CHEZ WATT ballot for July

[Mark Isaak]

Lots of nominations this month, of varying quality.
Vote early, vote often (well, once a month, anyway).

=== 1 =================================================
In the category of "Even if isn't, it is."

> Visit another planet and chances are it's devoid
> of life. But even if it isn't then the life it holds poses a
> hyper major threat to your life.
>
> Bacterial infectons, viruses... molds/fungus...

A planet devoid of life would not have bacteria, molds, or fungus to
infect anybody, by definition.

=== 2 =================================================
Compelling images category:

> . . . your posts where you hop about like a
> demented hare from poster to poster and up and down attribute levels
> like a yo-yo in the hands of somebody that is drunk.

=== 3 =================================================
In the "Why bother?" category:

"To know less than we don't know is the nature of most knowledge."

=== 4 =================================================
In the category "Universal Advertising":

> For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are
> organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and
> weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an
> Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.

=== 5 =================================================
"I make good on the preceding paragraph below."

=== 6 =================================================
Category: God and the Art of Automobile Maintenance

> Evolution is to atheism as auto repair is to atheism.

That is an absolutely horrible analogy. Anyone who has contorted
themselves to reach a largely unreachable exhaust manifold
bolt, bashing their knuckles, dusting their eyes with a rain of large
crusty flakes of rust, only to ultimately have that most inaccessible
of bolts snap off still holding the manifold firmly in place, knows
for a FACT that there is no god, no matter how loud and intensely
they reference him along the way.

=== 7 =================================================
> Who was the founder of Christianity? I think the founders were
> certain Old Testament prophets and the 12 Apostles.


--
Mark Isaak
"Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That
doesn't make sense' and 'I don't understand.'" - Mary Doria Russell

[Burkhard]

My number one

> === 6 =================================================
> Category: God and the Art of Automobile Maintenance
>
> > Evolution is to atheism as auto repair is to atheism.
>
> That is an absolutely horrible analogy. Anyone who has contorted
> themselves to reach a largely unreachable exhaust manifold
> bolt, bashing their knuckles, dusting their eyes with a rain of large
> crusty flakes of rust, only to ultimately have that most inaccessible
> of bolts snap off still holding the manifold firmly in place, knows
> for a FACT that there is no god, no matter how loud and intensely
> they reference him along the way.

Honourable mentions

>
> === 2 =================================================
> Compelling images category:
>
> > . . . your posts where you hop about like a
> > demented hare from poster to poster and up and down attribute levels
> > like a yo-yo in the hands of somebody that is drunk.
>

[Bob Casanova]

On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
<specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>
Missed one:

Bob C.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

- Isaac Asimov

[*Hemidactylus*]

Mark Isaak <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net> wrote:
> Lots of nominations this month, of varying quality.
> Vote early, vote often (well, once a month, anyway).
>

Mos def this:

[peter2...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 12:35:59 PM UTC-4, Mark Isaak wrote:
> Lots of nominations this month, of varying quality.
> Vote early, vote often (well, once a month, anyway).
>

My second choice:

> === 4 =================================================
> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>
> > For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are
> > organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and
> > weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an
> > Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.

My first choice:

> === 6 =================================================
> Category: God and the Art of Automobile Maintenance
>
> > Evolution is to atheism as auto repair is to atheism.
>
> That is an absolutely horrible analogy. Anyone who has contorted
> themselves to reach a largely unreachable exhaust manifold
> bolt, bashing their knuckles, dusting their eyes with a rain of large
> crusty flakes of rust, only to ultimately have that most inaccessible
> of bolts snap off still holding the manifold firmly in place, knows
> for a FACT that there is no god, no matter how loud and intensely
> they reference him along the way.

Honorable mention for this next one. It lacks a category, but someone
did suggest one, and IIRC it was a fairly good one.

> === 7 =================================================
> > Who was the founder of Christianity? I think the founders were
> > certain Old Testament prophets and the 12 Apostles.
>
>
> --
> Mark Isaak

By the way, you missed a late entry of mine yesterday. I suggest that
you include it in the nominations for August
rather than confuse things by adding it belatedly to the July nominations.

You might even risk the ire of the ghost of Julius Caesar by decreeing
that, for purposes of Chez Watt, July 31 is Sextillis 1. :)

Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August

> "Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That
> doesn't make sense' and 'I don't understand.'" - Mary Doria Russell

Peter Nyikos

[Mark Isaak]

On 8/1/23 2:39 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>>
> Missed one:
>
> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>
>> For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.

Sorry about that. Apparently my search only catches "chez watt" in
subjects at the start of threads. Replying midst another thread, even
if you change the subject to include the magic words, may not be enough
(though I usually catch those manually as I read through the group).

The above chez watt will be on next months ballot, along with a 7/31
entry that didn't show up on my computer until 8/2.

[Bob Casanova]

On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 07:59:31 -0700, the following appeared in

talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
<specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:

>On 8/1/23 2:39 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
>> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
>> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
>> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>>>
>> Missed one:
>>
>> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>>
>>> For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.
>
>Sorry about that. Apparently my search only catches "chez watt" in
>subjects at the start of threads. Replying midst another thread, even
>if you change the subject to include the magic words, may not be enough
>(though I usually catch those manually as I read through the group).
>
>The above chez watt will be on next months ballot, along with a 7/31
>entry that didn't show up on my computer until 8/2.
>

No problem; thanks. I almost didn't submit it, because
instead of "Wow! How could anyone be *that* stupid?!?" which
is more the norm for CW it was more "Damn, that's clever; I
remember those ads!", which AIUI isn't the usual mode of CW.
More toward POTM material, but not really that either. CTOTM
(Clever Take Of The Month), maybe? :-)

[Martin Harran]

On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, Mark Isaak
<specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net> wrote:

No 1:

>=== 7 =================================================
> > Who was the founder of Christianity? I think the founders were
> > certain Old Testament prophets and the 12 Apostles.

Runner up:

[Lawyer Daggett]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 12:35:59 PM UTC-4, Mark Isaak wrote:

It really needs a category, so I'll assume the category was
"left speechless" and presented in example mode so I can
vote for this one. Otherwise I'd have to vote for the one
that recycled a moth-eaten old gag which would be immodest.

[Lawyer Daggett]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 5:40:59 PM UTC-4, Bob Casanova wrote:
> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
> >
> Missed one:
> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>
> >For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.

I'm confused. Isn't that number 4?

[Bob Casanova]

On Mon, 7 Aug 2023 16:18:58 -0700 (PDT), the following
appeared in talk.origins, posted by Lawyer Daggett
<j.nobel...@gmail.com>:

>On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 5:40:59?PM UTC-4, Bob Casanova wrote:
>> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
>> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
>> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>> >
>> Missed one:
>> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>>
>> >For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.
>
>I'm confused. Isn't that number 4?
>

Mark replied that he'd include it in the August list.

[Mark Isaak]

On 8/7/23 10:25 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
> On Mon, 7 Aug 2023 16:18:58 -0700 (PDT), the following
> appeared in talk.origins, posted by Lawyer Daggett
> <j.nobel...@gmail.com>:
>
>> On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 5:40:59?PM UTC-4, Bob Casanova wrote:
>>> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
>>> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
>>> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>>>>
>>> Missed one:
>>> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>>>
>>>> For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.
>>
>> I'm confused. Isn't that number 4?
>>
> Mark replied that he'd include it in the August list.

That was before Daggett called my attention to the fact it is on the
current list. Since it is on the current ballot, it will not be on the
next.

[Bob Casanova]

On Tue, 8 Aug 2023 07:37:52 -0700, the following appeared in

talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
<specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:

>On 8/7/23 10:25 PM, Bob Casanova wrote:
>> On Mon, 7 Aug 2023 16:18:58 -0700 (PDT), the following
>> appeared in talk.origins, posted by Lawyer Daggett
>> <j.nobel...@gmail.com>:
>>
>>> On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 5:40:59?PM UTC-4, Bob Casanova wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 1 Aug 2023 09:35:32 -0700, the following appeared in
>>>> talk.origins, posted by Mark Isaak
>>>> <specime...@curioustaxon.omy.net>:
>>>>>
>>>> Missed one:
>>>> In the category "Universal Advertising":
>>>>
>>>>> For all that we know, it could be that the way the planets are organised in our solar system, their distances, relative size and weight, and elemental composition, spells out "If you had bought an Orbital here, you'd be home by now" in Intergalactic.
>>>
>>> I'm confused. Isn't that number 4?
>>>
>> Mark replied that he'd include it in the August list.
>
>That was before Daggett called my attention to the fact it is on the
>current list. Since it is on the current ballot, it will not be on the
>next.
>

OK. Confusion is my middle name... :-)

[peter2...@gmail.com]

I'm disappointed in the meager balloting so far. I hope people reading this will
try to interest others in voting, especially since we have so many
nominations. Not as many as ten years ago, when there were 11,
but the pool of t.o. participants has shrunk very badly since then,
and this is by far the best showing since Chez Watt balloting was
revived last year.

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 12:35:59 PM UTC-4, Mark Isaak wrote:

> Lots of nominations this month, of varying quality.
> Vote early, vote often (well, once a month, anyway).

As long as the votes are in preferential order, I see no reason
for not voting multiple times, for different nominees.

In my first vote, I had a top choice, a second choice, and an honorable mention.
Here I vote to give the following entry another honorable mention, ranking
it below the other one because at least one person found it confusing:

> === 1 =================================================
> In the category of "Even if isn't, it is."
>
> > Visit another planet and chances are it's devoid
> > of life. But even if it isn't then the life it holds poses a
> > hyper major threat to your life.
> >
> > Bacterial infectons, viruses... molds/fungus...
>
> A planet devoid of life would not have bacteria, molds, or fungus to
> infect anybody, by definition.
>

> ====================================================

The person who wrote the last two lines of text
didn't catch the import of "even if it isn't" until it was too late.


This reminds me of an example of a subtle joke that seemed to misfire
on a memorable occasion.

"They say the legs are the first things to go, and I forget what the second thing is."

This was posted by Paul Gans, whom most of us still remember very well.
He told it back around 1999, in soc.history.medieval.

One of the regulars in s.h.m. was too obtuse, or perhaps too acute,
and responded:

"Bladder control?"


A lesser joke teller than Paul might have tried to explain the intended point,
but Paul rose to the occasion, responding,

"Could be. I gotta go now."


And he let it go at that.


Peter Nyikos