551. Shout your doubt out loud, my fellow unbelievers

Comment #34626 by Yorker on April 24, 2007 at 6:12 pm

3. Comment #34602 by MIND_REBEL

Keep plugging away MIND_REBEL, one day it will all come together, I'm glad you weren't put off by those who denigrated you. Good to see Veronique being helpful also.

Incidentally Veronique, did you get my last PM? I finished the book.

552. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34584 by Yorker on April 24, 2007 at 3:15 pm

37. Comment #34485 by Sargeist

Take a tip from an older man Sargeist; never live a lie, it will always fail in the long term. Sounds like your girl friend needs to come clean about her religiosity or lack of it, to her family.

553. One Hell of a Religious Read

Comment #34579 by Yorker on April 24, 2007 at 3:05 pm

Like many, I don't always agree with Hitchens but overall I like him. Apart from being a very clever guy, he also does not shy away from confrontation, indeed, he seems to welcome it. If Dawkins could handle confrontation like Hitch does, he'd be a formidable debating adversary, Richard comes across well when dealing with people friendly to his cause but not so well when faced with an intimidating opponent.

I sometimes think Hitch takes the unpopular, perhaps erroneous viewpoint simply as an intellectual excercise, just to see if he can still make a good case out of a dubious point. He certainly knows how to, and enjoys the fun to be had from, getting up noses. A pastime I occasionally indulge in myself and which I highly recommend, but only in certain situations.

554. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33604 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:29 pm

49. Comment #33601 by krogercomplete

That would take me some time to put together and would be a lengthy post, much of what I would say has already been said by Noam Chomsky in his book "Failed States", which refers to the USA of course. If you're an open-minded person I encourage you to read it. I don't 100% agree with Chomsky, I think the USA's starting to fail, he thinks it already has.

555. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33599 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:10 pm

45. Comment #33592 by Spinoza

getting hit by stuff thrown at them..."

That's how it starts, next comes petrol bombs, it's not long before the bullets fly.

556. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33596 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:02 pm

22. Comment #33449 by Beth

Violence is never the answer, and to wish it on anyone….

Hold on Beth, I'm not suggesting that someone shoots them, all I meant was that it was a possibility, people won't let them keep behaving in such a despicable manner forever; they cannot be reasoned with. Now I'll be even more honest, like everyone else I deplore what took place at VA Tech and I have the utmost sympathy for the families, but I didn't lose any sleep over the 32 innocent people who were killed, the world is not surprised to hear of another gun massacre in the USA, it's becoming more common. The USA is a failing society, everyone knows what must be done to fix it, but none have the courage to do it.

Reason and discussion are how a civilised people resolve their disagreements, not guns and ammo.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if that were so, unfortunately that's not the reality, violence is the ultimate sanction; even your President understands that.

Perhaps I'm alone in being honest about having no sympathy for WBC members who may be sent skyward quicker than they thought but I'm not troubled by that, why should I be? They revel in the fact that I and thousands of others will spend eternity being tortured simply for disagreeing with them. And you want me to be show shame and outrage if someone terminates them?

Wake up!

I could go on at length here but I'll conclude with this thought: we will never know the full story of what happened at VA Tech, the gunman snapped, but why? He committed a heinous crime, but the WBC spouting their vile hatred at grieving relatives of the deceased, are to my mind, not even the same species as me, I feel towards them as l would a herd of animals. If I was really hungry and there was a dead WBC'er lying around, I'd certainly give serious thought to eating it.:)

557. Gay hate church to picket VT gun rampage funerals

Comment #33442 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:43 am

Perhaps another crazed gunman will show up and send the WBC vermin prematurely to heaven, it wouldn't surprise me and to be honest, it wouldn't disappoint me either.

558. A debate on people who profess no religion

Comment #33438 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:31 am

2. Comment #33367 by foxfire

Well said foxfire, now your gaining an insight as to why many people see Americans as they do.

559. Richard Dawkins interviews the Bishop of Oxford

Comment #33431 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 5:09 am

4. Comment #33400 by ImagineAZ

If Bishop Harries spoke for Christians, there would be no major issues between Christianity and naturalists.

If Bishop Harries spoke for Christians, the yawning chasm would still remain. The major issues are insurmountable unless religites renounce their faith, only then might the chasm be filled in.

560. Richard Dawkins interviews the Bishop of Oxford

Comment #33429 by Yorker on April 20, 2007 at 4:53 am

Close your eyes or turn your head and just listen to this conversation, I think you'd never guess that Dawkins was talking to a religite, especially in the early part of the interview. I'ts only after Dawkins pins him down - in a pleasant but insistent way - that the bishop is forced to confess his belief.

Ah, I've just noticed Greywizard's post and he's said much of what I was going to, so I won't repeat. Harries reminded me of my old catholic priest friend I've mentioned elswhere on this site, who became a man of the cloth because it was a good job. Perhaps this pertains to the bishop, he was forced to start talking nonsense because of his inability to answer Dawkins question of why he doesn't just discard religion, in view of his more sensible secular beliefs.

So, like Greywizard, I don't think this video comes close to being good or in any way helpful other than to gain an insight into the mind of a moderate. In addition, the interjections by the producer toward the end, came across badly, they should have cut that. It made the whole thing look like a setup, which to some degree, it evidently was, the bishop was clearly giving "canned" responses to questions it seemed he had a priori knowledge of.

561. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #33105 by Yorker on April 19, 2007 at 7:45 am

191. Comment #32882 by Bob Russell

I was circumcised when I was 2 days old and it hurt so much I couldn't walk for a whole year!

Bob, humour is lost on most people who come here but your joke gave me a chuckle :)

562. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #33101 by Yorker on April 19, 2007 at 7:32 am

198. Comment #33041 by Logicel

So I see, I like it because it separates the quotes nicely and doesn't waste space like the big blockquote boxes do. It's always wise not to go bananas with color though, and there are only a few that contrast well against a white background. Blue, red and dark green are good, but red really should be kept for "no" or "anger", also, by using text color names (as opposed to hex values) you can be sure of always choosing web-safe colours.

563. The Empty Wager

Comment #33068 by Yorker on April 19, 2007 at 5:01 am

27. Comment #33043 by Rtambree

Imagine a concerted, sustained, international effort to tackle gerontology and ageing. If death is such as issue for so many religious people, then why not tackle it (on a scale even larger than an Apollo program or Human Genome Project)?

I agree with Hitchens that fear of death is a main reason that religion is still around, but I think that "curing" a religite of death would draw the teeth of his god and almost prove his non-existence. It would be amusingly interesting though to see how religites would react when faced with the offer of 80 years say, then death, or 1,000 years with possible future extension.

Instead of wishing some invisible friend in the sky would wave a wand and whisk your "soul" away, lifespans of 1,000 years or may be technically possible.

Aubrey de Grey would agree with you here but he still hasn't convinced many of his peers. Personally, I'm not sure I'd want a 1K-year life, even if of high quality.

…there's enormous wastage of academic funding in theology grants, templeton prizes, obscure philosophy departments, and other deadwood throughout the world's universities.

Yes, no argument here, philosophy is not of much practical value and theology could be dispensed with entirely.

If the global military budget devoted to killing each other….

We could end poverty and hunger, provide free education and medical care for all, etc, etc. This, I think, should be humankind's number one priority; unfortunately, nationalism, patriotism, greed and religion will have to disappear first before we can ditch militarism. On the bright side, Costa Rica took the lead in dumping its military, as far as I know it hasn't been invaded yet. I think I could make a strong case for the UK to disarm, but that is beyond the scope of this comment.

564. The Empty Wager

Comment #33049 by Yorker on April 19, 2007 at 4:17 am

A good article by Sam, written in his usual, easily-understood manner; however, I'm somewhat surprised by the degree of hero-worship of him on display here. Let's be honest, writing against religion is not a difficult thing to do, although Sam may be a genius – as he's been called here – his writings so far give me no reason to label him so. When and if, he comes up with some breakthrough in his real subject, neuroscience, then perhaps he might be worthy of the term genius, until then, I will enjoy his anti-theistic rants.

I feel similarly about Dawkins, but have more respect for Richard because of his excellent scientific work, I feel sure that he would himself agree that writing a work like TGD probably didn't tax him as much as writing "Ancestors Tale", for example. I'm also sure that both Sam and Richard would probably not see themselves as geniuses, because geniuses rarely do.

I always feel uneasy about hero worship; history has shown it to be a dangerous human characteristic that often blinds the worshipper and has the effect of dulling critical reasoning capacity. It seems to be most strongly prevalent in the young; thankfully, it diminishes with age and experience.

As for Pascal's Wager, I've always seen it the way Sam does. Many years ago I prepared the following short statement that after my death and subsequent judgement, I would recite to God in the unlikely event that I had been totally wrong about him.

"God, I admit my error. Yes, I have been wrong about you all these years, but excuse me God, if I don't genuflect and quake before your wrath. You see, I have no fear; I was told many times by several of your sheep that you are a loving and forgiving deity, kindly disposed toward errant sinners who recant their evil words."

"So, with this in mind, I can't see how you can possibly refuse me entry to Heaven, after all, you'd be making yourself look like a spiteful, petty asshole if you decided to make an example of a poor cretin such as I. Therefore, I look forward to a happy eternal existence with only one condition that I must insist upon. I have spent my life learning, so I need an interesting job up here, I will not be fobbed off with crap work like sewing the wings on angels or similar shit like that, so bear this in mind and we can have a fruitful partnership."

I think I have him by the bollocks, what do you think?

565. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #33032 by Yorker on April 19, 2007 at 3:27 am

193. Comment #32924 by haydin

Sorry, I couldn't let this slip by.

By cutting off the sensitive, soft, wet skin of the foreskin, we make the penis more like an arm...

That's quite a boyfriend you have there Haydin!!

566. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32871 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 3:11 pm

Whether scam or not there is a lesson here.

Clearly, some people are prepared to put their feelings above all else. I said earlier that I saw no evidence for a scam, like others, I had doubts for the same reasons they mentioned, but unsubstantiated doubts are just that. The factors not in favour of a scam were largely ignored by many. People don't like parting with money, perhaps unconsciously, crying scam is a good way to avoid donating without feeling guilty about not supporting a deserving case.

567. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32830 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 11:42 am

166. Comment #32803 by elstuarto

Thanks, I was wondering how it was possible to consent but not refuse!

Glad to see that Scottish Law so beloved of Sagan and other wise people, has shown good sense again!

568. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32827 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 11:36 am

159. Comment #32781 by rabidchihauhau

I was about to comment but clearly I don't have to, Occam's Razor sliced through again.

569. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32769 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 8:12 am

151. Comment #32762 by elstuarto

So if you're under 18 you can consent to your own treatment, but you can't refuse it.

What???

570. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32766 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 7:59 am

I don't feel as suspicious as some of you, so to those I suggest emailing the registrant or admin. at the University of Washington.

571. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32764 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 7:53 am

149. Comment #32759 by rabidchihauhau

I don't doubt your sincerity or your information, had you not mentioned your feelings and vibes, I would have omitted the first sentence of my responding post highlighting the need for evidence.

572. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32761 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 7:45 am

145. Comment #32754 by elstuarto

Adults can give consent for minors to undergo medical procedures, but here in the UK children may give or refuse consent independantly if they are deemed to be competent to do so under the guidelines drawn up after the Gillick case of 1985.

This is as it should be. In a case of no medical necessity, the adult's view should merit no consideration whatever. I would support not only the striking-off of a doctor who violated a patients - or in this case victim's wishes - but the application of a jail sentence for GBH as it would be termed in the UK.

573. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32758 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 7:19 am

146. Comment #32756 by gcdavis

Good one! That's just what I was about to do.

574. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32757 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 7:16 am

141. Comment #32744 by rabidchihauhau

I'm beginning to think this is either a poorly conceived attempt by D.O.C. to gain some PR and/or perhaps initiated by some 'fundie' group designed to embarass atheists in general and Dr. Dawkins in particular.

I see no evidence for this whatever, vibes etc don't cut it. Also, how likely is it that a bunch of doctors would damage their reputations by committing what would be a foolish falsehood?

What is interesting, is the number of anti-circumcision organisations. There's even a site with lists of famous people, i.e. pop stars, movie stars, sports heroes, etc. I think there's going to be some disappointed girls out there when they discover their heart-throb has a "dirty" penis!

575. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32743 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 6:44 am

126. Comment #32703 by Richard Dawkins

Wow Richard, I didn't know doctors routinely performed circumcision in the UK at any time. I'm only a couple of years younger than you, seems like I narrowly missed being snipped, although it's possible my parents prevented it. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait till I get to heaven before I can ask them. :)

576. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32737 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 6:29 am

11. Comment #32672 by Shaker2007

I like your angry baby avatar, I didn't see a post by you on the "circumcision" thread, it would have been appropriate!

I would like to suggest a superimposed caption for your avatar that reads:

"Leave my dick alone you religious pricks!"

That would have been a killer!

577. Medicine without Evolution Make Sense?

Comment #32722 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 5:18 am

7. Comment #32714 by NJS

Moronic preachers and even presidents is one thing - Doctors are quite another.

Exactly.

How long will it be before we go full circle, back to the days of witch doctors..."hmm, this crappy science-based drug is not working, let us pray, shake our rattles and see what the bones say"

578. Medicine without Evolution Make Sense?

Comment #32709 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 4:19 am

"Crudely put, does a mechanic need to understand the origins, history, and technological advances that have gone into the modern motor vehicle in order to fix it?"

No, a lowly mechanic does not, but he would be a better mechanic if he did!

There is no subject I can think of where historical and developmental information is not of prime importance, more so I suspect, in medicine. As for the poor students who felt evolution was being forced upon them, they should be told to study a simpler theological course of whatever flavour they desire. How can anyone against evolution want to be a doctor in the first place? To me, this indicates a person of doubtful reasoning capacity into whose hands I would not want to place my life!

Now I'm worried, must we interview surgeons about to operate upon us to verify they won't prematurely give up and leave it in "God's hands"? Surely the way forward is to tell medical students that knowledge and understanding of evolution will be expected of those wishing to be doctors.

Edited.

Excuse my blue test, I prefer it to the blockquote tags, they take up too much space, seems wasteful to me. I'd advise commonality if anyone else likes it, otherwise we might end up with a technicolor nightmare!

579. Sam's Flea!

Comment #32701 by Yorker on April 18, 2007 at 3:51 am

2. Comment #32654 by GodlessHeathen

"Anyone going to be getting a copy? I admit curiosity but I'm hesitant to spend money on it for fear it is just the usual tripe."

What else can it be? A new powerful argument backed by irrefutable evidence? I don't think so, save your money my friend.

580. Almost Human, and Sometimes Smarter

Comment #32635 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 6:53 pm

3. Comment #32612 by elvenearth

Was that a joke? If it was, I don't get it, if not, then you evidently fail to see the significance of it.

Would you masturbate over a picture of a female chimp?

581. Almost Human, and Sometimes Smarter

Comment #32608 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 3:11 pm

In the terrific book "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", Carl Sagan and Annie Druyan described all these and one more chimp characteristic several years ago. The additional thing was that Hrdy, another researcher, had reported that male chimps would masturbate to pictures of human females.

582. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32606 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 2:57 pm

97. Comment #32573 by brue68

"On a side note, my girlfriend really dislikes the look of an uncircumcised penis (I live in Virginia, US), so while I may be sad at losing my foreskin without consent, it is, in my mind, mitigated by my partner's pleasure at the aesthetics of my member."

She is simply a victim of misinformed culture. I once explained the virtues of non-circumcision to an American lady friend, eventually, she grew to like it and "it grew" to like her! :)

583. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32599 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 2:36 pm

32. Comment #32581 by franciebrady

Yes, I agree, it's a pity that in every human endeavour there are always those who are under-rated.

"I worry that classical music is slowly losing its cultural relevance, that the particular sensitivities needed to appreciate Bach or Mahler or Mozart are being eroded."

You make a good point here; my theory is that it has to do with today's society being infested with instant gratification junkies. Like all worthwhile things, the more you put in the more you get out, classical music is no exception, it requires effort that the junkies can't give. I'm convinced that most people who say they don't like classical music really don't know what they're saying, they just don't have the patience to listen long enough for the light to come on. It's either that or they're just not musical people.

I cannot imagine not being musical, what a horrific world that would be, although I sometimes wish I could temporarily switch it off when a particular piece replays itself again and again in my head, I'd far rather suffer that than monotony.

584. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32576 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 12:35 pm

27. Comment #32537 by nepeta

I have to agree that there's much garbage around, people argue that music is subjective etc, etc. No doubt it is but I'm still convinced there is good music and bad music. It can be simply tested; good music stands the test of time, it is immune to fashion and other transient follies.

Crap music is here today and gone tomorrow (thankfully) and often fashion-based, much of today's stuff won't be remembered next month, never mind hundreds of years as the great music is.

585. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32572 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 12:23 pm

21. Comment #32480 by mr gollo

That's right, Hitler was not German, it's well-known that he was Austrian.

586. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32562 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 11:55 am

82. Comment #32556 by CJ

Good point CJ, yes, the USA is money driven. I've always said it worships two gods, the one in the sky and the green one in your wallet; the green one always has the final say.

Unfortunately, I see some of the same nonsensical greed rearing it's gangrenous head in the UK, it will inevitably result in the demise of capitalism.

587. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32557 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 11:46 am

78. Comment #32550 by krogercomplete

You sound a little incomplete to me, like maybe part of your cock is missing and you're regretting it. Much of what you say seems very biased to me, e.g.

"My point was that the court may not be looking at this in entirely religious terms. From a legal perspective, the reasoning of the court may have little to do with religion."

Any court willing to sanction bodily mutilation of a 12 year-old on a father's whim, is not worthy of the name "civilised" as it would no doubt regard itself as. If it decides to put "religious tradition" ahead of the young man's wishes then it's not only uncivilised but incredibly barbaric and retrogressive.

"Surely it cannot be self-righteous to merely point out self-righteousness."

People who feel outraged by forced mutilation are not being "self-righteous", they're being "human righteous", a very good thing in my opinion.

588. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32554 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 11:28 am

76. Comment #32548 by perkyjay

"Roundheads, referring to Oliver Cromwell's troops and the boys who had been 'unmolested' were the Cavaliers, referring to the King's forces."

Dawkins mentions this in one of his books, can't quite remember which, maybe "A Devils Chaplain".

589. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32531 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 9:53 am

23. Comment #32514 by franciebrady

"The worst thing about people who jaw on and on about the "Mozart Effect" is that it reinforces the perception in many people's minds that classical music is elitist and inaccessibly cerebral."

Yes indeed, couldn't agree more. People have accused me of elitism more than once for my love of classical music and opera. For those who think opera is elitist, I point to the poor people of Milan, real buffas, who know more about opera than most of the glitzies and corporates who unfortunately take an undeservedly high percentage of opera seats.

With regard to classical, I tell them of my daughter. One day I found her lying on the couch wearing headphones; tears were running down her cheeks. When asked why she was crying she said: "It's the music Dad, but I'm OK". She was listening to Beethoven's 6th symphony and she was six years old at the time.

590. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32529 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 9:40 am

19. Comment #32458 by scottishgeologist

Ah yes, I know the place well but in that weather the "storm" in the 6th symphony would have perhaps been more appropriate. But I'm with you on the 7th as well, especially the second movement.

591. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32523 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 9:00 am

Someone should advise this kid, something along the lines of:

"Hey Dad, I'll make a deal with you; I'll get circumcised if you get castrated, that way you won't give me any brothers or sisters who might turn out to be as fucking stupid and barbaric as you are!"

592. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32518 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 8:45 am

21. Comment #32424 by Veronique

NJS is right Veronique, I hold that uncircumcised cocks are more, not less sensitive. As a young man I tried experimenting to see what circumcision would feel like, my glans was so sensitive I couldn't bear it rubbing against my underwear, when it dried out, it became tolerable. As far as smegma build-up is concerned, that is simply taken care of by washing. Other than medical necessity I see no reason whatever for circumcision, male or female.

I'm amazed at the nurse in a previous post who called a foreskinned cock "dirty", had she said that to me the obvious reply, "why don't you suck it and see", would've been hard to resist!

593. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32485 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 6:44 am

36. Comment #32473 by Dr Benway

I agree, such insanity is hard to comprehend in a so-called civilised society.

594. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32483 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 6:40 am

39. Comment #32481 by nancy2001

Are you saying you had this done to healthy breasts, just in case you got cancer?

595. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32479 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 6:32 am

1. Comment #32375 by Spinoza

"I have no problem with infant circumcision... not because it's medically beneficial (that is either not true, or not certain)... but because many women like it"

Holy shit! So that's what's been wrong all this time, I forgot a have a chunk of my cock cut off!

I noticed in the USA that most men are circumcised and are fixated on women with huge mammaries and shaven pubes, I even had a colleague that wanted to pay for his girlfriend's breast enlargement.

None of these things are to my taste, my personal preference is for a naturally titted woman with a healthy and preferably luxuriant, pubic pelt. Having sex with a shaven woman gives me an uneasy feeling, perhaps akin to what child molestation might be like.

Honestly, there's something wrong with you guys...

596. Atheism isn't the final word

Comment #32471 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 6:10 am

50. Comment #32385 by Logicel

No, don't edit the profanity just use it well. Hitchens and Jonathon Miller understand its value, perhaps even Dawkins is latching on to it.

There's nothing more up-the-nose-getting than an intelligent person injecting a well-timed "fuck" into a verbal or written attack!

597. Atheism isn't the final word

Comment #32464 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 5:59 am

The article isn't worthy of comment from me and I'm not a nationalist but as far a being the most science oriented society in history, I could make a cast iron case that Scotland would win hands down.

598. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32456 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 5:45 am

17. Comment #32453 by Fishpeddler

Very amusing :)

When people ask what kind of music I like, I say: "All kinds except country music". The genre always reminds me of Buddy Rich's comment about it: "Bad music with a cowboy hat".

599. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32446 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 5:09 am

It seems clear there is a "use-it-or-lose-it" effect with regard to brain power, but I've found it declines with age no matter how much you use it, I know I'm not as sharp now as I was when a young man. The effect is partially offset by age-gained experience which can sometimes mask a decline in intelligence.

A few examples:

I've always been a fast learner, I had what was known as a "photographic memory". I could read a page in a book then recite the page by closing my eyes and reading the "picture" of the page in my mind's eye. I can no longer do this, the picture is now faded and fragmented.

When I look back at computer code I wrote 20 years ago it seems like the work of someone better than me, I've lost some elegance, that most desirable of coding art. The same goes for circuit design, my past work is that of a finer artificer.

Often colleagues have said my skills seem undiminished, they're either being kind, or are fooled by the veil of experience I wear.

600. Mozart doesn't make you clever

Comment #32441 by Yorker on April 17, 2007 at 4:43 am

10. Comment #32409 by Rtambree

I almost agree with you, but I'd change "smarter" to "knowledgeable" in your statement. I think it's very difficult, perhaps impossible, to increase basic intelligence.