Philosophy
Well, it happened today...Punxsutawney [in Pennsylvania] was host to an annual event...a questionable attempt to disturb a furry bucktoothed rodent and have him become a participant in predicting whether there will be six more weeks of winter. Why not, the highly paid and well-equipped metrologists need all the help they can get and Punxsutawney Phil is just the low tech device they need. Incidentally, ole Phil is correct about 1/3 of the time. A better track record that many metrologists? One wonders how far reaching Phil's highly localized predictions are extrapolated for an entire continent. February 2nd is a "cross quarter" date, like May Day [May 1st] and Halloween [October 31st] roughly between a solstice and an equinox.
In my community we didn't have an available ground hog [though there are many in the rural areas] so we had to settle for a hedgehog from the local zoo and pretended. He too saw his shadow.
Official Site
Groundhog Day
- Groundhog Day And The Right To Be A Curmudgeon
A very interesting discussion of the movie Groundhog Day by Vince Manapat. Everyone likes Groundhog Day. But have we really understood this movie for what it is? As a child, I thought I was watching a story about a man who is given an opportunity to fix...
- Groundhog Day, A Grain Of Salt, And A Grain Of Truth
Of course the coming of spring is not foretold by the seeing of a groundhog's shadow. The celebration came from Germany -- which is why its celebration occurs in central Pennsylvania, an area of significant German immigration -- and occurs exactly...
- Because Y Is A Crooked Letter
From Phil: ?I maintain there are, in fact, no such things as 'why's, just 'how's. Or to put it another way, all 'why' questions are meaningless. So as a challenge I would ask: Are there any 'why's??Good thing you brought...
- Phil Plait - An Asteroid Impact Can Ruin Your Day
The dinosaurs say: No shit, Sherlock! Still, while the title is sort of obvious (and almost question-begging), Bad Astronomer Phil Plait (who apparently hosts some TV show? I'm disconnected from the world since I have no TV) delves into some interesting...
- Tuesday, February 2nd Gobbler's Knob In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Tomorrow is the big day...a short or extended winter based on a groundhog and his shadow. "Groundhog Day: Any Science Behind The Shadow?" by Erik Maitland February 1st, 2010 FOX Meteorologist On Tuesday, February 2nd Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney,...
Philosophy
Punxsutawney Phil...the astronomer
Well, it happened today...Punxsutawney [in Pennsylvania] was host to an annual event...a questionable attempt to disturb a furry bucktoothed rodent and have him become a participant in predicting whether there will be six more weeks of winter. Why not, the highly paid and well-equipped metrologists need all the help they can get and Punxsutawney Phil is just the low tech device they need. Incidentally, ole Phil is correct about 1/3 of the time. A better track record that many metrologists? One wonders how far reaching Phil's highly localized predictions are extrapolated for an entire continent. February 2nd is a "cross quarter" date, like May Day [May 1st] and Halloween [October 31st] roughly between a solstice and an equinox.
In my community we didn't have an available ground hog [though there are many in the rural areas] so we had to settle for a hedgehog from the local zoo and pretended. He too saw his shadow.
Official Site
Groundhog Day
- Groundhog Day And The Right To Be A Curmudgeon
A very interesting discussion of the movie Groundhog Day by Vince Manapat. Everyone likes Groundhog Day. But have we really understood this movie for what it is? As a child, I thought I was watching a story about a man who is given an opportunity to fix...
- Groundhog Day, A Grain Of Salt, And A Grain Of Truth
Of course the coming of spring is not foretold by the seeing of a groundhog's shadow. The celebration came from Germany -- which is why its celebration occurs in central Pennsylvania, an area of significant German immigration -- and occurs exactly...
- Because Y Is A Crooked Letter
From Phil: ?I maintain there are, in fact, no such things as 'why's, just 'how's. Or to put it another way, all 'why' questions are meaningless. So as a challenge I would ask: Are there any 'why's??Good thing you brought...
- Phil Plait - An Asteroid Impact Can Ruin Your Day
The dinosaurs say: No shit, Sherlock! Still, while the title is sort of obvious (and almost question-begging), Bad Astronomer Phil Plait (who apparently hosts some TV show? I'm disconnected from the world since I have no TV) delves into some interesting...
- Tuesday, February 2nd Gobbler's Knob In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Tomorrow is the big day...a short or extended winter based on a groundhog and his shadow. "Groundhog Day: Any Science Behind The Shadow?" by Erik Maitland February 1st, 2010 FOX Meteorologist On Tuesday, February 2nd Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney,...