"Expelled," and Belkin Update

I guess a more clever blogger would create two blog entries, but heck.

I went out the other night and saw "Expelled." I thought I was going to see a comedy with Ben Stein. What I got was a very engrossing, intelligent, and well-done documentary featuring Ben Stein on the topic of the fight between Darwinists and Intelligent Design proponents in modern science and academia. I tell you, I generally have no sympathy for ID'ers (Intelligent Design-ers), in spite of the fact that I do believe there is some sort of Infinite Intelligence running the show.

I guess what I mean to say is that I don't think ID'ers should be allowed to let their version of creation dominate science or education. Really, what's the difference between saying, "God made the universe and everything in it," and "It was magic!!"? Not much, really.

However--amazingly--this movie--the most intelligent people interviewed in this movie--actually put forth a very persuasive argument about ID. I can't do a very good job of recreating the argument here and now, two days later, but I remember thinking that the hard-core Darwinians and the ID'ers did not appear to be all that far apart, really, when their positions were carefully explained.

And I have to add that there is one really cool 3-D computer animation about the interior life of cells that I'd pay full admission price to see again. Someone had a LOT of fun doing that one.

Strangely enough, IMDB says this movie rates 3.6 out of 10. Extremely off, in my humble opinion. I'd give it an 8 or 9. I didn't check out RottenTomatoes.com to see what people were saying over there, but I imagine it's similar to IMDB. In that case, I have to say to anyone reading this post: Ignore the reviews and go see the movie. If you're interested in science, philosophy, creation, education, or current events, you owe it to yourself.

OKAY, now on to Belkin. If you're just tuning in, you may need to look a couple of entries back for the Big Fat Belkin Bastards one.

I just wanted to update you on what has happened. Melody, who first contacted me from Belkin (Public Relations Disaster Control Department, I would guess), and who at first expressed an interest in what problems I had experienced with their piece of utter crap, has since completely fled the scene. (Although, in her defense, I guess I did say I would provide her with more details later. I'm sure she's waiting eagerly by her computer to get that. Uhm-hmm. Right.) In my first response to Melody I made it clear from the very beginning I wanted my money back (we're talking almost $50 here for a lousy cable, disc, and the most pathetic documentation I have ever seen). She passed me on to a Bradley in the--I am not making this up-- Escalation Department at Belkin, who has been my key guy in getting a refund. To wit, my latest communique from him:

Hello,

Issued the label to via email just print out and tape onto the package once the item is on its way will we issue you this check.

Thank you.

Brad Mergenthaler
Technical Support Escalation Team
Belkin International, Inc

This is a direct quote from his email. I will be mailing the Belkin "Easy Transfer" P.O.S. back tomorrow (Friday) and notifying Mr. Bradley (I can picture him sitting on the edge of his chair, there in his sleek lycra escalation suit, nervously tapping his foot and checking his email every two to three minutes) via email of the deed done. I want to see if he really means they'll send the check once the P.O.S. is on its way, or once they actually receive it back in glorious Compton, CA.

Stay tuned.

~G

P.S. Really, what is an "Escalation Team?" Isn't "escalate" a term we normally associate with "violence"? (Which, on second thought, may not be such a bad adjective, considering what was going through my mind, the types of torture I was thinking about inflicting on the makers of the Belkin "Easy Transfer" P.O.S., when I was trying to get the %$#&^T# thing to work...)