Lili's opinionated thought for the day

I think there's not any difference between the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who oppose the culling of great white sharks that swim close to populated beaches and the dicks who protest when dangerous eucalyptus trees of species known to drop branches without warning are identified for removal. In both cases, it's a sentimental public exhibition of a love of nature at the expense of innocent human lives.

Lili's informational thought of the day

Some species of Eucalyptus or gum trees have a reputation for dropping branches without warning, especially in summer, and this can cause death or injury. The river red gum is particularly notorious for this problem, and the shedding of large limbs without warning is more likely to occur in mature trees. Despite the well-known risks, some dickheads like to protest when city councils and other organizations try to get eucalyptus trees of risky species removed from populated areas.

Lili's thought for the day

The striking and dynamic android characters in the science fiction movie Blade Runner were sometimes referred to as "andies". One of the actors who embodied one of the main replicant or android characters in that movie was Daryl Hannah. As a child she was reportedly identified as autistic child. Intelligent people who have been diagnosed as autistic are sometimes referred to as "aspies". Isn't life strange?

Lili's thought for the day

More interesting stuff about whistleblowers:  http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/encounter/whistleblowers/5253932

Lili's belated Valentine's Day thought

I think a lot of people believe that it is a mark of empathy or maturity to be more interested in loving someone else than caring about how much they are loved by that person. We are told that it is narcissism when we concern ourselves about admiration and love from others. Actually, that's crap. What kind of relationship do you think you might be in if the other person doesn't love you much, or you wouldn't really know one way or the other, or you aren't too fussed? Whatever it might be, it isn't a relationship. It's impossible to have a relationship with a doormat.

Savant doco on Australian TV Sunday night

The Human Camera is a documentary about Stephen Wiltshire MBE, the British autistic artist who has been called a savant. It is scheduled for broadcast on ABC2 on Sunday night, but it appears that you can actually watch the documentary at YouTube already.

One of the many people shown meeting with and talking about Mr Wiltshire is Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, an autism and synaesthesia researcher whose work I've found to be flawed or questionable in a remarkable number of ways. Notice how the professor kicks off his appearance in this doco with a very much leading line of questioning directed at the autistic artist?

This doco is part of the Extraordinary People series from the UK's Channel 5, the same television channel and the same series that gave us a totally questionable documentary about another man labelled as a savant, The Boy with the Incredible Brain, the documentary that sent Daniel Tammet on a rocket ride to international fame and which had a US version titled Brainman. The professor also appeared in that doco.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/human-camera/

Lili's warning of the day

Beware Australian online directories of doctors which list doctors who have been "struck off", with no warnings and with good reviews.

Fascinating ideas discussed in a way that explores rather than simplifies the many angles and questions

Lili's conflicted thought for the day

Michael Kirby; making me feel so proud to be an Australian, Scott Morrison; making me feel so ashamed to be an Australian. 

Lili's thought for the day

My name is Lili, I'm from Hell, and I'm here to make trouble.

Germaine Greer on literary biographies

"The greater cannot be processed by the lesser without coming out in lesser form." 

Lili's politically incorrect thought for the day

In the Australian media there's so much interest and concern about the PTSD of male returned soldiers. I wonder where is the concern about the PTSD of military women, including those who have been raped by their colleages, and where is the concern and interest in the PTSD of victims of crime, including the predominantly female victims of rape? Which group would actually be larger, males who are genuine PTSD cases or females who are genuine PTSD cases? 

Lili's horrified thought of the day

So you've had a letter, as in a handwritten item of personal correspondence, tattooed onto your upper back, where everyone is confronted with it whenever you wear a summer dress. I bet Theodore Dalrymple would have a thing or two to say about that, but maybe not to your face. 

Lili's question for the day

Has a skeptical paper or letter or other form of document about Daniel Tammet ever been published in a peer-reviewed journal? 

Lili's thought for the day

When Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi plays on the supermarket PA everyone sings along. 

Lili's thought for the day

I wonder who this person might be? Clearly doesn't like some books written by some memory sport champions who have reportedly disclosed the real story of Daniel Tammet. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A5R2B16D993AD/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp

Lili's proud thought for the day

I'm quite proud of this blog post or article:
http://incorrectpleasures.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/new-wave-and-old-fashioned-sex.html

Lili's astonished thought of the day

WHOOPS! Sixty-one book titles come up in a search of the Trove national library catalogue on the name of the book publisher Betascript. So many Australian university and public libraries buying expensive books that are apparently based on Wikipedia content! And a hundred and thirty-eight titles come up in a search on "Alphascript", and three titles in a search on "Fastbook Publishing" and......

Lili's uncharitable thought for the day

In this summer heat spare a thought for the countless children who will never be taken for a swim at the beach because their mum is too dumb to have a driver's licence and their dad's a deadbeat. And what about the kids who get horribly sunburnt every visit to the beach because their parent or parents don't really know what UV radiation is or how to deal with it? And there's the kids who will never discover sea creatures in ocean rock pools at low tide because their folks don't know about tide tables or tides or are too scared of sea creatures or live too far from the coast or don't have access to transport or simply can't be bothered organizing and executing such an outing. Spare a thought for all of the kids whose summer holidays were about watching mum and dad and mum and dad's friends getting pissed and smoking dope and talking shit. 

Lili's thought for the day

The mysterious Benjamin Jacob Hayempour is an advocate of anti-depressant drugs. That'll lend credibility to that therapeutic approach. 
http://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/2327-4972/pdfdownload.php?download=2327-4972-2-e106.pdf&&aid=15498

Lili's observational thought of the day

Educated women like to watch dramas about hunky men falling in love with emaciated women who have brown hair. 

Lili's demanding thought of the day

I want to know what are the most popular pies, and I want to see the data depicted in a pie graph. 

Lili's marine thought for the day

I love to leap up the crest of a great big wave and look at the faces of the people inshore about to get dumped. 

Lili's question for the day

Mr Thorpe, are those prescription drugs doing more good than harm or more harm than good?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-03/ian-thorpe-in-rehab-for-depression/5235576

Lili's thought for the day

If you've been entertained by the real story of Daniel Tammet you might enjoy reading about Benjamin Jacob Hayempour aka Ayden Jacob at this blog post and comments:
http://retractionwatch.com/2014/02/01/dmca-notice-forces-removal-of-post-critical-of-author-who-threatened-to-sue-retraction-watch/

Lili's slightly amazed thought of the day

In all seriousness, "extrasensory perception" is listed here as a savant skill, and the author is citing the work of another researcher who is recognized as an expert. Is this science?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677584/

Lili's seasonal thought of the year

"Back to school" and Christmas - are there any worse times of the year for consumerism gone mad? 

Lili's thought of the day

Dozens of instances of plagiarism in pop science books are only the result of carelessness? I can't help wondering how careless his science is then. 
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/wolpert-admits-carelessness-over-unattributed-sources.html

I've got to wonder why the blog article reporting this story at the popular blog Retraction Watch hasn't been given the label of "plagiarism" even though that is the main topic of the piece and the word "plagiarism" is in the title and "plagiarism" is a label that is well-used at that blog.