poetics.info

Growing up on the Gulf Coast and now living in Florida on the Atlantic side, hurricanes are just a part of life. I experienced Frederic in 1979, which hit Mobile, Alabama, directly as a category 3. I remember walking outside during the eye of the storm and being overcome with awe at the pink-tainted stillness. [...]

I’m still on hiatus from hardcore blogging (for personal reasons), but I couldn’t resist posting this picture drawn by my niece. It made me smile. Thanks, KJ!

I have been too consumed with projects and personal issues to blog these past few weeks, and I need a little more time off from world news. But, I’m happy to report that two good friends of mine — Scott and Anne — have agreed to guest blog for me in the interim.
They also have [...]

Sam Harris recently gave a lecture at an “atheist” conference where he shocked his audience by telling them their use of the label “atheist” is a huge mistake — “a mistake of some consequence,” to be exact.
To understand the magnitude of his “seditious proposal,” you have to know that Harris is considered one of the [...]

Here’s a short and sweet article on Ayn Rand in Forbes online. (hat tip: Rick Gaber) I think the authors are right that the time is ripe for a truly secular morality — a morality that celebrates this life, however fleeting.
Phil Donahue once questioned Ayn Rand about her atheism. At the time, she was still [...]

I kept hearing about the avatar-maker at the Simpsons Movie website, so I thought I’d check it out…It’s amazing what different hair and eyeballs do for a person…

I happened across the winners of the top 10 best optical illusions today…this one of a pyramid is really cool!

I like the sound of that! I was telling a friend of mine the other day that I had a namesake on The Simpsons—Allison Taylor is Lisa’s rival at Springfield Elementary.
But, he just sent me this link that says Allison Taylor will be the new President on 24 next season! That definitely trumps my [...]

I’ve mentioned before that the debate on religion (faith) versus reason is “heating up,” and like the elections of 2008, the outcome of the debate promises to be a pivotal turning point in human history.
One glimpse into the dialog between a mystic and a rationalist can be read in the letters exchanged between Sam Harris [...]