Comments by Rational_G

Comment #65406 by Rational_G on August 24, 2007 at 5:07 am

Thank God (oops!) I mean thank the Enlightenment! for Richard Dawkins!!!

Can't complain enough about that pseudo-scientific New Age BS !

302. Artificial Life Likely in 3 to 10 Years

Comment #64579 by Rational_G on August 20, 2007 at 7:08 pm

You don't even have to make life from scratch to come up with "synthetic" life. J Craig Venter and his team have already turned one species of bacteria into another, modifying the code as it were.

Pretty exciting stuff and promises to benefit us greatly.
We are learning how to write the genetic code.

As to how it all got started, that's a separate question - one worth pursuing via observation and experiment as well.

303. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #64573 by Rational_G on August 20, 2007 at 6:45 pm

Regarding the darwin2 vs. everyone else debate:

...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........

304. Authors at Google: Christopher Hitchens

Comment #64265 by Rational_G on August 19, 2007 at 5:27 am

scooternye:

You make some valid points.

I agree that to do nothing is no solution.

Too bad what has been done has been done so poorly. That's what makes me angry.

Hopefully we can salvage something out of this mess.

Cheers.

305. The planet hunters

Comment #64235 by Rational_G on August 18, 2007 at 7:33 pm

Wonderful, inspirational science & engineering going on here.

Question: Is there alien life?
Answer: Build instruments and look for for it.

Homo sapiens at its finest.

Religion isn't wrong here - it's irrelevant!!

306. Authors at Google: Christopher Hitchens

Comment #64233 by Rational_G on August 18, 2007 at 7:07 pm

Whoops. I'll admit I'm incompetent at spelling.

307. Authors at Google: Christopher Hitchens

Comment #64231 by Rational_G on August 18, 2007 at 7:02 pm

I find it surprising that there are so many apologists here for the disaster that is the invasion of Iraq. The facts are the Bush administration is incomponent and the invasion of Iraq, however well intentioned, has been botched. Is the removal of one dictator worth the unleashing of a civil war and a destablization of the entire Middle east? Worth bogging down our army in Iraq instead of chasing Osama and his gang? Worth providing a propaganda bonanza for the Jihadists as well as a convenient training ground with Americans as targets?

This is what happenes when you have "junior" and his political hacks running the show.

All you lovers of rationalism and lucid thought - ponder this:

The American invasion of Iraq WAS NOT WELL THOUGHT OUT.

Transfer some of your clever analysis to American foreign policy. I think you'll find it somewhat wanting.

308. Authors at Google: Christopher Hitchens

Comment #64110 by Rational_G on August 17, 2007 at 6:49 pm

Mr. Kinobe:

Well said. I also agree with you 100%.

And I agree with Hitchen's anti-religious views 100%.

309. Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy's Couch

Comment #63571 by Rational_G on August 14, 2007 at 10:43 pm

This is BS.

Excuse me, I have a real world to explore........

310. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #63302 by Rational_G on August 13, 2007 at 8:38 pm

Dear USA_LImey and Quetzacoatl:

While I agree with your criticisms of darwin2, as an aerospace engineer I must take exception to you guys trashing the Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle is not a piece of crap. It is the most complex vehicle ever built. I don't know of any autos that can repair the Hubble telescope or do Mach 25 S turns on re-entry. As far as 70's technology goes, any aircraft/space vehicle can remain useful if properly maintained and upgraded. Boeing 747s ("60s technology") still fly today. In the case of both the Shuttle and the 747 computer upgrades keep them current.

I will admit that the mission of the shuttle has never been clearly defined and one can argue about that. This is a policy arguement. I too wish more resources were spent exploring the solar system beyond earth orbit.

The shuttle accidents were caused "by human error" as HAL would say and were preventable.

I predict we will miss the Shuttle when it retires in 2010. it is great engineering achievement, directly born of reason and the Enlightenment. I think most of you guys can relate to that.

By the way, love this site and the comments which tear the imaginary sky god lovers to pieces.

Cheers.

P.S. How do you guys include those entertaining thumbnail pix in your comments?