>> ^shinyblurry:

Professor Edwin Conklin observed, "The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the Unabridged Dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop." or
Sir Fred Hoyle, of Cambridge University stated that statistically the chances of one cell evolving was the same as a tornado passing through a junkyard and giving you a fully functional Boeing 747
it's just taken on faith that it happened, of course..but there isn't even a good theory for it. pea soup getting electrocuted a cell does not create. its just not plausible.
Those quotes are all true, but the fail on one point: They assume a very complex endproduct (Here: the unabridged dictionary, the boeing 747 and the cell). Which is simply false.


Arguments about the statistical chances of something happening being very unlikely when it demonstrably happened are moot.
I could use that to argue that statistically the chance of you being created from the genetic material of your parents is so small that therefore you could not possibly exist. But clearly you do.

I'll just address the last one:
No one claims that the fully formed cell was the first "life" to pop into existance. There are other more "primitive" forms which came first. I can't find the articles but I know of at least one which demonstrates how a less complex version of a cell membrane every cell enjoys today "creates itself" in a primordial soup like environment. Add the amino acids that form in the same environment and you got yourself a very primitive cell.

It's still all about the missing link, which has never been found. You have a lot of theory and speculation, but you would be surprised how much science takes on faith about evolution, and these discoveries. Entire societies have been fabricated from the find of a single tooth! Or an armbone..but there is no real proof, which is why science still desperately searches for the missing link that they'll never find.

I'll get back to you on the information question because I need to read through the articles..but even if there was some process for it, how do you get from inanimate material to life? Here's a quote:

Professor Edwin Conklin observed, "The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the Unabridged Dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop." or

Sir Fred Hoyle, of Cambridge University stated that statistically the chances of one cell evolving was the same as a tornado passing through a junkyard and giving you a fully functional Boeing 747

it's just taken on faith that it happened, of course..but there isn't even a good theory for it. pea soup getting electrocuted a cell does not create. its just not plausible.






>> ^TheGenk:
@<A rel="nofollow" class=profilelink title="member since January 21st, 2011" href="http://videosift.com/member/shinyblurry">shinyblurry: Have you seen the Hominidae Family, then going on to the line of the genus Homo? Pretty well documented. I dare say a nice line of transitional forms.
also, give me an example of mutation that increases information in a genome while you're at it.
Mutation actually favors loss of information (DNA loss through small deletions) by a small margin.
While Retrotransposons transposition or polyploidy can drastically increase genome size.
So in short, as "we"(or more appropriately I) understand it today: Information increase in genomes through mutation happens by copy/paste AND random deletion of gene sequences, thereby changing the function of either existing or new duplicate genes.
Evidence that a Recent Increase in Maize Genome Size was Caused by the Massive Amplification of Intergene Retrotransposons
or
Doubling genome size without polyploidization: Dynamics of retrotransposition-driven genomic expansions in Oryza australiensis, a wild relative of rice
are two articles I found with a quick search.


>> ^TheGenk:
@<A rel="nofollow" class=profilelink title="member since January 21st, 2011" href="http://videosift.com/member/shinyblurry">shinyblurry: Have you seen the Hominidae Family, then going on to the line of the genus Homo? Pretty well documented. I dare say a nice line of transitional forms.
also, give me an example of mutation that increases information in a genome while you're at it.
Mutation actually favors loss of information (DNA loss through small deletions) by a small margin.
While Retrotransposons transposition or polyploidy can drastically increase genome size.
So in short, as "we"(or more appropriately I) understand it today: Information increase in genomes through mutation happens by copy/paste AND random deletion of gene sequences, thereby changing the function of either existing or new duplicate genes.
Evidence that a Recent Increase in Maize Genome Size was Caused by the Massive Amplification of Intergene Retrotransposons
or
Doubling genome size without polyploidization: Dynamics of retrotransposition-driven genomic expansions in Oryza australiensis, a wild relative of rice
are two articles I found with a quick search.

>> ^Barbar:
To me this is a handicap to a fully functioning society.

I think human beings themselves (in their current state) are a handicap to a fully functioning society. And paranoia is the wheelchair.

I support the discouragement of the wearing of Burkas. An outright ban, by the government seems harsh though.

What's going to happen if the above burka-clad driver is stopped by a male police officer and asked for her driver's license? Is she going to remove her burka to prove that it is her license? Or, is society going to have to pay to support her religious habit by providing a means to accomodate this fetish? Similarly, if I walked into a convenience store, or bank, with my face completely concealed, I would expect to not receive service. These places take security pretty seriously. They have cameras to record the faces of those they serve, just in case.

Burkas, above providing modesty, provide anonymity. It's my opinion that anonymity is a very dangerous thing in a community. A burka is, by design, an impediment to functional social interaction between a women and anybody not of her household. To me this is a handicap to a fully functioning society.

>> ^Yogi:

It's amazing how perceptive, funny, and intelligent Brian Williams can be...and yet still I couldn't watch his program without stabbing forks in my eyes. How can you be this way and not see that your own network...your own show is soo full of shit?


I think he's like this because of the people that surround him; how could you not be. I would also try to make many a joke that they don't understand unless they look up a turn of phrase--on their iPad (a glorified non-cellphone/unless you really need/want to spend that much money on one-"buggy and slow"-device).

Yes, I've used my Dad's. It certainly has some nifty features (which have all been invented or used already), but since it's Apple and it has the name i"x", it must be a game changing, revolutionary, cutting edge, never crashes, solves: world hunger, bi-polar, cancer, Fox News, heralds baby Jesus's return to Earth in North Western Missouri; and it has a shelf/I'm mean battery life of 30.62 days--or so I've heard.

It was semi-slow (that wasn't very surprising); slow in two departments: switching and starting between and new apps or processes. Second, the Wi-Fi connection was flaky (either not downloading or when downloading, even including the occasional burst speeds, it averaged 22 KBps (as I say below it should at least be going 100-200 KBps [this is still incredibly slow], as his connection has a download rate of 1.2-1.5 MBps). I'll play with that a bit more (as I think it may have been the wireless router as he has a 14-Megabit connection).

The games were fun and a few of the apps were great. But, I'd rather have a lightweight fully functional notebook PC with a 16:9 screen, atleast 720p, and a fully customizable network adapter. ...And to be blunt, I'd much rather have Windows 7 or even Vista (fully patched), as both have great functionality and support plus their 64-Bit support is great. Plus I can put in a full Blu-Ray drive that comes with PowerDVD.

Better applications, better games and support. Yes, this is an anti-apple rant as I think all of their once "highly revered" features: functionality, non-crashing, no hacking (hah!), graphical editing applications (which is a "contract" feature), sound editing applications (same as the last), and it's "ease-of-use" (which is now a completely moot point). Apple is still successful, because they find niche products that do well; like the Nintendo DS. The iPod (although the screens break a bit to early, my only complaint) and the iPhone are great products and fill a gap in a niche market. The iPad does the same thing, but from what I've tried it needed another year (plus some spec changes like a 16:9 screen going up to 720p (which is HD not this stupid licensing agreement so they can use the logo on a nice, but NOT HD screen (I think it's XGA or 1024x768), a connection port that could handle a multitude of devices: usb, 1394, ethernet, gamepads, speakers, etc I know it does some of this already, especially in the bluetooth department.

But, I feel that it should have come with the large flash/ssd drive, cell phone features (which they do have, it just costs an arm and a leg), more functionality for the "touch pen" (some mouse-like buttons etc...), FLASH & FULL browser SUPPORT (not having flash, plus other regular features "kills it" in a lot of ways)--Apple has to have their money/way though; I don't think they've got any clue when they shoot themselves in the foot), and a slightly faster (or duo-core) processor to help the experience feel more smooth; they have a: "1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed chip" were as a Intel Atom that has an nVidia extension may have been a better choice (I'm not to sure about battery usage for these guys, but from the devices it was used in it wasn't too bad).

So in the end (damn this was WAY longer than expected) I think they should have refined it for another year. Got some REAL user feedback; give it to people that don't work for the ass-kissing mainstream Apple press-core (yes, I'm talking about the likes of Engadget). Then, actually work on their gripes! People already seem willing to pay an arm and a leg for their stuff, so if the price goes up one-hundred, don't worry all your loyal'ii will still buy it. Anyway...this didn't happen, so I was left feeling underwhelmed by it and would instead by a nice laptop.

BTW, Brian Williams is the shit!

/This post may seem anti=Apple and in a lot of ways it is, but I would like them to make a good tablet (or awesome tablet--if they'd pull their collective heads out of their asses). It seems to me that any company, right now, that takes some time and makes a fast, reliable, easy-to-use, with 720p (and lots of video/codecs support)...will destroy Apple's iPad longterm (right now I just see Android tablets, but the ones I've seen are underwhelming).

//If someone has seen a good tablet coming out that has some of the features that I'm talking about, please throw in a reply.

Yeah, not many, but some of us did use it. Now it's completely dead.
>> ^darkrowan:

Hardly anyone was there when the link was there.
>> ^gwiz665:
Yeah, the lounge is still fully functional, but no one goes in there anymore since they removed the link.

Hardly anyone was there when the link was there.
>> ^gwiz665:

Yeah, the lounge is still fully functional, but no one goes in there anymore since they removed the link.

Yeah, the lounge is still fully functional, but no one goes in there anymore since they removed the link.

More people are born hermaphrodites than are born with Cystic Fibrosis and Downs Syndrome combined. What's god trying to say with that? If I have a partly functional penis and one fully functional but useless ovary, whom do I marry?

Oh, and I just love the race argument brought up by the whitest black girl on earth. Let's say there was a way to make a black person white. Is that going to change them on the inside?

Knowing the Japanese and their thoroughness with technology, it probably has a fully functional vagina.

First, they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

I think MS is around the last comma in that sentence. As always, they are too slow to react.

For straight-forward writing, I've actually found google docs to be rather useful, it has near instant saving, and its basically available from any computer with connection. Sure, its not a "fully functional" office suite, but seriously, 99% of us use 99% of all that never.*

So, I say we keep insisting on Open solutions, I've found that OO is fast becoming just as common and standard as MS.

*keep in mind that 74% of all statistics are 35% made up

>> ^mentality:

>> ^mgittle:
Screw NASCAR and driving simulators...clearly they are a terrible analogy and basically a thread derail.
Clearly. And I agree with you that RB is great for drums. If they'd only make RB work with real instruments - I'd have had a heck of a lot more fun learning instruments as a kid.


Well, with RB3, supposedly you can hook up any MIDI keyboard to play the piano parts. Not sure exactly how fully functional it will be, but I'm excited because I've been trying to teach myself piano for quite a while. I can't stand the monotony of practicing simple stuff to get better, but I think once there's a game attached I'll be able to stick with it long enough to be able to mess around and make my own sounds.

Also, the RB3 pro mode guitar or whatever is a real guitar...supposedly the only difference is that the neck is thicker so it can house the electronics that detect where your fingers are.

I've kinda wanted to buy a console for a while but could never justify it...these new RB3 features might finally sell me.

People make a big poop about the transmission. I'm gobsmacked over the functional braking system that is independent of the front steerable wheels and the fully functional, adjustable, retracting rear spoiler.

People have been doing lego gear boxes forever.

*promote

Hey Winston,
Sorry a couple of points I was trying to make got a little muddled and mashed together in my last comment during editing before I rushed out to work. Including my math on 6x10.

What I told youabout my friends building a house and being off the grid is true. I know because they did it, and I've seen it. Their house is in Quebec, not some backhills somewhere. I've been there. They made me pizza.

Yeah, I'm sure that they're paying some interest on the loan they got to pay for it all up front, but they did it for less than $11,000. And fully installed by electricians. They're fully off the grid for electricity. They use a gas stove instead of electric, and they don't have a microwave, in order to cut down on power drain. But they have a fridge, lights, hot water, computers and everything else you would expect a family home to have.

I don't know where you got the rest of your figures. All I can tell you is what I've seen with my own eyes. And that the tomatoes on the pizza were grown in their vegetable garden, the pepperoni sausage came from the meat shop a 10 minute drive away, and it made for a memorable meal.



>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

600 square feet of panels is two 6'x5' panels on a rooftop--that isn't very big.
Elementary geometry says you need TWENTY 6'x5' panels to get 600 sq feet. Regardless, the issue is not the surface area per se but the COST to cover that much surface area. Photovolt panels are expensive, highly inefficient, and use toxic elements. They need maintainance, replacing, repair, and have a lifecycle. Same with the VERY expensive batteries you need to buy.
And it doesn't cost $50,000 per household.
Many estimates put the installation of a fully functional solar powered home at well over $50K. 660 sq ft costs $10,853 just for the panels using the cheapest product I could find. Then there is wiring, connectors, inverters, batteries, mounts, control panels, and monitors... The backhills of Alberta may be different, but in the U.S. it is highly illegal to install your own electrical system... You're looking at thousands in licensing, regulatory, and labor. $10K? Not on this planet.
But let's say you're super lucky and manage to get the whole shebang installed for only $25K somehow. [...]

600 square feet of panels is two 6'x5' panels on a rooftop--that isn't very big.

Elementary geometry says you need TWENTY 6'x5' panels to get 600 sq feet. Regardless, the issue is not the surface area per se but the COST to cover that much surface area. Photovolt panels are expensive, highly inefficient, and use toxic elements. They need maintainance, replacing, repair, and have a lifecycle. Same with the VERY expensive batteries you need to buy.

And it doesn't cost $50,000 per household.

Many estimates put the installation of a fully functional solar powered home at well over $50K. 660 sq ft costs $10,853 just for the panels using the cheapest product I could find. Then there is wiring, connectors, inverters, batteries, mounts, control panels, and monitors... The backhills of Alberta may be different, but in the U.S. it is highly illegal to install your own electrical system... You're looking at thousands in licensing, regulatory, and labor. $10K? Not on this planet.

But let's say you're super lucky and manage to get the whole shebang installed for only $25K somehow. That's about $150 a year in savings over 20 years versus fossil, or $13 a month. Is that worth it? Well, no. There's a reason people don't buy 20 years of food at once in order to save a few pennies a day. Same goes here.

Imagine you install your cool new solar system and 5 years later you lose your job. Unless you make up the cost in the sale of your house, you just lost $15K pal. Good luck selling your house when you're charging $15K more than the guy down the street... And get ready to pay ANOTHER $20K to install your new system in your next house... Oh nos! You need to move again in 3 years...? (Sad trombone...)

Solar is OK for heating water. It sucks for general purpose electrical needs. It is a pipe dream, because it can't be done in a way that makes sense because the technology is still too expensive. Yeah - people are 'doing' it... People are also 'doing' hydrogen fuel cells for cars but 99.99% of the population can't afford the $100,000 price tag.

Why do you have such a blind allegiance to the republican ideals?

I'm not a Republican, so I'm not even sure what you mean by this. This has nothing to do with politics. This is about common sense and what is actually possible with real-world physics and economics. I realize such things are problematic obstacles to people who are blinded by political blinders - but they still matter on planet Earth.