Cosmological conversation with my dad

Dad: How far away is the sun?
Me: A little over eight light minutes.
Dad: I meant in miles.
Me: Well, light travels at about 186,282.397 miles per second, so the distance to the sun would be a little over 186,282.397 × 60 × 8 miles.
Dad: I don’t think I’ve ever told you this before, but… Piss off!

End of an era

It was bound to happen eventually.

This morning, I went to the cash point for some money, only to be presented with a wad of brand new £10 notes featuring Jane Austen instead of Charles Darwin. It’s the end of a magnificent era.

Austen tenners
Some Jane Austen tenners (and a Charles Darwin tenner) this morning.

Call it sour grapes, if you like, but I’m unimpressed by the new notes. I was always going to be. Replacing Darwin could be nothing but a huge step backwards, as far as I was concerned. But the new, plastic tenners are way too Austentatious for my taste. I understand and support the calls for more women on bank notes, but couldn’t we have had the Brontë sisters instead? Three women for the price of one, who would also plug another outrageous gap of there being no people from the North of England on our bank notes.

Still, the Darwin tenner had an excellent run, and I’m pleased to report I still have several pristine notes tucked safely away inside one of the many Darwin biographies on my study bookshelves.

Now we are 4,000

I'm pleased to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their 4,000th member: John Davison of Wessex, England.

Welcome!

The Darwin bicentennial oak, 8 years on

Eight years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden. I am pleased to report that it is still doing well.

I have now spent eight years gathering material for the longest time-lapse movie ever. Or should that be shortest?

The name's Darwin: Charles Darwin

KILLER FACT: Charles Darwin once rubbed shoulders (literally) with fellow heroic British icon James Bond. In the opening credits to Daniel Craig's first Bond film, Casino Royale, in fact. Can you spot him?

Darwin meets Bond

That chap gets everywhere.

Attenborough reads Darwin

In celebration of his 90th birthday, the BBC has released a short video of Sir David Attenborough reading from the final paragraph of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species:

It's the classic Darwin quote. I read the same paragraph in its entirety at the funeral of my Friends of Charles Darwin co-founder, Fitz. I have also left instructions for it to be read at mine.

The Darwin bicentennial oak, 7 years on

Seven years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden. I am pleased to report that it is still doing well.

I have now spent seven years gathering material for the longest time-lapse movie ever. Or should that be shortest?

Hello, Iraq! 🇮🇶

Iraq

I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their first member from Iraq: Dana Tofiq of Sulaymaniyah. Welcome!

We now have members in 94 countries.

We receive feedback

Monkey facepalm

By far and away the most popular page on the Friends of Charles Darwin website for attracting inane creationist comments is the frequently asked question page, If humans evolved from monkeys, how come there are still monkeys?

I never approve these comments, as it's my policy not to give creationists publicity on this website. They can go and spout their bullshit on their own websites, as far as I'm concerned. But the latest creationist comment amused me so much that I thought I would give it a blog post all of its own.

Warning: The following quote contains occasional ‘rude’ words, betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of evolutionary theory, and uses AN AWFUL LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS:

JUST SHOW MWE A MONKEY NEW OR OLD THAT CAN STILL EVOLVE (CHANGE) INTO A HUMAN. TODAY THAT STILL CANT EVEN BE GENETICALLY DONE. SO ITS A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT, JUST ANOTHER REASON NOT TO BELIEVE IN GOD. STOP LETTING THESE PPL FLOOD UR MIND WITH THSESE LUDICROUS ACCUSATIONS. NOT ONE OF THESE MONKEYS CAN HELP ME WITH ANYTHING TODAY, NOT ONE. DO ANY OF U PRAY 2 MONKEYS, LIKE AS UR GOD? ALOT OF MONKEYS DONT EVEN EAT MEAT, IF THEY DO ITS LIKE MONTHS WITHOUT IT. PPL THAT DONT EAT MEAT IS ONLY BECAUSE THE THOUGHT OF IT. KILLING AN ANIMAL GROSS OR ETC. I SHOULD HAVE SOME OF THE SAME GENES AS MONKEYS WE ALL SHOULD. I CANT CLIMB A FUCCIN TREE AND SWING ON BRANCHES AND SHIT, NOT TOO MANY PPL CAN. I MEAN THERE MUST HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT RACES OF MONKEYS. LIKE THE MEXICAN MONKEY, CAUCASIAN. BLACK, ETC. FUCCIN MONKEYS SPEAKING SPANISH AND SHIT, MAN PLEASE. SHOW ME ONE MONKEY BESIDES CEASAR THAT CAN SPEAK, AND HE WAS IN A FUCCIN MOVIE. OR THE MOVIE BEFORE THAT WHRE BU HAD ALL THESE MONKEYS TALKING AND SHIT. PLEEEEAAAASE STOP FEEDING IN TO THAT BULLSHIT.

So, there you have it. I'm not entirely sure whether the person who submitted the comment was trying to be serious, or whether they were just having a laugh, but they certainly made me chuckle. Thanks.

(Before you say anything, I am fully aware that the phrase ‘inane creationist comments’ is tautological.)