Comments by Brian English

Comment #209035 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:17 pm

Yes fizhburn, but you've missed the beauty of a variable constant. It can't exist, like a certain deity....Still your connective is very cool. Can you develop a logical calculus with it?

952. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #209031 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:12 pm

I have some mixed feelings about alternative action. I don't think charity works, but some people have been discriminated against for so long that there are not the pathways to success, even if there now is a level playfield. For example, here in OZ, the Aboriginals have much worse health and die much younger, many don't have great opportunities in education and live in abusive communities. If a smart aboriginal kid living in the outback or in a poor suburb in the city wants to go to Uni, the chances are very slim. We have government funded education (you pay a bit back through the taxation system), but the poor kid won't get to finish High school, so won't qualify for Uni and will probably end up with alcohol and social problems.

None of this is the kids fault. Aboriginals are on average as intelligent as the rest. The main reason is that they've been discriminated against since European settlement. They didn't get a vote and weren't even citizens until 40 years ago. They've always been excluded and marginalized. Things are a bit better now I suppose, but not much.

Affirmative action seems like it could help, if you don't think about it too deeply...

953. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #209025 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Steve, it's standard practise. Provoke outrage, then claim the outraged party is the provoker and you're the innocent lambs who are being persecuted. Very clever. Muslim don't mind this either.

954. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #209022 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Decius, you've not added the God constant g.
Look. 3 plus g = 3.14......simple!

955. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #209016 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:02 pm

it is as nasty a form of bigotry as the out and out bigots of the right wing, just disguised better.

It's the same form of bigotry the can be found in multiculturalism. Because all cultures are good, it's OK to leave women and kids in abusive, culturally sanctioned situations. We know that their culture knows what's best for them....

By the way Al. From the point of view of a mouse, even I'd look like a Yeti. I'd not get too cut up about it. ;)

956. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #209013 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:56 pm

Scot 1 plus 1 does equal 3. Let me demonstrate
First, there is an ineffable God constant g that takes whatever value is required to include God in the equation. So:
1 plus 1 plus g = 3 if that is what scripture says. OK?

Now g doesn't necessarily have to be a number*, let alone the number 1. In discussing evolution a theist might say:
evolution plus g = rational animal. Here g is the immaterial mind. And so on.

A creationist might say:
g = life. No need for any material explanation.

*you may at this point be wondering how a constant can take on any property or value. This is a mystery and it'll stay a mystery unless you want the inquisition to help you better understand why mystery is good....

957. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #209002 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Al says he's 6'5" or so, which is about 195cm I think. He'd have big feet if he's in proportion....
I'll leave it up the reader to add big feet jokes. :)

958. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208998 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:43 pm

Al, Marx did come up with a cool phrase though: "Religion is the panacea of the masses"

MMM, if that is what he said, then it's doubly cool. Mass being the Catholic religious celebration...

959. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208983 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Steve, I agree with you again. That's good. Normal transmission has resumed. ahhhh

960. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208974 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:11 pm

I agree with Scot. The problem is pretty much all theists do discount science. Even Ken Miller could be said to do this. They see science as a method of knowing, and not the best one, and certainly not as good as revelation from a book or personal experience.

961. An Irishman's Diary

Comment #208968 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:03 pm

It's good to know that Carto will be able to catch wee folk and impress them with his perfect English....

962. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208953 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Second, seriously, what are you talking about? Slaughtered an entire continent? Which continent would that be? Africa? Europe? Asia? N. America? S. America? Antarctica? Australia? I've run out of continents and I've yet to list one that has been "entirely slaughtered," by anyone.

The great penguin massacre. When the proletariat Adele penguins seized the means of pilchard production and overthrew the ruling Emperor and King penguins. At first it seems like peace and harmony would rule the frozen desert. But after a while the Skuas and Petrels noticed that the Emperor penguins marching into the frozen tundra that is the center of that continent. There they would sit on their eggs to incubate them in that terrible gulag. Oh the humanity! We'll never forget the way penguins turned on themselves in the name of pilchard production! Weep!

963. An Irishman's Diary

Comment #208934 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 12:07 pm

You scored 93% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 73% Expert!

Begginer:
I thought the He ___ to the banquet with Naomi and ___ was He went to the banquet with Naomi and I. The response given as correct He went to the banquet with Naomi and me sounds wrong. The explanation given sounds fair however:

The words I and me can sometimes get confusing. There are two rules that make using these two words very simple.
1) Never put yourself first.
2) Remove the other person from the equation.
In this sentence, remove Naomi. Would you say "He went to the banquet with I", or "He went to the banquet with me"? Me is the correct choice in this sentence.

Expert:
They __________ her for murdering her children. Here hung sounds correct, but I come from a country that stopped the death penalty by hanging before I was born. ;)

and

Please stay __________
awhile, a while and for a while are apparently all correct, though awhile looks like like an orthographic error to me. :)

Ahh well, I suck at begginer English, am OK intermediate/advance and suck at expert. I shame my surname. :)

964. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208633 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 5:17 am

Yep, some evidence for pain relief but why not take cheaper pain killing drugs? Several alternative therapies are somewhat effective on placebo responsive conditions; I'll speculate that they act as a strong placebo, a very different phenomenon than a curative treatment.

Tom you may be spot on. I've found that pain killers are not just pain killers. For example, the old nurofen plus is fantastic for relieving pain, but also makes you a bit wonky. It also is only effective for an hour or so. Generally, if my back is really sore and I get a 20 minute massage, followed by total adjustment (this guy gives a great back massage and adjusts everything...In fact it's probably the back massage that does the trick.) I don't have any back problems for the next week or so and have no side-effects.

I don't expect you to be persuaded by my anecdotal evidence. I'm not selling anything and I'm happy to accept that it's all placebo. Which is a good point, because I'm not half bent on Ibuprofen and Codeine. :)

965. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208609 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 4:32 am

Epeeist. You're spot on. :)

966. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208604 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 4:22 am

Irate and Hungarian. The problem with Chiro is the original guy who started Chiro treated a man with a hearing problem by adjusting his back. This seemed to work and he postulated the idea of subluxation which literally means 'underlighting' but Chiros will tell you it means underlifing which would be subvitation. This guy was like a plumber performing surgery, he made it up as he went.

A bit of basic anatomy will tell you that the auditory nerves do not branch out from the spinal chord, they are anterior to the spinal chord. So adjusting the back won't affect the hearing. Also, the idea of subluxation is more metaphysical and not scientific. A back adjustment won't cure cancer or make you immortal. But some Chiros denigrate mainstream medicine by calling it Allopathy and suggesting it's archaic or an ineffective, brutal method. (Which some treatments have been, and some still are (brutal, not archaic). Chemotherapy for example. But that doesn't mean it doesn't work.) Chiro when tested doesn't even meet the level of effectiveness (long term) that the method it denigrates does. Which may not be surprising because even if you get your back well adjusted, then move with bad posture, it's likely you'll revisit the back pain....

But the idea that Hungarian mentions, which is the idea that I see as reasonable because it makes sense. The nerves, bundles of axons projecting from neurons to synapse with other neurons or muscles, are physical things that can be damaged. Undue pressure will do this. So, removing the pressure by some means seems reasonable. That's why I go to a Chiro*. ;)

*Whether the Chiro can do anything is the problem. I think they can help, but as I said, if you keep moving with the same bad posture that caused the back pain, it shouldn't surprise that your pain returns after visiting the Chiro. Which lends creedence to Epeeist's point.

967. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208581 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 3:47 am

Tompaine:

Quackery often has a pseudo-religious or spiritualist root and Chiropractic therapy is no different.

But the less extreme claim that when your muscles or vertebrae press upon nerves may have an adverse affect on how the nerves function seems reasonable. The Chiro I visit only states this, he thinks Chiros who talk about 'wellness' and subluxation are cranks.....He says Chiro can be useful for alleviating back pain. Not for curing disease.

968. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208509 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 2:01 am

Clearmind, you know a house is designed because you see people designing them. You say you know that the universe is designed, so you must have seen the designer at work. Correct?

Why won't you answer the simple question clearmind. Are you a coward?

969. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208488 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:35 am

I should point out, I'm happy to argue with such people. But I try to argue with them on their own 'turf' and see if there's an inconsistency.....Assuming they'll even join the argument.

970. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208487 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:33 am

This isn't someone who says "science is wrong" - this is someone who says "science is an appropriate way of looking at the world, and I am better at it than Einstein".

This got me thinking. If I say that the general scientific consensus is wrong, and I'm not offering logical conjecture that fits the evidence better and has greater predictive power then I am rejecting science. He's rejecting science and putting his simulacrum in its place so that he can call himself scientific. It's not much different from the trolls on the other thread with their SCIENCEISLAM shite.

Well, anyway, that's how I see it.

971. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208480 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:25 am

Please don't assume my strategy is the only one. I'm just going through a stage where I find arguing with people who don't hold my beliefs as though they did seems wasteful.

And if me and wisdom were ever to meet I wouldn't recognize her. :)

972. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #208477 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:22 am

Steve, it seems atheists are happy to erect strawmen against each other. If someone recommends moderation and an appropriate response they're appeasers or the fifth column. Excepting Styrer, who should never moderate his fine prose.....Nor irate for that matter....Ignore everything I said. No moderation unless you're a moderate!

973. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208474 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:18 am

Fair enough Steve. I'd still determine his propositions and attack them. He's happy to deny science that doesn't suit him, so it's not a winning strategy in my opinion. But anyway.....

974. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208471 by Brian English on July 11, 2008 at 1:16 am

975. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #208423 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 11:56 pm

Steve, this is sort of what I was getting at on your blog earlier today (or yesterday for you). If one debates a theist using premises the theist doesn't accept, you just end up talking past the theist and preaching to the choir. Txpiper doesn't accept any scientific premise or theory as true if it contradicts his propositions of faith. The only way to debate our friend is using propositions he does hold. Assuming he's honest enough to agree that he holds certain propositions or that he's thought his beliefs through enough to know what propositions he holds to be true. That being the case, just aim for the inconsistencies in his beliefs and you may get through to him. Or not. :)

976. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208393 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 11:09 pm

Clearmind, you know that a house is designed because you see people designing houses. You say that the universe is designed. Therefore, you must have seen the designer of the universe. Correct?

977. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208387 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 11:06 pm

Clearmind, you know a house is designed because you see people designing houses. You say you know that the universe was designed. Therefore, you must have seen the designer. Correct?

978. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208376 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 10:45 pm

used a powerful biological computer chip

They have biological chips. I guess silicon is so passe.

The study shows the richness and texture of these differences we have with our close neighbors in the evolutionary tree

Clearmind, why does your article support evolution? Seems like an own goal.

Anyway, back to important business. You know a house is designed because you've seen houses designed. You say you know that the universe is designed, therefore you must have seen the designer of the universe. Correct?

979. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #208354 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 9:28 pm

Quine, I think a lot of Protestant churches have made similar claims too. :)

980. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208352 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 9:26 pm

Laurie, the rise in the Whale population may have something to do with the end of commercial whaling. Or not. I know down Warrnambool way, where I grew up the Southern Right Whales have increased in number too.

I want to see Pell and Ratzi get some humble pie. Unfortunately, they'll be humble in a way that gives them kudos, and still denies justice or whatever.

981. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208343 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 9:08 pm

8teist, sushi isn't raw whale. I hate to disappoint you, because whales generally swim at a sedate pace, but perhaps you need to hunt down a tuna, which swim much faster. I think you can do it. ;)

982. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #208341 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Layla, the whole dogma of transubstantiation is a product of medieval thought. It's based on old Aristotelean ideas of substance, reworked for the medieval churche's satisfaction. It shouldn't surprise therefore that is has more than a wiff of the black death.....

983. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208339 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 9:03 pm

Laurie, the correct unit of measurement when talking about regions is 'Wales'. As in, Queensland is 5 times the size of Wales.....

984. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208333 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:52 pm

I guess not then. It drained away too quick. I wonder if Bunnings does a special on Ark quantities of timber? Or maybe they have a DYI Ark building course?

985. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208330 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:49 pm

Thanks Bonzai.

986. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208325 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:43 pm

Cool, I understand where you're coming from now. I guess if we evolved in a universe with a certain type of symmetry, we'd have a certain affinity, or possibly be attuned to that symmetry. We couldn't have evolved contrary to it, and thus whatever mechanisms of truth finding evolved in us, would suit the universe's 'fabric' so to speak. Sort of an anthropic principle. Of course, how could one demonstrate this?

987. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208319 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Australia doesn't have any evidence for an inundiation in relatively recent times, does it?

I did a huge piss outside a while back. Does that count? It's been pretty dry for a while, so it left an impression.

988. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208315 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:33 pm

There's no a priori reason huh? Ergo God?* I'm sold. Where's my nearest ignorance factory, uhm church?

*I'm not suggesting this is what you mean. Just being droll. Don't attack!

989. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208309 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:28 pm

What is interesting and remarkable though, is that it actually works in that it allows us create consistent, unified theory that economically summarizes a lot of facts in one coherent picture and make predictions. There is no a priori reason why such conceptual devices should work in the first place.

I'm too ignorant of high level maths to even grasp why this is a remarkable question. I think of a priori things as definitional in a sense, probably a bad mistake. Given this, why would using quantities that we observe from the world, and extrapolating using formal systems that behave a certain way, not allow us to arrive as a useful model of those quantities? It would seem to be the logically intuitive outcome.....

I did say I was ignorant. :)

990. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208305 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 8:23 pm

I suppose one could look at it in the Goedel way. Truth is something intuitive. Then again perhaps truth is whatever agrees with the facts. A mathematical proof isn't necessarily a truth is the main point.
The mathematics of the EMF is a possibly simplified model that 'captures' the data and allows predictions. As such, it is highly likely that it is a fiction. Which is not to undervalue its usefulness.

Back to my initial example. If a micro meter is composed of n Plank lengths, we have some standard of measure. If for the sake of mathematical convenience we define an infinitesimal as something infinitely divisible, but contradictorily having extension (how can something that never stops dividing have a fixed extension?) we have a great tool for approximating? certain quantities, but it's a proof not necessarily a truth or factual I guess.

Anyway, I'm not trying to knock Maths. I'm only asking your view on something that interests me, the intersection of science, Maths, and Philosophy.

EDIT. I just noticed you posted several replies. I'd only read the last when I posted the above.

991. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208267 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 7:20 pm

8teist, there's nothing irrelevant about 2 billion or more people, some barking mad, who think we're the problem. At least not how I see it.

992. Conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #208261 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 7:15 pm

Bonzai, while your about. I think mathematical proofs are true as far as they go, but not necessarily true in the 'real' world. For example, calculus uses the concept of infinitesimals to accurately measure the gradient on a curve when differentiating (correct me if that's wrong, it's been a long time since I did calculus). Anyway, these infinitesimals are infinitely divisible, but have extension. This is a bit of a contradiction. Because if something is infinitely divisible, you can never move anywhere because you keep dividing . To cover an extension you need some minutely small indivisible unit. (Zeno's paradox is probably related). Physics tells us that extension has an indivisible unit, the Plank length. So, in the 'real' world, you can add many Plank lengths together to get a greater distance.

Anyway, can you give your thoughts on the above. Firstly if it's correct, and secondly the difference between what science says, and what Maths says. Sometimes I think Maths doesn't talk about things in the 'real' world.

993. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208238 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 6:40 pm

:D very funny 8teist.

994. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #208232 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 6:30 pm

The gibbering baboons we have had here shows you what a tiny amount of education wrongly placed and badly directed can lead us to.

I guess I didn't fool you with my attempt to appear learned then did I? Well, it's time to start flinging my excrement in your general direction and screeming like a baboon to drown out your logic and learning I guess.

Look out NZ, an attack of Aussie baboon turds and screams is on it's way....

995. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #208137 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 4:07 pm

My 2c

Dear President Bruininks,

I am writing in support of Professor P.Z. Myers. It appears a campaign is being organized against him by the Catholic league. Professor Myers is a great science communicator and advocate of free speech. His blog, Pharyngula, is a wonderful resource for science and rational thinking. There are many people around the world who support him and appreciate his great work.

Thank you for your time,
Brian English.
Australia.

996. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #207756 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 6:46 am

Quetz has smitten the heretic Cyril!

997. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #207752 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 6:43 am

Joe, do you have any arguments to prove the existence of God? You can't use design unless you've seen a designer. You can't use Kalam because there are many things without a cause. You can't use the Quran because it is only a book. Do you have anything at all?

998. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #207627 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 4:10 am

Joe, have you seen the designer of the universe? If not, you can't say that the universe was designed.

999. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #207577 by Brian English on July 10, 2008 at 3:03 am

Clearmind and Joe, have either of you seen the designer of the universe? How do you know there is a designer?

1000. IT'S A GODDAMNED CRACKER!

Comment #207488 by Brian English on July 9, 2008 at 11:58 pm

Strangely, in my didactic Spanish dictionary, they call that piece of hair a toupé. Weird.

All hail the quiff of Elvis!