Comments by Brian English

551. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228929 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 9:00 pm

No estas por dormir? Que hora es alla?

(accents removed so that it's readable...)

552. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228913 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Hasta pronto Perla blanca. Que duermas bien!

Comment #228908 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 7:33 pm

Centralis, when you go around saying that atheists believe in evolution and Richard Dawkins you are accusing atheists of having a faith and prophet. Or something very similar. You can hardly claim to be making reasonable point with such misrepresentations.

554. Common New Atheist Fallacies

Comment #228904 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 7:24 pm

It may be tempting to do so, becasue you "believe" in evolution and Dr. Dawkins.

Nice strawman there.

555. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228893 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:56 pm

Ahh, du bist ein grosse Knabe?

556. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228890 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:32 pm

Do you mean man boobs?

557. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228889 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:31 pm

Was ist ein dicke Bubi? Ich kenne das Wort nicht.

558. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228883 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:09 pm

Goldy ist ein Girly Mann. :)

559. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228880 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Lo que fuera Goldy ;)

560. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #228877 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Morning Laurie, Mord. Buenos días Perla blanca.

561. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228875 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Yes, biology was located in Building 12A and Physics down the road at the other campus.

562. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228866 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Fizhburn, stop stealing my order. My world is disordered enough.

563. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228858 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 4:03 pm

Apologies Phil. It's probably colder where you are. :)

564. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228853 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:50 pm

Phil, give me that heat! Don't you know it's winter here? I want to dissipate more energy and increase the entropy around my toes.

565. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228845 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Steve, if you can't explain the complete history of every particle that's ever been then your explanation is incomplete and god did it. :)

566. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228837 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Hence, are we optimally complex now?

Nope, I've been altering my behavior to not sweat the difficult issues and I just chill these days. See! I've outsmarted thermodynamics....

567. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228833 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:23 pm

OK, the universe is increasing in entropy. One of the processes by which entropy is increased is life. If it weren't for the sun, we'd be up to our eyeballs in entropy.

EDIT: I haven't read the article, so I probably just contradicted it. :D

568. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228824 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Night Quetz. Don't let the christians bite. :)

569. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228818 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:09 pm

Are you suggesting that the plants are growing out of his shirt and obscuring his visage?

570. Evolution as Described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Comment #228815 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 3:04 pm

Steve, you've disappeared. The exercise program was too successful?

571. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228517 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 6:24 am

And that Freud was a sexually repressed Austrian who mirrored his time's main interests. Those being shame of shit and sex.

572. Charles Darwin investigated whether blondes have more fun

Comment #228516 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 6:22 am

Bad blonde joke:

A blond walks into an appliance store, walks up to some shelves and starts checking out the gear. A shop assistant comes up to her and asks if she needs assistance. She says 'I was just looking at this washing machine, how do you put the clothes in?' The assistant tells her to leave as they don't serve blondes. The blonde leaves but is undeterred, so she changes her clothes, puts on sunnies and a hat and returns to the store the following day. She goes back to the same spot and starts fiddling with the appliance again. She waits for the assistant, then asks about the washing machine. He yells out 'Look, please leave, I'm not serving no silly blond'. She's not sure how he worked out it was her, but she leaves quickly. The blonde then dies her hair black and returns to the store the next day. She thinks she's got the blonde issue resolved and so waits at the same appliance until the assistant arrives. She asks him about that washing machine again, to which the assistant goes agro and tells her to fuck off. As she's about to leave, she asks 'How did you know it was me?'. The assistant replies 'because that's a microwave your fiddling with!'

OK, I'll get my hat now. :)

573. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228511 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 6:06 am

I'd like to point out that I was wrong, many times in fact. The vexing issue is that I don't know when I was wrong or not. Oh well, ignorance is bliss.

574. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228505 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:58 am

Quetz, I regularly saunter past your great blog and when you repost a comment you put on FCOS I sometimes feel the urge to check out the excrement that you receive as recompense for your well thought out arguments. I really don't want to become a poster there. I tried to register when a bit pissed last Saturday night to drop the F-bomb or something but when sober it doesn't interest me. Anyway, I have no desire to converse with DR or the sock puppeteer. Once burned and all that. :)

575. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228503 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:52 am

We wouldn't consider for a second to be guilty of worshipping RD.

Awww crap! I spent a heap on Dawkins paraphernalia and created this creepy little shrine to the great man and now you tell me that's not what we atheists do. Won't someone tell me how to be an individual?

576. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228497 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:47 am

There's not much interesting happening here today. Perhaps I should get back into the sock-puppet business.

577. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228496 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:41 am

He put hours of effort into debating David on the FCOS site only to have it shoved in his face because of David's compulsive rudeness and refusal to listen to facts.

I remember reading one post of his. It was mammoth, but very readable. I think you correctly summed up DR's response. Throwing pearls to swine or something similar. Anyway........

578. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228492 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:33 am

Yes, I thought he was a Jonathan too....I must have crossed wires.

579. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228489 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:30 am

Yes, that character. He posted on FCOS as Jonathan I believe. I read some huge post he had in which he quoted 'The ethics of belief'

580. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228487 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:27 am

Freud just pulled ideas out of his butt. Some useful insights, but mostly evidence free bull. :P

I guess he was anally fixated.

581. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #228483 by Brian English on August 12, 2008 at 5:25 am

I agree with Decius more or less. Let them whine and sulk. Just keep pressing for argumentation and evidence.

Quetz, I must say that J character was a fine poster. What happened to him? ;)

582. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228335 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 11:20 pm

No Laurie, haven't jumped on the pedantry wagon. People in glass houses and all that. I think I'll let you retrain wp, she'd cave in my cranium I reckon.

583. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228330 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 10:43 pm

Oh and your helmet will offer no protection against my mighty cricket bat and even mighter temper.

Not that I can spell. But, one must be a pain in the arse sometimes. :)

584. CBI wants more pupils in science

Comment #228316 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 8:56 pm

Or go to Scotland and frolic with the Kuhs. :)

585. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228292 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Hola Perla blanca :)

586. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228283 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 6:35 pm

What did I miss guys?

587. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228253 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 4:53 pm

Still Goldy, I think you were silly to head to Docklands if it was hot at Hoppers Crossing. Everybody knows that around the bay it;s quite a lot cooler than a few kilometers in land. I remember a New years eve about 3 years ago. It was 45 at Ferntree Gully and 25 at St Kilda (the bay). Driving from St. Kilda to Ferntree Gully you could actually pick the moment when the temperature rose sharply. About 10 Km from the coast. It was weird. Melbourne, if you don't like the weather, wait 30 minutes.....:)

588. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228247 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 4:45 pm

Goldy, blame the flat terrain with a large bay to the south (and Southern ocean to the south of that) and relatively high mountains on the East causing a bit of quickly changing weather patters. When it gets hot here, it gets bloody hot.

589. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228222 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 4:10 pm

According to Wiki, Auckland has an average July temperature of 14.5, while Melbourne has 13. So that one 1.5 degree difference turns a moderate oceanic climate (Melbourne) into a warm temperate climate does it? I notice that Auckland averages 23 odd degrees in January and February instead of the warm 26 here. I'd say the ocean moderates Auckland's climate more than the bay does here......

590. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228215 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Luckily Auckland is in the sub tropical zone (as my Rough Guide type book informed me when I arrived here)

I think your guide is a bit, erm, rough there. Melbourne has been warm and sunny for the most part this winter, only in the last few days has there been snow lower than the high country in Victoria but we don't go around pretending we're sub-tropical and we have it warmer than Auckland. ;)

591. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228208 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 3:52 pm

OH, it's robots banging grannies? Whatever floats their boats.

Let's talk about something more mainstream. Goldy, how cold is it in Auckland? It's been quite cold and wet here for the last couple of days. Snow above 150m....

592. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228206 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 3:49 pm

Ahhh, well, everybody needs a bit of loving. I've got no problem if a granny finds someone to scratch the itch. I just don't think it will be me at this stage of my life.

593. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228201 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Granny banging? I missed that (phew!)

594. Charles Darwin investigated whether blondes have more fun

Comment #228197 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Carto, how's it going? Bleach makes you look all uber-aryan.

595. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #228193 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 3:38 pm

You know, the other day when we were joking about Goldy's man bra and moobs, I thought we were approaching the bottom of the barrel. But I've been shown the error of my ways. We're probably not even half-way down the barrel. Sex robots. Could be worse I suppose. :)

596. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #227979 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 6:20 am

I wouldn't be surprised if religion started out as genuine, honest attempt to meet the need until it takes on a life on its own.

Agreed, it did and does fulfill a cultural role. However, people knocking on doors and asking have you ever thought about what it all means? Why are we here? Take this pamphlet, it tell you about the Bible and Jesus' great message or something that seems quite like creating a need in a person who may have not needed religion beforehand. Also, getting religious people to have lots of babies and inculcating the idea in parents that the children need to be saved also seems to be creating a market. None of this needs be deliberate. It could be one of those 'free floating' thingys that Dan Dennett talks about in his book.

EDIT, although I think a few of those TV pastors and prosperity gospel types are in it for the lucre.

597. Richard Dawkins replies to Libby Purves

Comment #227974 by Brian English on August 11, 2008 at 6:09 am

Bonzai:

Take the born again Christians, they want to have a "personal relationship" with Jesus, I doubt that was motivated by the desire to know what was there before the big bang or why the physical constants appear to be "fine tuned".

Exactly. How can you have a personal relationship with an impersonal brute fact? Religious belief needs to have some personal facet, if science contradicts this, so much the worse for science. I think the truth looses out when a person has a deep seated need to fill. Religion is like marketing, create a need and fill it. But it works faster if the need is preexisting.....

598. Novel on prophet's wife pulled for fear of backlash

Comment #227785 by Brian English on August 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm

Goldy, I'll have to ask our Christian friends who blamed the Jews for Jeebus crucifixion for all those centuries. If it's OK for them, well, we should do the Christian thing and hold a grudge.

599. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #227466 by Brian English on August 10, 2008 at 1:09 am

I don't even get spirituality, let alone spiritual emails.

600. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #227464 by Brian English on August 10, 2008 at 1:02 am

I didn't get 2500 emails from Christians. I guess I'm not special. :(