151. Common New Atheist Fallacies

Comment #200706 by bugaboo on June 28, 2008 at 6:22 am

My tuppence worth

The fear of ridicule also prevents people from making outlandish claims. It's a deterrent and like all effective deterrents only works when the threat is actually carried out. The strategic use of ridicule is here to stay.

Abrahamic god. I take it to mean that old testament dude: Yahweh/Allah/God

152. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #200211 by bugaboo on June 27, 2008 at 5:01 am

"Any common more common points"

Anagram perhaps

Rooms camp mnemonic monotony

153. Fossil of most primitive 4-legged creature found

Comment #200207 by bugaboo on June 27, 2008 at 4:39 am

Irate

Exactly what I was humming to myself as i typed.

Gregg

That is one ugly mutt

154. Fossil of most primitive 4-legged creature found

Comment #199635 by bugaboo on June 26, 2008 at 5:41 am

Ok evolins

these animals had four legs and there are now animals with two legs. Where are the three legged transitionals? ;)

155. God hates Mars

Comment #199603 by bugaboo on June 26, 2008 at 4:07 am

Oh well..

Toblerone, out on it's own
Triangular chocolate that's Toblerone
Made from triangular almonds from triangular trees
And triangular honey from triangular bees
And oh Mr confectioner please
Give me Toblerone

156. An Interview with Prof. Richard Dawkins

Comment #199232 by bugaboo on June 25, 2008 at 11:09 am

Next book: The evidence for evolution. That will be one weighty tome

157. Science is not philosophy

Comment #198544 by bugaboo on June 24, 2008 at 8:38 am

40% of scientists believe in god? By whose estimation? I am deeply supicious of that stat.

158. Should We Rid The Mind of God? A Debate

Comment #198478 by bugaboo on June 24, 2008 at 5:47 am

"There is no why"-Yoda

159. The Flea Delusion

Comment #197684 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 1:47 pm

An old saying i think by that chap anonymous

They say everyone has a novel inside them but......

Edit: Carto. The larch should be number 1, surely

160. The Flea Delusion

Comment #197617 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 11:32 am

Hi Tera

I think that in this case you CAN judge a book by its cover.

Spain V Italy starting

must go

161. 'I despise Islamism': Ian McEwan faces backlash over press interview

Comment #197594 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 11:06 am

42. Comment #197566 by Steve Zara


"I can't see a "hate crime" prosecution against someone as well-respected as McEwan proceeding. At least I hope not."

I don't know Steve. I have to admit that a part of me would love to see this going to court-bring it on!!
It would alert the majority of the population to what is going on here. McEwan is also much loved among the religious apologists on university campuses in the UK from what ive seen.

162. The Flea Delusion

Comment #197575 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 10:44 am

10. Comment #197570 by Forti

My guess is that it's a parody

Dont count on it. The self help industry is full of this type of drivel and these books sell like hotcakes.

163. The Flea Delusion

Comment #197550 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 10:13 am

learn how to embrace your inner delusion and come to love it.

164. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197527 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 9:45 am

TeraBrat
Name calling never resolves anything.

But it can be a weapon. Think how its been used in the past by the "other side" (religions and other whacky ideologies) to de-humanise people: dogs, pigs, infidels, kafir blah blah blah..

I don't want to de-humanise anyone but will use words for the purpose of ridicule when all attempts at reason fail. Sometimes people start to think about their position when they feel humiliated.

165. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197509 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 9:13 am

TeraBrat
i'm not offended-no apology necessary.

"We need to be able to respond with logical well thought out, scientifically based answers"

happens all the time

Whats wrong with "Fucktard"? I like it. Sometimes its the most succinct appropriate suitable expression that springs to mind :)
And this is the first time ive actually used it!

166. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197489 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 8:51 am

211. Comment #197486 by TeraBrat

i didnt call him by any name. i simply suggested that he may be winding up the posters here.
I dont believe in god because i dont have any good reason to.
When you are asked why you believe in god will you say " because of the abusive posts on an internet sight"

167. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197487 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 8:44 am

210. Comment #197484 by decius

Agreed

168. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197479 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 8:19 am

Ive just looked at clearminds past posts. I'm sure ive read them before (must have repressed them) Fish and worms feature quite a bit. He's a complete wind up no? Are we just rising to the bait?

169. Saving Us from Darwin

Comment #197476 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 8:01 am

206. Comment #197475 by AllanW

I particularly like the fish of reason bit.

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

Comment #197459 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 5:32 am

"But RNA is still a product of life"

The other way around.

171. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #197457 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 5:20 am

8458. Comment #197444 by Steve Zara

"I was hoping we could in some way harness the delusion energy in creationists."

Let's say we discover deep deposits of coal or oil under a land mass. Spread the word that, using sonar, we have discovered that deep down there appears to be fossil remains which look remarkably like rabbits and then give them shovels.

172. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #197452 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 4:51 am

8459. Comment #197450 by irate_atheist

Is that look of disgust on the good bishops face a permanent feature?

EDIT From Wiki. The etymology of the word cretin is not known with certainty. Several hypotheses have been proposed. The most common derivation provided in English dictionaries is from the Alpine French dialect pronunciation of the word Chrétien -Christian

You learn something new everyday!!

173. Christianity 'could die out within a century'

Comment #197449 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 4:25 am

To be replaced with celebrity worship perhaps. I suspect that we have an innate tendency to worship whether it's sky gods or high status individuals. And if you think that there's a difference in that they are mere mortals think Elvis or Kim Jong Il.

174. New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists

Comment #197446 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 4:05 am

36. Comment #197434 by decius

The confusion over the term selfish is perpetuated in the most unlikely places. Molecular biologists In labs everywhere and in modern textbooks often refer to selfish DNA when the DNA in question does not code for a protein or doesn't have any known function and is perceived to be simply "hitching a ride".

I must re-read the book. I read it twenty odd years ago and was the major catalyst in my career move from electronics to the life sciences. I lost my copy years ago so now off to get another.

175. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #197439 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 3:48 am

"I'm just hoping for the day when we can grow babies entirely outside the womb, when we know how to fiddle with the genetic code with precision, and hence when we can just grow replacement body parts and organs by cloning brain-free versions of ourselves. "

In the meantime we can humanize animals eg transgenic pigs carrying human MHC genes could be used to supply tissue for transplants.

176. Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates

Comment #197426 by bugaboo on June 22, 2008 at 3:06 am

290. Comment #197411 by Sargeist

"Are things that are toxic to animals always toxic to humans? "

No and vice versa. The example that comes to mind is funnel web spider venom which is not that toxic to dogs/cats. There must be countless examples since toxins will have different affinities for the receptors from different species.

177. New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists

Comment #197247 by bugaboo on June 21, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Arent selfish genes simply genetic elements that are replicated either alone or together with the genome but dont provide any advantage to the organism? Ive always thought that mobile genetic elements like transposons were regarded as selfish DNA. Introns also.
I dont understand what the "breakthrough" is here.

Come to think about it isnt ALL DNA selfish?

178. It Doesn't Take an Einstein

Comment #197137 by bugaboo on June 21, 2008 at 7:57 am

"We have specific genetic markers and diseases that only Jews can get."

No. its just that the recessive traits you refer to (eg tay sachs)manifest as disease in a limited gene pool. The same thing happens in eg Amish communities.

Does not make you a race

Theres a very easy way to alleviate the problem...

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

Comment #196145 by bugaboo on June 19, 2008 at 10:59 am

Welcome fickian

just had a brief look at the videos available at the link you provided and it does look great.

Keep posting

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

Comment #195966 by bugaboo on June 19, 2008 at 6:11 am

Comment #195948 by ridelo

DNA replication ,which is error prone, is the chemical reaction that makes it all possible. Was world news in 1953.

181. Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex

Comment #194639 by bugaboo on June 17, 2008 at 5:58 am

sorry carto

"Why can't straight men, for instance, enjoy "feminine" behaviours, or even passive sexual gratification, if they want to? "

reminds me of an old joke

Q: Why do dogs lick their genitals

A: Because thay can!

182. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #194346 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Thanks AllanW

183. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #194258 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 2:54 pm

"Does anyone know if epeeist's avatar is of someone famous as it looks very familiar but i can never think who it looks like? "

Peter Sellers? at least the smile :)

184. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #194235 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 2:45 pm

7550. Comment #194240 by phatbat

Peter Sellers?

185. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #194154 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 1:16 pm

7495. Comment #194147 by ReceivedTheGift

Theres just so much in this post.....

I just want to deal with one point

"This mutation requires for additional genetic information to be added on to the original strand, something which has never been observed in any living organism"

A large percentage of genomes contain viral sequences eg retroviral sequences in mammals. Your assertion that these types of insertional events never happen is false.

186. Astronomers find batch of 'super-Earths'

Comment #194063 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 11:13 am

30. Comment #194044 by moderndaythomas

I was fortunate enough to attend a series of lectures (Gifford lectures) given by Carl Sagan in Glasgow some twenty years ago. I remember he speculated on life forms evolving on gas giants, "floaters" I think he called them. I havent kept up with advances in astronomy (hangs head in shame), save for simply marvelling at the images from hubble etc.

The book Steve Zara recommends looks good so just ordered it from Amazon. Must catch/keep up.

187. Astronomers find batch of 'super-Earths'

Comment #193953 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 8:36 am

Schmeer and Quetz

Thanks. Another wobble hypothesis-i like it!

188. Astronomers find batch of 'super-Earths'

Comment #193925 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 8:11 am

can someone explain to me (or point me in the right direction to find out)why the orbits are of such short duration?

189. Gay brains structured like those of the opposite sex

Comment #193898 by bugaboo on June 16, 2008 at 7:46 am

I remember reading in the past about evidence of a fraternal birth order effect on the outcome of sexual orientation but didnt keep up with the research. Anyone know of the studies?

190. New British Petition: Stop the Nightmares

Comment #192598 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 2:10 pm

74. Comment #192585 by MPhil

I (and i'm sure others) would like to read this. Is it available?

Here's a link to Nicholas Humphreys Amnesty talk on the subject from 1997 for anyone who hasnt read it.
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/humphrey/amnesty.html

191. Couple charged in Norway over genital mutilation of daughters

Comment #192526 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 9:23 am

84. Comment #192520 by A heron at night

Come on heron, get a grip. We are talking about children.

192. Discussion between Richard Dawkins and Paula Kirby

Comment #192516 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 8:53 am

306. Comment #192512 by Steve Zara

"What he is confuses me."

Dont know if this has been suggested before but an "Elmer Gantry"?

193. Bacteria make major evolutionary shift in the lab

Comment #192513 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 8:46 am

23. Comment #192505 by wagnerpe

Yes but dont know too much about it. An article appeared in "Science" a couple of months ago stating that not only were the bacteria resistant but actually metabolised the antibiotics. I dont think the worry was that they could infect humans or other animals but that they could actually be used to "soak up" antibiotic contamination in the environment which is causing problems. Bear in mind also that antibiotics (from eg fungi)have been around for perhaps as long as bacteria and co-evolved with them.

194. Discussion between Richard Dawkins and Paula Kirby

Comment #192499 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 8:07 am

Ah jist widnae go anywhere near this man. That Robertson fella's a right kludgie. Dibate wae 'im? ye must be jokin. 'es a feckin eedjit!

They wee frees? Aff thur feckin hieds man!!


PS No true Scotsman would say that!

195. Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'

Comment #192438 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 4:06 am

86. Comment #192428 by scottishgeologist

Does this suggest that the congregation are perhaps going to run out and buy/read TGD?

196. Intelligent people 'less likely to believe in God'

Comment #192433 by bugaboo on June 13, 2008 at 3:51 am

This is quite clearly all about education as far as I can see. Are people who have higher/tertiary education less likely to believe in god as opposed to early school leavers probably. Also the type/quality of education will have a bearing on outcomes.

A number of posters suggest that if Lynn's hypothesis were true they would be pleased or that they would somehow like it to be true. I must say that the possibility of it being true disturbs me since then the intelligent folk would have to invent some kind of bogey man in order to keep the idiots in check (as has probably happened some time in the past. ;)
To quote that father of American neo-conservatism Irving Kristol "Religion is the opium of the people-thank God"

EDIT: Just checked and i was wrong about the Kristol quote. It wasnt him who said it but a journalist commenting on what he might say. Sorry

197. Bacteria make major evolutionary shift in the lab

Comment #191479 by bugaboo on June 11, 2008 at 3:25 am

18. Comment #191453 by Vaal

Hi Vaal

If you like this check out the experiments done by Joshua Lederberg in the 60's.(replica plating) He plated bacteria out on petri dishes and then took prints of them (using velvet)and plated these out on multiple plates always in the same orientation. When he applied an antibiotic to the plates the colonies that grew (resistant bacteria)always appeared in the same place on each of the plates. Thus showing that the mutations leading to resistance were present before the selection pressure. If the mutations had arisen after selection the colonies would have grown in random spots. A simple elegant experiment to show Darwinian selection at work. Selection working on pre-existing mutations.

198. Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind

Comment #191460 by bugaboo on June 11, 2008 at 2:45 am

For those interested in wierd sentences here's a now famous one in english:-

"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo"

Edit: The term kludge was adopted by computer programmers in the 50's where they changed the spelling to kluge.

Edit: The word derives from a Scottish word for toilet-kludgie

199. Storm erupts over 'virginity' divorce

Comment #188368 by bugaboo on June 4, 2008 at 2:51 am

sorry that link didnt work
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/

200. Storm erupts over 'virginity' divorce

Comment #188349 by bugaboo on June 4, 2008 at 2:13 am

This from the Daily Mash for any conceptual continuity freaks.