That Shorty-Award Health Category Shill From Australia (Who Can Tokyo-Drift On A Magic Motorcycle)

If there’s anyone out there who isn’t already familiar with the current smack-down-oh-you-phat-pharmaceutical-shill-bitch-oh-I-don’t-mean-my-cuddly-customers-I-loves-youse that has been ongoing on Twitter…

…and has rightfully taken prime-blogpost-place on every classy and reputable pro-skeptic site out there (which means it’s naturally lead by trendsetter Sean the Blogonaut and then that Orac bloke and someone from some not-Australian podcast and of course that guy whose science site inspires poetry which features a disturbing obsession with cuttlefish).

One accusation that has been thrown is that people are voting blindly for Dr Rachael Dunlop, the current front-runner.

If there’s anyone out there who isn’t already familiar with Dr Dunlop, here’s the high concept:

A PhD with an Australian accent who looks like Kate Winslet crossed with Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, who fights demons to the tune of a poppy Japanese cover of Decemberists’ “16 Military Wives“, by gaffa-taping lasers to her feet so she can kick enemies in the face and blast them with nuclear shrapnel at the same time.

Her job investigating the effects of working in the dark (due to light sensitive stain) with liquid nitrogen and cell components doesn’t stop her from doing things like fighting a gigantic four-legged killer whale monster with wings while surfing, and probably using a highly-recommended, recycling-friendly, non-toxic-shock guaranteed brand of tampon whilst doing so.

If you manage to get past the first ten levels of the game, you can unlock additional costumes so that she can do all of these things while wearing a stylish military outfit designed by Wheels and Dollbaby.

Now, I was going to hold off on buying the DS version of Dr Rachie: Cosmic PseudoScienz Anti-Crisis Girl Tournament IV until it was discount season at my local. Then Richard Saunders mentioned off-hand that there was breakdance fighting when you type in the cheat-code and god-damn-it, I’m not made of stone.

It’s solid gameplay with a dazzling final sequence involving a glowing fifty-foot Meryl Dorey, set in the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor. I was using the Plasmosis saber so deftly by the end, I was shooting out so much green blood that I couldn’t see what I was doing. It’s something you didn’t know your life was missing until you try it.

Now, maybe like myself, you’re working your little typing bones off preparing to teach Religious Education at the start of the school term, post some podcasts, upload photos of the recent Perth Skeptics get-together whilst working solidly through as much of Season One of Battlestar Galactica and singing ‘someone left Cylon out in the raaaaiiinnnn...’ as you try to kill the Triffids that have spawned in your backyard and ate the cats.

But sod the world. Someone has to make a stand on social networking sites for the never-ending battle against group-think. Particularly when it’s the unquestioning acceptance of views that then go on to assert that popularity might-equals-right.

In the case of anti-vaccination, it has dangerous consequences, as seen from the many reports from the Skeptic Zone’s Doctor Rachael Dunlop in 2009.

So, if you’re not sure what’s going on, do subscribe to the Skeptic Zone podcast, read the blog at Sceptic’s Book and learn a little more about casting your vote for rationality. It can only benefit you further beyond just clicking a Shorty-Award link.

Then email me if you want the password for the gymnastic-death-metal level so you can do the whole thing dressed as a ninja.

Tagged as: blogging, Dr Rachael Dunlop, Dr Steve Novella, gameplay, Gaming, groupthink, internet drama oh noes, Japan, Links Elsewhere, Orac, Perth Skeptics, Pharyngula, podcast, Richard Saunders, Sean the Blogonaut, Shorty Awards, skeptic zone, skeptics in the park, twitter