Neil deGrasse Tyson Destroys Climate Deniers

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Chris Mooney, writing for Mother Jones:

Cosmos certainly hasn't shied from controversy; it has taken on evolution and industry-funded science denial, and it has been devoting an increasing amount of attention to the subject of climate change. And apparently that was just the beginning. This coming Sunday, Cosmos will devote an entire episode to the topic. Here's the episode description from National Geographic:

Our journey begins with a trip to another world and time, an idyllic beach during the last perfect day on the planet Venus, right before a runaway greenhouse effect wreaks havoc on the planet, boiling the oceans and turning the skies a sickening yellow. We then trace the surprisingly lengthy history of our awareness of global warming and alternative energy sources, taking the Ship of the Imagination to intervene at some critical points in time.

Courtesy of National Geographic, above is a clip from the new episode, which should have climate deniers fulminating. In it, host Neil deGrasse Tyson uses the analogy of walking a dog on the beach to helpfully explain the difference between climate and weather (pay attention, Donald Trump) and to outline why, no matter how cold you were in January, that's no argument against global warming.

FCC Comment Page Buckles To Its Knees After John Oliver Asks Everyone To Comment

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So far John Oliver's new has been fantastic. All of the same coverage the Daily Show usually does but completely uncensored. Also, it appears that Oliver's call to action is working:

Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad Smith Have "Drum-Off" On Tonight Show

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Justin Page at Laughing Squid writes:

On a recent episode of The Tonight Show, comedian Will Ferrell and his doppelganger, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith went head-to-head in an awesome drum-off challenge. The musical battle ended with Ferrell pulling out his secret cowbell attack and the entire Red Hot Chili Peppers band coming out on stage to perform “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”TheReaper) The challenge was initiated during a reddit AMA that Will was taking part in a while back. Will agreed to battle Chad as long as they could raise $300,000 for Cancer For College, which they did.

How Apple Can Solve Freemium Creep: Make a Freemium Ghetto

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Mitchell Cohen writes:

It’s time for Apple to put its foot down and tell non-free apps where they belong. It’s time they were sent to the Freemium Ghetto.

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Outlining his proposal:

All apps now belong to one of three types: Free, Paid, and Demo (freemium). This simple reorganization would improve the app-shopping experience immensely. Thanks to the Freemium Ghetto, “Free” would become a safe word on the App Store. There’d be no more need to question if that game you just impulse-downloaded wanted to sucker you in with hidden costs. Apps would wear their intentions on their sleeves. The App Store would feel less like the casino it resembles today.

More honest labeling would give paid apps more of a chance to succeed. Given the choice between an app labeled “FREE” and one that costs a buck, it’s obvious what most consumers will pick. But if the decision is between a demo of one app and a full version of another, the choice is more even-handed.

I really like this idea. Go read his entire proposal to get a better idea of what he means.