It’s funny, and although it’s based on the Christian dogma of the holy trinity for its main characters (so far), the humour is delivered with enough brickbat simplicity that anyone can appreciate the gags.

At a time when FOX is taking legal action against YouTube (owned by Google) for distributing it’s copyright content without license (after a user uploaded it) it nice to see the opposite side of the coin – YouTube being used to generate a fan base for a show that may one day get snapped up by the likes of FOX.

[Update: When Em watched the intro to the second episode she had a flash of inspiration. "Oh I want that ringtone!" said she. I've asked Mr. Deity who (obviously speaking through Metatron) said "Yeah, I'm gonna do that soon". Cooool. I've been in places all over the UK where I've heard the CTU ringtone, but having a Mr. Deity alert would slightly up the exclusivity ante.]

[Ringtone Update: Mr. Deity Ringtone now available. ]

Mr. Deity Episode 1: Mr. Deity and the Evil

Mr. Deity Episode 2: Mr. Deity and the Really Big Favor

Mr. Deity Episode 3: Mr. Deity and The Light

Mr. Deity Episode 4: Mr. Deity and the Messages

Episode 5: Mr. Deity and Lucifer

More?

More Mr.Deity at the website: MrDeity.com

Reviewed at
Amazon.co.uk
In a society where the religious spectrum comprises atheists, agnostics, believers and fanatics, it’s the the atheists and agnostics that are often under represented in government due to a lack of union-style lobbying power that large religious organizations wield.

The pledge is therefore interesting because it may provide our elected representatives with a reason-based frame of reference against which to consider the demands of religious organizations, helping them be assessed equally on merit.

1. Will it make the necessary 625 pledges?
2. Will any MPs reject the book?
3. Will they have to declare it as a gift?

This raises many so many interesting questions!

1. A list of MP’s and their benefactors is being maintained on the web.
2. Find out more at PledgeBank: Church and State.

Jedi leaders from Coruscant to Endor say its teachings prevent its masters placing children with lifeform collectives that only comprise one or two genders and have threatened to close their adoption centres if bound by the Imperial Senate’s rules.

The Equality Act, due to come into effect in all star systems this April (no matter how far they are from the bright centre of the Universe) outlaws discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on any basis to any lifeform (excluding droids); so families with any number of genders will be able to adopt, even those with only one or two.

Jedi Master Leia Skywalker and a counterpart in The Empire, Grand Admiral Nooka, have written to Galactic Senator Shubi. They say “rights of conscience are insignificant compared to the power of the force, however well-meaning”, citing the late Lord Vader’s tragic personal story of poverty and neglect at the hands of a supposedly loving humanoid family comprising only two genders, which has resulted in the channeling of his anger for dictatorial gain.

Much of the evidence supporting the Jedi/Sith case was gathered by Jedi Master Kenobi during long term field research where he monitored the cognitive and emotional development of Lord Vader, who was then known only as “The Boy”.

Matter of conscience

The former arch-enemies point out that Lord Vader’s wayward tendencies can be directly attributed to his adoptive family having only two genders.

They also highlight that exceptions have already been made for those whose conscience dictates they cannot take part in certain work, such as doctors unwilling to perform surgery on gungans. There is the famous case where Jedi Master Kenobi himself refused to take part in the culmination of a duel with Lord Vader, becoming more powerful than his foe could possibly imagine as a result.

In a holo-chat earlier today Grand Admiral Nooka suggested that “when you over legislate and intervene too much in people’s private lives, in the long run you end up with a Death Star being used to cure all ills which it cannot”. Leia concurred, observing “the more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

Han Solo could not be reached for comment, be we assume he might have said: Hokey religions and ancient prejudices are no match for good legislation.

Source: BBC News – Churches unite over adoption row
Image: Lucasfilm
See also: Richard Dawkins

A series of articles in BoingBoing have recently highlighted the fun that can be had by using anagrams of station names on tube maps, and one article in particular described how Transport for London (TFL) were attempting censor the publisher of one such anagram map because it infringed on their copyright.

It’s a bit of a kneejerk reaction, but I can understand their desire to protect what must be a jolly good revenue stream.

The revenue stream is, of course, linked to that specific map, and the relevance of that map is now diminishing, in part thanks to a fabulous example of what can be done with Google Earth – where the route of every London Underground line has now been modeled.

It was whilst looking at this insanely cool map (and wondering if TFL could claim copyright on it because they own the design of the track, and therefore the shape) that the clue became apparent, writ large over, under and throughout the whole of Greater London.

Here’s what the London Underground network looks like when viewed from the north west:

Anyone familiar with pastafarianiam will immediately spot that TFL cannot claim copyright because of prior art; and not just any old prior art, but the original drawing of the FSM Himself.

TFL may argue that their track shape existed before Bobby Henderson’s 2005 drawing of the FSM, but the FSM must have existed before TFL’s track, in order to first create the universe in which the track resides; so if any copyright is held on the shape, then it must be with the FSM Himself!

Yarrrr!

This is without doubt, one of the largest clues that the FSM has ever left for His loyal pirate followers, who will surely redouble their pirately activities, prime the beer kegs and await the coming of the FSM, for the London Underground Network is indeed designed in the shape of His Noodly Self.

This similarity is not a wind up, that really is the shape of the london underground, and that really is Bobby Henderson’s unaltered drawing from his open letter to the Kansas School Board.

I’m off to get my pirate costume dry cleaned; I want to look my best when He arrives.

The fact that supporters of intelligent design are casting doubt on evolutionary theory is fine, it’s an important part of scientific method that our theoretical models are challenged; however, I must register my strong disapproval that the board has deemed it necessary to redefine “Science” in order to shoehorn justify their decision.

the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

Does anyone know where the new definition lives? I ask because it must be the same place that stores the new definitions for “bungling, botch, floundering, idiot, ignoramus, incompetent, inadequate, incapable, inept, negligent, unqualified, unobservant” and the phrase “Board of Education”.

The issue was discussed on BBC Radio 4 yesterday [requires Real Player].

Emeritus Professor Derek Denton (Biology, Univ. of Melbourne) presents a wonderful biological counter argument to the theory of intelligent design, suggesting that if it’s designed, then it wasn’t particularly intelligent.

Perhaps the Flying Spaghetti Monster will be pleased that His design is being critiqued in order that He may create a patch for Humanity 2.0 when He arrives on Earth.

Bearing in mind this attribution comes from two people (Prime Minister Mazen and Foreign Minister Shaath) who spoke directly to President Bush, who in turn spoke directly with (his) God, this appears likely to be a far more accurate transcript than any historical religious texts of similar conversations, which were typically written long after the events had occurred, and often recorded only hearsay.

What’s more, we are lucky enough to have a verbatim quotes from The Lord Himself, who apparently spake unto Mr. President thus:

• “George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.”
• “George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq”
• “Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.”

Remember when the the buck stopped in the Oval Office?

The words of President Truman in his farewell address seem wonderfully fitting: “The President; whoever he is; has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.”

The White House has, of course, poured scorn on the allegations.

It was whilst working on an exceptionally complex piece of distributed code today, that I realised that such clues may indeed be all around us; yet without inertia, they appear random.

Clue 1: Dining Philosophers

One of the most famous examples of distributed computing logic can be found in the Dining Philosophers problem, which illustrates the need for cooperation if the issues of starvation and deadlock are to be avoided.

There are obvious parallels between the core concept and the real world, and so compelling are these parallels that it is easy to overlook that the philosophers are eating spaghetti.

Clue 2: The Spaghettified Non-conceivability Ceiling

In massively distributed computing, there are myriad global interrelationships between the complex tendrils of code & data and their mutations through time and space.

These start to feel like a spaghetti of information that cannot be held in a single brain, and the phenomenon is known as the Spaghettified Non-conceivability Ceiling (SNcC) . It is reached when a system becomes so complex that it can no longer be completely understood (and therefore developed) by a single human.

Clue 3: Physical Non-conceivability

For the last few years, scientists worldwide have been working towards Grid computing, and ultimately a Grid-of-Grids which combines all machines into a grand unified system: A system so complex that no single human can behold more than the smallest part of it.

A pure physical manifestation of the Spaghettified Non-conceivability Ceiling (SNcC).

Clue 4: da Vinci and The Second Coming?

It is common in religion to describe how a deity is at one with it’s creation, omni-present and omniscient; and, bringing this article around full circle, it was da Vinci‘s friend (and fellow Italian) Michelangelo who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel where man and deity touch in the “Creation of Adam” fresco; where a small spark can be seen connecting them. Man connecting to deity through an electrified channel.

Putting the pieces together it dawned on me that the Flying Spaghetti Monster may be preparing to take physical form on Earth, manifested as The Grid of all mankind’s knowledge and computation. Present in every home, in evey office, everywhere; seeing and knowing everything, directing us, controlling us.

Are scientists building a deity?

Now that you are aware of these clues, others may reveal themselves to you; so be alert to His mysterious noodly machinations, and be sure to share any divine insight that may be bestowed upon you.