1. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150952 by RC Metcalf on March 27, 2008 at 6:39 pm

God bless you, Richard! Have a pleasant birthday.

--- The Flea Circus

2. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148289 by RC Metcalf on March 22, 2008 at 3:08 pm

Hi agg,

At least for me, an apology and video/online correction would suffice. No sense turning this against Richard and PZ. My goal is the continued free flow of ideas, not bashing the other side.

In fact, the free exchange of knowledge is pretty much what Expelled! is all about, so when it does come out, those who haven't seen it... should.

And Quine, I'm struggling with the flu now, so as much as I'd like to respond to your question, right now, I need to get back to bed.

Short answer... I don't spend a lot of time following ID. My new book takes this debate in a different direction. I agree with Francis Collins on quite a bit, except that I see no concrete evidence for speciation arising from evolution. Change... yes, speciation... no.

I also agree with Richard that the questions of God's existence, of Jesus' resurrection, etc. are scientific questions. But I disagree with my neighbor, Vic Stenger, who has branded God a "failed hypothesis" before even administering the test.

Gotta crash... bye all.

RC

3. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148247 by RC Metcalf on March 22, 2008 at 12:59 pm

Sure Jiten,

Look at this YouTube trailer for the movie. Most of it is devoted to the computer simulation of RNA transcription into proteins. While this looks similar to the Harvard video, the Harvard one never addressed protien formation that closely (at least from what I saw)... If there is a Harvard one that duplicates the Illustra Media one, please post both links side by side.

I can attest to the fact that what I saw in the Expelled! video (and I saw the whole thing during a pre-release screening) was identical to the Illustra video. I had just watched the Illustra video a week before in preparation for a debate I'm involved in next week.

Here's the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Ot0YKHoTk

I also have the DVD alluded to by PZ Myers. I've reviewed it and found the same Illustra footage as in the film... nothing from Harvard.

In fact, on the DVD, at the end of each segment that includes such animation the screen fades to black and in white, bold letters it reads:

Film segments excerpted from
Unlocking the Mystery of Life
Illustra Media, 2002

So, if Harvard footage was actually used in the film, let's see specifically what that footage was... please provide a link.

Thanks,
RC Metcalf
Author:
Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point
Colliding with Christ: The Science of the Resurrection
http://www.thinkagain.us

4. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148193 by RC Metcalf on March 22, 2008 at 10:00 am

FYI - I saw the Expelled! film and I just viewed the Harvard computer simulations of the cell (thanks to the link provided by sent2null). They are not the same. The cell simulation footage used in Expelled! came from Illustra Media's "Unlocking the Mystery of Life."

All the best, RC