Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GoodThing(TM) that our standards have evolved. Today's standards would certainly have done nothing but strengthened Medel's claims (assuming he would have addressed the criticism).
Modern standards would also have found a more ethical method to test the original smallpox vaccine. You can spend a long time examining the moral issues of that test and the subsequent extinction of smallpox in the wild, and still not find a satisfactory answer since it comes back to the age old question of "sacrificing one for the good of the many". I prefer to save that time by simply declaring "All's well that ends well".
falsifiable, measurable, or experimentally verifiable
Sorry, I assumed people would insert those caveats themselves, I was thinking about scientific explanations not the type of explanation that is extracted from the arse of a preacher. This is because I don't see religion as an explanation of anything, I see it as speculation about everything. There's nothing wrong with speculation, it's only becomes a problem when it's mistaken for truth.
I see your Brian Cox and raise you a Richard Feynman. Key quote "I can't explain magnetism,..[snip]...that's just one of the things that you have to take as an element of the world, the existence of magnetic repulsion".
Now an explanation for magnetism may be discovered one day, but that will just push the problem down to another more fundamental property of the universe that "just is" (in Feynman's words finding an explanation for magnetism will just "peel another layer off the onion"). I agree science models reality better than any other method yet devised and gives us a deep understanding of the universe, but it cannot (currently) explain where the fundamental forces and spacetime come from, it just takes it as a given that they exist and can be observed.
He meant it was unlikely that classical physics was profoundly wrong in the realms we observe and inhabit but there could be great physics out there.
"John, when people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together." - Asimov, The relativity of wrong.
we will have a coherent explanation for all observable physical phenomena
Contrary to popular belief we have no explaination for gravity, spacetime, or the other fundamental forces (eg: try and define "time" without the definition becoming circular). What we have are models that predict how these "miracles" behave and interact in most situations.
This is competition 101 - adapt your site to the new environment or it will die.
The solution is a simple technical one that was designed for this exact purpose, ie: don't serve the images unless the referrer is your own site. The only problem here is your unwillingness to modify YOUR site to meet YOUR requirements.
The irony here is that the GP's innate theory of mind is assigning attributes to you in the same way yours assigns attributes to Bugs Bunny, God, or any other character, regardless of whether the character is fictional or real.
Religion is a way of feeling, not a way of knowing.
Instinct is an example of an alternative way of knowing, many religions simply document moral instincts and then claim to be the sole source of morality. Morals are as innate to humans as their physical senses, until very recently science had no idea (and no interest) as to where they came from, religion has always provided stories to fill that gap. Stories are more powerful than people assume, the mind of the worshiper creates a character called god based on the story, it then asks the character questions and favors. The practice of prayer simply reenforces the character by asking you to regularly converse with the character you have built. Now the real hook is when that prayer is "answered" your mind highlights it and attributes it to the god character, like gamblers who keep pulling the lever, worshipers will keep on praying every night.
God is not the only character in your head, it's just as easy to imagine yourself talking to Obama (re: Clint Eastwood and the empty chair). The conversation you have will be based on personality attributes you have assigned to him, some of those attributes might even match the real ones since Obama can be observed. Every human is born with a basic "theory of mind" that "explains" why things behave the way they do, it instinctively assigns personalities to everything both animate and inanimate. If you doubt that then listen to yourself the next time you try and explain to a mechanic what is wrong with your car, both of you will use words that describe the personality of your car, theory of mind is deeply embedded in our language because it's deeply embedded in humans.
Combine the "theory of mind" with he fact that human societies are always hierarchical and it's kind of obvious why humans tend to create a mother/father personality that oversees the entire universe. In the early days of human society that personality was obvious and real, it was simply the big ball of fire in the sky that from direct observation could be seen to regulate all life.
You appear to be confessing your comprehension skills are below that of a "stupid fucking troglodyte".
First sentence - "In a move that might dampen the popularity of Airbnb's site for Amsterdam, the city government is now using the accommodation listing service"
As for the mod, "redundant" would be more appropriate.
The domino effect also applies to car makers such as GM, they go under and a gazzillion local businesses go down with them. I like your comparison to organics, large companies are like keystone species, remove them and the micro-environment they provide also disappears. Now you could say "don't let a company get that big in the first place" but then you are giving every other nation an "economy of scale" advantage you ideology won't allow you to use.
we are all speculators ever since the currency was floated
Why do people insist on repeating obvious nonsense they hear from political hacks, humans have been speculating in currency since the first caveman carried a sea shell into the mountains and traded it for a shinny rock.
They have shown they are a dictatorship and the people will protect them because going against it labels you a "bigot".
The root problem with US politics is the number of people who are willing to give credence to the kind of myopic bullshit you just posted. You and your ilk are fearfull because you project your own meglomania onto others and then without a shread of evidence conclude that they will act the way you would (if given the chance).
...chances are you don't understand the problem with the public school system. That is, it doesn't teach understanding. All it does is have kids memorize material without understanding any of it...
So enlighten us.
- How does one teach understanding?
- How does one measure the progress of students?
- How does one understand something without remebering it?
Simply ignoring letters from lawyers generally creates more problems than it solves
Ignoring an idle threat is a perfectly valid thing to do, corporations do it every day. Ignoring a demand backed by a court such as a summons, suit, or parking fine, is stupid.
The GP (who claims to be a lawyer) is offering sound advise, If you engage with these extortionists then they have their foot in the door and an opportunity to screw you with your own words. If you feel you must respond then respond with two words, "Sue me". If they are trolls then they certainly won't want to spend money on something as risky as a court case.
As to the claim "The data, in fact, does not really prove it."', I find that hard to believe without some extraordinary evidence. I don't see any evidence in TFA, just some local politician making good on a populist pledge. As for tourists, I received a traffic fine from the UK after getting back home to Oz after a holiday. I paid it because I had fucked up and it was the RigthThingToDo(TM), not because of the risk of being turned back at Heathrow for outstanding fines next time I visit.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GoodThing(TM) that our standards have evolved. Today's standards would certainly have done nothing but strengthened Medel's claims (assuming he would have addressed the criticism).
Modern standards would also have found a more ethical method to test the original smallpox vaccine. You can spend a long time examining the moral issues of that test and the subsequent extinction of smallpox in the wild, and still not find a satisfactory answer since it comes back to the age old question of "sacrificing one for the good of the many". I prefer to save that time by simply declaring "All's well that ends well".
falsifiable, measurable, or experimentally verifiable
Sorry, I assumed people would insert those caveats themselves, I was thinking about scientific explanations not the type of explanation that is extracted from the arse of a preacher. This is because I don't see religion as an explanation of anything, I see it as speculation about everything. There's nothing wrong with speculation, it's only becomes a problem when it's mistaken for truth.
I see your Brian Cox and raise you a Richard Feynman. Key quote "I can't explain magnetism,..[snip]...that's just one of the things that you have to take as an element of the world, the existence of magnetic repulsion".
Now an explanation for magnetism may be discovered one day, but that will just push the problem down to another more fundamental property of the universe that "just is" (in Feynman's words finding an explanation for magnetism will just "peel another layer off the onion"). I agree science models reality better than any other method yet devised and gives us a deep understanding of the universe, but it cannot (currently) explain where the fundamental forces and spacetime come from, it just takes it as a given that they exist and can be observed.
Call me old fashioned, but I don't want to wear my computer, I prefer a big comfy chair infront of a large PC screen.
He meant it was unlikely that classical physics was profoundly wrong in the realms we observe and inhabit but there could be great physics out there.
"John, when people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together." - Asimov, The relativity of wrong.
It always amuses me that Mendel's pea plant experiments would not get past peer review these days.
we will have a coherent explanation for all observable physical phenomena
Contrary to popular belief we have no explaination for gravity, spacetime, or the other fundamental forces (eg: try and define "time" without the definition becoming circular). What we have are models that predict how these "miracles" behave and interact in most situations.
This is competition 101 - adapt your site to the new environment or it will die.
The solution is a simple technical one that was designed for this exact purpose, ie: don't serve the images unless the referrer is your own site. The only problem here is your unwillingness to modify YOUR site to meet YOUR requirements.
The irony here is that the GP's innate theory of mind is assigning attributes to you in the same way yours assigns attributes to Bugs Bunny, God, or any other character, regardless of whether the character is fictional or real.
the only means of knowing things
Religion is a way of feeling, not a way of knowing.
Instinct is an example of an alternative way of knowing, many religions simply document moral instincts and then claim to be the sole source of morality. Morals are as innate to humans as their physical senses, until very recently science had no idea (and no interest) as to where they came from, religion has always provided stories to fill that gap. Stories are more powerful than people assume, the mind of the worshiper creates a character called god based on the story, it then asks the character questions and favors. The practice of prayer simply reenforces the character by asking you to regularly converse with the character you have built. Now the real hook is when that prayer is "answered" your mind highlights it and attributes it to the god character, like gamblers who keep pulling the lever, worshipers will keep on praying every night.
God is not the only character in your head, it's just as easy to imagine yourself talking to Obama (re: Clint Eastwood and the empty chair). The conversation you have will be based on personality attributes you have assigned to him, some of those attributes might even match the real ones since Obama can be observed. Every human is born with a basic "theory of mind" that "explains" why things behave the way they do, it instinctively assigns personalities to everything both animate and inanimate. If you doubt that then listen to yourself the next time you try and explain to a mechanic what is wrong with your car, both of you will use words that describe the personality of your car, theory of mind is deeply embedded in our language because it's deeply embedded in humans.
Combine the "theory of mind" with he fact that human societies are always hierarchical and it's kind of obvious why humans tend to create a mother/father personality that oversees the entire universe. In the early days of human society that personality was obvious and real, it was simply the big ball of fire in the sky that from direct observation could be seen to regulate all life.
You appear to be confessing your comprehension skills are below that of a "stupid fucking troglodyte".
First sentence - "In a move that might dampen the popularity of Airbnb's site for Amsterdam, the city government is now using the accommodation listing service"
As for the mod, "redundant" would be more appropriate.
The attitude displayed in the parent post is why I'd much rather live in Amsterdam than Huston.
This was long before fears of global warming
Not really.
The domino effect also applies to car makers such as GM, they go under and a gazzillion local businesses go down with them. I like your comparison to organics, large companies are like keystone species, remove them and the micro-environment they provide also disappears. Now you could say "don't let a company get that big in the first place" but then you are giving every other nation an "economy of scale" advantage you ideology won't allow you to use.
we are all speculators ever since the currency was floated
Why do people insist on repeating obvious nonsense they hear from political hacks, humans have been speculating in currency since the first caveman carried a sea shell into the mountains and traded it for a shinny rock.
They have shown they are a dictatorship and the people will protect them because going against it labels you a "bigot".
The root problem with US politics is the number of people who are willing to give credence to the kind of myopic bullshit you just posted. You and your ilk are fearfull because you project your own meglomania onto others and then without a shread of evidence conclude that they will act the way you would (if given the chance).
...chances are you don't understand the problem with the public school system. That is, it doesn't teach understanding. All it does is have kids memorize material without understanding any of it...
So enlighten us.
- How does one teach understanding?
- How does one measure the progress of students?
- How does one understand something without remebering it?
"Rediculous" is the highest level of ridiculousness, there's also "Yellowdiculous" (a bit silly) and "Greendiculous" (sober)
Wonder why no outsider takes software developers seriously?
Wonder why the global software industry is worth trillions of dollars?
Genes (and proteins) are obviously organized hierarchically. Which means there must be a control hierarchy in there somewhere.
Obvious nonesense, if not then point to the "control hierarchy" in an ant colony (no, the Queen ant does issue orders to the soldiers and workers).
Right, they're simultaneously laughably incompetent and a serious threat.
That would be the "Grand Ayatollah" mentioned in the post you are replying to.
Simply ignoring letters from lawyers generally creates more problems than it solves
Ignoring an idle threat is a perfectly valid thing to do, corporations do it every day. Ignoring a demand backed by a court such as a summons, suit, or parking fine, is stupid.
The GP (who claims to be a lawyer) is offering sound advise, If you engage with these extortionists then they have their foot in the door and an opportunity to screw you with your own words. If you feel you must respond then respond with two words, "Sue me". If they are trolls then they certainly won't want to spend money on something as risky as a court case.
Yep, that's the way it's done.
As to the claim "The data, in fact, does not really prove it."', I find that hard to believe without some extraordinary evidence. I don't see any evidence in TFA, just some local politician making good on a populist pledge. As for tourists, I received a traffic fine from the UK after getting back home to Oz after a holiday. I paid it because I had fucked up and it was the RigthThingToDo(TM), not because of the risk of being turned back at Heathrow for outstanding fines next time I visit.
In the UK the stone walls on either side of the road leave no room for caravan mirrors, let alone merging lanes.