Comments on: Bring Out Your Dead! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:39:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Cynthia http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15374 Cynthia Wed, 03 May 2006 15:00:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15374 Janet - a comment to your comment#4: Peter W. Atkins aptly describes the objective side of science through the symbol of Galileo's Finger. In contrast, I will point out the creative side of science through the symbol of Kepler's Eye. Janet - a comment to your comment#4: Peter W. Atkins aptly describes the objective side of science through the symbol of Galileo’s Finger. In contrast, I will point out the creative side of science through the symbol of Kepler’s Eye.

]]> By: Spatulated http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15364 Spatulated Mon, 01 May 2006 22:43:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15364 hahaha, i love whehn colleges have awsomely weird things about them. it makes my day. hahaha, i love whehn colleges have awsomely weird things about them. it makes my day.

]]> By: spyder http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15365 spyder Mon, 01 May 2006 20:26:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15365 Sort of reminds me of the preservation of Leland Stanford Jr's last breakfast on the campus at the University named in his honor by his father. Though the charnel houses, found throughout central Europe, probably represent all manner of historical relations to the practice of using the remains of the dead (viscerally and psychically) to speak to us. Sort of reminds me of the preservation of Leland Stanford Jr’s last breakfast on the campus at the University named in his honor by his father. Though the charnel houses, found throughout central Europe, probably represent all manner of historical relations to the practice of using the remains of the dead (viscerally and psychically) to speak to us.

]]> By: Sean http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15373 Sean Mon, 01 May 2006 15:36:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15373 I've seen plenty of people at faculty meetings who are just like that. But they have less of an excuse than Bentham. I’ve seen plenty of people at faculty meetings who are just like that. But they have less of an excuse than Bentham.

]]> By: Mark http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15363 Mark Mon, 01 May 2006 15:26:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15363 That's right Johan - that's exactly what I meant by the serious tone of my post. That’s right Johan - that’s exactly what I meant by the serious tone of my post.

]]> By: Johan Richter http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15372 Johan Richter Mon, 01 May 2006 14:54:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15372 And what terrible thing it is, not to be normal, right? Lets aim at convincing everyone we're normal instead of suggesting that differing from the median is not a capital offence. And what terrible thing it is, not to be normal, right? Lets aim at convincing everyone we’re normal instead of suggesting that differing from the median is not a capital offence.

]]> By: Mark http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15371 Mark Mon, 01 May 2006 11:39:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15371 I'd agree with all that candace. I’d agree with all that candace.

]]> By: candace http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15370 candace Mon, 01 May 2006 11:36:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15370 The auto-icon, if anything, is considered less of a freakshow and more of a mascot at UCL. I walk past the thing quite often, and if you stop and have a look, it just looks like a badly-arranged mannequin. Next to the cabinet are plaques that de-bunk a lot of the myths around the auto-icon: KCL never played football with the head, for instance, even though this is oft-repeated legend. Honestly, it's kind of cool. My mom came for a visit and I was showing her and her friend around the campus where so much of my time is spent and one of the places we headed straight for was to show her Bentham. Sadly, the cabinet was locked. They were really quite disappointed! Anyway, it's weird, but I think the students at UCL regard it less as creepy and more as funny and eccentric. Besides, as a point of distinction, who else has a corpse as the unofficial mascot? It's sort of a long-running in-joke if anything. (My husband insists that hardly anyone knows it's there if they are unconnected to UCL. He calls it 'just one of those weird London things.') So, in summary: the auto-icon -- cool or creepy? More considered cool. The auto-icon, if anything, is considered less of a freakshow and more of a mascot at UCL. I walk past the thing quite often, and if you stop and have a look, it just looks like a badly-arranged mannequin. Next to the cabinet are plaques that de-bunk a lot of the myths around the auto-icon: KCL never played football with the head, for instance, even though this is oft-repeated legend.

Honestly, it’s kind of cool. My mom came for a visit and I was showing her and her friend around the campus where so much of my time is spent and one of the places we headed straight for was to show her Bentham. Sadly, the cabinet was locked. They were really quite disappointed!

Anyway, it’s weird, but I think the students at UCL regard it less as creepy and more as funny and eccentric. Besides, as a point of distinction, who else has a corpse as the unofficial mascot? It’s sort of a long-running in-joke if anything. (My husband insists that hardly anyone knows it’s there if they are unconnected to UCL. He calls it ‘just one of those weird London things.’)

So, in summary: the auto-icon — cool or creepy? More considered cool.

]]> By: janet http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15369 janet Mon, 01 May 2006 05:11:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15369 The science museum in Florence has the bones of one of Galileo's fingers in a sort of reliquary. I almost choked when I saw it. The science museum in Florence has the bones of one of Galileo’s fingers in a sort of reliquary. I almost choked when I saw it.

]]> By: Jennifer Ouellette http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15368 Jennifer Ouellette Mon, 01 May 2006 02:53:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/04/30/bring-out-your-dead/#comment-15368 For those of us with a pronounced streak of the macabre, this is the Coolest Tradition Ever. The preserved remains of Jeremy Bentham are welcome on my blog any time... even if he has precious little to say :) For those of us with a pronounced streak of the macabre, this is the Coolest Tradition Ever. The preserved remains of Jeremy Bentham are welcome on my blog any time… even if he has precious little to say :)

]]>