Ask Prof. Uponium

Psychology is Magic: I am a defender of science and teacher of psychology. Ask me anything and I will do my best to answer. You may also address questions to my wife, Archive and even our son and dog (Though I am not sure how they will respond).

[ask-prof-smirk]

Supported by Patreon

Still trying to fit this in around my health and desperate attempts to stay solvent while I can’t work… Looks like I’m starting to do things right though.

In panel 4 you can see the return of Adamant and Westwood of askthenightguards. Many thanks again to nightguardmod for letting me use them.

As always, many thanks to Scribbler for looking over my dialogue for Princess Luna. Go check out her stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ObabScribbler

[brainedbysaucepans]

I am the master of undermining my own dramatic moments.

[brainedbysaucepans]

Decided screw it, since the arc is ending very soon, I’m gonna put together a set of my favourite backgrounds from Act 1 Scene 2 of ask-prof-smirk.

I had an absurd amount of fun designing Luna’s audience chamber, and the anteroom, and although actually drawing them was at times an exercise in frustration, it never became a chore.

My second favourite is the initial shot of the audience chamber; I can just see in my minds eye how it would appear on more formal state occasions, with ranks of guards lining the approach to Luna’s throne. I’m also rather happy with my design of the throne itself

I think the two tiered structure of the room works really well too, serving nicely to emphasise both Luna’s importance, but also subtly underlining how isolated she is, especially at this point in time right after her return from exile. Initially I didn’t make the floors reflective, but when I went back and added that in it really completed the picture I’d had in my head.

My favourite shot has to be that last one. It’s from when Luna took on the appearance of Nightmare Moon to prove her point to Smirk. I ended up hiding most of it behind her in the actual update, and while I knew from the start that was how it was going to end up, I couldn’t resist completing it.

The idea behind this was that the audience chamber is a reflection of Luna herself, so when she lets slip a glimpse of her true terrifying power, the elegant yet unobtrusive starfields decorating the wall panels morph into a far more imposing display of vast alien nebulae.

So yeah, despite the fact I know I still have a long way to go with my art, these panels reassure me that I’m on the right track.

[brainedbysaucepans]

Time zone reblarg cos yeah, still damn proud.

[scienceinchaos]

The Switch has Happened!

Ask professor Uponium has been replaced by my Mod blog. It still exists professoruponium.tumblr.com (names haven’t changed.) If you want to follow it instead or if you were following Science in Chaos and now find yourself following an old ask blog, you can switch to scienceinchaos.tumblr.com which is now my main blog. 

I will post this over the next few days as a reminder.

[micdotcom]

Pope Francis: All dogs go to heaven 

[professoruponium]

Dogs, cats, howler monkeys, giant spiders, ticks, the Ebola virus. all organisms created by God are welcome (except for that one species, they know what they did). Which would mean everything that has ever existed. heaven is gonna be a crowded, raptor filled, place.

And hey all those other animals don't have to worry about the whole original sin thing!

[politicalprof]

and Sam Adams too. I wonder how 200 year old beer tastes ….

Why yes: I am going to spend my day in an utterly brainless meeting. One that I have to drive an hour to attend. Why do you ask?

[randalltrang]

Kanye West’s Patronus

is Kanye West.

[entertainmentweekly]

Yup, we took Stephen Colbert out in New York City dressed as your (and his) favorite The Hobbit characters.  It was amazing. 

Photo Credit: Ruven Alfanador for EW 

[scienceinchaos]

So because I don’t update this blog anymore and do a hell of a lot more on my ScienceInChaos blog or what I refer to as my mod blog. This change is mostly because my first blog becomes my primary name when I like/respond/reblog, etc. and it would just be easier on me if I swap out the two instead...

[dailykos]

CIA paid two ex-military psychologists $81 million to help design and run torture program

[professoruponium]

Included in the hideous details of the executive summary version of the torture report released Tuesday is the news that the company founded by two former military psychologists who urged …

[skunkbear]

Google’s new Periodic Table of Elements is pretty cool - I especially like the electrons tab.

[itsokaytobesmart]

This is a lot of fun, check it out!

That “electrons” option looks a lot like Alison Haigh’s orbital-inspired periodic table that I featured here a while back:

[professoruponium]

Happy Finals Week!!

I decided to remind my students of 2 important announcements. I had to send this off because I have now had multiple issues concerning the corrections of a final paper due several weeks ago.

2 big reminders:

1. Final paper corrections are due today. If I am not in my office you can slide them under my door.

2. If you are turning in the final paper for corrections, please make sure you actually attach the original document. While my memory isn't that bad, it is nearly impossibly for me to remember your exact grade for each section and specifically everything that was wrong that I took points off of. Especially when I looked at and grades 60 papers. 

I also got one that was just the original paper with notes in blue ink that corrected or pointed out what was wrong, most of it just repeating what I had in red ink. This is a college course, writing in blue ink that your spacing on a word document needs fixing is not the same as actually going into the word document and fixing the spacing...

[superlifehacks]

life hack: DO NOT search google images for “really gross skin diseases” just don’t bother.

[professoruponium]

Cards Against Humanity

I received the first 3 days of the CAH holiday special Day 1: a custom set of cards, one with my name on it and another card with a fill in the blank obituary asking what I loved the most. I am mildly worried a later gift will be a Whitman. Day 2: stickers. Horribly offensive and awesome stickers. As in some are real nice and others are CAH cards in sticker form. Day 3: The ghost of Kwanzaa past card pack with some new cards. Ill update the next 7 days worth of surprises. So far no literal bullshit.

[neil-gaiman]

Feast your ears on this sneak preview of the Radio 4 drama, starring Colin Morgan, Charlotte Ritchie and many more

Do you want to hear what Crowley and Aziraphale sound like? Or Newt? Or Anathema? or DEATH?  Radio 4 provides clips…

(YES YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR THIS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD THERE IS AN INTERNET)

[anjian]

Another story.

[ref]

[lady-halibuts-convos]

Ow.  ow.  ow.  ow.  ow.  ow.  ow.  ow. OW.  god damn it Anjian seriously what the fuck

[evilhasnever]

…wow. Holy shit.

[professoruponium]

Just replayed Mass Effect...All of this.

[nomutantsallowed]

Fallout: Lonestar - A New Vegas Mod

"This adventure into the New Old West is brought to you by Vault-Tec, America’s First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Thrill at the lawless lands and even lawless-er people of the great Texas Commonwealth, birthplace of the mythological Cowboy!"

Check out the work being done over at Fallout: Lonestar’s website. It’s incredible.

[secretoctopus-deactivated201912]

[standupcomedyblog]

John Mulaney | The Salt & Pepper Diner

[eclipsebykimlipmp3-deactivated2]

THE BEST JOKE IN EXISTENCE

[danfuckedoffbutreturns]

GOD I JUST TOLD SOMEONE ABOUT THIS STORY

[andlifeisgrand-deactivated20160]

This is one of the best pieces of comedy that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. I love this. I have been looking for this online for awhile.