Flaming Russian Space Junk! Woohoo!
on
Meteor Showers
·
· Score: 1
Any other Bluenoses out there see the fireball? Didn't know what it was 'til the news mentioned it the next day. I was looking in the other direction 'til I heard people a couple yards over going, "ooh, ahh, oh".
While I'm askin' though anyone see the fiery plume that went westward near twilight last fall?
Is anyone looking at the demographic of the replies here. It's pretty typical/. stuff. Namely ignore possible bad stuff and pile on the techno-goodies and let me live my life my way.
So far I'm seeing a lot of folks saying "no real evidence" and that's typical of everything I've heard for the last 25 years on this and many other subjects (cell phones, cancer, species extinction, Bavarian Illuminati, cabbages, et al).
It really is a belief issue ESPECIALLY for scientists and technologists. I have a very broad education in pure science, technology and the sociology of religion and the disbelief of the data regarding all these matters is a matter of faith in a system that scientists don't have any proof in. Saying the Earth will reset itself, or that humans WILL survive, or everything will adapt is ludicrous. It's as ignorant as anyone saying that man was literally created whole from the clay of the earth and life breathed into him by a supernatural creator. There's no direct scientific evidence to support either hypothesis.
ps: mod me down, I'm obviously flame-bait
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
That the right-wing media and so-called "scientific" establishments attack all forms of progressive conservation is nothing new. The anti-Human forces have been at it for decades, sickly raging at those they know are morally better than themselves.
Our ancestors, early man, saw fit to use their intelligence and strength for their own survival. What could be more natural, I ask you? It is a tragedy that the wooly-mammoth did not survive: Humanity's strength and cunning were too great. For this humanity is not to condemned but rather reminded of their responsibility.
In our present day, the screaming, in-human scintians wish to use their leverage inside the corrupt, reeking organ of fascism known as the modern nation to bind as they could not bind our ancient forefathers. Every useful enlightenment of humanity, whether physical, moral, or economical, is discarded in the name of progressivism and individualism and might makes right. When will they realize that a great being cannot be silenced by violence? That humanity is by its very nature responsible to the spotted owl? The Darwinists would sink us to the level of beasts, growling and killing as it suits our appetites and deny us the nobility that was won through the long development of humanity's greatest natural gift: the Will. It is the Darwinists who have passed their point of usefulness. A political Darwinism WILL sweep the land, raging like holy fire across a peoples weary of the lies, slander, and weakness of the Darwinists' very own ideals.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
And that post is a prime example of what it's criticizing. It serves all opinions. Think about it. If you're a literate technophile atheist what was just said promotes your opinion of 'ignorant, luddite deists.' If you're a religious literate professional that post bolsters your opinion of 'hypocritical, self-centred egotists.'
I say this because no matter what side of a debate (and I use the word loosely) people are on these days they are certain the other side is not only wrong but choose to be blind to the truth. Maybe it was alway so. The result is noone is giving the other the right to have differing opinions. Noone is respecting the others' individuality. And noone wants to change. In the meantime the media, the 'Net, our so-called peers feed us what we want to hear about our own opinions and get rich from it.
Better then to listen to your neighbour, and even if they are stupid, wrong and ignorant, give them credit for being people with rights and then try to find a way to live with that even if you think what they do/want/work toward is destructive/a blasphemy/pathological.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
It's not the one with my name on it...
on
The DNA Bomb
·
· Score: 1
...it's all the ones marked "occupant" that I'm worried about.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
Come off it! When you've got abortion pills, wrist slaps for drunk or reckless drivers, 24 hour sado-masochism, relentless corporate self censorship of the press regarding real news, clear cutting everywhere, token environmental enlightenment and continued poisoning, slave prostition rings of illegal immigrants, usorous taxation with reduced services and gov't fat cats rolling in it and body image pushed by Cosmo, Stuff, Playboy and the tele? Why should parents or society be the ones to start being responsible to their kids? I mean we all have lives right? Isn't that more important than the little leeches constantly whining for the stuff they see on TV? I wish they'd just shut up and deal with it already.
(if you don't get that I'm being sarcastic there's no hope for you)
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
... how something that was proven impossible years ago and that most people take as gospel is suddenly changed and yet people still think all our conclusions about everything are set in stone. Stone crumbles eventually. Hail Eris.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
Hmmm, and just how much of the population doesn't speak these days? Just how much of the population doesn't read these days? Guess the newspaper companies are wasting a lot of money printing things noone reads. My TV is on for 1/2H so I can catch the local news every night. Guess it's time to burn down all those libraries since books were replaced by the radio. Guess we only keep mouths and tongues for more enjoyable things than talking since that's been replaced too.;)
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
The movie didn't stink like umpteen teen slasher flicks but if it didn't make enough money then the dusty old (or young) idiots upstairs will kill it to make more teen slasher-sexploitation garbage. Doesn't anyone get it? The word is MONEY! If it don't make money get rid of it. Forget about art, expression or anything of value. Just look at MTV for petesake.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
What's with your fascination with the "youth" of the culture, Jon? The youth of the Americas is the biggest consumer group that the Corporate Republic lives off. (Except maybe the arms industry, I dunno.) You're giving way too much credit to a group with the attention span of a ferret. The youth also give us slackers and script kiddies and innumerable other less than productive identifiable groups. Yes, there are a few inventive, visionary ones but come on! The youth of the 60s were outspoken and anti-establishment too but they sold out when reality smacked them in the face and the heady rush of rebellion wore off.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
The end result of growth is order. The end result of order is stagnation. The end result of stagnation is disease and death. The end result of that is chaos. The end result of chaos is life and growth.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
Uhm, is this the same civil service that has an enormous union? Is this the same civil service that works possibly 5 hours a day, has paid spas, 2 hour lunches, tax-payer provided cars and turns around and practically quotes the Communist Manifesto when small business has a problem with delinquent welfare 'clients?' The same civil service that has helped cover up innumerable PR fiascos in my short lifetime? Westray, Airbus, et al. Come on, people! It's corrupt at worst and incompetant at best and you trust professionalism? Ye gods! And do you suppose that's all the information they keep? Ha! Besides, aren't most attacks supposed to happen from inside an organization. Yeah. 'Ole Bobby MacCanuck's just been let go due to budget cuts and he's feelin' just a wee bit cranky. His supervisor promptly went to lunch and told Bobby to clean out his desk. Little does Bobby's supervisor know but the former civil servant just queried the whole database onto a DVDROM and thinks he'll get a couple months worth of EI by selling it to a headhunter company. Heck, maybe they'll even hire him for his initiative.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
Isn't that a case of the pot and the kettle? I mean really, who is more arrogant than a bunch of geeks who know we're right? Just take a gander at any single OS/license/culture thread right here to see that geeks are as arrogant as humans get. Me included;)
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
The only reason why Matrix got the awards it did over Star Wars is because most of the Star Wars effects didn't stand out to the voters. They had seen lightsabres and spaceships and blasters and armies of identical bugs... ah, robots. They hadn't seen the biotech stuff before. They hadn't seen the bullet-dodging, wallwalking bad-@$$ cyber-kung-fu $#!~ before. Sure, we may have, but they haven't and it made an impression.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
...you've got to suspend your disbelief. It's part of the culture industry, just like Coke and McDonalds. You can either grouse about it like some self-appointed elitist (which is what you're watching the results of) or enjoy it for the tripe it is and be happy the clueless mobs sometimes see a glimmer of light and nod at stuff like the Matrix.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
Well, is it nature or nurture? And can you arrange for the Breath of God to animate this creature you have made? (Well, at least we can assure a virgin birth this time, eh?)
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
I'm sorry but neither DNA nor carbon dating are anything near what I call scientifically accurate. There are just too darn many factors that can alter the results and swing the data. Besides, even as a devout Christian, there's not enough evidence to support that Jesus lived and wasn't a fictional character of John, or if he did, that some guy didn't die in his place. I've heard too many stories about the man escaping the Crucifiction to write them off.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine, it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
It's nice being paranoid already.:) I don't believe news broadcasts, the newspaper or even this site 99% of the time. I don't believe what I see in person myself until I have coroborating evidence. Oh, by the way, don't watch TV, it sucks the brain right out of the skull.
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
Well, I'll admit that Asimov is really dry but fascinating once you start rolling on it. Clarke is way too prejudiced once you read about a dozen of his things. (Even so, 3001 is a good read, especially the part in the forward or afterword where Clarke says "I thought of it first!" It's priceless. I wonder if he knows he's become a charicature of himself?) You see it like the sun in the noonday sky. Read Heinlein. Now that's cool, if sometimes weird, stuff. I find the trouble with CP stuff is that the authors sometimes get too wrapped up in the "en nui" of the genre. They lose their own humanity in the writing and it's hard to relate to any characters or ideas or anything because it just doesn't matter. Oh, and Dune. That's a great read if difficult to pick up, but not nearly so hard as Robots or Foundation. A lot harder to put down though.
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
I was really impressed with the movie. Visually, dramatically, even as far as writing goes it was good. And a lot closer to the original than Starship Troopers. Light years. Especially considering it was an idea, not the F/X the film wanted to convey. It would make a great date movie provided your date doesn't own a copy of any "Nitpickers' Guide." Unfortunately, it's been years since I read the original so I cannot comment on it's "truthfulness" to the original as far as details but it almost captured the essense of humanity and independence I got from the original. Consider where it's coming from. Don't be a grinch. It's a good movie. Just not for big brains or speculative-fiction elitists.
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
Folks, the technology itself doesn't scare me. It's all the people who laugh at those of us who are concerned. The frightening ones are those who say that there is no such thing as "evil" and that ignorance of slavery means you are not enslaved. Reading the reactions to Katz I see plenty of folks who dismiss him entirely and are ready to have those of us with concerns legally certified as insane or mentally incompetant.
Alone these same lines Katz cites that companies with billions of dollars to shape culture and control or influence markets are not inherently evil. That is false. The dereliction of responsibility in favour of the goals of the self is absolute evil. When the Coca-Cola company opens a new market in a new country their goal is to change the way of life of that country's culture so "beverage" is automatically associate with "Coke." They are doing it with China right now. Imagine a China without tea. Think of all the art, culture, song, creativity and history that Coka-Cola Corp is attempting to wipe away so 1.2 billion Chinese will associate drinking with the Coke product. If the destruction (yes, it's only a change, but what a change) of a culture is not evil, even if noone really intended the destruction of it, even if it's only a side effect, then I don't know what is. They've done it in other nations. Nations less modern but they've done it. And it's evil.
Now think for a moment, what happens if someone says "baby" in twenty years. Noone pictures a cooing little bundle of joy or even a smelly, crying critter that wakes you several times a night and gobbles your paycheque. No, you think GeneCorp and you're jealous of the neighbours for being able to afford to build their progeny better than you can afford to build yours. And that's what it will be. Think of all the kids in private schools. It will be no different. The lower classes, the third world, will not be able to afford to engineer their escape from poverty. They will be priced into the realm that their literal BETTERS want them to stay. Just smart enough, just strong enough. If jobs are in manual labour in your region and you can't afford a college education then why not spend $25,000 to give your kid a strong back and lots of endurance instead of a more efficient brain, or artistic talent or the ability to resist addiction. For the sake of your race, culture and freedom, think!
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
I'd have to say the stupid people and the rich people are finally realizing that the smart minority are a socio-economic threat to their respective lifestyles and have decided to put an end to the rise of the new intelligentia before we dominate completely.
IFF I were the PARANOID type.;)
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
Exactly. It's a feeling of community that's missing in IRC, newsgroups or mailing lists. The latter all distance people from one another because they are distanced.
Why, back when... sorry.;) In 1990 I dialed into a dozen BBSes running on Amigas, x86es and some Apples. The people on them went to universities and schools I knew of. I knew the streets they lived on and if someone said "Tony's donairs are great!" my mouth watered because I knew what Tony's donairs tasted like. If some obscure shop (or pub) was carrying Jolt (or Guiness) again we told each other and we'd probably run into each other there over the next couple of days. And then there were the bashes. Admittedly I didn't attend many but I could and occassionally I did. If we wanted to have a good time we could all head down to Barrington Street and hit the Pizza Hut (if there were young'uns) or any of the numerous bars or pubs. The closest thing to it today is the LUG mailing list and that is so focused it's hard for me to become interested in the people. The friendliest, most community oriented forums on the net today have people spread out all over the world. At the ends of the earth as I am a trip to New York to meet some of the great people I know is a monumental undertaking I can't afford but a dozen in that area get together regularly. Same for T.O. or Boston or any of the other big cities. In the local area that doesn't exist anymore and it's a real shame.
If what I said is nonsense, I'm making a point with it. If what I said makes perfect sense, you obviously missed the point.
Slashdot Mirror
Any other Bluenoses out there see the fireball? Didn't know what it was 'til the news mentioned it the next day. I was looking in the other direction 'til I heard people a couple yards over going, "ooh, ahh, oh". While I'm askin' though anyone see the fiery plume that went westward near twilight last fall?
So far I'm seeing a lot of folks saying "no real evidence" and that's typical of everything I've heard for the last 25 years on this and many other subjects (cell phones, cancer, species extinction, Bavarian Illuminati, cabbages, et al).
It really is a belief issue ESPECIALLY for scientists and technologists. I have a very broad education in pure science, technology and the sociology of religion and the disbelief of the data regarding all these matters is a matter of faith in a system that scientists don't have any proof in. Saying the Earth will reset itself, or that humans WILL survive, or everything will adapt is ludicrous. It's as ignorant as anyone saying that man was literally created whole from the clay of the earth and life breathed into him by a supernatural creator. There's no direct scientific evidence to support either hypothesis.
ps: mod me down, I'm obviously flame-bait
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
I say this because no matter what side of a debate (and I use the word loosely) people are on these days they are certain the other side is not only wrong but choose to be blind to the truth. Maybe it was alway so. The result is noone is giving the other the right to have differing opinions. Noone is respecting the others' individuality. And noone wants to change. In the meantime the media, the 'Net, our so-called peers feed us what we want to hear about our own opinions and get rich from it.
Better then to listen to your neighbour, and even if they are stupid, wrong and ignorant, give them credit for being people with rights and then try to find a way to live with that even if you think what they do/want/work toward is destructive/a blasphemy/pathological.
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
not only is the universe stranger than you imagine,
it's stranger than you are capable of imagining
It's nice being paranoid already. :) I don't believe news broadcasts, the newspaper or even this site 99% of the time. I don't believe what I see in person myself until I have coroborating evidence. Oh, by the way, don't watch TV, it sucks the brain right out of the skull.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
Well, I'll admit that Asimov is really dry but fascinating once you start rolling on it. Clarke is way too prejudiced once you read about a dozen of his things. (Even so, 3001 is a good read, especially the part in the forward or afterword where Clarke says "I thought of it first!" It's priceless. I wonder if he knows he's become a charicature of himself?) You see it like the sun in the noonday sky. Read Heinlein. Now that's cool, if sometimes weird, stuff. I find the trouble with CP stuff is that the authors sometimes get too wrapped up in the "en nui" of the genre. They lose their own humanity in the writing and it's hard to relate to any characters or ideas or anything because it just doesn't matter. Oh, and Dune. That's a great read if difficult to pick up, but not nearly so hard as Robots or Foundation. A lot harder to put down though.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
I was really impressed with the movie. Visually, dramatically, even as far as writing goes it was good. And a lot closer to the original than Starship Troopers. Light years. Especially considering it was an idea, not the F/X the film wanted to convey. It would make a great date movie provided your date doesn't own a copy of any "Nitpickers' Guide." Unfortunately, it's been years since I read the original so I cannot comment on it's "truthfulness" to the original as far as details but it almost captured the essense of humanity and independence I got from the original. Consider where it's coming from. Don't be a grinch. It's a good movie. Just not for big brains or speculative-fiction elitists.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
"...the latter probably responsible for more hatred, bloodshed and cruelty than any other single force in human history?"
This proves Katz is an ignorant bigot.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
Folks, the technology itself doesn't scare me. It's all the people who laugh at those of us who are concerned. The frightening ones are those who say that there is no such thing as "evil" and that ignorance of slavery means you are not enslaved. Reading the reactions to Katz I see plenty of folks who dismiss him entirely and are ready to have those of us with concerns legally certified as insane or mentally incompetant.
Alone these same lines Katz cites that companies with billions of dollars to shape culture and control or influence markets are not inherently evil. That is false. The dereliction of responsibility in favour of the goals of the self is absolute evil. When the Coca-Cola company opens a new market in a new country their goal is to change the way of life of that country's culture so "beverage" is automatically associate with "Coke." They are doing it with China right now. Imagine a China without tea. Think of all the art, culture, song, creativity and history that Coka-Cola Corp is attempting to wipe away so 1.2 billion Chinese will associate drinking with the Coke product. If the destruction (yes, it's only a change, but what a change) of a culture is not evil, even if noone really intended the destruction of it, even if it's only a side effect, then I don't know what is. They've done it in other nations. Nations less modern but they've done it. And it's evil.
Now think for a moment, what happens if someone says "baby" in twenty years. Noone pictures a cooing little bundle of joy or even a smelly, crying critter that wakes you several times a night and gobbles your paycheque. No, you think GeneCorp and you're jealous of the neighbours for being able to afford to build their progeny better than you can afford to build yours. And that's what it will be. Think of all the kids in private schools. It will be no different. The lower classes, the third world, will not be able to afford to engineer their escape from poverty. They will be priced into the realm that their literal BETTERS want them to stay. Just smart enough, just strong enough. If jobs are in manual labour in your region and you can't afford a college education then why not spend $25,000 to give your kid a strong back and lots of endurance instead of a more efficient brain, or artistic talent or the ability to resist addiction. For the sake of your race, culture and freedom, think!
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
I'd have to say the stupid people and the rich people are finally realizing that the smart minority are a socio-economic threat to their respective lifestyles and have decided to put an end to the rise of the new intelligentia before we dominate completely.
;)
IFF I were the PARANOID type.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.
Exactly. It's a feeling of community that's missing in IRC, newsgroups or mailing lists. The latter all distance people from one another because they are distanced.
;) In 1990 I dialed into a dozen BBSes running on Amigas, x86es and some Apples. The people on them went to universities and schools I knew of. I knew the streets they lived on and if someone said "Tony's donairs are great!" my mouth watered because I knew what Tony's donairs tasted like. If some obscure shop (or pub) was carrying Jolt (or Guiness) again we told each other and we'd probably run into each other there over the next couple of days. And then there were the bashes. Admittedly I didn't attend many but I could and occassionally I did. If we wanted to have a good time we could all head down to Barrington Street and hit the Pizza Hut (if there were young'uns) or any of the numerous bars or pubs. The closest thing to it today is the LUG mailing list and that is so focused it's hard for me to become interested in the people. The friendliest, most community oriented forums on the net today have people spread out all over the world. At the ends of the earth as I am a trip to New York to meet some of the great people I know is a monumental undertaking I can't afford but a dozen in that area get together regularly. Same for T.O. or Boston or any of the other big cities. In the local area that doesn't exist anymore and it's a real shame.
Why, back when... sorry.
If what I said is nonsense,
I'm making a point with it.
If what I said makes perfect sense,
you obviously missed the point.