Blasphemy art exhibition in Dublin

The blasphemy exhibition in the Oonagh Young Gallery is on until Saturday 27 February, and is open from 12 to 6pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s a fascinating show, and well worth a visit.

This Wednesday at 7pm there is a special screening of Rocky Road to Dublin and The Making of Rocky Road to Dublin, which should be watched by anyone interested in secularism and censorship in Ireland.

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5 literally happy songs

For an overdose of literally happy songs – that is, songs with happy or happiness in the title – here’s Happiness by Platinum Weird, Happy Days Toytown by the Small Faces, Endless Song of Happiness by Yael Naim, Happy Together by the Turtles, and Happiness by Orson.

Happiness – Platinum Weird, 2006

Happy Days Toytown – Small Faces, 1968

Endless Song of Happinesss – Yael Naim, 2007

Happy Together – The Turtles, 1967

Happiness – Orson, 2006

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100 must-have iPhone apps

Yesterday I asked on Twitter and Facebook about must-have iPhone apps. Based on the responses, plus my own browsing, here are 100 apps that somebody, somewhere, really, really likes. Prices are in Euro. Thanks to everyone who replied, and thanks in particular to David Hall.

Communication, Personal Productivity, etc

• Skype – Free (5 recommendations)
• Eirtext Pro – €2.39 (3 recommendations)
• Evernote – Free (3 recommendations)
• eWallet Password Manager – €7.99 (2 recommendations)
• InstaPaper – Free or €3.99 (2 recommendations)
• Things – €7.99
• Beejive Instant Messaging – €7.99
• Wi-Fi FInder – Free
• MotionX GPS – €2.39
• Windows for iPhone
• MyLists – €1.59
• Stick It – €0.79
• iManual – The Missing iPhone Manual – €3.99
• Flashlight – Free
• G-Park – €0.79
• iFitness – €1.59
• RunKeeper – Free or €7.99
• HabitCheck – €4.99

Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, etc

• TweetDeck – Free (6 recommendations)
• Twitterrific – Free (4 recommendations)
• Tweetie – €2.39 (3 recommendations)
• Twittelator Pro – €3.99 (2 recommendations)
• Facebook – Free (3 recommendations)
• TweetMic for Twitter – €0.79
• FaceMic for Facebook – €0.79
• BuddyFeed for FriendFeed – €2.39
• Nambu – Free
• WordPress – Free
• Postman – €0.79
• WorldVoice Radio – €2.39

Radio and TV, Music, Recording, etc

• Shazam – Free (5 recommendations)
• Wunder Radio – €5.49 (3 recommendations)
• Pandora Radio – USA Only (3 recommendations)
• Last FM (3 recommendations)
• Slacker (2 recommendations)
• Public Radio Tuner – Free
• Simplify Music – €4.99
• netTV – €2.39
• TVUPlayer – Free
• iTalk Recorder Premium – €3.99
• Pianist – €2.99

Photos

• Camera Zoom – €0.79
• Zoom – €0.79
• Crop for Free – Free
• iSwap Faces – Free or €1.59
• Comic Touch – €2.39
• Photo Sketch – €1.59
• Night Camera – €0.79

Reading, Information, etc

• Stanza – Free (6 recommendations)
• SnapTell – Free (3 recommendations)
• Google Mobile App – Free (2 recommendations)
• Google Earth – Free (2 recommendations)
• Offmaps – €1.59 (2 recommendations)
• Wikipanion – Free or €3.39 (2 recommendations)
• TED – Free (2 recommendations)
• WordBook Dictionary – €1.59
• NetNewsWire – Free
• Pro RSS Reader – €1.59
• WikiHow – Free
• Diggle – Free
• Free Translator – Free
• AP Mobile – Free
• ITN News – Free
• ESPN Score Center – Free
• AccuWeather – Free
• Huffington Post – Free
• Wimbledon 2009 – Free
• LondonTube 09 – €3.99
• Flixster Movies
• White Pages – Free
• AroundMe – Free
• What’s On -Free
• LocalPicks – Free
• Vicinity – €?
• iEphereremis – €1.59
• GoSkyWatch Planetarium – €4.99
• Shakespeare – Free
• Vegetarian Blog reader – €1.59
• Bizarre Holidays – €1.79
• Weird facts – €0.79
• 6001 Crazy Facts – Free
• 4400+ Cool Facts – Free

Games, Fun, etc

• Paper Toss – Free (2 recommendations)
• Ragdoll Blaster – €1.59 (2 recommendations)
• Peggle – €3.99 (2 recommendations)
• Flight Control – €0.79 (2 recommendations)
• Pocket God – €0.79 (2 recommendations)
• SafeKracka – €0.79
• Cro-Mag Rally – €1.59
• IQ Test – €0.79
• Solebon Solitaire – €1.59
• Ringtone Recorder – Free or €0.79
• Lightsaber Unleashed – Free
• Spin Art – €1.59
• Koi Pond – €0.79
• Koi Pond 3D – €0.79
• More Cowbell – €0.79
• EyeTricks – Free
• Virtual Zippo Lighter – Free
• LOLCatMaker – Free or €0.79
• iFart – €0.79

Thanks for replying to my question to

• Adam Dinan
• athinkingman
• benarchibald
• ciaran_lee
• davebarrett
• David Hall
• davidsiegel
• Dermot McNally
• dvdmon
• EvertB
• faduda
• flynnguy
• hshouston
• iirc
• lDirtyFrank
• janliz
• Jon Keaty
• LaceyMark
• lepouse
• locaoimh
• lucykjohnstone
• mharrell87
• minus1cjb
• mmj5170
• nullifidian
• Oscar Heen
• Patrick Ward
• paul_e_cooley
• peculiarspeech
• Phillip Byrne
• rachelhatesjazz
• rebwalsh
• rwAtheist
• seanswee
• suzybie
• tonyjbyrne
• unslugged
• wmsnedden
• WzeroMN

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The Q atheist song contest

Q Transmissions, a skeptical radio talk show in Alberta, Canada, is organising an Atheist Song Contest. Put your entries on YouTube or mp3 and email the station before January 2. For inspiration, here are four skeptical singalongs, starting with Chumbawamba’s toast to Charles Darwin. (If you can’t see the videos, go to the original post.)

Charlie by Chumbawamba

Over the river and over the sea
Through holy storm and thunder
Steer a course for a brave new world
Of common sense and wonder

Dear God by XTC 

Did you make disease and the diamond blue?
Did you make mankind after we made you?
And the devil too?

I’m an Atheist and I’m Okay by Darragh Jennings and FX Robinson of Atheist Ireland 

 

I’m an atheist and I’m okay
I question things and I think all day
He’s an atheist and he’s okay
So he won’t burn you if you’re gay

The Large Hadron Rap (the CERN Lab Song)

When matter is created from energy
Which is exactly what they’ll do in the LHC
You get matter and antimatter in equal parts
And they try to take this back to when the universe starts
The Big Bang

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4 funny songs by Tim Minchin

I’ve just added Tim Minchin to my directory of famous atheists. Minchin is an Australian comedian, composer, songwriter, pianist and actor whose songs include the politically incisive Peace Anthem for Palestine, the inanimate love song Inflatable You, and the environmental mega-anthem Take Your Canvas Bags. Minchin is also responsible for probably the most comprehensive atheist-related song lyric in the history of atheist-related song lyrics, in the culmination of If You open Your Mind Too Much…

If You Open Your Mind Too Much

Peace Anthem for Palestine

Inflatable You

Take Your Canvas Bags

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Vancouver film school videos

Here are three passionate, creative and inspirational short movies that have won scholarships to the Vancouver Film School in Canada for three young filmmakers from Mexico, Germany and the United States.

The challenge was to make a three-minute video on the theme ‘What matters most to me’. A judging panel picked ten finalists, then YouTube users voted for the winners. The results were announced last week, and here are the three winning videos.

Jorge Rolando Caneda Estrada from Mexico

Stefan Ramirez Perez from Germany

Christopher Harrell from the United States

More Videos

You can see hundreds more videos on the Vancouver Film SchoolYouTube Channel.

If you want more information, here’s the School’s website.

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5 funny songs by Tom Lehrer

The Vatican Rag by Tom Lehrer.

Tom Lehrer, who is eighty this year, is an American mathematician who wrote and performed musical satire in the 1950s and 1960s. Best known for his darkly comic Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, his political and social satire also included the Vatican Rag, National Brotherhood Week, Who’s Next and We Will All Go Together When We Go.

Lehrer is in my directory of famous atheists. In 1996, he said that, while he was not a spiritual person – “I find enough mystery in mathematics to satisfy my spiritual needs. I think, for example, that pi is mysterious enough (don’t get me started!) without having to worry about God” – he believed that to be an atheist was almost as arrogant as to be a fundamentalist. However, by 2000, he had told Cosmik Debris magazine “I used to think atheists were arrogant, but now I am one and I like it.”

Tom Lehrer on YouTube

Here are four more Tom Lehrer classics from YouTube:

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park by Tom Lehrer

National Brotherhood Week by Tom Lehrer

Who’s Next by Tom Lehrer

We Will All Go Together by Tom Lehrer

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The Road Not Taken

A Poem by Robert Frost.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Poem: Robert Frost, 1916
Photo: Yellow Wood by Micky (cc)

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