Those with elephantine memories will recall the short post presented on these pages yesterday on a JavaScript exploit that allows a malicious website to collect an unprotected browser's site history. The estimable PZ Myers at Pharyngula adds more meat to the story by linking to the actual paper explaining the exploit, and bringing up the intriguing point brought forward by his readers that one of the websites that uses this method is Answers in Genesis (which need not be linked to from here).
Newshounds have likely seen this website name recently in accounts recording its owner, Ken Ham, and his Creation Museum's plans to build a theme park. In a further post, the seemingly indefatigable Professor Myers notes the excellent editorial today in the Louisville Courier-Journal:
[... I]n a state that already suffers from low educational attainment in science, one of the last things Kentucky officials should encourage, even if only implicitly, is for students and young people to regard creationism as scientifically valid. Creationism is a nonsensical notion that the Earth is less than 6,000 years old. No serious scientist upholds that view, and sophisticated analysis of the Earth's minerals and meteorite deposits generally lead to an estimate that the planet is about 4.5 billion years old. Furthermore, creationism teaches that the Earth (including humans) was created in six days, thus rejecting the well-established science of evolution.
But if the [Kentucky governor] Beshear administration is determined that Kentucky should cash in on its stereotypes -- and wants to fight Indiana to snare the theme park -- why stop with creationism? How about a Flat-Earth Museum? Or one devoted to the notion that the sun revolves around the Earth? Why not a museum to celebrate the history and pageantry of methamphetamines and Oxycontin? Surely a spot can be found for an Obesity Museum (with a snack bar).
And while we're at it, let's redo the state's slogan. Let's try: Kentucky — Unbridled Laughingstock.
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