A new group of atheists has arisen in society. Called the new atheists, they are not content to keep their views to themselves.

From the November 2010 (November already?) issue of Awake, the magazine of the door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Via Pharyngula

Hawing is in the news again after saying that there is no need for God in explaining the Universe. I’ma bit surprised it’s getting so much attention. Hawking hasn’t really changed his tune, and it’s not really a new argument.

Here’s Sean Carroll explaining things quite well:

Clifton Beach and Palm Cove

On a cloudy grey day today I crashed for a bit on the rocks at the end of Taylor Point, where there are a couple of patches of sea grass on which the turtles love to feed. It’s rare that they’re not there, and today I watched two small green sea-turtles feeding beside an oyster-encrusted rock a few meters from shore (in the top photo the rock is underwater at centre-right). You don’t see much, just a head poking up for a brief moment before they head back down again. Sometimes the shell breaks the surface, but normally the below is all you see.

Green sea-turtle

Trying to get a photo can be frustrating. You need to focus before the turtle shows, then try to grab the shot in the second or less that the turtle shows itself.

I’m looking forward to the return of blue skies… hopefully before my four-day long weekend is over.

The rather picturesque yellow-bellied three-toed skink

National Geographic reports:

Evolution has been caught in the act, according to scientists who are decoding how a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales (map), the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state’s higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

Read more.

Head over to Bad Astronomy for an explanation of why it’s iinteresting.

Two Falmouth teens made the job easy for local police officers setting up a stakeout in a community park last week, according to police.

Two officers had just arrived at Walton Park on Aug. 19 and parked a “bait car” with some valuables inside hoping to catch a crook and reduce the number of burglaries and other crimes reported there this summer, according to Falmouth Police Lt. John Kilbride.

But, according to Kilbride, an 18-year-old man instead broke into the surveillance van and took a bottle of water, apparently not noticing the officer in back behind a curtain. The second officer was out of sight near the bank of the Presumpscot River.

Then the alleged water thief and a friend stood next to the van, in front of a one-way glass window, and prepared to smoke some marijuana with a pipe made from a carrot. One teen even told the other that using the carrot would make it harder for police to bust them, Kilbride said.

“They found our surveillance van more attracting,” Kilbride said. “We literally just set it up and I got the call, ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ “

The crooks, if these failures warrant the title, won 3rd place on Countdown’s nightly Worst Person in the World segment, which is where I first saw it. A quick google found the story at the Portland Press Herald, where you can read more about this daring duo.

When I first got him, Mundi’s entire length could have fitted into this shot. He’s continuing to grow well on his diet of cichlid pellets and banana prawns. Now approaching 40cm, here he is when I first got him:

I was a little surprised and disturbed that people drop into pet shops looking for cheap goldfish to feed alive to their barramundi. I’ve used pellets since day one with no trouble.

When the hacker’s system crashes in Windows, as with all typical Windows crashes, Heckman said the user would be prompted to send the error details — including the malicious code — to Microsoft. The funny thing is that many say yes, according to Heckman.

“People have sent us their virus code when they’re trying to develop their virus and they keep crashing their systems,” Heckman said. “It’s amazing how much stuff we get.”

Source: ZDNet.com.au