We disagree completely then. The point of what he made wasn't to make a cool animation "to fully show an understanding of the advantages that stop motion animation offers"... The point was to make a video of 80's video games using nothing but Lego blocks. He achieved it superbly.

What you're suggesting, is using a computer software to replicate Lego blocks and use those virtual blocks to make an identical animation in less time, and while that's more pragmatic, saves time and effort, it's completely losing the actual point of making a video with Lego blocks..... Why still make a video of Lego blocks moving around, when you can make a 3D animation of the actual game characters? And while you're at it, why not program the original games, making a version of Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario etc? And why not go beyond that and make a better game, and market it? He could make lots of money that way, no?

I actually think my Usain Bolt car analogy is very good, since he could save years and years of rigorous physical training and sacrifice, and go do something useful with his time, since he can get from the start to the finish with ease and more speed in a car. Never mind that the whole point was to do it without a car...

But if you look at it in a "he got a world record, and thus accomplished something" perspective, consider the guy who came in last in that race. He technically accomplished nothing, and I doubt very much he even expected to win vs Usain Bolt. Why race at all then? Why not just give up and lie down? Why spend as much time uselessly training, keeping a diet and so on, when you won't break a world record or win the race?

In reply to this comment by mentality:
Look, I'm not saying what he achieved isn't art, or it's not cool. I'm saying it's a colossal waste of time because he didn't do anything unique to stop motion animation, and didn't make best use of his time.

Usain Bolt did something unique that you can't replicate with a car: break the record for human running speed. Terrible analogy. It looks like you're the one who's missing the point here.

Again: He could have designed his animation better, to fully show an understanding of the advantages that stop motion animation offers, and in the process do everything you said he accomplished: having fun with a hobby AND produce something truly cool and unique with it.

Sure he had fun making it, but by not achieving something more it's pointless masturbation.

We disagree completely then. The point of what he made wasn't to make a cool animation "to fully show an understanding of the advantages that stop motion animation offers"... The point was to make a video of 80's video games using nothing but Lego blocks. He achieved it superbly.

What you're suggesting, is using a computer software to replicate Lego blocks and use those virtual blocks to make an identical animation in less time, and while that's more pragmatic, saves time and effort, it's completely losing the actual point of making a video with Lego blocks..... Why still make a video of Lego blocks moving around, when you can make a 3D animation of the actual game characters? And while you're at it, why not program the original games, making a version of Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario etc? And why not go beyond that and make a better game, and market it? He could make lots of money that way, no?

I actually think my Usain Bolt car analogy is very good, since he could save years and years of rigorous physical training and sacrifice, and go do something useful with his time, since he can get from the start to the finish with ease and more speed in a car. Never mind that the whole point was to do it without a car...

But if you look at it in a "he got a world record, and thus accomplished something" perspective, consider the guy who came in last in that race. He technically accomplished nothing, and I doubt very much he even expected to win vs Usain Bolt. Why race at all then? Why not just give up and lie down? Why spend as much time uselessly training, keeping a diet and so on, when you won't break a world record or win the race?

In reply to this comment by mentality:
Look, I'm not saying what he achieved isn't art, or it's not cool. I'm saying it's a colossal waste of time because he didn't do anything unique to stop motion animation, and didn't make best use of his time.

Usain Bolt did something unique that you can't replicate with a car: break the record for human running speed. Terrible analogy. It looks like you're the one who's missing the point here.

Again: He could have designed his animation better, to fully show an understanding of the advantages that stop motion animation offers, and in the process do everything you said he accomplished: having fun with a hobby AND produce something truly cool and unique with it.

Sure he had fun making it, but by not achieving something more it's pointless masturbation.

So.. you are saying we should just give up thinking about the big questions?

Convenient for you to just give up and post a message saying nothing at all.

Just admit that you know how to fix your pc and expect others to be able to do the same, even though that is an unrealistic expectation.

>> ^keitholbermann:
I understand these animals are extremely cute, but am I wrong and alone to think owning an animal is equal to enslaving them no matter how much attention you feel obligated to show them?


Dude... you're not even a funny parody of the real KO. Just give up before you embarrass yourself.

I'm kind of in the same place as Oxdottir. VideoSift was the first "social" site I used where stuff I submitted actually got votes and landed on the front page and gave me a bit of recognition among the masses. I know it's petty and doesn't really matter, but I'm just feeling a bit discouraged now. Nevertheless, I don't want to just give up on it and I really want to see the site get back on its feet, as it was and is a great community.

I haven't read through any of the posts.. So pardon me if this is something you have just read.. or if this is just totally whiny and selfish..

I am sure everybody is shocked and surprised and feeling frustrated.. I can't imagine how hard this is to dag and Lucky.. I am so happy to see all the sifted videos are there, and the star points!

But right now I think I just might have to take a break from here though.. I made it to the Top 10 REAL fast.. I mean, I made my account last April, and started trying to post in May. After I got my first sifted video, I was on a roll! Yes, I get addicted and obsessed and obviously VS became an addiction!

Just last week I was thrilled to have received 23 000 votes! There I was, on top10, thinking MAYBE one day I'd pass even one of the top 9 active shifters. And I know I had about 815 star points - for some reason it went down to 800 after the crash. But I wanted to climb up that list.. I wanted to be the second 'queen' to get a crown after Issy!

Right now I am torn.. should I just give up.. I still have my star points, but I will never get the votes back. I am not even one of the popular/old timer/fun sifters who'd have lots of people go through their sifts and upvote everything.. All I managed to do today, selfish me, was to upvote all my owm videos, to learn that it was then done automatically and I just wasted an afternoon..

Yes, I admit, I love being competitive, and popular and #1.. I don't want to go through another long battle to get back to the top10. I know everybody feels the same way.. it is a long run to get the votes back..

But why do I want to be in thew Top10? Because I love this place.. and I am afraid that if I am not in the top, nobody will pay any attention to me. And if nobody pays any attention to me, I won't get anything sifted. And I am better being #1 online than in RL..

OH btw, this pots should have those <drunk> </drunk> tags (I have tomorrow off..)

Just saying.. Yes, I am whining, add me to the whiny poster list! Mostly I am saying.. I am not sure if I am strong enough to stay and fight my way through to the top again. I do love this place! I hope everybody else is stronger than me, keep on sifting, posting and upvoting.

I will probably be back tomorrow, trying to figure a way to get every single video I post sifted! I made my way up once, I can do it again! We all are starting from scratch! I am sooooo happy that all the sifted videos are there too!!!!

Thank you all, VS people! Keep sifting and voting and hopefully we all feel better tomorrow!

That being said, he was raised as an anglican Christian, So he tends to stick with that when he challenges specific religious claims. What he mainly does speak against, however, is Gods, any and all gods, the abrahamic, hindu, norse or greek gods, or the more deistic god of the enlightenment, and most certainly the creationist God that people try combating science with.

Speaking of Creationist loonies, Heard the recent exchange between Ray "The banana Man" Comfort and Blogger and Biology Professor PZ Myers? Its hilarious.


Ray Comfort:"I simply expose atheistic evolution for the unscientific fairy tale that it is, and I do it with common logic. I ask questions about where the female came from for each species. Every male dog, cat, horse, elephant, giraffe, fish and bird had to have coincidentally evolved with a female alongside it (over billions of years) with fully evolved compatible reproductive parts and a desire to mate, otherwise the species couldn't keep going. Evolution has no explanation for the female for every species in creation,"

PZ Myers response:"I know Ray is rather stupid, but who knew he could be that stupid. This has been explained to him multiple times: evolution does explain this stuff trivially. Populations evolve, not individuals, and male and female elephants evolved from populations of pre-elephants that contained males and females. Species do not arise from single new mutant males that then have to find a corresponding mutant female – they arise by the diffusion of variation through a whole population, male and female."

Comfort counters...At what point of time in evolutionary history did the female evolve alongside the male? And why did she evolve? Then explain, if you would professor, why horses, giraffes, cattle, zebras, leopards, primates, antelopes, pigs, dogs, sheep, fish, goats, mice, squirrels, whales, chickens, dinosaurs, beavers, cats, human beings and rats also evolved with a female, at some point of time in evolutionary history.

At this appalling ignorance, most of us would just give up, But not PZ, instead he lashes out the most embarrasing (for Comfort) putdowns in the history of ass-whopping:
Elephantine errors from Ray Comfort

HOLY CRAP will the Escapist just give up with Unskippable? Really, the two ads they've had have been TERRIBLE... I mean, really, they are the sort of thing you find on youtube where a couple of 12 year olds have done voice overs with terrible microphones that came with their webcams.

They are not funny, not witty, not in any way intelligent or original.

Let it die, stop trying to make it successful, it NEVER WILL BE.

>> ^Krupo:
>> ^budzos:
Am I the only one who finds this cynical and exploitative on Obama's part? Soup kitches run year round, not just on Thanksgiving. Just give up the pretense and run the country.

Because it's no the first time he did this, no.


Fair enough.

>> ^budzos:
Am I the only one who finds this cynical and exploitative on Obama's part? Soup kitches run year round, not just on Thanksgiving. Just give up the pretense and run the country.


Because it's no the first time he did this, no.

Am I the only one who finds this cynical and exploitative on Obama's part? Soup kitches run year round, not just on Thanksgiving. Just give up the pretense and run the country.

Or maybe it's good to set this type of example and say that we should all take some time out occasionally to help those in need. I think I'd be happy if he'd just do it when it's not thanksgiving. Do it in the middle of May for no good reason other than to remind people.

Changing the subject, typical of the losing side. Please stay on topic or just give up.

Homeschooling and private school are already on the table for those who choose them, and I have no problem with that, so long as they are not funded with tax dollars.

I completely agree that we need options for kids who aren't responsive to traditional schooling. Not only do they waste their own time, but disrupt other students as well and are sometimes even abusive.

I've found (I've done a fair amount of teaching in various contexts) that very often, a student who does poorly in academic subjects will excel in a particular craft or art class. So wouldn't it be nice if these students could find a program that would allow them to focus on honing a useful skill and preparing them for a career.

I had an interesting conversation with a German over the summer, and she said that in her country, the higher levels of high school were only offered to students who a achieved a particular grade threshold. I think that is an interesting idea. I don't like the idea of kicking less successful students to the curb, but what if we offered them some practical alternative?

So yeah, I agree that we need new ideas (as well as a return to some of the 'old' ideas that allowed our educational system to thrive in past decades) and that neither dems, pubs, libs, greens or any party have engaged in the kind of outside the box thinking that we need, but I think vouchers (which I'm guessing is what you'd prefer) is just giving up. What is the major difference between the successful schools of our past and the problem schools of today? Population and per capita spending. In short, we have too many students and not enough funding.

You say affordable, I say efficient. I think there is some common ground here.

>> ^thepinky:
Didn't see it.
The thing that I find amazing is that atheists take it for granted that no one could possibly give a compelling argument that atheism is irrational. Can you tell me what happened 3 millionths of a second before the big bang?

What does being an atheist have to do with the big bang?


So...has the universe always existed and will it always exist?

Well, yes and no. The universe as we know it has not always existed, but the matter has, in some form or another, and will always exist, even after the universe as we know it ceases to exist.


Alright, then. Did it come from nothing? NO WAY! That's an uncaused event and irrational. Well, then, what is the only solution left to us? An unmoved mover is the only other possible solution. In other words, a supernatural cause. In other words, we're all searching for answers to questions that we cannot possibly answer with our infantile understandings of the cosmos.

I don't know where the matter came from, but there are scientists working on figuring that out.

Are you saying we just give up and accept that it's some supernatural force at work? There was a time when people thought that diseases were caused by supernatural forces, but thankfully there were people who didn't accept that as fact and looked for the real reasons that caused them. That led to germ theory, which led to antibiotics, then microbiology and many more medical advances.

Imagine all of the things that we wouldn't have today if people just said, well we can't possibly understand this, therefore it must be supernatural and leave it at that.