There's a rise in I-want-to-believe, I think, when the real world has been particularly horrific. The 19th century boom in spiritualism occurred after the Civil War—why wouldn't people want to talk to loved ones who had died far too early? The Cottingly Fairies fraud happens right after Britain had sustained its…

At this point, there's a lot more than a million at stake for Randi and his fellow debunkers. They have a vested interest in not having anyone meet the parameters for the challenge. But that's not really a good way to do science. It's basically a PR gambit.

There does seem to be some sort of observable minor "psi"…

Well, a good number were out to seduce you.

But the history of fairy lore is interesting—they go from full-size, pass as humans and fairly dangerous to cute little things hiding in flowers with wings. Neil Gaiman's pointed out that there are these references in ballads in Shakespeare to a kind of fairy mythology (just…

Yeah, I have an affection for the Cottingly fairy photos—they're just so charmingly period. It's odd how not-obvious the paper figures were to people. Says a lot about how our skill in looking at photographic images changes. I know, for myself, that Photoshopped changes have become more obvious to me over the years.

Well, I like Amy Adams and the story's an interesting one. Sounds better than what he did to Willie Wonka, so Netflix and I have a future date.

Yeah, it's just kind of tossed in there in Collins' attempt to slaughter as many likeable characters as possible. I don't mind the death as much as the way it doesn't add up to much.

I think she wanted Harry, the orphan, to finally have a real family as his own as a happy ending, but I honestly wish she'd just left it open and not shown us 20 years later and tied it all up like that. Particularly as she can't leave Potterverse alone. She tied up too many loose ends.

Yep, neither match is a good one. Ginny was never much of a character and it's hard to believe Hermione would put up with Ron's lack of intellectual curiosity or he with her know-it-allness. I just don't really believe they'd find one another all that interesting.

I just started watching Dr. Who about a month ago. Start with the first New Who—"Rose"—the Christopher Eccleston season. It's written so you can pick some stuff up as you watch. The whole season has a nice arc to it. I'm now most of the way through the Matt Smith section and stories are getting sloppier, so while…

NASA Ames actually hosts Lego robotics tournaments and sponsors its own huge girl's robotics team. So, I suspect there are lots of small Lego pieces around . . .

Oh, I really need the next season of OITNB to show up. I'm not really a huge TV watcher, but I've already watched both seasons twice—there's something about the show that keeps me company.

There are 3D printers that make stuff out of food—though smoothies aren't on the menu. Chocolate, on the other hand, is big.

Don't know if there's a 3D food printer in space—cuz you still need the chocolate for printing.

Rosemary's Baby is an oldie, but goody—all sorts of subversions of stereotypes—old people are harmless, everybody care's about the well-being of mothers-to-be, someone will come and rescue the lady-in-distress, your husband will sacrifice anything for his family. I've been watching it while knitting Xmas gifts and,…

Yep. This is the issue I had with the essay. Well, that and the lumping a group of people together by skin color. I get the intentional irony, but it comes off as kind of callow and weirdly holier-than-thou.

So, reading up on it, it looks like the old pertussis shot, which is what I have, is meant to confer lifelong immunity, so I'm not going to panic. But, no, I don't want pertussis. My father had to repeat first grade because of whooping cough. Longgg time ago, but I get that it's serious.

It's interesting to me that Republicans were willing to hold up the appointment of the Surgeon General for a *year* because the NRA didn't like his thinking gun violence was a health issue. Then, of course, they had the gall to screech about not having an Ebola Czar . . .

Depends on the state. It's much harder in some states to get exemptions than others. I think it needs to be made really hard—i.e. health reasons with a doctor's notice.

No. Homeschooling is not helping matters.

Okay, so if you've gotten the old vaccine, how needed is a booster shot? And when? Because I don't remember when I had my last booster shot and have probably been riding on herd immunity since heaven knows when.

Funny thing is, Pharma doesn't make that much money on vaccines. I think it's all part of the continuing right-wing plot to damage trust in government and various institutions, which means more control by private corporations and less accountability.

I did get into FB argument with an anti-vaxxer on the libertarian…