! I went there for the IJCL's Certamen back in 10th grade! And wow, that is the nerdiest thing I think I've ever said.

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

:( I am against real death rays! I am pro-fictional death rays. Maybe we could compromise at no real death rays and more writing grants! And robots for everyone.

See, that is a sad story about not having a planetarium anymore. That is why federal funding for science education is cool

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

Because they are douchbags!

Note to them: STOP SPENDING MY MONEY ON WEAPONS! I WOULD RATHER YOU SPEND IT LOOKING AT SPACE! OR FUCK, SEARCHING FOR UNICORNS! YOU ARE ALL JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE SCIENCE DOES SOMETHING USEFUL, UNLIKE YOURSELVES. AND UNICORNS ARE PRETTY.

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

I know! C'mon, John McCain? WHO DOESN'T WANT TO LOOK AT SPACE?

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

I never understood why they cut funding from SETA. It's a good program, with interesting results, with every little effort/money needed.

As opposed to things like a manned mission to Mars, which is ridiculous. We need to focus on AI probes that can function in diverse conditions that can terraform Mars into livable conditions before we pull the publicity stunt of sending people to Mars.

Yes, we will have to also work on technology...wait, I think I got off subject. Look up in the sky more!

[sapote3.livejournal.com]

You know what's interesting to me is - I'm not even, personally, all that into space exploration. Yes! I know! Even though I cry at the end of Babylon 5 EVERY TIME. But the awesome thing about human diversity is, I can be over here caring about crop rotation while someone else is caring about where we're going to go if that comet hits us.

I just think that's neat. Yay science.

[porntestpilot.livejournal.com]

That's true - and it's important we all care about different branches of science because that is what has kept us moving forward - technological advancement overall.

I care about crop rotation of hops, does that count?

Yay science.

Always.