In high school I was part of production of Macbeth set to a Star Wars theme. We had plastic light sabers and a storm trooper with a white bike helmet and cardboard armor.
I had one line. "Thou liest, thou shag-ear'd villain!" then I got a light saber to the ribs.
While I agree "always has been" is a hard thing to grasp. I disagree that believing in God is any more logical than not believing in god.
Just because we mere mortals don't easily grasp things like forever and infinity. We are built with a sense of time and beginning and end. We live and die. The universe doesn't seem to follow those rules (at least not on our time scale). Our desire for order is the only reason I can see for belief in God.
For me just because I'd like there to be an answer isn't enough. I need something more. For me it's science. Lots of times science has to say "I don't know" where religion can easily come up with an answer. Like "God created universe in 7 days." I could just as easily say invisible magic gnomes created the universe. How can you dispute it? How can you confirm it? That's where scientific method comes in. If you can't disprove my gnome theory, does that make it true? Of course not. The mere fact that something can't be disproved ever is proof that it's not any more valid than any other myth.
For me Science is enough of a "Bigger thing" than myself. It deals with universal truths and huge ideas, yet it's flexible enough to change when something new is observed. Religion by definition can't change ever. I get more feelings of wonder considering science and the immense span of the universe than I ever got from religion. Plus all of humanity are my brothers not just those who share my beliefs. (Sorry I went a little Carl Sagan there for a minute.) That's pretty much the way I look at the universe and I still have a sense of amazement and wonder without the need to involve any god.
It's interesting that you went from an Atheist to a religious believer. I don't want to put words/thoughts in your mouth so please correct me if I don't understand your point.
How you came to the conclusion that the 'verse was made by a creator: 1. The Universe is so complex/beautiful something must have created it. 2. That creator is/was your god of choice. 3. That god is even more complex and beautiful than the universe it created. 4. Would not god have to have been made by an even more complex and beautiful creator. A gods god if you will.
Clearly a fallacy of circular logic.
However if your beautiful/good/awesome God didn't have to be created by something why does my beautiful/good/awesome 'verse have to be?
You're right. I remeber an episode of mythbusters where they used really strong eletro-magnets to wipe credit cards to bust the myth that eel skin wallets could wipe a credit card.
I have a magnetic Money clip I use. If I put a hotel keycard even in the same pocket it wipes it completely. Whereas my credit card has never been a problem. Hotel cards use a different technology that is more easily wipable than standard credit cards.
In high school I was showing off my new car alarm to my buddy. I said see you just barely hit it and the alarm goes off. I lightly hit it... no effect. I hit it a little bit harder... and dented the car. The alarm never went off. He laughed his ass off. I didn't find it as amusing at the time.
Spitting on the mask never works for me. The salty ocean water seems to remove my spit. Who knows? *shrug* I've tried all kinds of anti fog stuff. None of it ever worked for me.
What I finally found that works for me is toothpaste. I always take a tube and just smear a little bit all around and rinse out. The best cheapest anti fog anywhere. Some people will tell you that the grit is bad for the lenses. That may be true but mine is still very clear over several years of use.
At first I agreed with you. It does seem really unappealing to eat meat grown in a lab or a factory. But after you think about it, it's not any worse than what goes on in a slaughter house. That doesn't seem to hurt beef sales. It'll take awhile for people to get used to the idea. But in the long run nobody really cares where there big mac patty comes from. It could be from range cattle or a factory in Detroit just so long as it tastes good.
I believe and hope that the good science teachers of Kansas will be able to discus ID and put it in the appropriate context. This is what the real scientist know to be True it's called "Evolution". This is what pseudo science is. This is what the State board says we have to discuss it's called "Creationism or ID".
It allows for a great discussion on how pseudo science can be tempting but it just isn't science. I believe this could be more of an opportunity to Kansas teachers and students. Of course this all depends on good teachers. My experience growing up in a small Kansas town's public education system has shown me that, Kansas for all it's faults, has some good science teachers.
Just like a history teacher could clearly show all of the evidence for the holocaust and show that in spite of all this, some people still believe it didn't happen. There are still racist ignorant neo Nazi scum in our society. There probably always will be.
It's unfortunate the Kansas board of education has taken us down this road. But I'm an optimist and I have faith in Kansas good teachers. Hopefully my faith isn't misplaced.
Disclaimer: I'm an Atheist who lives in Houston now.
Every time evolution comes up I say a little prayer *pun intended* that Kansas isn't involved. I grew up in a small Kansas town. I was taught science and evolution in that small town's public schools. I can say that although there definitely is a big chunk of unbelievable ignorance in some elected offices Most Kansans/Midwesterners are not stupid even though the news makes them seem that way.
I believe a good science teacher would display the new "required material" as something politically required and show why "Real" scientist disagree. At least that's what I hope. If done properly it could be a good lesson in determining pseudo science from the real deal... and still meet the legal requirements.
I agree Vector graphics are fun. I'm learning some of the new features of Google maps API beta. You can use latitude and longitude coordinates to draw. It's been a very long time since I've messed with vector graphics too. I remember a vector drawing program called from middle school (I think it was called Turtle). Any way here is an example of my initials using vector graphics with gmaps new API.
I went through something similar in Houston with a small DSL provider (Symet.net). They wanted me and individual to upgrade to 300 dollar a month corporate account. There argument was that unlimited *access* was not equivalent to unlimited usage. When I asked them how much *usage* I was allowed in a given period of time. They wouldn't give me a number. They just wanted me to leave.
I would've preferred to give my money to a small ISP where I can talk to a human if there is a problem. Since I switched to SBC I haven't had a problem. There support is awful but they never complain about my usage. It's a tradeoff. This is one instance where a mega ISP is better.
Increasing the Drop rate or allowing dupes would lead to inflation. Just as if a country decided to print more money. Prices would rise. The money would be able to buy less.
For exmaple lets say there are 10 pieces of platinum in the entire game and each piece at auction sells at a price of $2. So the total Realworld value of the game economy would be $20.
If the game devs decided to double the available platinum then the real world value of each piece would be cut in half. so now there are 20 peices of platinum but the buyers and sellers are still only willing to invest $20 real world dollars. So they will now only pay $1 per platinum.
Now I agree that's bad for the buying player. But it would not generate more money for the exchange. Which is why I belive the devs will strive to keep the game / real world economy stable.
Vacation was Rated "R" for language(Clark is always cussing) and the famous Beverly Deangelo shower scene, the naked Christie Brinkley swimming pool scene, and underage drinking(Russ sharing a beer with Clark) and Pot smoking with the cousins.
That's all I remember off the top of my head. But it seems like a pretty easy call to me why they made it "R".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085995/
Slashdot Mirror
Did anyone else see Mark Hamill guest star on the muppet show. Now that somehow was a new low...
http://www.lucasfan.com/swtv/muppets.html
In high school I was part of production of Macbeth set to a Star Wars theme. We had plastic light sabers and a storm trooper with a white bike helmet and cardboard armor.
I had one line. "Thou liest, thou shag-ear'd villain!" then I got a light saber to the ribs.
I didn't RTFA. But if your figures are right...
US debt 8 trillion = $8,000,000,000
Cost to launch = $ 400,000,000
So you'd be able to launch 20 of these things not 20,000.
While I agree "always has been" is a hard thing to grasp. I disagree that believing in God is any more logical than not believing in god.
Just because we mere mortals don't easily grasp things like forever and infinity. We are built with a sense of time and beginning and end. We live and die. The universe doesn't seem to follow those rules (at least not on our time scale). Our desire for order is the only reason I can see for belief in God.
For me just because I'd like there to be an answer isn't enough. I need something more. For me it's science. Lots of times science has to say "I don't know" where religion can easily come up with an answer. Like "God created universe in 7 days." I could just as easily say invisible magic gnomes created the universe. How can you dispute it? How can you confirm it? That's where scientific method comes in. If you can't disprove my gnome theory, does that make it true? Of course not. The mere fact that something can't be disproved ever is proof that it's not any more valid than any other myth.
For me Science is enough of a "Bigger thing" than myself. It deals with universal truths and huge ideas, yet it's flexible enough to change when something new is observed. Religion by definition can't change ever. I get more feelings of wonder considering science and the immense span of the universe than I ever got from religion. Plus all of humanity are my brothers not just those who share my beliefs. (Sorry I went a little Carl Sagan there for a minute.) That's pretty much the way I look at the universe and I still have a sense of amazement and wonder without the need to involve any god.
It's interesting that you went from an Atheist to a religious believer. I don't want to put words/thoughts in your mouth so please correct me if I don't understand your point.
How you came to the conclusion that the 'verse was made by a creator:
1. The Universe is so complex/beautiful something must have created it.
2. That creator is/was your god of choice.
3. That god is even more complex and beautiful than the universe it created.
4. Would not god have to have been made by an even more complex and beautiful creator. A gods god if you will.
Clearly a fallacy of circular logic.
However if your beautiful/good/awesome God didn't have to be created by something why does my beautiful/good/awesome 'verse have to be?
Great! One more American job being Outsorced. :)
You're right. I remeber an episode of mythbusters where they used really strong eletro-magnets to wipe credit cards to bust the myth that eel skin wallets could wipe a credit card.
I have a magnetic Money clip I use. If I put a hotel keycard even in the same pocket it wipes it completely. Whereas my credit card has never been a problem. Hotel cards use a different technology that is more easily wipable than standard credit cards.
In high school I was showing off my new car alarm to my buddy. I said see you just barely hit it and the alarm goes off. I lightly hit it... no effect. I hit it a little bit harder... and dented the car. The alarm never went off. He laughed his ass off. I didn't find it as amusing at the time.
How about PIN Number???
Actually I just read Edonkey has overtaken bittorrent.
w n-drives-p2p-users
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2141724/crackdo
>I think I'd find it extremely valuable for myself.
I agree. I can see it now. OK OK. You can cut my hand off. But you have to buy the next round.
Repeat next week.
Now if they could only figure out what to do with that extreme pain issue.
Yeah It's hard to believe.
c le/2005/08/30/AR2005083000848.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti
What I finally found that works for me is toothpaste. I always take a tube and just smear a little bit all around and rinse out. The best cheapest anti fog anywhere. Some people will tell you that the grit is bad for the lenses. That may be true but mine is still very clear over several years of use.
They better use a self extracting zip in case plutonians don't have win zip.
At first I agreed with you. It does seem really unappealing to eat meat grown in a lab or a factory. But after you think about it, it's not any worse than what goes on in a slaughter house. That doesn't seem to hurt beef sales. It'll take awhile for people to get used to the idea. But in the long run nobody really cares where there big mac patty comes from. It could be from range cattle or a factory in Detroit just so long as it tastes good.
Check out the capitol Building. All blurred out.1 8&spn=0.014454,0.026786&t=h&hl=en
6 0&spn=0.007229,0.013393&t=h&hl=en
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.889981,-77.0094
Now check out the Pentagon. It's across the river to the Southwest. Crystal Clear. I guess they figure it's just too easy to spot the Pentagon to even try to hide it.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.871055,-77.0559
I believe and hope that the good science teachers of Kansas will be able to discus ID and put it in the appropriate context. This is what the real scientist know to be True it's called "Evolution". This is what pseudo science is. This is what the State board says we have to discuss it's called "Creationism or ID".
It allows for a great discussion on how pseudo science can be tempting but it just isn't science. I believe this could be more of an opportunity to Kansas teachers and students. Of course this all depends on good teachers. My experience growing up in a small Kansas town's public education system has shown me that, Kansas for all it's faults, has some good science teachers.
Just like a history teacher could clearly show all of the evidence for the holocaust and show that in spite of all this, some people still believe it didn't happen. There are still racist ignorant neo Nazi scum in our society. There probably always will be.
It's unfortunate the Kansas board of education has taken us down this road. But I'm an optimist and I have faith in Kansas good teachers. Hopefully my faith isn't misplaced.
Disclaimer: I'm an Atheist who lives in Houston now.
Every time evolution comes up I say a little prayer *pun intended* that Kansas isn't involved. I grew up in a small Kansas town. I was taught science and evolution in that small town's public schools. I can say that although there definitely is a big chunk of unbelievable ignorance in some elected offices Most Kansans/Midwesterners are not stupid even though the news makes them seem that way.
I believe a good science teacher would display the new "required material" as something politically required and show why "Real" scientist disagree. At least that's what I hope. If done properly it could be a good lesson in determining pseudo science from the real deal... and still meet the legal requirements.
Disclaimer: I'm an atheist living in Houston now.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/4720 8/47208.html?Ad=1
I agree Vector graphics are fun. I'm learning some of the new features of Google maps API beta. You can use latitude and longitude coordinates to draw. It's been a very long time since I've messed with vector graphics too. I remember a vector drawing program called from middle school (I think it was called Turtle). Any way here is an example of my initials using vector graphics with gmaps new API.
http://www.houstonworks.com/shaun/gmaps/small.cfm
> vaguely worded "bandwidth limits"
I went through something similar in Houston with a small DSL provider (Symet.net). They wanted me and individual to upgrade to 300 dollar a month corporate account. There argument was that unlimited *access* was not equivalent to unlimited usage. When I asked them how much *usage* I was allowed in a given period of time. They wouldn't give me a number. They just wanted me to leave.
I would've preferred to give my money to a small ISP where I can talk to a human if there is a problem. Since I switched to SBC I haven't had a problem. There support is awful but they never complain about my usage. It's a tradeoff. This is one instance where a mega ISP is better.
Increasing the Drop rate or allowing dupes would lead to inflation. Just as if a country decided to print more money. Prices would rise. The money would be able to buy less.
For exmaple lets say there are 10 pieces of platinum in the entire game and each piece at auction sells at a price of $2. So the total Realworld value of the game economy would be $20.
If the game devs decided to double the available platinum then the real world value of each piece would be cut in half. so now there are 20 peices of platinum but the buyers and sellers are still only willing to invest $20 real world dollars. So they will now only pay $1 per platinum.
Now I agree that's bad for the buying player. But it would not generate more money for the exchange. Which is why I belive the devs will strive to keep the game / real world economy stable.
But only time will tell how they handle it.
I'm curious did the PG VHS have the nude scenes and the pot smoking scenes in it?
Vacation was Rated "R" for language(Clark is always cussing) and the famous Beverly Deangelo shower scene, the naked Christie Brinkley swimming pool scene, and underage drinking(Russ sharing a beer with Clark) and Pot smoking with the cousins. That's all I remember off the top of my head. But it seems like a pretty easy call to me why they made it "R". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085995/