Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

[KiwiInOz]

snip health related concerns.

So does Walter.

You know what sucks? Not having photos of Walter's giant schlong. Concentrated feels unloved, for one thing. :bjarte:

Apparently they call him "Subway" because of his foot schlong.

[decius]

Mykeru, this article covers the workflow concisely and has links to hardware and software.

http://www.sitepoint.com/8-professional ... tion-tips/

[Mykeru]

Can you throw me up some specification how that is done?

What programs for recording locally. Does it just record that one user's audio output?

Make model for "proper mic"? Are we talking headsets here?

We can make you the AV guy. Because everyone wants that job.

Yes, each user records locally their own track. I need to ask about the best setup without spending a fortune, but I guess pretty much any recording software goes.

Sorry, I would do it, but I'm only into photography and graphics with zero audio direct experience.

I guess the problem I have is that killer audio quality is nice, but at what point does all the extra steps, and inconvenience for the users, present diminishing returns? Especially when you already have a "herding cats" situation where you would be grateful to just get everyone in, on time and get that fucker done.

Is there a program that'll record a Skype session? If so, is the audio quality not atrocious?

I guess this is experience talking, but doing those extra steps gets to be a fucking grind really fast.

[Mykeru]

So does anyone know of a good way to record Skype? I know Reap does, but where the fuck is Reap when you need him?

If I can get that, I would gladly set up a Skype session over the weekend at a reasonable time and just kick that fucker out like I don't care about production values.

Best to give everyone a week lead time, so they know at the end of the week they are going to have to cough up the latest from Thimble-Dick and come prepared with something to savage.

[decius]

I guess the problem I have is that killer audio quality is nice, but at what point does all the extra steps, and inconvenience for the users, present diminishing returns? Especially when you already have a "herding cats" situation where you would be grateful to just get everyone in, on time and get that fucker done.

Is there a program that'll record a Skype session? If so, is the audio quality not atrocious?

I guess this is experience talking, but doing those extra steps gets to be a fucking grind really fast.

Of course, it all depends on what the goals and the format are.

It could be already a major improvement over most crap around if at least the host(s) geared up properly.
For the guests it is acceptable to sound as if they called in from a landline. If the format is roundtable, obviously it gets a lot more complicated.

http://www.pamela.biz/en/

[SoylentAtheist]

Update in Radford-Stollznow case...

Team Radford comes back swinging, with a new filing sourced from PACER and now available via links below. Included are the following two documents, filed on 5/12/14:

(a) Response and Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
(b) Exhibit Declaration of Ben Radford

Blockbot for the win? Way to up the ante Oolon?

I was even listed as a sexual predator on the social networking site Twitter

So Radford states that Karen has made false allegations against 3 other people. But he only lists Baxter & Reap in the Declaration.

After my experience with Stollznow's attacks on me, I learned that at least three other people, including her current husband, have had similar experiences with Stollznow making false accusations against them, including of a sexual nature.

That sounds like a potential gold mine for information.
[quote"Exhibit Declaration of Ben Radford"] To my knowledge, the only substantial volume of physical documents that may exist would be the file in the possession of Beth Gralnigna, the investigator that my employer, CFI hired to conduct an investigation into Stollznow's accusations against me, and to whom Stollznow provided the emails whose dates she had falsified. Although I have not seen her report, on information and belief her file and her report will contain other falsehoods from Stollznow.[/quote]

Also of interest is that both pz myers & Carrie Poppie are listed as potential witnesses. Careful Mr. Myers & Ms. Poppie. Don't perjurer yourselves.

So if this case wins out, do you think Mr. Myers & Carrie Poppie might also be on the hook for a defamation lawsuit?

[Beta Neckbeard]

I didn't see it, but Louis CK featured a plot on his sitcom that dealt with the fat shaming of women. It got a lot of praise from women viewers so of course Shakesville's McEwen has to shit all over it. (Paraphrasing) "CK just wants cookies! Why are you women giving him cookies for this and not the women who have been speaking out on this issue the whole time? Like me. WHERE'S MY COOKIES?! COOKIES!"

Honestly, why should cishest white guys bother dealing with SJW issues when they receive negative reinforcement.

It was the standard shit.

A woman baaawwwwwwwwwwws on the camera about what a hard life she has being fat, and how EASY fat guys have it for being fat. Because patriarchy. Fat guy Louis is all contrite and apologetic and takes his bitchslaps like the bitch he is.

Feminist reaction to being given everything they want?

LOOK AT THIS PIG MALE, JUST WANTS HIS COOKIES

Keep it up, feminism. Keep being toxic.

[youtube]KFdWcNJ17YY[/youtube]

[welch]

What the fuck? Is PeeZee going under? Is his family starving? Did he lose his job? What?!

He's got anal warts.

He's got the Laden? Oh man, that DOES suck.

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

So does cancer.

So does Walter.

You know what sucks? Not having photos of Walter's giant schlong. Concentrated feels unloved, for one thing. :bjarte:

I really want to see the great big love sausage that Walter flung around in the lobby of a cheap motel, with calculated insouciance and not a care for the minimum wage desk clerk who suggested he might care to restrict such behavior to his room and/or the nearest STD clinic. Come on, Walter, be the bigger man and show us some evidence.

[BaconNutellaFiend]

So does anyone know of a good way to record Skype? I know Reap does, but where the fuck is Reap when you need him?

If I can get that, I would gladly set up a Skype session over the weekend at a reasonable time and just kick that fucker out like I don't care about production values.

Best to give everyone a week lead time, so they know at the end of the week they are going to have to cough up the latest from Thimble-Dick and come prepared with something to savage.

PrettyMay's good for recording Skype. It will also let you inject .wav files into the call, so you can add effects during the recording, saving you from adding it in post-production. Or something.

http://www.prettymay.net/

[John D]

http://www.felsofokon.hu/sites/default/ ... n-7563.jpg
I'll take the one on the left. Very nice. I wonder if she likes spanking.... TMI?

[Mykeru]

PrettyMay's good for recording Skype. It will also let you inject .wav files into the call, so you can add effects during the recording, saving you from adding it in post-production. Or something.

http://www.prettymay.net/

What it doesn't save me is $350. Ack!

[SoylentAtheist]

Mykeru, this article covers the workflow concisely and has links to hardware and software.
http://www.sitepoint.com/8-professional ... tion-tips/

Syncing the audio after the fact could be a bit of a pain. But if you could get all the participants to begin recording at the same time and sing a common song, it should be much easier to get the audio synced up and sound levels adjusted.

[BaconNutellaFiend]

PrettyMay's good for recording Skype. It will also let you inject .wav files into the call, so you can add effects during the recording, saving you from adding it in post-production. Or something.

http://www.prettymay.net/

What it doesn't save me is $350. Ack!

$350? I paid like $25 for the full version:

http://www.prettymay.net/callrecorder/index.htm

[BarnOwl]

For Git, RoboKiTTY, Gumby, et al.-

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/national/v ... ack/nfwpZ/

[Stunt Whisper]

Parliament in Australia in which our Minister for Education calls the Opposition Leader a cunt.http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/pyn ... nt/x78q4ru

[justinvacula]

Beyonce, Jay Z and Solange Walk Into An Elevator ...

[DeepInsideYourMind]

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/05/harvard ... ation.html

Harvard’s Kennedy School Adds Privilege-Checking to New-Student Orientation

The wonks in training at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government will soon be subjected to a new and touchy-feely line of inquiry: Checking Your Privilege 101. In response to growing demand from student activists, administrators committed Friday to adding a session in power and privilege to its orientation program for incoming first-year students, according to student group HKS Speak Out.

“We’re at one of the most powerful institutions in the world, yet we never critically examine power and privilege and what it means to have access to this power,” says Reetu Mody, a first-year masters student in public policy and a campus activist. “We’re excited to have the administration on board for training all Harvard Kennedy School first years.”

The irony being ... if you go to Harvard, you are SOOOOO fucking privileged ... being black, disabled or even (god forbid) female is nothing by comparison ... Harvard privilege is like playing a Royal Flush whilst wearing a monocle and having your butler shine your shoes

[AndrewV69]

Troublesome Nick and the Timid Echoes of the Blank Slate

True, there are still plenty of fire-breathing Blank Slaters lurking in the more obscure echo chambers of academia, but, like the Communists, they are doing us the favor of gradually dying off. Their latter day replacements, having seen whole legions of behavioral “scientists” exposed as charlatans, are rather less self-assured in their virtuous indignation. Some of them have even resorted to admitting that, while it may be true that there is such a thing as human biodiversity, the masses should be sheltered from that truth. Predictably, they have appointed themselves gatekeepers of the forbidden knowledge.

Let us pray:
Dòmine Fili unigènite, PeeZuss Christe,
Dòmine Deus, Agnus Dei,
Fìlius Patris;
qui tollis peccàta mundi,
miserère nobis;
qui tollis peccàta mundi, sùscipe
deprecatiònem nostram;
Ameen!

[Lsuoma]

http://www.felsofokon.hu/sites/default/ ... n-7563.jpg
I'll take the one on the left. Very nice. I wonder if she likes spanking.... TMI?

So I said "Slap that and ride the ripples",
"I just gotta get me gob around her greasy nipples!"

[katamari Damassi]

It was the standard shit.

A woman baaawwwwwwwwwwws on the camera about what a hard life she has being fat, and how EASY fat guys have it for being fat. Because patriarchy. Fat guy Louis is all contrite and apologetic and takes his bitchslaps like the bitch he is.

Feminist reaction to being given everything they want?

LOOK AT THIS PIG MALE, JUST WANTS HIS COOKIES

Keep it up, feminism. Keep being toxic.

[youtube]KFdWcNJ17YY[/youtube]

Thanks for posting that Beta. Now that I've seen it, I'm kind of ambivalent about it. Firstly, it comes off as rather heavy handed(no pun intended)for Louis. Secondly, I also have to agree with him that she's not really fat. I'd describe her as slightly overweight or chubby, but not really fat, unless it's some kind of illusion created by her choice of clothing and she's much heavier than she appears. Still, I wouldn't give anyone cookies for this. Except Melissa McEwen, who is fat, and deserves ALL the cookies.

[John Greg]

The Wondermachine that is Stefunny InZvanity speaks from on high (http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamo ... authority/):

I argue very well in text. When I set my sights on demolishing what I consider to be an unfounded position (as opposed to discussing, say, what we do and don’t know about a topic), I frequently get comments from people who say they don’t want to get on my bad side. I hear from friends that they don’t want to get on my bad side.

People who don’t like me call it propaganda. They don’t say I’m bad at it. They don’t engage with my arguments. They just suggest that I don’t “play fair”. You know, they lost the argument, but not because they were wrong.

On top of being able to construct convincing, even devastating arguments, I have speech and theater training. I understand how speech, appearance, and body language are projected and read. I’ve rehearsed all of those until they’re largely under my conscious control.

Such modesty; such humility; such inZvanity.

:clap:

[John Greg]

I forgot to mention, the reason behind InZvanity's hubris is that she is explaining that the reason you will not see her on a podium debating anyone is not because she's full of shit, it is because she is a woman, and woman aren't allowed to debate because they always win and, more importantly, because she is just so damn good at it, that all of her potential debating partners/opponents are just scared shitless of going up against her. She's just that damned good.

:lol:

:whistle:

[dog puke]

I forgot to mention, the reason behind InZvanity's hubris is that she is explaining that the reason you will not see her on a podium debating anyone is not because she's full of shit, it is because she is a woman, and woman aren't allowed to debate because they always win and, more importantly, because she is just so damn good at it, that all of her potential debating partners/opponents are just scared shitless of going up against her. She's just that damned good.

:lol:

:whistle:

She is pretty incredible - just imagine what would happen if she went up against Dick-artillery Carrier?

[AndrewV69]

I forgot to mention, the reason behind InZvanity's hubris is that she is explaining that the reason you will not see her on a podium debating anyone is not because she's full of shit, it is because she is a woman, and woman aren't allowed to debate because they always win and, more importantly, because she is just so damn good at it, that all of her potential debating partners/opponents are just scared shitless of going up against her. She's just that damned good.

:lol:

:whistle:

O'Reilly? Erm ... I dunno how to break this to the InZvanity but I hear that a picture is worth a thousand words.

You-confession-was-total-BS.jpg

(71.4 KiB) Downloaded 315 times

[AndrewV69]

In other news:

Support-NSA-surveillance.jpg

(640.68 KiB) Downloaded 298 times

[James Caruthers]

http://37.media.tumblr.com/2e6f9c5f8320 ... 1_1280.png

Paging Dr. Hjornbeck, Dr. Hjornbeck to the front please...

[James Caruthers]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/74f4c42892fb ... 1_1280.jpg

http://37.media.tumblr.com/665f8dc200c5 ... 1_1280.jpg

What I especially like about ugly women painting "BEAUTIFUL" on themselves is that, if they succeed, the word "beautiful" will simply come to mean "fat, ugly, obnoxious feminist protestor" and they'll have to culturally appropriate some new words that have positive meanings.

Like how "BBW" became a code word for "fat," so then "curvy" became code for "fat," and "full-figured" became code for "fat," and now I guess "real woman" is the current code word for "fat."

Eventually, all positive descriptive words for a woman's appearance will become code words that mean "fat." 8-)

[Skep tickle]

Update in Radford-Stollznow case...

Team Radford comes back swinging, with a new filing sourced from PACER and now available via links below. Included are the following two documents, filed on 5/12/14:

(a) Response and Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
(b) Exhibit Declaration of Ben Radford

Key excerpts from the Response and Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (emphasis added, large portions removed): <snip>

Thanks for posting this. Interesting read. Buncha stuff about jurisdiction that I never had reason to learn about before, plus of course more details. Interesting claim that Radford consistently promoted Stollznow's work and connected her with opportunities in the skeptic community in the US and was (it's claimed) instrumental in her becoming well-known in that community...seemingly supported with details of dates, places, people, activities.

Such a minor thing in the big picture, but I'm amused by some of the scattered typos, for example in (a) on page 17, "Ms. Radford", and in (b) on page 12 in 32.L: "PZ Myers (Morris, Minnesota). Meyers is a..."

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

I find the wording to be quite "unprofessional" at times, but it might be my non-English privilege.

I do, however, like this part:

Rather, Mr Radford has been to Colorado only once, twenty years ago, to a Pink Floyd concert, a visit in no way connected to Stollzsnow.

I don't know, it just made me smile.

[Skep tickle]

The Wondermachine that is Stefunny InZvanity speaks from on high (http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamo ... authority/):

I argue very well in text. When I set my sights on demolishing what I consider to be an unfounded position (as opposed to discussing, say, what we do and don’t know about a topic), I frequently get comments from people who say they don’t want to get on my bad side. I hear from friends that they don’t want to get on my bad side.

People who don’t like me call it propaganda. They don’t say I’m bad at it. They don’t engage with my arguments. They just suggest that I don’t “play fair”. You know, they lost the argument, but not because they were wrong.

On top of being able to construct convincing, even devastating arguments, I have speech and theater training. I understand how speech, appearance, and body language are projected and read. I’ve rehearsed all of those until they’re largely under my conscious control.

Such modesty; such humility; such inZvanity.

:clap:

However well I argue, I don’t and typically won’t get asked to represent a group or a position in a debate as long as the outcome of that debate is considered important. When you want to make sure you win, you don’t put a woman behind the podium if you can help it.

We’re just not considered authoritative. It doesn’t matter how expert we are in reality, though it may matter that our opponents are grossly unqualified. It doesn’t matter how well-dressed we are, though it may matter that our opponents look unkempt. It doesn’t matter how poised and practiced we are, though it may matter if our opponents mumble and shuffle.

Though it is possible for a male opponent to lose to a female debater by failing to pay attention to what an audience looks for as signals of authority, but with all else equal, a woman is simply at a disadvantage in persuading a general audience that she carries as much authority as the man next to her.

<snip paragraph on mansplaining>

Nor is this denial of expertise always going to be a net negative in a debate. Women’s competence is sometimes alienating to an audience. In a debate that ultimately hinges on emotion rather than facts, the way abortion debates are often run, a woman may be at an advantage. We are, after all, stereotyped as experts in emotion.

But these represent a small fraction of debates. When you’re debating whether gods exist or debating the politics around the separation of church and state, being perceived as authoritative counts–well beyond expertise itself.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there is nothing I can do to persuade some people that I have any expertise at all. And it’s not for lack of putting out authoritative work.

So you won’t be seeing me on stage for a debate anytime soon. As I mentioned above, this isn’t a complaint. I understand why.

I’d just like us all to look the reasons in the face and understand what it tells us about the validity of debate as a proxy for being right or wrong.

Uhhhhhh....the people I know who are into debate seek it out, they don't sit by the mailbox & hope an invitation will arrive. Then after a while they might get a reputation as liking debate and being reasonably good at it, and get invited. Now, granted, the ones I know present as male, but I just figured I didn't know people who present as female who are into debate. Or, batten the hatches I'm going to say this but it's descriptive not proscriptive: maybe it's "more of a guy thing". At any rate, "putting out authoritative work", or at least work with an authoritative tone, seems unlikely to be a basis on which people would think of inviting a person to participate in debate, AFAICT.

Is Zvan peeved that August Berkshire, a former president of Minnesota Atheists, keeps getting asked by freethought groups in MN to debate Christians? He's a former president of Minnesota Atheists; she has held leadership position(s) in Minnesota Atheists (currently Associate President). But Berkshire just keeps getting that tap on the shoulder, for example he debated Christians (one at a time) in public events in in March 2014 at a Minnesota Atheists sponsored event, in October 2013 as praised here by PZ, who missed the gender aspect (warning, FtB link), and at least 3 times in 2010.

She's an Associate President of MN Atheists. She's an interviewer on their podcast. She speaks (or at least moderates panels) at conferences: Skepchickcon, Skepticon, Skeptech, WiS2, the 2013 Minnesota - American Atheists Regional Conference, and FtBConScience. What's to keep her from proposing a debate on a particular topic, to someone she'd like to debate? And to keep doing that, until she becomes known as a debater people want to interview to their debate events? (Or, not.)

Heck, she could even start within the SJW community, if it's too hard to find a Christian who wants to debate. :roll: She could challenge Greta on whether fiction about sex without consent is harmless, or Ally on whether the word "cunt" should be removed from the English language the world over, or Carrier on which of them has the greater intellectual prowess, or Grimalkin on whether or not using "stupid" is acceptable (as Zvan did twice in her May 11, 2014 post titled "The Reading List, 5/11/2014", though each time she was quoting an entry on her reading list). The possibilities are endless, and they could hold the debate AT one of these many conferences she attends. Wouldn't that be great entertainment for the attendees? (Though they'd have to check whether letting Zvan debate someone would violate the harassment policy...hmm.)

But of course, I have no knowledge of her history in this area. Perhaps she has tried the "big ol' 5 [on initiation]" approach (for standard debate topics for atheists) but was rebuffed - the other person refused to debate, or no-one came to listen. Or maybe she did do some past debate I didn't turn up in a quick google search, and she thought she won hands down, but the audience felt differently. Or, or. And it's not that she isn't correct that people with higher and/or softer voices (meaning, statistically, women more than men) tend to be seen as less authoritative, but whining about it isn't going to change anything.

And, hey, she could even get involved in something like this IN MINNESOTA: http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
It's for high school girls, but Zvan could participate as faculty, if she's so good-but-underappreciated. Or otherwise make her talents available. Or network with the faculty, including finding out how they find opportunities for debate. (It occurs to me that debate training would weed out those who can't argue both sides of an issue...are these more likely to be chills girls than 3rd wave feminists?)

[Skep tickle]

I find the wording to be quite "unprofessional" at times, but it might be my non-English privilege.

I do, however, like this part:

Rather, Mr Radford has been to Colorado only once, twenty years ago, to a Pink Floyd concert, a visit in no way connected to Stollzsnow.

I don't know, it just made me smile.

Yes, that was a nice little flash of whimsy, even if not intended as such.

[Skep tickle]

Damn, I post this long screed about Zvan & debates when really the answer is obvious. She should get involved in that newfangled kind of debating y'all were posting videos about in the past week or so. The time is ripe to for someone like her to bring some discipline and authority to what sounded like (I didn't watch) a kinda messy process.

Heh, or maybe she could be invited to debate a member of the Anarcho-whatevers, at one of their meetings.

[Richard Dworkins]

http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdbjh ... o1_500.jpg

What she's complaining about is that she doesn't look good in the kind of fashionable clothes she desires to wear that were specifically designed to fit someone of a different body shape and since she cannot fit into them or look good in them, its someone else's fault. It's like saying "I need feminism because I can't walk in high heels."

http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ptf ... 1_1280.jpg

She's fetishised herself. Why else would she be naked behind that picture.

I notice amongst this group there is a tendency to whine about people not seeing the "real them". I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you look like a blimp, that is the real you. It tells people a lot. It's not fat shaming to point out that they are fat. Whether they think they are a charming bubbly intellectual powerhouse or not, being excessively overweight is a sign of self neglect, self contempt, insecurity and lack of self-discipline. Of course they cannot accept that, so they blame someone else and stuff their faces to make themselves feel better.

In short. They all need feminism to help them blame others for their own insecurities and their own failings. Yeah it might as well be Catholicism or Scientology.

[Barael]

With all this fat acceptance/shaming talk going on (not to mention some medical disclosures of personal nature), I thought I'd share a bit too. 18 months ago I was a good 110kg+ (~250 lbs); I'm now ~81kg (<180 lbs) and ran just over 12km (just under 7.5 miles) in an hour yesterday which has been my long term goal ever since I started jogging over a year ago. Feeling pretty good.

That's about it. Carry on.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

I did my last 8 kilomètres TAP* in 42 minutes. 15 years ago. I have difficulty climbing the stairs to my apartment. And it's all my fault.

*8 kilometers to be run in less than 1 hour, full combat gear and a 11kg backpack.

I also beat the 100 meters dash record. I ran 102 meters.

[Skep tickle]

With all this fat acceptance/shaming talk going on (not to mention some medical disclosures of personal nature), I thought I'd share a bit too. 18 months ago I was a good 110kg+ (~250 lbs); I'm now ~81kg (<180 lbs) and ran just over 12km (just under 7.5 miles) in an hour yesterday which has been my long term goal ever since I started jogging over a year ago. Feeling pretty good.

That's about it. Carry on.

Yowza! Good for you! That's impressive.

[Richard Dworkins]

[youtube]KFdWcNJ17YY[/youtube]

I find her whiny "poor me" attitude far more off-putting than her weight. However once again its deeply insulting to suggest that her weight issues are the fault of someone else. The entire thing boils down to "how dare you not find me attractive." Whine whine whine, while all the while she expends that energy about half a dozen or more thin people jog by. But they're all the problem, Louie's the problem, culture's the problem, everything is the problem, everything but her.

And yet in her whine she completely dismisses that there are millions upon millions of overweight and insecure men that go through exactly the same thing as she because of her "sisters" attitudes, because to bring that up might mean that fat women complaints are nothing to do with them being women.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Oh, and yes Barael, very good for you. I don't think I have the will to be in shape anymore. That's so 2000. Gefan, on the other hand, lifts iron for breakfast. I barely lift my breakfast plate (when I have breakfast, which is almost never).

[Richard Dworkins]

I did my last 8 kilomètres TAP* in 42 minutes. 15 years ago. I have difficulty climbing the stairs to my apartment. And it's all my fault.

Exactly. My shape and health is exactly determined by the effort I make. If I, as I often do, sit on my arse all day drinking cola and eating crisps and smoking and stuffing my face with pizza my weight goes up and I find it difficult to climb a flight of stairs. When I stop, go walking every day, get onto the nicotine chewing gum and eat lots of salads the weight comes off and I feel much healthier. When I feel healthier I then go jogging, swimming and the weight comes off and I feel healthier. Then some fiend will give me a couple of ounces of weed, the weather will be shit and suddenly I'm back to sitting on my arse again.

I guess I should blame MOTHER nature. Smash the Matriarchy!!! Down with mum and dad!!!!

[Dick Strawkins]

[youtube]KFdWcNJ17YY[/youtube]

I find her whiny "poor me" attitude far more off-putting than her weight. However once again its deeply insulting to suggest that her weight issues are the fault of someone else. The entire thing boils down to "how dare you not find me attractive." Whine whine whine, while all the while she expends that energy about half a dozen or more thin people jog by. But they're all the problem, Louie's the problem, culture's the problem, everything is the problem, everything but her.

And yet in her whine she completely dismisses that there are millions upon millions of overweight and insecure men that go through exactly the same thing as she because of her "sisters" attitudes, because to bring that up might mean that fat women complaints are nothing to do with them being women.

I haven't watched his sitcom so I don't really know the background to the scene but a couple of thoughts hit me.
First, when she says that someone seeing them from afar would say they looked good together she is telling the truth - but it's the truth for the simple reason that we are accustomed to seeing guys who look physically like Louis CK (pretty average looking middle aged men) in relationships with women sho look like her (average looking, chubby middle aged woman.)
But...
At the same time Louis CK is not simply an average middle aged guy.
He is a world famous celebrity, probably one of the most highly regarded comedians working at this time.
So, while he looks like an average schlub, we know he is also famous and powerful (due to his celebrity) man.
The average schlub often goes out with women who look like her.
Famous celebrities tend to have more of a choice - especially if they start dating again after they are famous.

Of course this isn't restricted to men - famous women celebrities don't tend to pick man-off-the-street, middle-aged blokes for dates.
It is in fact 'normal' to see couples in which one of them is rich and famous (although average looking) and the other is far more physically attractive than the average partner of a non famous (but physically average looking) person.

Second, I thought the set-up for the point where he said "you're not fat" and she reacts offended, was too contrived.
It was obvious that this was a "does my bum look big in this?" no-win situation.
He either agrees - yes, you are fat (the insensitive bastard!), or he answers the way he does, and who knows, perhaps he has an actual notion of fat that corresponds to something far heavier than she is (for example, someone who is obese, like the woman on the train with "Beautiful" written on her body.) Perhaps he was just giving a truthful opinion.

[Dick Strawkins]

Damn, I post this long screed about Zvan & debates when really the answer is obvious. She should get involved in that newfangled kind of debating y'all were posting videos about in the past week or so. The time is ripe to for someone like her to bring some discipline and authority to what sounded like (I didn't watch) a kinda messy process.

Heh, or maybe she could be invited to debate a member of the Anarcho-whatevers, at one of their meetings.

I am trying to think of anyone on the FTB skepchick team who has been good in an open debate.
The best I can come up with are Matt Dillahunty and JT Eberhard - coincidentally both of whom Svan has clashed with online.

Myers is pretty useless in a debate setting - he gets flustered, can't think on his feet, and resorts to ad hominems and insults rather than arguments. Unless he is debating a bog standard creationist I wouldn't hold out much hope that he would be successful in any debate.

The four horsemen, Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett, were well known for volunteering for debates with theists. Indeed part of their attraction, a few years back, involved tuning in to watch them in live debates against the best that theists could put together.

But the FTB crew?
Think about it. PZ Myers, Ophelia Benson, Svan, Greta Christina, Jen McCreight, Rebecca Watson, anyone from Secular Women, Amanda Marcotte, Lousy Canuck, Laden.
Can anyone think of a single example of a high quality atheist/religious debate on youtube that involved any of these?
Of any of the above list I suspect Greta Christina would be the one who might have the ability to do it but has she ever tried?

Live debating is a skill but it is something that can earn you respect if you learn how to do it properly.
What we see instead with the SJL is the internet silo approach - the walling off of their community from dissent and the assumption of nefarious motives from those who criticize even the most minor of points of their narrative.

Svan has one skill. She is an excellent sophist. She is quite prepared to defend anything her own side does, no matter how indefensible it appears to outsiders. The reason she gets away with this is that in identity politics it will always be assumed that your side can do no wrong, and the other side can do no right. Identitarians are alway willing to latch on to any proffered excuse for their sides bad behavior, and any condemnation (no matter how fanciful) of the opposing sides action.
This approach can only work in an isolationist 'internet silo' situation - hence the refusal to engage in an open debate.

[James Caruthers]

Nobody would give that whiny loser on Louie the time of day if she was the same weight, same general attractiveness, but happened to have been born with a penis.

"Why don't you find my type of man attractive, boo hoo I'm so oppressed by you. I flirt with hot women and they flirt back because they know I'll never get with them. Waaah."

http://media.tumblr.com/c4f29a083982ec9 ... qz4rgp.jpg

Barael, it's awesome that you were able to lose that much. Great going!

Fat people bashing on thin people for being anorexic, eating disordered, unhealthy, "sticks" etc ignores the reality that some skinny people used to be fat, and through great mental discipline and physical exercise, lost the weight and kept it off. So anti-thin, pro-fat memes about "thin privilege" end up hurting formerly fat individuals, by denying them the credit that is rightfully theirs for their great accomplishment. I believe the website "Return of Kings" advocates dating formerly-fat women, claiming once-fat women aren't spoiled brats and they know the value of hard work. :lol: So take that recommendation for what you will. :lol:

The fat feminist going "don't fetishize me bro, btw I'm naked behind this sign" is funny. I get the impression from reading fat acceptance blogs that their ideal world is one where skinny people are spat on and treated like anorexic losers, and fat women are all universally sexually desired by all men (no longer a niche interest, but the universal standard of beauty). Thus leading to a situation where fat women command the greatest sexual power in society and can therefore make the most unreasonable demands in exchange for their sexuality. They probably look at paintings by Ruben as a prescription for where western beauty standards should go.

This gets into some PuA shit about Sexual Market Value, and basically how these fat women don't have the same ability to leverage their sexual attractiveness for what they want out of life as a thin woman would.

http://i.imgur.com/CtEA55M.png?1
^That's a joke, obviously.

Oh and let's not forget this, which is not a joke:

Male privilege nullifies quite a few body positive concepts. I’m not as versed in this area as others, but I have the general understanding that male privilege grants them less focus on their bodies.

So, no, it would be their oppressive standard inflicted on women. I, as a woman, shouldn’t have to accept obese male bodies.

And yes, thin culture affects women of all sizes. Please do not take it lightly.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

TBH I support her personal sexual preferences, and as long as it isn't me, she should sleep with whatever type of body she prefers and can get drunk enough for consent.

http://aboutthinprivilege.tumblr.com/

BTW I thought "transfat" was supposed to be a joke term. :lol:

[Mykeru]

PrettyMay's good for recording Skype. It will also let you inject .wav files into the call, so you can add effects during the recording, saving you from adding it in post-production. Or something.

http://www.prettymay.net/

What it doesn't save me is $350. Ack!

$350? I paid like $25 for the full version:

http://www.prettymay.net/callrecorder/index.htm

Oh. I clicked the purchase now link on that page which is for "PrettyMay Call Center for Skype".

I'm a dumbass.

[James Caruthers]

http://aboutthinprivilege.tumblr.com/

Fat shaming damages my psyche. My body benefits from thin culture which is also damaging to my psyche. The fact that our society is structured around keeping me thin is oppressive. The number of weight loss solutions out there is staggering. Weight gain solutions? There are very few, and worse yet, none of them work. At least for me.

So, I know I’m fat in my mind, I’m disabled in the sense that I cannot gain, and I’m pressured by society that there’s something wrong with me.

I know you’re concern trolling so you won’t be satisfied, but I’ve given more than enough justification for simply being who I am. Fuck off if you can’t handle it.

:lol:

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

I'm a dumbass.

I'm itching to change my signature right now.

[James Caruthers]

Transfat is a valid, serious identification for someone that mentally and spiritually knows their body type to be larger than it currently is.

-This blog is about my struggle as a person with thin privilege, (physically, I'm 5',6" and 135 lbs) but also as a transfat, (internally I am about 5'8" and somewhere around 240 to 310 lbs) with this identification, I suffer from fat discrimination as well, a concept known as oppression duality.

- Phantom fat is a real psychological state and an extension of the person that I am, please respect this if you intend to be an ally.

- If you are not actively working against thin culture, you are helping to foster it.

Is this a Poe,

is this the real life

is this just fantasy

caught in a landslide

no escape from reality

[youtube]fJ9rUzIMcZQ[/youtube]

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Oh dear, now I know Reap's actual first name. it will probably make my life much more interesting.

[SoylentAtheist]

Oh dear, now I know Reap's actual first name. it will probably make my life much more interesting.

Leave Oliver alone.

[Mr Radio]

Myers is pretty useless in a debate setting - he gets flustered, can't think on his feet, and resorts to ad hominems and insults rather than arguments. Unless he is debating a bog standard creationist I wouldn't hold out much hope that he would be successful in any debate.

The four horsemen, Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett, were well known for volunteering for debates with theists. Indeed part of their attraction, a few years back, involved tuning in to watch them in live debates against the best that theists could put together.

But the FTB crew?
Think about it. PZ Myers, Ophelia Benson, Svan, Greta Christina, Jen McCreight, Rebecca Watson, anyone from Secular Women, Amanda Marcotte, Lousy Canuck, Laden.
Can anyone think of a single example of a high quality atheist/religious debate on youtube that involved any of these?

I've only watched one theist vs atheist debate and that was Hitchens vs. Sharpton and the only reason I did that is because I don't like Sharpton -- the likes of Hitchens tearing him up was just too good to pass up. For the most part, atheism/science/etc debating religion/creationism is like shooting fish in a barrel and about as fun to watch once you've seen it before. If the FTB clowns were in the place of Hitchens of such a debate, it wouldn't be any different except the atheist side just became incalculably more insufferable to watch.

Now if there was a debate with something that FTB held dear, like the concept of privilege or the rape statistics myth, that would be fun to watch because anyone representing the opposition who has a firm grasp of the facts would destroy the FTB side, no matter how many rape accusations and ad hominems they throw. I've only seen video of PZ talking once, that being the "women as fucktoys" clip, and from that brief example of him speaking coupled with the volumes of idiocy he spews online, I cannot see him lasting more that five minutes in such a contest without him defaulting to invective and ad hominem or pulling a 1960 debates era NIxon.

[Tony Parsehole]

Transfat is a valid, serious identification for someone that mentally and spiritually knows their body type to be larger than it currently is.

-This blog is about my struggle as a person with thin privilege, (physically, I'm 5',6" and 135 lbs) but also as a transfat, (internally I am about 5'8" and somewhere around 240 to 310 lbs) with this identification, I suffer from fat discrimination as well, a concept known as oppression duality.

- Phantom fat is a real psychological state and an extension of the person that I am, please respect this if you intend to be an ally.

- If you are not actively working against thin culture, you are helping to foster it.

Where the fuck do you find this shite?
BTW, according to their logic, I'm trans-12-inch cock. I have a little acorn dick but I just know it's meant to look like a baby's arm holding an apple.

[Hunt]

From Zvan's post on her awesome debating skill:

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there is nothing I can do to persuade some people that I have any expertise at all. And it’s not for lack of putting out authoritative work.

Maybe the problem other people have with trying to assess Zvan's expertise is the same as I have. I have been trying to figure out exactly what Swan's qualifications are for literally years. This is the second time I've mentioned it here. I think last time I achieved some level of understand of what "analyst" means. But, really, how are you supposed to assess a person's qualifications from this mess?:

Stephanie Zvan is an analyst by trade, but she's paid not to talk about it. She is also the associate president of Minnesota Atheists and one of the hosts for their radio show and podcast, Atheists Talk. She speaks on science and skepticism in a number of venues, including science fiction and fantasy conventions. Stephanie has been called a science blogger and a sex blogger, but if it means she has to choose just one thing to be or blog about, she's decided she's never going to grow up. In addition to science and sex and the science of sex, you'll find quite a bit of politics here, some economics, a regular short fiction feature, and the occasional bit of concentrated weird. Oh, and arguments. She sometimes indulges in those as well. But I'm sure everything will be just fine. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

For all I can derive from that, she may be a high school dropout poseur exhibiting extreme Dunning-Kruger syndrome.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Oh dear, now I know Reap's actual first name. it will probably make my life much more interesting.

Leave Oliver alone.

Sylvia, you may find.

[Aneris]

From Zvan's post on her awesome debating skill:

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there is nothing I can do to persuade some people that I have any expertise at all. And it’s not for lack of putting out authoritative work.

Maybe the problem other people have with trying to assess Zvan's expertise is the same as I have. I have been trying to figure out exactly what Swan's qualifications are for literally years. This is the second time I've mentioned it here. I think last time I achieved some level of understand of what "analyst" means. But, really, how are you supposed to assess a person's qualifications from this mess?:

Stephanie Zvan is an analyst by trade, but she's paid not to talk about it. She is also the associate president of Minnesota Atheists and one of the hosts for their radio show and podcast, Atheists Talk. She speaks on science and skepticism in a number of venues, including science fiction and fantasy conventions. Stephanie has been called a science blogger and a sex blogger, but if it means she has to choose just one thing to be or blog about, she's decided she's never going to grow up. In addition to science and sex and the science of sex, you'll find quite a bit of politics here, some economics, a regular short fiction feature, and the occasional bit of concentrated weird. Oh, and arguments. She sometimes indulges in those as well. But I'm sure everything will be just fine. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

For all I can derive from that, she may be a high school dropout poseur exhibiting extreme Dunning-Kruger syndrome.

You also don't know my qualifications. I think it more important what someone writes — whether it makes sense — rather than what certificate they have earned elsewhere. In many cases you can't verify their achievements anyway, so it comes down to what they write anyway.

Stephanie Zvan would not gain anything would come out she actually has a degree in something. She probably does. She never showed her debate skills, since she never really discussed anything — and the selective moderation, keeping other people in mod limbo when she feels like it, obstructing disagreement and the like and having commentariat dogpilers as her auf do not qualify for anything.

[Aneris]

-> as her aid

[Hunt]

The Wondermachine that is Stefunny InZvanity speaks from on high (http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamo ... authority/):

I argue very well in text. When I set my sights on demolishing what I consider to be an unfounded position (as opposed to discussing, say, what we do and don’t know about a topic), I frequently get comments from people who say they don’t want to get on my bad side. I hear from friends that they don’t want to get on my bad side.

People who don’t like me call it propaganda. They don’t say I’m bad at it. They don’t engage with my arguments. They just suggest that I don’t “play fair”. You know, they lost the argument, but not because they were wrong.

On top of being able to construct convincing, even devastating arguments, I have speech and theater training. I understand how speech, appearance, and body language are projected and read. I’ve rehearsed all of those until they’re largely under my conscious control.

Such modesty; such humility; such inZvanity.

:clap:

Why is it that arrogant fucks always sound exactly the same? That passage could have come verbatim from the diary of Joseph Goebbels and nobody would even blink an eye.

Godwin!!!

[James Caruthers]

Transfat is a valid, serious identification for someone that mentally and spiritually knows their body type to be larger than it currently is.

-This blog is about my struggle as a person with thin privilege, (physically, I'm 5',6" and 135 lbs) but also as a transfat, (internally I am about 5'8" and somewhere around 240 to 310 lbs) with this identification, I suffer from fat discrimination as well, a concept known as oppression duality.

- Phantom fat is a real psychological state and an extension of the person that I am, please respect this if you intend to be an ally.

- If you are not actively working against thin culture, you are helping to foster it.

Where the fuck do you find this shite?
BTW, according to their logic, I'm trans-12-inch cock. I have a little acorn dick but I just know it's meant to look like a baby's arm holding an apple.

I knew you would appreciate it. 8-)

I google interesting terms and then look for blogs and forums that seem legit. The first time I heard "transfat" was in a clear joke context, so I didn't think that maybe they actually exist.

My transcock is 14 inches long and makes women faint. Don't oppress me by shattering my comforting delusions with painful reality! Reality is bigoted and oppressive!

[Hunt]

You also don't know my qualifications. I think it more important what someone writes — whether it makes sense — rather than what certificate they have earned elsewhere. In many cases you can't verify their achievements anyway, so it comes down to what they write anyway.

I think that depends heavily on context and subject matter. Where it counts, and for expediency, most people want to see the backing of academic qualification. Sure, it's not the full story; every so often there's the autodidact, like Einstein, who outshines all others.

Well, if it comes to that, I could always invest in the background check, even if "Zvan" isn't her real name. If I were obsessed (and I'm not), I could hire a private investigator and probably learn everything I want to know about her, and more.

[Mykeru]

I'm a dumbass.

I'm itching to change my signature right now.

Fine. I wasn't going to do it, but:

I did my last 8 kilomètres TAP* in 42 minutes. [...]

*8 kilometers to be run in less than 1 hour, full combat gear and a 11kg backpack.

You'd think the French army would train its soldiers to drop their packs before they started running.

[Mykeru]

My transcock is 14 inches long and makes women faint. Don't oppress me by shattering my comforting delusions with painful reality! Reality is bigoted and oppressive!

My transcock is hydra-headed and approaches the clitoris spinning like a lawn sprinkler.