I'm not surprised your theory of evolution doesn't work there.. you've only got half a theory;)
Evolution comprises two parts. One is selection (the reduction part you already identified), the other is mutation - that provides the changes and diversity you're looking for.
If you think for one second that the Bible can somehow be accepted as not clashing horribly with science, I suggest you look at this
Oh, I'm sorry.. I just noticed this This passage could be chalked up to editorial flurish, or maybe a scribe got his notes
For a moment I thought you were trying to pretend the bible had some credibility. My bad. Remember, when it says "There is a god", it's just an editorial flourish, or a notes mixup, and what it actually means is "Don't eat hotdog buns on a Tuesday"
Gravity is just a theory, yet it's taught as fact in almost all schools. What about the alternative theory? That we're held to the planet's surface be the combined efforts of millions of invisible pixies called Clarence?
Why not teach the Clarence theory alongside gravity?
and don't even get me started on all this "The Earth is Round" stuff that kids get brainwashed by...
Really? What a fascinating story! I hope you do realise though what you describe there has about as much in common with the process of evolution as throwing a stone in the air has with the process of flight..
I've often heard analogies like yours, which claim to describe evolution - at least you didn't use the "tornado goes through a junkyard and leaves in it's wake a fully assembled Boeing 747" one, but it's basically the same claim.
First things first. What does the theory of evolution tell us about the origins of life on Earth? Think very carefully.... That's right, the answer is... Nothing!
Evolution tells us about species, and all the weird and wonderful ways life came to manifest itself after it came to exist on this planet, but doesn't concern itself one jot with how that happened.
Evolution is also a directed process. Not consciously directed, but directed nonetheless. Have you ever seen a snowflake under a microscope? It looks like a fantasically intricate crystalline structure of ice, symmetrical and quite remarkable. A complex shape indeed - and it certainly didn't come about by chance. Nor, however, did it come about at the hands of a deliberate ice sculptor. Instead, it was directed in it's formation by forces that exist in it's environment. That is much the same way as evolution is a directed process. The main "directing" factor in evolution is death. A short necked giraffe wouldn't live very long, as it wouldn't be tall enough to reach the leaves from the trees, and would starve, while the long necked giraffes would do just fine. So, what becomes of these poor short necked giraffes? Well, they live shorter lives, so fewer of them get the chance to mate.. there are fewer offspring, and over time, they die out. On the other hand, if you're a giraffe, a long neck is a definite advantage, as you have access to a much bigger stock of food. Result - when food is scarce you'll do better, having access to all the leaves avaliable rather than to have to compete with the shorties for the leaves at the bottom of the tree. Result? You "live long and prosper", probably getting loads of whatever the giraffe equivalent of hot chicks is, and passing on your long necked genes to your offspring.
See how it works? Those with the advantages survive and reproduce, thereby passing on those advantages. Those without the advantages die out. Over time the advantages become more and more pronounced through this type of selection. Result? Weird, wonderful, and diverse varieties of life on Earth, and no need for some invisible man in the sky to put it all together. Isn't the world an amazing place?
Either the RIAA throws in the towel, or advances in anonymous secure filesharing make their efforts redundant - there are already several very promising and useable systems in development. Either way, the RIAA can't keep up forever.
Dude, do NOT go there! I went there. There's nothing on it but a ton of gay porn.. and they hacked my interweb.
btw, in relation to your sig, good luck with the non smoking. As an ex-smoker, let me say it's definitely worth it. Just remember, whatever hardship you go through, it's only for a short time, and is as nothing compared to being smoke free for the rest of your life:)
We now return you to your irregularly programmed schedule.
They used to show a great edited-for-TV version of Robocop here in the UK. All expletives were replaced, including all instances of "asshole" were replaced with "airhead"(!), and spoken by somebody who didn't even sound remotely like the original actor. Add to that the removal of all scenes which could even be remotely thought of as relating to destruction, violence, death, guns, sex, drugs, or injury in any way (i.e. about 95% of them) and you had unintentional comedy gold
You haven't lived until you've heard a hardened criminal call someone a "dumb airhead" in the wrong voice while performing an unarmed armed robbery.
You might find the work going on at www.i2p.net rather interesting. They've already got anonymous HTTP, NNTP, FTP, streaming audio, and, yes, bittorrent up and running rather nicely - decent speeds, good anonymity and security (though it's still in beta, the security is already impressive, and getting stronger with each release)
Re: your sig.. How can you be skeptical of alternative medicine when there are such wonderful and scientifically proven products out there as GulliGo, the homeopathic remedy for gullibility?;)
The great thing about the GWR is you can always make a new record...
Someone beaten you to the record for wearing the most silly hats at once? Set a record for wearing the most silly hats at once... while bouncing on a pogo stick. Backwards, if need be. And while juggling. With eggs. And so on.
Heck, it doesn't even have to cost you anything except a couple of seconds (literally) of your time - and you can stay in front of your computer.
There are a whole bunch of sites that donate advertiser clicks to charity - just click the button once a day and $0.02 or so will go to a charity. Sure, it's not much, but if enough people do it it can add up pretty damn quick.
The Hunger Site is a good place to start (and has links to a bunch of other similar sites at the top)
Likewise Care2 has a whole collection of donation sites.
I've looked in to both of these places a bit, and it seems they are reputable (in terms of not skimming off huge amounts for "administrative fees", etc).. but at the end of the day it's not like it costs you anything anyways
Apologies for the interruption, we now return you to your irregularly programmed schedule.
Oregon Trail? There's a site selling a classy Oregon Trail "You have died of dysentery" T-Shirt here (though whether they should be profiting off the back of someone else's game is a bit of a question..)
Technically its almost impossible. Almost impossible = not impossible = possible.
Also, you don't give any reason as to why you consider it to be a task of such enormous difficulty. So far all that we know is that it's "almost impossible" because you say so.
Is that him looking all heroic in the cape on Opera's front page? If so, he's obviously a superhero, so the swim should be pretty easy for him, but shouldn't be be rescuing kittens out of trees or something? And what exactly would his superpowers be? It says on the site "Speed, simplicity, security". I'm not entirely convinced that "simplicity" is a really good superpower. I think I'd prefer invisibility...
If the whole thing's just one big abstract metaphor then I suspect I'd be better off with a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Nice to know that the universe is in the hands of a God who's deliberately vague and nonsensical though.
Gays have the same right to marry as heterosexuals - they can marry someone of the opposite sex. Marrying someone of the same sex is a special right.
Not at all. Straight people would have the same right - they'd be allowed to marry people of the same sex too. See? Everyone's happy!
Your point is basically "Gays have the right to be treated equally simply by being heterosexual" A gay couple does not have the same rights in their gay relationship that a hetereosexual couple has in their hetereosexual relationship. In other words, a gay relationship is seen as less than a straight relationship. That is called inequality.
And for what it's worth, I'm straight, but hell, I'd like the freedom to marry a man if I chose to.
How's that rapture of yours coming along, btw? Anyone been beamed up yet?
Are you sure about that now? I presume you mean Jesus.. but what about Asa? He was perfect:
2 Chr.15:17
"The heart of Asa was perfect all his days." Well.. except of course, when he wasn't... 2 Chr.16:12
"And Asa... was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians."
Noah was perfect, too Gen.6:9
"Noah was a just man and perfect." Gen.7:1
"For thee [Noah] have I seen righteous before me." Though it has to be said, this doesn't sound too righteous and perfect: Gen 9:21,22 And he [Noah] drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
And let's not forget good ol' Job Job 1:1, 8
"Job... was perfect and upright, and on that feared God, and eschewed evil."
But of course, everybody knows there has NEVER been a perfect man or woman
1 Kg.8:46
"There is no man that sinneth not." 2 Chr.6:36
"There is no man which sinneth not." Ec.7:20
"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
You know, it's a good thing the bible doesn't ever contradict itself, because that would get really confusing, and might even undermine it's authority. All quotes from King James version btw.
Slashdot Mirror
There's a nice overview of the two contradicting creation stories here.. the rest of that site is also well worth checking out as well
I'm not surprised your theory of evolution doesn't work there.. you've only got half a theory ;)
Evolution comprises two parts. One is selection (the reduction part you already identified), the other is mutation - that provides the changes and diversity you're looking for.
Yeah, but hang on, aren't you missing something?
What about the two contradictory creation accounts in Genesis?
If you think for one second that the Bible can somehow be accepted as not clashing horribly with science, I suggest you look at this
Oh, I'm sorry.. I just noticed this This passage could be chalked up to editorial flurish, or maybe a scribe got his notes
For a moment I thought you were trying to pretend the bible had some credibility. My bad.
Remember, when it says "There is a god", it's just an editorial flourish, or a notes mixup, and what it actually means is "Don't eat hotdog buns on a Tuesday"
Gravity is just a theory, yet it's taught as fact in almost all schools.
What about the alternative theory? That we're held to the planet's surface be the combined efforts of millions of invisible pixies called Clarence?
Why not teach the Clarence theory alongside gravity?
and don't even get me started on all this "The Earth is Round" stuff that kids get brainwashed by...
Really? What a fascinating story!
I hope you do realise though what you describe there has about as much in common with the process of evolution as throwing a stone in the air has with the process of flight..
I've often heard analogies like yours, which claim to describe evolution - at least you didn't use the "tornado goes through a junkyard and leaves in it's wake a fully assembled Boeing 747" one, but it's basically the same claim.
First things first. What does the theory of evolution tell us about the origins of life on Earth?
Think very carefully....
That's right, the answer is... Nothing!
Evolution tells us about species, and all the weird and wonderful ways life came to manifest itself after it came to exist on this planet, but doesn't concern itself one jot with how that happened.
Evolution is also a directed process. Not consciously directed, but directed nonetheless.
Have you ever seen a snowflake under a microscope? It looks like a fantasically intricate crystalline structure of ice, symmetrical and quite remarkable. A complex shape indeed - and it certainly didn't come about by chance. Nor, however, did it come about at the hands of a deliberate ice sculptor.
Instead, it was directed in it's formation by forces that exist in it's environment.
That is much the same way as evolution is a directed process.
The main "directing" factor in evolution is death.
A short necked giraffe wouldn't live very long, as it wouldn't be tall enough to reach the leaves from the trees, and would starve, while the long necked giraffes would do just fine.
So, what becomes of these poor short necked giraffes? Well, they live shorter lives, so fewer of them get the chance to mate.. there are fewer offspring, and over time, they die out.
On the other hand, if you're a giraffe, a long neck is a definite advantage, as you have access to a much bigger stock of food.
Result - when food is scarce you'll do better, having access to all the leaves avaliable rather than to have to compete with the shorties for the leaves at the bottom of the tree.
Result? You "live long and prosper", probably getting loads of whatever the giraffe equivalent of hot chicks is, and passing on your long necked genes to your offspring.
See how it works?
Those with the advantages survive and reproduce, thereby passing on those advantages. Those without the advantages die out. Over time the advantages become more and more pronounced through this type of selection.
Result? Weird, wonderful, and diverse varieties of life on Earth, and no need for some invisible man in the sky to put it all together.
Isn't the world an amazing place?
I want to go to this, but I'm busy when it's on.
Guess I'll just have to try and make it to last year's convention instead.
This is what it would do to you, as far as I know
Commonly heard in conjunction with the phrase "Don't orange all your noodles in one exoskeleton"
It's not a file sharing network per se, but i2p is an anonymity layer for the 'net which allows, amongst other things, for anonymous bittorrent.
Either the RIAA throws in the towel, or advances in anonymous secure filesharing make their efforts redundant - there are already several very promising and useable systems in development.
Either way, the RIAA can't keep up forever.
or just print out a YENC encoded MP3 file :)
It's 127.0.0.1 of course!
:)
Dude, do NOT go there!
I went there. There's nothing on it but a ton of gay porn.. and they hacked my interweb.
btw, in relation to your sig, good luck with the non smoking. As an ex-smoker, let me say it's definitely worth it.
Just remember, whatever hardship you go through, it's only for a short time, and is as nothing compared to being smoke free for the rest of your life
We now return you to your irregularly programmed schedule.
They used to show a great edited-for-TV version of Robocop here in the UK.
All expletives were replaced, including all instances of "asshole" were replaced with "airhead"(!), and spoken by somebody who didn't even sound remotely like the original actor. Add to that the removal of all scenes which could even be remotely thought of as relating to destruction, violence, death, guns, sex, drugs, or injury in any way (i.e. about 95% of them) and you had unintentional comedy gold
You haven't lived until you've heard a hardened criminal call someone a "dumb airhead" in the wrong voice while performing an unarmed armed robbery.
You might find the work going on at www.i2p.net rather interesting. They've already got anonymous HTTP, NNTP, FTP, streaming audio, and, yes, bittorrent up and running rather nicely - decent speeds, good anonymity and security (though it's still in beta, the security is already impressive, and getting stronger with each release)
Re: your sig.. ;)
How can you be skeptical of alternative medicine when there are such wonderful and scientifically proven products out there as GulliGo, the homeopathic remedy for gullibility?
The great thing about the GWR is you can always make a new record...
Someone beaten you to the record for wearing the most silly hats at once? Set a record for wearing the most silly hats at once... while bouncing on a pogo stick. Backwards, if need be. And while juggling. With eggs.
And so on.
Heck, it doesn't even have to cost you anything except a couple of seconds (literally) of your time - and you can stay in front of your computer.
There are a whole bunch of sites that donate advertiser clicks to charity - just click the button once a day and $0.02 or so will go to a charity.
Sure, it's not much, but if enough people do it it can add up pretty damn quick.
The Hunger Site is a good place to start (and has links to a bunch of other similar sites at the top)
Likewise Care2 has a whole collection of donation sites.
I've looked in to both of these places a bit, and it seems they are reputable (in terms of not skimming off huge amounts for "administrative fees", etc).. but at the end of the day it's not like it costs you anything anyways
Apologies for the interruption, we now return you to your irregularly programmed schedule.
Oregon Trail?
There's a site selling a classy Oregon Trail "You have died of dysentery" T-Shirt here
(though whether they should be profiting off the back of someone else's game is a bit of a question..)
Hey, don't forget Nethack, which inspired the following message to the Nethack devteam:
"Thank you for the latest release of gradewrecker. My GPA just went in the corner and shot itself. "
Wake me up when...
[...]
I get my free iPod. [with link]
[...]
Spam as we know it no longer exists.
Anything I add at this point would probably only detract from the irony
Technically its almost impossible.
Almost impossible = not impossible = possible.
Also, you don't give any reason as to why you consider it to be a task of such enormous difficulty. So far all that we know is that it's "almost impossible" because you say so.
Is that him looking all heroic in the cape on Opera's front page?
If so, he's obviously a superhero, so the swim should be pretty easy for him, but shouldn't be be rescuing kittens out of trees or something?
And what exactly would his superpowers be?
It says on the site "Speed, simplicity, security". I'm not entirely convinced that "simplicity" is a really good superpower. I think I'd prefer invisibility...
If the whole thing's just one big abstract metaphor then I suspect I'd be better off with a copy of Alice in Wonderland.
Nice to know that the universe is in the hands of a God who's deliberately vague and nonsensical though.
Gays have the same right to marry as heterosexuals - they can marry someone of the opposite sex. Marrying someone of the same sex is a special right.
Not at all. Straight people would have the same right - they'd be allowed to marry people of the same sex too. See? Everyone's happy!
Your point is basically "Gays have the right to be treated equally simply by being heterosexual"
A gay couple does not have the same rights in their gay relationship that a hetereosexual couple has in their hetereosexual relationship.
In other words, a gay relationship is seen as less than a straight relationship. That is called inequality.
And for what it's worth, I'm straight, but hell, I'd like the freedom to marry a man if I chose to.
How's that rapture of yours coming along, btw? Anyone been beamed up yet?
Only ONE has ever been perfect on earth
... was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians."
... was perfect and upright, and on that feared God, and eschewed evil."
Are you sure about that now?
I presume you mean Jesus.. but what about Asa? He was perfect:
2 Chr.15:17
"The heart of Asa was perfect all his days."
Well.. except of course, when he wasn't...
2 Chr.16:12
"And Asa
Noah was perfect, too
Gen.6:9
"Noah was a just man and perfect."
Gen.7:1
"For thee [Noah] have I seen righteous before me."
Though it has to be said, this doesn't sound too righteous and perfect:
Gen 9:21,22 And he [Noah] drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
And let's not forget good ol' Job
Job 1:1, 8
"Job
But of course, everybody knows there has NEVER been a perfect man or woman
1 Kg.8:46
"There is no man that sinneth not."
2 Chr.6:36
"There is no man which sinneth not."
Ec.7:20
"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
You know, it's a good thing the bible doesn't ever contradict itself, because that would get really confusing, and might even undermine it's authority.
All quotes from King James version btw.