Cartoonist Gary Larson invented the name "thagomizer" in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip The Far Side, and it was gradually adopted as an informal term sometimes used within scientific circles, research, and education.
Also wikipedia
The term was picked up initially by Kenneth Carpenter, then a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, who used the term when describing a fossil at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting in 1993. Thagomizer has since been adopted as an informal anatomical term and is used by the Smithsonian Institution, the Dinosaur National Monument, the book The Complete Dinosaur and the BBC documentary series Planet Dinosaur. The term has also appeared in some technical papers describing stegosaurs and related dinosaurs.
How is this still "informal" when all the big guy using that? You can't just anthagomize someone because they aren't from the same community!
I'm not supposed to tell you this, but this is not random. you're basically in the truman show, and you're the central character.
They noticed you thinking about it, so made sure it became relevant again!
20 Comments
jordanlund@lemmy.world · 100 pts · 342d
IIRC, paleontologists LOVE the Thagomizer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thagomizer
cobysev@lemmy.world · 63 pts · 342d
Yup, because of his comic about it, paleontologists have officially named it the Thagomizer.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 17 pts · 342d
I like when stuff like this happens.
spinne@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 342d
Me too. It feels like some piece of the Universe slipping into just the right place.
lividweasel@lemmy.world · 83 pts · 342d
“Mom, I want a thagomizer!”
“We have a thagomizer at home.”
The thagomizer at home:
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 65 pts · 342d
This meme and the Far Side comic it references always makes me think of this meme:
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 338d
there are other Edges of Annihilation, but this one is mine
psx_crab@lemmy.zip · 63 pts · 342d
From wikipedia
Also wikipedia
How is this still "informal" when all the big guy using that? You can't just anthagomize someone because they aren't from the same community!
toynbee@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 342d
This comment is great just for "anthagomize," a word autocorrect really didn't want to grant me.
psx_crab@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 342d
Honestly i just wanna make that pun.
toynbee@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 342d
That was clear!
GheeButtersnaps@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 342d
I have the Thagomizer comic hanging at my desk because I was raised on Larson and to always remind me that silliness can make a profound impact.
Godric@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 342d
Named after the late Thag Simmons...
UrPartnerInCrime@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 342d
What crazy timing. I've been cooking the past couple hours and randomly thought about the thagomizer.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 342d
let's be honest, we all think about the thagomizer every few hours
mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 341d
It's better than constantly thinking about the Roman Empire
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 341d
ooo, can you imagine if hannibal attached thagomizers to the elephants noses
racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 342d
I'm not supposed to tell you this, but this is not random. you're basically in the truman show, and you're the central character. They noticed you thinking about it, so made sure it became relevant again!
UrPartnerInCrime@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 342d
Sorry for such a lackluster show if it comes down to making sure I'm looking at the correct memes
racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 341d
meh, it's not as if there's anything better on TV