101. Children need to be sprinkled with fairy dust

Comment #272305 by zeroangel on October 27, 2008 at 8:06 am

Forestmist:

Ref Communion: Christopher Walken geting harrased by aliens seems kind of funny to me. No doubt if I watched it today I'd probably think it was stupid.

102. Children need to be sprinkled with fairy dust

Comment #272299 by zeroangel on October 27, 2008 at 8:00 am

CaptainMandate:

Hehe. We kind of came to it on our own. It "made more sense" to us. It probably started with the knowledge that Native Americans regarded Spanish Conquistadors as "Gods." That got us thinking about UFOs and such nonsense. One of my brothers getting ahold of some "TOP SECRET" document off of some BBS (remember those? pre-internet stuff) made it all worse. *sigh*

103. Children need to be sprinkled with fairy dust

Comment #272292 by zeroangel on October 27, 2008 at 7:45 am

The "Communion" movie terrified me as a teenager.

I also remember at that time (oddly enough) my brothers and I were somewhat convinced that Jesus had been an alien visitor, of course he was a "good" alien.

104. Children need to be sprinkled with fairy dust

Comment #272273 by zeroangel on October 27, 2008 at 7:12 am

When a youngster I really enjoyed the CS Lewis Narnia series - lovely imaginative fantasies. It was only later I realised that they were deliberately encoding a christian message.

Just last night I started watching the “Prince Caspian” movie on the internet.

Anyhow, I felt exactly the same way about Narnia. In fact, I think I was even aware of the Christian message on some small level when I read them as a child. When I was a child I thought it clever and even exciting that Aslan exists in my world, remember the “In your world I go by another name” line from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

As a kid I thought that was fantastic, as an adult I see it as insidious.

105. Children need to be sprinkled with fairy dust

Comment #272246 by zeroangel on October 27, 2008 at 6:44 am

That said, I would be delighted if someone invented a rifle that shot laser bolts - mainly because I have a feeling it could be possible one day.

My understanding is it is entirely possible; however, the problem is the efficiency of a laser rifle. That is, it needs an enormous heat sink and doesn’t have much power. Making little bits of lead or other metals go really fast by way of an explosion or some other method appears to be the most efficient and it will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Anyone remember Babylon 5? Mass drivers? Spaceships hurling meteors at planets? That was awesome, Babylon 5 was a great series until they started pulling out the Vorlons = Angels bit. Then it got stupid.

Anyhow, when I was young I remember my brothers and I being determined to “catch” Santa Claus. We constructed elaborate traps involving tripwires and falling toy blocks that would alert us to Santa’s presence and if we were lucky, knock him unconscious. We ended up being annoyed with my father who kept showing up to “check if Santa had come” and kept telling us to close our doors to our rooms and go to bed. I think I remember this confirming my suspicions of some kind of Daddy - Santa Claus collusion.

My wife is now expecting (our first) and we were discussing the whole “Santa Claus” thing the other day. BTW, she is Christian (but not very active) and I am an atheist. Anyhow, I suggested that perhaps it isn’t so nice to lie to kids. She chastised me and said something to the effect of I would be in big trouble if I ruined her kids fun.

We then got to talking about nursery rhymes and such. One that came up was “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.” I was quick to point out that it is silly because of course we know they aren’t diamonds in the sky, they are enormous nuclear reactors.

My wife glared at me and repeated her earlier warning. *smile*

Sorry, if I was rambling, but I just wanted to share.

106. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #263352 by zeroangel on October 10, 2008 at 5:08 pm

Sciros:

Yes, but there are other more effective ways to stay healthy. If I were only concerned about physical and mental health then instead of training in the "arts" for say (and this is a totally arbitrary example) 2 hours a night, I might be better served by hitting the gym for about an hour and playing Sudoku for another hour.

My sole point was that ensuring you are armed is far more effective for most people considering most people don't have the time or inclination to commit to studying Martial Arts.

107. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #263083 by zeroangel on October 10, 2008 at 8:19 am

PERSON:

Why would it not be that simple? People have guns. People use them. People don't have guns, they use less efficient means of killing people. Less people die.

In Switzerland, many (nearly all males) have guns, it doesn't matter that the government regulates them in some way as you point out.

In Switzerland, people have guns, and people DON'T USE THEM. There are far more factors in the gun debate and Switzerland is proof of that. In fact I would argue that since there are so many well-armed, and well-trained gun-owners in Switzerland, violent crime is incredibly low. Practically every Swiss male is a potential bane to would-be criminals.

Anyhow, as far as the Marital Arts thing (for all concerned):

I studied Marital Arts for several years when I was young all the way into college. When I joined the Army I found we did pitifully little hand-to-hand as it seemed the general consensus was if you get to the hand-to-hand phase you are pretty much as good as dead anyway, heck I once remember a fellow officer remarking, "If you ever have to draw your 9mm (sidearm) you have serious f*cking issues already." Any training we did do involved bayonets and whacking people with rifle butts. In Iraq I never had to go hand to hand with a badguy and neither did anyone in my brigade as far as I know. This was probably an awfully good thing since a lot of those folks tend to blow themselves up.

Now I am middle-aged and married. I have precious little free time as it is and I honestly don't see Marital Arts training as feasible on a simple cost/benefit/risk analysis. It makes far more sense to pursue my own hobbies and unwind after work, take some classes to earn a graduate degree, put in extra hours at the office, etc. This makes much more sense for me and my family.

That said, I do always carry a small knife with me. It's more of a tool, but its there. I do keep a proper killing knife in my car. I haven't hit a person in anger with a closed fist in years (I don't think I have even had so much as an unpleasent conversation in weeks) and I doubt I will instantly remember what do to if it ever came to that. The commenters above are right about many criminals, they live and breathe violence and they are more prepared. In my mind the best one can do is ensure they are armed. If I lived in a state that didn't have such ridiculous conceal/carry laws, I would probably keep a sidearm with me at all times. Police are never there when you need them, and that isn't meant to be a dig at Police (some of my closest friends are policemen) but it is just the plain truth that they can't be everywhere at once.

My point is, the best thing one can do is arm themselves as much as their particular regions laws will allow and then hope for the best. Interveneing IS the right thing to do. It's even more right (for you and your families' sake) when you have more lethal tools at your disposal.

108. Big Bang or Big Bounce?: New Theory on the Universe's Birth

Comment #261658 by zeroangel on October 7, 2008 at 7:41 am

Swordmaiden:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wteiuxyqtoM

Relativity and Simultaneity explained (at least part of it).

109. Leading geneticist Steve Jones says human evolution is over

Comment #261627 by zeroangel on October 7, 2008 at 6:56 am

To achieve this feat, Ismail is thought to have copulated with an average of about 1.2 women a day over 60 years.

Geeeezzz... and here I am thinking that I had fun in the Army while overseas.

110. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #258867 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 12:40 pm

@gazzaofbath:

This will turn into a gun debate, so I will bow out.

The point does deserve to be made though: a club is also a potentially deadly weapon.

111. Why I left Young-earth Creationism

Comment #258762 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 10:43 am

Without that I would now be an atheist.

Wouldn't want that would we? Jeez.

Belief that the Earth is 6000 yrs old: Unscientific and counter to the evidence.

Belief that the creator of the Universe is a personal, caring being, that sent himself (his son?) to Earth via virgin birth to cleanse our sins: Totally OK.

*shrug*

112. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #258739 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 10:17 am

In the UK they are mostly unarmed junkies looking for a TV to sell for their next fix. I wouldn't regard automatically shooting a guy like that as ethically justifiable.

The problem of course is, you usually don't have the time or the luxury of making that assement.

"Pardon, me sir, I have myself a gun here and I was wondering if you are interested in just stealing my TV or raping my wife?"

No doubt you won't get out that sentence in time.

As far as the murder rate, I don't think you can just point to guns as the factor. IIRC in a country like Switzerland, guns are even more freely available since (as I understand) ALL males are members of the reserve military. There are many more factors at work in the US's high murder rate.

113. Petition YouTube for Pat Condell

Comment #258654 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 8:55 am

You would also be prevented from agreeing to resolution by duel with chainsaws.

What a pity that is! Man, would tickets to that sell!

What piece of legislation? The Arbitration Act 1996? Sorry to disillusion you, but something similar is in force in most Western countries, and a lot of non-Western ones.

Hmmm, it seems to me that this Act is your guy's problem and not Sharia so much. I wonder, does the US have any similiar legislation? I don't think so, if there was, I have no doubt we would be having our own problems in this area right now. Anyone know otherwise? Thank you.

114. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #258642 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 8:43 am

People just don't get beat up or attacked in America, it's a peaceful utopia. They all just sit around on toadstools, polishing their guns, eating marshmallows and talking to pixies.

Oh, don't be silly. No one is saying that, but I do think there is some merit to this idea that things are a bit different in America. It even differs a great deal among states themselves. The stark differences between NJ and Texas for example.

I have a 4d cell maglite in my car because I'm afraid of the dark...

I have a big scary looking gravity blade because I am afraid of being in a situation where I might need a big scary-looking gravity blade and not have one.

115. Petition YouTube for Pat Condell

Comment #258618 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 8:06 am

nalfeshnee, just finished reading the article you referenced, thank you.

Wow.

I feel much better about being an American now (at least on this one particular issue). You Brits have certainlly got yourself into a mess over there.

116. Petition YouTube for Pat Condell

Comment #258602 by zeroangel on October 2, 2008 at 7:47 am

OK, I read to about halfway through page 2 before giving up.

Obviously, this is a big issue in Britain so can someone please explain to me (American) what the deal is here?

That is, I understand and appreciate the sentiment that adults should be able to use any method they desire to resolve some kind of non-criminal dispute. Those methods could range from rock-scissors-paper to consulting magicians / sorcerers / priests. I am fine with that.

I also understand and highly regard the idea that government sometimes has to protect people from themselves and protect the rights of the weak and / or ignorant.

All that said, I am not sure I understand the issue here exactly. That is, why are these courts being stood up at all? What actually authority do they have and whom presides over them?

Why can't devout Muslims handle their own business in a sharia "court" of their own (in their neighbors house or whatever) and then bring that to a regular British court and say, "Here is what we have agreed to and signed a contract to." Why does there need to be this second court? If I were to decide I want a game of rock-scissors-paper to decide a dispute and I later signed a contract based on the outcome of the game, I wouldn't need a special "rock-scissors-paper" court, why do Muslims need one?

Anyways, if anyone is willing to explain I'd appreciate it.

Thank you!

117. The Origins of the Universe: A Crash Course

Comment #246488 by zeroangel on September 12, 2008 at 11:22 am

Oystein Elgaroy:

Maybe you can set me straight:

I have to say, despite really having solid knowledge about these things; I feel uncomfortable with the whole "Higgs field" thing. It seems too much like the old "aether theories."

Surely there are physicists that feel this way as well? Or, am I just way off base?

118. Spore's Intelligent Designer

Comment #246484 by zeroangel on September 12, 2008 at 11:09 am

OMFFSM. Speachless over here. This is just beyond ragingly stupid. Ishruul & Sciros, I completely agree.

119. Bizarre Anti-Spore Website Takes Issue WIth Stance On Creationism

Comment #245252 by zeroangel on September 10, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Christians have a huge problem with EVE

No kidding? well, no surprise there. I never played EVE, just never got around to it. Both my brothers were very into it for a time though.

BTW, I can't be the only one on here whose Mom and Dad forbid them from playing Dungeons and Dragons anymore years ago, right? My parents took it away from us for several weeks because of media and religious hype. We eventually got it back though.

120. Bizarre Anti-Spore Website Takes Issue WIth Stance On Creationism

Comment #245168 by zeroangel on September 10, 2008 at 10:50 am

I am way too busy playing "Battleground Europe (WWII online)" to get another game now.

It does look neat though, I am sure I'll get it at some point in the future.

As for the "controversy." Geeez, don't ppl have better things to do with thier time? Like, actually just playing games instead of going nuts over them?

I am going to tuck this away in the "really, really crazy, like running around in circles on fire kind of crazy" file.

121. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243342 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 1:28 pm

Thank you fellas.

Looks like I have some reading to do.

A few more questions if you will indulge me though:

What else is there in the Helium atom? That is, I get that is has 2 protons, 2 neutrons, and 2 electrons. The Neutrons and Protons being made up of quarks. But then, there are also W, Z bosons, photons, and presumably Higgs Bosons flying around "inside" the Helium atom constantly exchanging forces, correct?

Then, the graviton is a theoretical particle that carries gravity?

I guess I am confused because I was thinking that since gravity is a consequence of mass, isn't the Higgs Boson the thing that mediates gravity?

Thank you! I'll get to reading that link when I get home from work.

122. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243326 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 12:50 pm

OK, I would like to get serious AND back on topic for a minute.

Can someone please briefly help me out with the standard model.

I remember precious little from school, and what I had learned is probably dated.

As I recall:

A stable, normal, helium atom is made up 2 protons, 2 neutrons, and 2 electrons.

Electrons are leptons with a negative charge.

Protons are made of 3 quarks and have a positive charge.

Neutrons are a proton and an electron fused(?) and beta decay is when a neutron gives off an electron.

Photons are massless wave/particles that carry electromagnetic radiation such as visible light.

Gluons are W and Z bosons carry the Strong and weak forces (respectively) are they also massless? Do they behave in a similar fashion as photons?

Where does the Higgs Boson come in?

Can someone break down my Helium atom for me further?

Thank you!

123. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243315 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 12:19 pm

Jtankers flagged as troll.

124. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243306 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 11:58 am

Flying Goose:

Here is an equally interesting article:

Click

125. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243274 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 10:54 am

Al:

The moment I discovered alt-tab ranks almost as high as when I discovered masturbation, maybe even as high as finding out about beer. Haha.

There could be a Kleenex in the chamber

Indeed there could be...

126. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243270 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 10:48 am

bugaboo:

Ahh, that would have been my next guess. Sorry for my sloppy English. These quick posts of mine while alt-tabbing between this and actual work don't usually get the grammar / spell checking they deserve. *smile*

127. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243258 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 10:30 am

? Huh ?

I am guessing there is gender confusion surrounding my nick. Dammit. I thought it was clever. I am a dude.

128. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243254 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 10:26 am

So is marriage really the sexless wasteland that every guy says it is?

I can't speak for all guys, but I have been married five yrs. things are still good, though they have cooled a bit.

My wife is a crazy beautiful woman and I believe I "married up" in the looks dept. However, I am reminded of a poster I saw years ago:

A picture of a scantily clad "perfect 10" beauty with the caption: "No matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is sick of her s**t."

Heh.

Honestly, though, sometimes I'd just rather have a steak. Marriage is not terrible, but it's not easy either. You get used to one another and that's not always so bad. All told, I am happy I married my wife.

Hmm, I wonder if our generous host appreciates our side track here. I can't help but think he chuckles a bit first before he inevitably reminds us to get back on topic *smile*. He is married too after all.

129. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243169 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 8:26 am

Prankster:

Certainly I think there are more qualified people here than myself to answer your question:

But in short, yes, its safe.

As I understand it, even if it creates mini-black holes they won't have the mass (at all) to do any damage. They will just disapate. For example: if you somehow crushed all the matter in a soda can into a mini-black hole, it would still have the gravitation pull of a soda can.

130. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243163 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 8:19 am

Dhamma:

I remember when I was young an uncle told me that "Locusts breathing fire" (somewhere in Revelations) was actually helicopter gunships. His assertion was that the writer of Revelations couldn't make sense of everything he saw in his visions so just tried to describe the coming apocalypse in the best way he could understand.

This got me reading Revelations attempting to try and predict the future. I figured the six (seven?) headed beast must be some kind of Robot Mech ala Japanese Anime.

Then I grew up.

131. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243152 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 8:08 am

The LHC was not mentioned in the Bible where, according to religionists, all truths can be found.

Doubtless, some loon will find some obscure passage in the Bible that predicts the LHC in the most vague of language and says it is from satan. Perhaps Revelations?

132. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243142 by zeroangel on September 5, 2008 at 7:45 am

The END draws near! Repent sinners!

JK.

Honestly, this is really exciting stuff. I only hope I am smart / well-read enough to understand on some level what comes out of these experiments.

133. Darwin's bulldogs

Comment #226562 by zeroangel on August 8, 2008 at 9:38 am

phasmagigas:

a few said 'cicadas' which gives them a mark i suppose.

Yah, they are cicadas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicadas

My brothers and I used to relentlessly capture and torture them as kids. They are big, ugly, and annoying.

During the time that they are molting you can find their discarded husks just about everywhere.

Of course, they are fascinating in their own way, like many forms of life. They get less fascinating when they start leaving husks all over your yard or they fly into your windshield or something :P.

134. The Trolls Among Us

Comment #224703 by zeroangel on August 5, 2008 at 12:15 pm

"Be conservative in what you do; be liberal in what you accept from others."

Good advice for just being a good person. As the author points out, Trolls are the opposite. They are immature, and just plain nasty.

This clown, Fortuny, tries to justify his behavior in some fashion. The freakish Weev doesn't even bother.

"but I can look at you while you're burning in the fire and not be required to help."

...said the cowardly child.

"I'd say empathy is probably a factor."

A virtue sorely lacking in the above individuals.

It seems to me it will just take time for laws to catch up. Freedom of Speech is wonderful and should be protected. Identity theft / slander / forms of character asssination etc. are illegal and the anonminity of the internet should not allow people to get away with these things.

135. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #208190 by zeroangel on July 10, 2008 at 5:25 pm

Dear Sir:

Recently I became aware of the controversy surrounding Prof. Myers' comments on his blog concerning a student taking the Eucharist out of church.

I will make this brief because I realize you have likely received a great deal of email on this topic.

It would be wrong if Prof. Myers was reprimanded in any way at all. At the root of this issue, he is correct. It is just a cracker we are talking about.

Freedom of speech is sacred above all, certainly more sacred than a piece of bread. Prof. Myers should be applauded for his insight, not chastised for offending other people's delicate sensibilities.

136. Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

Comment #208171 by zeroangel on July 10, 2008 at 4:56 pm

I feel I must respond to some of the comments concerning our armed forces.

It is simply a myth that, as a whole the military is any less educated then any similar demographic in the civilian world.

The facts are that enlistees (especially in the technical fields) are more educated than those folks in the civilian workforce that opted to go straight to work and put off college (for whatever reason, temporarily or permanently).

As far as officers are concerned, they are all college graduates. Academy grads are very intelligent as the academies are highly selective. ROTC grads must maintain a decent GPA in order to keep thier scholarships, and non-scholarship or OCS officers are no less intelligent than any other college graduate.

I believe there are several factors involved in why the US military seems to be a little less than "secular" in some cases. Those reasons are varied but probably have alot to do with they way the US is as a whole.

I like what the the_ultimate_samurai had to say above. On that note, I would really be interested to know what this guy's company commander and even battalion commander has to say. Likely we will never know.

As I related in my previous comment, I DO think the US military has some work to do in this area. However, policy is to make accommodations for those of all faiths (or non-faiths) and the military bends over backwards to do so. Anyone who has served recently can attest to this (COO training anyone?)

It sounds like something really and truly went desperately wrong in this guy's unit.

137. Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

Comment #207254 by zeroangel on July 9, 2008 at 11:52 am

I was an officer in the US Army, and I have to say, most of the comments from other ex-US military types on this board seem accurate from my POV.

I do think though, on some level, at least in the officer corps, it is encouraged to have some kind of religious view.

The unspoken policy seems to be "don't ask, don't tell" when it comes to being an atheist.

Before joining the military I was a fairly comfortable atheist. I later adopted (or at least claimed to adopt) an idea of a "transcendental God" or a kind of Deist, pseudo-Christian God. I did this for several reasons.

One reason that comes to mind is I can recall a superior officer (an otherwise very cool guy) telling me something to the effect of I should be careful when voicing my atheist viewpoints because I might offend people (of course it was OK for theists to offend me, which they did often enough, both officers and enlisted).

Another thing is, well God and country seem to be intimately intertwined for some people. That is, you aren't a good, strong patriot unless you say the pledge with pride (including the "under God" part), like apple pie, believe in God, and are a Republican (in no particular order).

Finally, the idea is that, in a general sense, its good for morale. Whether that means it helps folks spiritually or it consoles people facing death is anyone's guess, but that seems to be the idea. Its true that there are many decent chaplains out there that don't proselytize, and I have met more than a few that follow the "God helps those who help themselves" mantra.

It's funny, but I guess I am one of few people that was raised Christian, then realized I was an atheist, then converted back to "Christian" again, and then finally admitted to myself that I have always been an atheist (this was after leaving active duty).

My point throughout all of this is this: it is true that the US military has some issues to work out in this regard. I imagine if I were more of an outspoken atheist in the military I would have had similar problems. I think this soldier is very brave to take this stand and I applaud him. Let's hope the US army adapts and overcomes these challenges and becomes the purely secular organization it should be.

138. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #206107 by zeroangel on July 8, 2008 at 5:32 am

Dr. Benway:

I'll save clearmind the trouble:

But who designed the steel box and vibrating platform? hmmm?

Excellent go at it friend, but clearmind just won't get it.

139. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #204544 by zeroangel on July 5, 2008 at 7:11 am

That is why the atheists people' population is less.

Classic appeal to the majority (do you even understand what that means clearmind?)

Seems the circus is still in town.

140. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #204116 by zeroangel on July 4, 2008 at 7:20 am

When typing out your post you should see a link to click on which says [Comment Posting Guidlines], everything you need is in there.

Thank you! I should have known. Same as another blog I comment on.

Clearmind:

This Bud's for you:

141. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #204053 by zeroangel on July 4, 2008 at 4:31 am

"I cant understand why most asians drink alcohol... I can't drink, my body is alergic to it, 40% of asians are, it is all in our genes. Yet some of us asians still see fit to drink themself silly (after one or two beers). "

How do you all do the block quotes?

Anyhow, my wife is Korean, and she has the same problem (benefit?). 2 Beers is enough to put her out. Her prefered poison is Smirnoff Ice. Myself, I like Sammy Adams (which she loathes).

Clearmind:

Oh I get it now! Of course! God made everything! Its makes so much more sense. One question though, which God are you talking about?

142. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #203306 by zeroangel on July 2, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Mr. Science: Wow! Did you see that flash of lightning? What an amazing atmospheric discharge of electricity! It is interesting how it initially forms is still a matter of debate!

Mr. Bronze Age: Are you an idiot? Of course Zeus threw it!

Mr. Science: Hehe, good one.

Mr. Bronze Age: What's so funny? It's totally logical! After all, when you see a flaming arrow flying through the sky, naturally you assume it had to come from a bow that someone shot! It's the same with lightning! Someone HAD to throw it! That person is Zeus.

Mr. Science: *long pause* I'm going to McDonalds, you want anything?

Mr Bronze Age: I'll just have some goat's milk.

Mr. Science: Uhh, sure thing. *leaves and never comes back.*

143. Richard Dawkins on Doctor Who

Comment #203096 by zeroangel on July 2, 2008 at 11:18 am

Richard:

I see you are reading this thread so I just wanted to take this chance to congratulate you on you appearance on Dr. Who as well as thank you very much for your book "The God Delusion."

A couple of months ago, I picked it up in the airport on a business trip wondering what all the fuss was about. Prior to reading it I had heard all kinds of awful things about how "hateful" you were. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised to find my own thoughts in print! I am now a happy, avowed, and "out" atheist. Thank you again very much!

Richard et al.:

I am fairly new here so its the first time I have seen this clearmind person. It's probably best to ignore him entirely (or perhaps just to mock him).

It's completely clear to me, after having read what he wrote in this thread, that trying to educate him would be like trying to explain depth perception to a Cyclops.

"abysmally ignorant" / "My dear "clearmind" / "Do please go away"

I always get a kick out of how British folks sound so polite even when they are downright trashing someone. Bravo!

Clearmind:

It's a pity but I guess your spawn, along with the unfortunate kids you are teaching will suffer from a stunted education. At least be sure and teach them how to say "would you like fries with that?" and "have a nice day sir."

144. Beware the Believers

Comment #200221 by zeroangel on June 27, 2008 at 5:32 am

Well, I guess I am way behind the power curve on this one having just seen it yesterday.

I thought it was hysterical, if for no other reason that it was just so silly seeing Richard et al. dressed up as rappers. Daniel Dennett in a pimp hat was great.

It was clever as many people pointed out. The odd thing was, I couldn't make out which side it was for either. I see now that someone pointed out it was pro-creationist. I actually was leaning toward it being pro-reason.

There are obvious hints that it is poking fun at Christoipher Hitchens (his headband), and Richard (the doomsday clock, the "I'd hate dog too"), but one can write them off as a bit of self-deprecation.

What makes it even doubly funny though, is even when creationists try to satire us they end up looking stupid and their own satire appears to satirize THEM.

Imagine if someone that believed the Earth was flat tried to satirize people that believed the Earth was round in a similar fashion. Making them appear arrogant, crude, etc., while rapping about how flat-earthers are stupid. Well, flat earthers ARE stupid and it's plainly obvious to those of us that don't believe the Earth is flat. The same idea applies here.

All creationists have to do is state what they believe and they look ridiculous. In this case, that a giant machine is keeping creationists out of science, that creationists are seen as idiots, and that over the years some conspiracy has been built up to silence creationists. LOL.

145. Evolutionarily Preserved Signature Found In The Primate Brain

Comment #198551 by zeroangel on June 24, 2008 at 8:43 am

I have long maintained, at the risk of being called a sexist, that there are general, fundamental differences between the way men and women think / the way they approach problems or conflict.

It would seem that my POV is vindicated.

146. Charles Darwin: 'Is man an ape or an angel?'

Comment #195536 by zeroangel on June 18, 2008 at 12:28 pm

The chimp plug thing is a surprise to me as well.

Perhaps chimps are Muslim radicals? *smirk*

147. Is the Universe Actually Made of Math?

Comment #195524 by zeroangel on June 18, 2008 at 12:01 pm

OK, well I am not a profsessor at MIT, so maybe I am just ignorant. HOWEVER:

I can't be the only one that thinks this just sounds like a bunch of meta-physical musings and nonsense centered on games with semantics, right?

148. Rapture site sends unbelievers their last chance ... via email

Comment #194736 by zeroangel on June 17, 2008 at 8:15 am

HAHAHAHA!

"A fool and his money are soon parted."

I really wonder what kind of knuckle-dragging morons actually send these con-artists $40.

Heck, I don't know a single person / family member / co-worker who DOES believe in God that is anywhere near as ragingly stupid.

ROTFLMAO.

149. Reverse Engineering The Brain To Model Mind-body Interactions

Comment #192567 by zeroangel on June 13, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Keeping my fingers crossed folks. It's awfully sad, but I have a feeling if it ever does happen, aspiring cyborgs like myself will have to be ever-vigilant of peasents with pitchforks.

Fortunately, I will have my skull-crushing super-human strength and enhanced senses :).

150. Reverse Engineering The Brain To Model Mind-body Interactions

Comment #192521 by zeroangel on June 13, 2008 at 9:12 am

So, how much longer will it be before I can swap out my body for a cyborg body and take myself one step closer to immortality? *smile*