1. Girl, 17, killed in Iraq for loving a British soldier

Comment #171551 by mdowe on April 28, 2008 at 2:58 pm

And when a particular British soldier 'accidentily' sprays a particular Iraqi civilian with an exceptionally large number of assault rifle rounds, I guess I won't lose much sleep over the outrage, or wonder about his motivations.

2. The books that inspire me

Comment #157844 by mdowe on April 9, 2008 at 3:45 pm

As I've mentioned in other threads, 'Last Chance to See' is right at the top of my best-book list. I think it is Douglas Adams' finest work. I guess Mark Carwaradine and Stephen Fry are working on a followup TV series:

http://www.markcarwardine.com/last.php

I'm still depressed that DNA isn't around to be involved ....

3. Russell T Davies: Return of the (tea) Time Lord

Comment #155915 by mdowe on April 6, 2008 at 9:55 am

Oh dear ... worship and fanboy-dom? This celebrity thing has to be getting just a little awkward for someone aiming to be a respected scientist/educator -- it would certainly make me more than a touch uncomfortable!

It is nice that Professor Dawkins is making an appearance on Dr. Who ... I suppose if he is going to be tarred with 'celebrity' status he might as well thrive in it and have fun!

4. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150227 by mdowe on March 26, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Ok, I'm guessing it is getting tired about now, but I'll say it anyway, Happy Birthday!!!

5. Expelled Overview

Comment #149444 by mdowe on March 25, 2008 at 3:54 pm

Informative and rather well written for a 'computer-webby-guy' ... Good job Josh!

6. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144801 by mdowe on March 16, 2008 at 6:52 pm

Sanal is still a brave man -- I'm sure there are lots of subtle ways to kill somebody (poisons, etc. that are very scientific) which could be hidden is some ridiculous ceremony.

But in any case, I'm sure the tantic or his sect will claim victory when Sanal finally does expire -- even if it is years in the future and of obvious natural causes.

7. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144346 by mdowe on March 15, 2008 at 5:00 pm

I can't believe that saying 'bullshit' on the air is an issue in the USA? Is that really considered swearing? In Canada, if someone told me I couldn't say 'bullshit', it had better be on a show for toddlers, or I'd just tell them to sod-off ...

8. Out of the Blue

Comment #140679 by mdowe on March 8, 2008 at 10:32 am

Hmm, ethical considerations, a good point. Maybe we should set some new rules at the outset: When we get an A.I. it will be considered murder if you purge it, but when we get a hyper-religious A.M. (Artifical Moron) it will be considered a public service to turn it off.

9. Out of the Blue

Comment #140670 by mdowe on March 8, 2008 at 10:00 am

I can see it now ... at the end of this monumental undertaking we'll have a phenomenally powerful computer capable of the most mind-boggling feats of dimwitted irrationality and wishful thinking, and entirely convinced it was created in the image of God. And that will only be when isn't slacking off or thinking about sex.

10. Berlin gallery in Islam art row

Comment #136568 by mdowe on March 1, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Re: Comment #136537 by matlot

As I've noted in another thread, this 'religious bullying' has so far been a rather successful tactic for the bullies. Thus, unfortunately, I'd have to bet that we've barely seen the start of it. They are almost certainly going to become even more emboldened by their success. It seems to me it is only a matter of time before they start using threats and violence to achieve more serious political ends...

11. Ayaan Hirsi Ali to get EU protection

Comment #135966 by mdowe on February 29, 2008 at 11:36 am

It is great that that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is getting protection, but let's face it, the clear winners here are Islam and Islamic fundamentalists. At present, if you speak out against Islam and happen to win the attention of its practitioners, you will at best live the rest of your life in fear.

Short of keeping Muslims out of your country in the first place (a severe compromise of Western ideals -- not too mention too late in all countries I know), I don't see that this form of intimidation is going to stop until Islam itself changes. It already has the chilling effect the Islamists desire.

12. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #134241 by mdowe on February 27, 2008 at 12:55 pm

Re: Comment #134234 by Matt7895
...
Richard did well, his patience far exceeds mine ...

13. Church is paying a high price for its celibacy rule

Comment #132785 by mdowe on February 25, 2008 at 7:54 am

This seems like an overdue trend, but it is raises the question of why now? The celibacy rule certainly hasn't stopped enrollment for last 700 years.

I can't believe that *reason* could suddenly be having any influence on the Catholic mind, so I can only propose that ubiquitous net-porn has given them a generation that is just too horny to give the priesthood a second thought.

14. How he was sentenced to die

Comment #132511 by mdowe on February 24, 2008 at 10:14 pm

This is so sickening. This poor bastard hasn't done anything wrong regardless of whether or not he is 'guilty' of what he is accused, and that is doubtful. And he is only one -- I imagine that his prison, and the many other prisons in the Islamic world, are packed with such people (particularly the women). For that matter, I sincerely doubt the people in these prisons that are actually guilty of real crimes are likely to receive anything a civilised person would recognise as justice.

The most depressing fact of all is that there is no end to this madness in sight.

15. The Lava Lizard's Tale

Comment #130976 by mdowe on February 21, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Wow. I almost feel silly saying the clip was inspiring, because all the posted videos have been so! Thanks for postings it!

16. Fleabytes

Comment #129724 by mdowe on February 19, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Re: Comment #129716 by Steve Zara

I'll second that. I can usually manage a coherent paragraph or two on a topic in which I have a keen interest (the ravings of religious lunatics not being one of them), but that is about it. To do any more qualifies as real work. Clearly Paula should be writing books!

17. Fleabytes

Comment #129682 by mdowe on February 19, 2008 at 1:05 pm

I was kind of thinking Ms. Kirby has been rather quiet in the article forums lately -- she generally out posts me by about 30 to 1. Now we all know what she has been up to. Very well done Paula!

18. Why do we believe in God? 2m study prays for answer

Comment #129525 by mdowe on February 19, 2008 at 8:59 am

This is a mildly interesting topic, and I might be willing to throw a few thousand pounds at it, but £1.9 million? What a gratuitous waste of money. How many good (science) educations would that pay for these days? How many hungry people would it feed?

19. Machines 'to match man by 2029'

Comment #128588 by mdowe on February 17, 2008 at 12:30 pm

RE: Comment #128573 by Quetzalcoatl


Yes, this is about how far I figure it will get. But I expect AI will eventually go so far beyond our augmented abilities, that there won't be much point. (Imagine a day when your organic brain dies, and you hardly notice because it never did anything very useful anyway...).

20. Archbishop's 8 March centennial message: Let Sharia Law govern women's lives, Amen!

Comment #128578 by mdowe on February 17, 2008 at 12:17 pm

I'm still baffled how a tradition that treats half the human race as forced labour and sex-slaves has managed to endure so long. A testament to the power of childhood indoctrination backed up with terror and brutality I guess.

21. Machines 'to match man by 2029'

Comment #128568 by mdowe on February 17, 2008 at 12:03 pm

I'm also 100% convinced we will eventually have AI machines that leave us for dead as far as intellect goes. However, I don't think we are close enough to it yet to be more than agnostic about the date. I also think it would be ridiculous to make these machines emulate us too closely due to our flaws and limitations (why handicap them?). Regardless, from what I know about CS and Biology, we are more-than-a-few breakthroughs away yet.

As for adding meaningfully intelligence-enhancing hardware to our brain -- I don't expect this to get too far. You could attach a rocket to a Volkswagen and it will certainly be faster, but its prospects as a vehicle aimed at providing practical hypersonic travel are still rather grim.

22. A match made on RichardDawkins.net?

Comment #128241 by mdowe on February 16, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Well, I hadn't thought of this forum as a place with potential for chatting up women -- fortunately Yorker was more perceptive! My sincerest congratulations and best wishes to both of you.

23. My Saudi Valentine

Comment #126612 by mdowe on February 13, 2008 at 4:30 pm

As if finding a mate wasn't already difficult and humiliating enough. I suppose Islamist males have largely gotten around this problem by enslaving women and trading them as chattel ... no ... I'm pretty sure this must have a downside I'm not seeing right now.

(I'm kidding of course!)

24. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125245 by mdowe on February 11, 2008 at 5:48 am

Well my mother would be happy ... I have to say Richard Dawkins was the one biologist I had heard of before I set out on my university career (some years ago). That was because my religious mother (who really wanted me to go to bible college and be a minister, not study biology) had talked of this evil athiest before I'd set foot in the halls of academia.

Thank you Professor Dawkins for being such a positive influence, and I'm sure you'll only be more so once you no longer have to worry about Oxford kicking you out! I think my mum was dimly aware I'd agreed with you all along =)

One another note, while I generally consider Microsoft to be a force for evil, I have to grant Charles Simonyi seems to be a generally insightful and forward-looking fellow ... and I rather like Hungarian notation myself.

25. Good people doing evil things

Comment #125062 by mdowe on February 10, 2008 at 9:06 pm

The article seems to more of a summary of some of the book's points than anything else. It also has a few errors and misquotes, but at least she has clearly read the book! Curious how you can judge a reviewer's sympathies 9 out of 10 times simply by whether or not they have actually bothered to read the book.

26. Battle of the Chambersburg billboards

Comment #124517 by mdowe on February 9, 2008 at 4:51 pm

RE: Comment #124509 by babrock

I think you need a new keyboard mate! =)

27. Inventor Doesn't Dare Say 'Perpetual Motion Machine'

Comment #124005 by mdowe on February 8, 2008 at 6:38 am

I've studied the picture -- I don't see the point -- he seems to have forgotten the wool completely.

Perpetual motion *is* pseudoscience of course. But this doesn't preclude the possibility that the inventor has come up with something new interesting (but I if I had to bet, I'd bet he probably hasn't).

28. Female Muslim medics 'disobey hygiene rules'

Comment #121477 by mdowe on February 3, 2008 at 1:13 pm

RE: 37. Comment #121463 by Vinelectric

Actually I take some comfort in your comment (I presume you work in the medical field). Medicine really isn't a venue where irresponsible behaviour -- much less 'belief'-based nonsense -- should be tolerated. The stakes are too high.

29. Female Muslim medics 'disobey hygiene rules'

Comment #121459 by mdowe on February 3, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Seems simple enough to me ... if you can't find some reasonable accommodation (very long latex gloves?), then sack'em. If they can't do the job for whatever reason, then then should be "involuntarily encouraged" to find another career.

30. Happy Birthday Josh Timonen!

Comment #118817 by mdowe on January 31, 2008 at 2:55 am

Happy Birthday Josh ... of course you realise you are now one year closer to your appointment in hell. JK!

31. Launch of 'Atheists in Foxholes' Book Anthology

Comment #116184 by mdowe on January 25, 2008 at 6:39 pm

RE: 23. Comment #116137 by Deepthought

Relax mate, we were all 14 at one time or another.

32. Launch of 'Atheists in Foxholes' Book Anthology

Comment #116116 by mdowe on January 25, 2008 at 2:23 pm

I don't go in for nationalism, blind obedience to authority, or any such BS. As a general rule, I'm as gentle as they come; however, I understand the military and the military mind just fine. It takes two make peace, but only one to make war. Contrary to what some in the liberal left wing will tell you (a group with which I usually consider myself to be affiliated) some enemies won't compromise, can't be reasoned with, and may well be fanatically dedicated to subjugating or just plain killing you and yours. Unless you want give in, there is only one answer: You shoot them dead, and you do it first -- before they get the chance to do it to you, period. Since their side is probably going to organise, your chances of coming out on top will improve greatly if your side also organises, and so creates a cohesive and disciplined force; one that can act together in a highly coordinated fashion. Thus the military and the military mind. Be glad we have them.

(Of course the downside here is that your side can often be manipulated or subverted into becoming the aggressors.)

33. Death Sentence for Afghan Student

Comment #115903 by mdowe on January 25, 2008 at 2:35 am

I'm pretty much inclined to echo Devolution's sentiments. But I suppose this kind of barbarism in post-invasion Afghanistan isn't a surprise. Western troops are there to serve Western interests -- exactly what (and whose) 'Western interests' are being served is a matter I'll leave open to speculation. In any case, any benefits to Afghans that come of it are really only fringe benefits. And even on idealistic grounds, I can't see America standing up for the principles of secularism in law and government these days =/

34. Richard Dawkins on The Late Edition with Marcus Brigstocke

Comment #109844 by mdowe on January 9, 2008 at 10:40 pm

I thought Professor Dawkins looked just a little uncomfortable -- like someone that felt out of place. Perhaps it was just the cold.

35. Researchers use neuroimaging to study ESP

Comment #107984 by mdowe on January 5, 2008 at 6:55 pm

This is going on at Harvard? Science in America is in a sadder state than I'd ever suspected. You'd think they would at least leave the pseudoscience projects to crackpot institutions ... but I suppose the folks at Liberty would be burning the first false-positive at the stake.

36. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #105862 by mdowe on January 2, 2008 at 1:49 am

I have doubts we are ever going to see significant, engineered improvements to human intelligence -- and not because I think the this lies forever beyond our technical ability. I simply feel we will solve the problems leading to intelligent computer systems first, and that these machines will quickly surpass by many orders of magnitude any improvements in intelligence that could be hacked into our evolved genome. As I see it, our days as the premiere intelligence on this planet are severely numbered. (Let's hope our creations are inclined to be kind to their pets.)

37. What have you changed your mind about? Why?

Comment #105691 by mdowe on January 1, 2008 at 3:04 pm

And now we wait for the headline in a creationist publication:

"Dawkins admits his theories on evolution were
wrong."

38. A War On Science

Comment #105456 by mdowe on December 31, 2007 at 4:56 pm

16. Comment #105427 by Vinelectric
Are such processes not irreducibly complex?

39. Submission, 'Part 1'

Comment #105125 by mdowe on December 30, 2007 at 4:13 pm

RIP Mr. Van Gogh.

As to the film ... it boggles the mind that people still live like this in our day and age. Plain and simple barbarism ... I can't put it in a kinder way.

40. Man and God

Comment #103450 by mdowe on December 25, 2007 at 5:16 pm

Same old 'mean 'ol atheists' BS. I can't even bear to finish reading these articles anymore -- I just shove them into categories.

41. The Evangelical Rebellion

Comment #103273 by mdowe on December 24, 2007 at 9:25 pm

Corporate America vs Dominionist Christianity ... there just isn't anyone to like here. A rise to power by Dominionist Christianity would pretty much destroy the USA as a power in a generation or two. Masses of mis-educated kids and Christian-dogma defined science (and probably a mass exodus of the educated in the country) would have the rest of the world quickly leaving the USA in its wake. The raping of the country that has gone on under greedy corporatists almost looks like a mere nuisance by comparison. If America doesn't dodge this bullet (I'm optimistic they will ... surely the average American is not this stupid) it is likely to lead to bloodshed.

42. Priest who committed suicide for rebirth cremated

Comment #103077 by mdowe on December 24, 2007 at 9:34 am

Natural selection at work ....

43. Al Qaeda: We're open to questions

Comment #101356 by mdowe on December 20, 2007 at 9:15 am

Re: 21. Comment #101334 by al-rawandi

... a lot of atheists (occassionally myself included) have a lot emotion wound around the anti-religion thing ...

Ok how do you plan to get rid of it?

44. Religious Freedom in Military Questioned

Comment #100855 by mdowe on December 19, 2007 at 1:02 pm

This is a huge, huge, problem in the American military. Not only atheists are running into problems ... even Christians that aren't perceived to be 'Christian-enough' are under the gun. People are, more or less, being murdered over this (the method being repetitive assignment to the most dangerous areas and duties)! Listen to the September 8 Freethought radio podcast:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/ffrf/FTradio_72_090807.mp3

45. Way of the Master Radio talks about Dawkins' Christmas Comments

Comment #100549 by mdowe on December 18, 2007 at 9:36 pm

I think Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens should get together and do a Christmas album -- just to poke'em in the eye =) Let the fundies deal with that...

(Perhaps with a large choir children ... Monty Python style).

46. Borders Tags Atheist Book with 'O Come All Ye Faithless' Cards

Comment #100219 by mdowe on December 18, 2007 at 11:49 am

Playing the 'offended and hurt' card seems to get good milage for the Muslims. On the bright side, at least the Christians don't resort threats and murder at every (real or imagined) insult.

47. The Four Horsemen: on Christmas

Comment #99920 by mdowe on December 17, 2007 at 8:59 pm

If you are going to go HD you have to justify it. So for the sequel I have a two word suggestion: pole dancers!! Ok, so this results in a vid of four of today's most influential atheist spokespersons gibbering incomprehensibly ... the male half of your target audience almost certainly won't notice. In fact we'll insist that it is best atheism video ever!

48. Creation college seeks state's OK to train teachers

Comment #99145 by mdowe on December 15, 2007 at 6:19 pm

Hey, maybe these people are fairly recent descendants of a single breeding pair -- has anyone checked? It would sure explain alot.

49. 2007 Audiobook Download of the Year: The God Delusion

Comment #98866 by mdowe on December 14, 2007 at 7:13 pm

I've got the audiobook, and it's wonderful. It adds a dimension you can never get from simply reading a book. Everyone here knows that Prof. Dawkins is a skilled and expressive speaker, but you quickly learn from the book that his wife, Lalla Ward, is also a fabulous narrator. I loved her reading from A.A. Milne. (She should consider narrating children's books if she hasn't done so already). The audiobook is almost like a long visit with the Dawkins household -- the interesting and articulate friends we all wish we had.

50. Jumbo shrimp, creationist astronomy

Comment #98824 by mdowe on December 14, 2007 at 1:53 pm

I'm always astonished how many like-minded people I run across on this forum ... whatever the topic. It makes me feel so ... normal! It seems we have a disproportionately large OSS Linux/Unix crowd (with Mac users getting partial points here too). Any other OpenBSD people by chance? (I know ... that's pushing it.)

BTW -- 'mplayer' with win32 codecs installed will suffice to play most QT files in a pinch: http://www.mplayerhq.hu