Ask an Amateur Scientist: Pareidolia
By Brian Thompson
I. The Setup
When Monet Sledge of Lorain, Ohio went in for an ultrasound in preparation for the birth of her first child, I’m sure she didn’t expect to meet Jesus Christ face to suffering face. Personally, I’ve never been able to make anything out of ultrasound pictures. They’re all fuzzy gray blobs to me. Of course, usually the fully formed and exo-wombed child is nothing but a gray blob to me. But even though I have trouble making heads or tails of an unborn baby’s head or tail, I don’t think I’d mistake the gaseous mass for Christ on the cross. read more »
What is it about one-named entertainers and lasting appeal? How many more years can Madonna coast by with her “I’m just trying to find myself” schtick? Did you see her on the cover of Rolling Stone? I could have sworn she was left for dead somewhere around the turn of the century-bleeding in a ditch somewhere with a mangled cowboy hat over her face and her hands clutching that guitar she so desperately wanted to learn to play. But now she’s back, like some undead ghoul that pretends to be surprised at how sexy she still looks at 50. For the record, plenty of women are still sexy at 50. Just look at Helen Mirren. 