Ross Blocher
@rossblocher.bsky.social
Animation, science, books, hacky sack, running, Pi, extraordinary claims, lemonade, film, voting, platypuses, trivia, meat replacements, learning German, root beer, 47, Indian food, summer camp, blood donation, VR: these are a few of my favorite things.
When I went to leave a review for Bugonia, Letterboxd gave me this CAPTCHA-style test. Hilarious! Review here: letterboxd.com/rossblocher/...
January 27, 2026 at 11:53 PM
When I went to leave a review for Bugonia, Letterboxd gave me this CAPTCHA-style test. Hilarious! Review here: letterboxd.com/rossblocher/...
What is the point, NYT Spelling Bee, if you won’t take one of my favorite words?
January 25, 2026 at 6:17 PM
What is the point, NYT Spelling Bee, if you won’t take one of my favorite words?
If you live in (or have lived in) California, it's worth taking a moment to search for your name on the Unclaimed Property site. You may have some money waiting for you! Thanks to my cousin Rebecca for the reminder - I had $100 from decades ago just sitting there. claimit.ca.gov/app/claim-se...
January 19, 2026 at 11:20 PM
If you live in (or have lived in) California, it's worth taking a moment to search for your name on the Unclaimed Property site. You may have some money waiting for you! Thanks to my cousin Rebecca for the reminder - I had $100 from decades ago just sitting there. claimit.ca.gov/app/claim-se...
I learned today that Erich von Däniken died recently. This picture is from a lecture I attended in 2017 at Contact in the Desert. Von Däniken’s 1968 book “Chariots of the Gods?”, and “documentary” in 1970, cemented the notion of ancient aliens in the public mind, and inspired countless imitators.
January 13, 2026 at 5:41 AM
I learned today that Erich von Däniken died recently. This picture is from a lecture I attended in 2017 at Contact in the Desert. Von Däniken’s 1968 book “Chariots of the Gods?”, and “documentary” in 1970, cemented the notion of ancient aliens in the public mind, and inspired countless imitators.
Proud of my local theater - #1 in the United States! ktla.com/entertainmen...
ktla.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:24 AM
Proud of my local theater - #1 in the United States! ktla.com/entertainmen...
I found some fun history after watching "Universe" (1960), produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB)*. It was the state of the art in depicting space onscreen, with animation, optical compositing, and detailed models. Directors Roman Kroitor and Colin Low were approached by Stanley Kubrik
January 12, 2026 at 5:19 PM
I found some fun history after watching "Universe" (1960), produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB)*. It was the state of the art in depicting space onscreen, with animation, optical compositing, and detailed models. Directors Roman Kroitor and Colin Low were approached by Stanley Kubrik
Is it fair to say that Will is now a Semigorgon?
January 4, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Is it fair to say that Will is now a Semigorgon?
The Reading Glasses Podcast Reading Challenge inspires me to try new books, authors, and reading activities. Here are my 2025 goals, plus the 52 books I read this past year. #rgchallenge2025 I didn't have room to elaborate on my top 10, so quick pitches for each in the following posts:
January 3, 2026 at 7:38 PM
The Reading Glasses Podcast Reading Challenge inspires me to try new books, authors, and reading activities. Here are my 2025 goals, plus the 52 books I read this past year. #rgchallenge2025 I didn't have room to elaborate on my top 10, so quick pitches for each in the following posts:
"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?" - Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
January 2, 2026 at 4:13 AM
"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?" - Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
Did this pop into anyone else's head when seeing that Christopher Anderson closeup of JD Vance in Variety?
January 2, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Did this pop into anyone else's head when seeing that Christopher Anderson closeup of JD Vance in Variety?
This 1947 stop motion animation does a brilliant job of explaining why it's so hard to represent a 3-dimensional globe on a 2-dimensional sheet of paper. Directed by Evelyn Lambert, an animation pioneer at Canada's National Film Board (NFB). www.youtube.com/watch?v=blQL...
The Impossible Map
YouTube video by NFB
www.youtube.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:23 PM
This 1947 stop motion animation does a brilliant job of explaining why it's so hard to represent a 3-dimensional globe on a 2-dimensional sheet of paper. Directed by Evelyn Lambert, an animation pioneer at Canada's National Film Board (NFB). www.youtube.com/watch?v=blQL...
Showing Andrew Cocoon the way the good Lord intended… on a VCR with horrible tracking issues and a loud squeal.
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Showing Andrew Cocoon the way the good Lord intended… on a VCR with horrible tracking issues and a loud squeal.
When I think of a life well lived, it's hard to think of anyone who did it better than Jane Goodall. A brilliant scientist and tireless champion of the natural world, she was one of those rare icons who personify a whole field of knowledge in the minds of the public. www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...
Jane Goodall, trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees transformed our understanding of humankind, has died
Jane Goodall, the trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees in the African wild produced powerful insights that transformed basic conceptions of humankind, has died. She was 9...
www.latimes.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:24 AM
When I think of a life well lived, it's hard to think of anyone who did it better than Jane Goodall. A brilliant scientist and tireless champion of the natural world, she was one of those rare icons who personify a whole field of knowledge in the minds of the public. www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...
Santa Cruz peeps! Check out this free science-themed drag show tomorrow eve! events.humanitix.com/stem-into-dr...
STEM into Drag: a very scientific drag show
A science-themed drag show! Researchers, post-docs, & STEM students communicate their science through music and drag!
events.humanitix.com
October 4, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Santa Cruz peeps! Check out this free science-themed drag show tomorrow eve! events.humanitix.com/stem-into-dr...
FREE Humanist conference going on today and tomorrow! I'm helping out backstage, and can attest there are some great speakers and talks. Join in any time online. www.atheistsunited.org/2025-kindlin...
2025 Humanist Spark Summit — Atheists United
www.atheistsunited.org
September 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
FREE Humanist conference going on today and tomorrow! I'm helping out backstage, and can attest there are some great speakers and talks. Join in any time online. www.atheistsunited.org/2025-kindlin...
The culprit, at last! Thanks to Logan Gloor for the idea. Saved it on GIPHY if you'd like to use it. media.giphy.com/media/SbEi2h...
- Find & Share on GIPHY
Discover & share this trump vaccine Animated GIF by rossblocher with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.
giphy.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:43 PM
The culprit, at last! Thanks to Logan Gloor for the idea. Saved it on GIPHY if you'd like to use it. media.giphy.com/media/SbEi2h...
So we're all on the same page now that vaccines don't cause autism?
September 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
So we're all on the same page now that vaccines don't cause autism?
Tomorrow (9/24) at 4PM Pacific / 7PM Eastern! Join me and Helen Greene live on YouTube for a fun conversation about Bible stories you won't hear in church. www.youtube.com/live/WA0kxpr...
FreeThinkers Fireside with Guest Ross Blocher
A Cozy Chat on "Bible Stories They Don't Talk About in Church"
Shilling for the Guest:
www.facebook.com/rossblocher/
www.instagram.com/rossblocher/
https://bsky.app/profile/rossblocher.bsky.social
...
www.youtube.com
September 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Tomorrow (9/24) at 4PM Pacific / 7PM Eastern! Join me and Helen Greene live on YouTube for a fun conversation about Bible stories you won't hear in church. www.youtube.com/live/WA0kxpr...
So is the rapture happening on September 23rd (today) or 24th, as predicted? Of course not. But what shocks me is how little effort it takes for a date to make the rounds on social media (TikTok gets the blame for this one). I enjoy following the tortured logic that leads to a prediction...
September 23, 2025 at 4:16 PM
So is the rapture happening on September 23rd (today) or 24th, as predicted? Of course not. But what shocks me is how little effort it takes for a date to make the rounds on social media (TikTok gets the blame for this one). I enjoy following the tortured logic that leads to a prediction...
Sam Kean's one of my favorite non-fiction authors; can't wait to see what he's assembled for this new book. Looking for a great and wide-ranging conversation with smart folks? Join our book club in person or online! www.meetup.com/skeptics-136...
CFI-West Skeptics Book Club, Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 7:30 PM | Meetup
Join us for the CFI-West Skeptics Book Club monthly meeting! We meet both in person and on Google Meet. There's always a lively conversation, whether you've read the book o
www.meetup.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Sam Kean's one of my favorite non-fiction authors; can't wait to see what he's assembled for this new book. Looking for a great and wide-ranging conversation with smart folks? Join our book club in person or online! www.meetup.com/skeptics-136...
My review of "Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds", in which Charles Berlitz further hornswoggles the public with misrepresented history, archaeology, and science. www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Ross Blocher's review of Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds
2/5: I just finished The Mystery of Atlantis, a book that Charles Berlitz wrote three years prior to 1972's Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds, and I was surprised just how much material he duplicated fr...
www.goodreads.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:37 PM
My review of "Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds", in which Charles Berlitz further hornswoggles the public with misrepresented history, archaeology, and science. www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My review of "The Mysteries of Atlantis", Charles Berlitz's first foray into the world of pseudoscience. www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Ross Blocher's review of The Mystery of Atlantis
2/5: Charles Berlitz is an interesting character. Scion to a worldwide language learning business, and an accomplished polyglot himself (I see estimates that he spoke between 20-30 languages), Berlitz...
www.goodreads.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
My review of "The Mysteries of Atlantis", Charles Berlitz's first foray into the world of pseudoscience. www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
A fond farewell to Robert Redford. Even without all of his memorable roles, Redford would have had a huge impact on film with the Sundance Institute. Fun fact: he at one point wanted to be an animator, but moved into acting instead. My silly tribute to Redford's famous nod from "Jeremiah Johnson".
Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
Discover & share this Animated GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.
giphy.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:17 AM
A fond farewell to Robert Redford. Even without all of his memorable roles, Redford would have had a huge impact on film with the Sundance Institute. Fun fact: he at one point wanted to be an animator, but moved into acting instead. My silly tribute to Redford's famous nod from "Jeremiah Johnson".
It's a square day! Happy 9/16/25, aka 3^2/4^2/5^2
September 16, 2025 at 7:21 PM
It's a square day! Happy 9/16/25, aka 3^2/4^2/5^2
Ah, the massive right-wing ad campaign has begun. Flyers I received from "Right Path California" (former Cal Republican party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson) and "Protect Voters First" (Charles T. Munger, Jr., Republican donor and son of a now-deceased billionaire from Berkshire Hathaway).
August 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Ah, the massive right-wing ad campaign has begun. Flyers I received from "Right Path California" (former Cal Republican party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson) and "Protect Voters First" (Charles T. Munger, Jr., Republican donor and son of a now-deceased billionaire from Berkshire Hathaway).