The argument was that science has explained so much therefore God is barely even probable anymore. That's completely false..science has not answered a single fundemental question about life, or purpose, or the human condition. It just points to vaguer and vaguer conclusions, which draw entirely upon the imagination. The belief in abiogenesis for instance is a metaphysical belief. There is absolutely no evidence to ever suggest that life came from non-life. Nor is the evidence any good that something as complex as a cell or DNA could ever arise via random mutation. A billion monkeys on a billion typewriters are never going to write shakesphere. Even someone like dawkins admits the Universe appears to be designed..but posits that to explain that there are multiple universes and we just happen to live in the one that appears to be designed. That's not science, that's called living in denial.


>> ^messenger:
But, but, but, science DOES explain all the things that it claims to explain. It explains exactly and only those things. It just doesn't claim to explain everything! If God did start the big bang, and science eventually learns every single fact there is to know about the universe, it will be discovered that God exists and started the big bang. Then God and his role in the creation of the universe will be scientific fact. Same with Russel's Teapot -- science may one day prove that it exists. In the meantime, however, there's no sense in believing it, nor god. Science isn't anti-God; it's pro-truth.
So the rest of your argument is that God exists because science doesn't yet have the answers to everything?
MAKE SENSE!!!
(edited)>> ^shinyblurry:
Well, I would say the things that science claims to explain it really hasn't explained at all..yes, we have newtonian physics fairly well understood (maybe)..but quantum mechanics? not at all...Nor, are any real questions answers..such as how did the Universe get here? The big bang..how did the big bang happen? Complete mystery. How did life get here? "life from non life"..how did it happen? No idea. The fundemental questions all have great theories..but are really just in our imagination. I don't think anything about the human condition has ever been sufficiently explained, nor the meaningful questions about life..a materialist explanation must aprori rule out a supernatural one..but if time and space started at the beginning of the Universe then the explaination is by definition supernatural..i think all we've done is make the issue more complicated obfuscating the simplicity of it all

But, but, but, science DOES explain all the things that it claims to explain. It explains exactly and only those things. It just doesn't claim to explain everything! If God did start the big bang, and science eventually learns every single fact there is to know about the universe, it will be discovered that God exists and started the big bang. Then God and his role in the creation of the universe will be scientific fact. Same with Russel's Teapot -- science may one day prove that it exists. In the meantime, however, there's no sense in believing it, nor god. Science isn't anti-God; it's pro-truth.

So the rest of your argument is that God exists because science doesn't yet have the answers to everything?

MAKE SENSE!!!

(edited)>> ^shinyblurry:

Well, I would say the things that science claims to explain it really hasn't explained at all..yes, we have newtonian physics fairly well understood (maybe)..but quantum mechanics? not at all...Nor, are any real questions answers..such as how did the Universe get here? The big bang..how did the big bang happen? Complete mystery. How did life get here? "life from non life"..how did it happen? No idea. The fundemental questions all have great theories..but are really just in our imagination. I don't think anything about the human condition has ever been sufficiently explained, nor the meaningful questions about life..a materialist explanation must aprori rule out a supernatural one..but if time and space started at the beginning of the Universe then the explaination is by definition supernatural..i think all we've done is make the issue more complicated obfuscating the simplicity of it all

@dag (and everyone interested else in the thread for that matter)

Does freedom to you mean being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want? I think if you follow that definition of freedom to its logical conclusion, anarchy is the only acceptable political state.

We live in a society from which we receive innumerable benefits--far more than we could obtain on our own in a state of anarchy. In order to maintain those benefits, we choose to limit our freedoms--we realize we can't just do whatever we want, whenever we want and continue to work together effectively. How much we are okay with collectively limiting that freedom is what gets argued in front of the courts. The general rule of thumb in the U.S. is that you can do what you want, when you want, so long as you're not infringing on the rights of others.

What I find interesting is that in this case the courts haven't decided the people don't have a right to dance or protest. Instead, they have decided that this particular method of celebration/protest at this particular place is unacceptable. Why? Among other things, because it infringes upon the rights of others to enjoy the memorial peacefully. I happen to agree with that point of view.

In a way, though, you're right dag... this is what democracy looks like. People freely elected officials and those officials made this law. Some people disagreed with the law and protested it. The courts disagreed with the protesters' interpretation of the law (that it is infringing on their freedom of speech). The next step for these protesters is to get more organized and lobby to get the law changed. In the meantime, I hope they stop inconveniencing people and choose other methods of getting their message out. If they aren't that serious about changing the law--to the point where they will see it through and actively campaign to have it repealed--if they are just showing up for one day to "stick it to the man" and then going back to their lives, then they don't understand how a democracy works or what freedom really is and frankly, don't deserve to dance in front of Jefferson.

Interesting... I should see the movie.

I think the worst criticism that can be leveled against Kurzweil is that his timeframe might be off, but that, yes, we'll eventually be doing all these things.

In the meantime, if we can maximize our chances of living until, for example, 2070, it seems to be a reasonable speculation that even greater longevity will be possible at that point (if not earlier, as Kurzweil believes).

I remember at a Christmas family get-together telling my sister that aging will probably eventually be cured, and there was an awkward moment when it was clear that I was referring to our generation and not the older generation of family members who were in the same room

In the meantime, watch the 2009 Swedish original with English subs -- its great!

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Looks like that's still spinning up. In the meantime you can always use a Google search:
http://videosift.com/gsearch?q=video
>> ^chicchorea:

When will the Search functionality be resumed?

You pirates need to STOP WATCHING this streamed video! It took you 700 hours to buffer it and all your friends are out watching REAL YouTube DVDs of it in the meantime and also having sex!

Also, in the meantime, we'll be roasting @NetRunner. Master of Ceremonies: @rottenseed. Let the roast begin!!!!!

*CHEERS! APPLAUSE!*

...and don't forget to tip your waitresses and vote for which you think is a dupe.

That's all well and good, @Yogi, but it can't be done overnight. In the meantime, kids are still killing themselves. This "It Gets Better" campaign is at -least- as important as any gay rights campaign I've ever heard of.

And frankly, publicizing these efforts to help the youngest and weakest victims of hatred may well be the most effective means of making things better. Even most bigots don't actually want kids dieing...driving home the fact that they are, and -why- they are, can't help but make some of the hateful reconsider.

Can't say this video made me happy, but I had no problem with Casey's reaction. We can talk about "effecting positive social change" all we want, but in the meantime the Casey's of the world are being repeatedly punched in the face and that social change ain't coming fast enough to stop the pain. I am a hippy dippy liberal, but I've told my kids (who are very peaceful sorts) that if anyone physically assaults them, they are free to respond with all necessary force -- I don't care if the school says both parties are equally to blame, I will stand behind them. Luckily none of them have encountered bullying anything near this level (hooray for hippy dippy liberal schools!) and I hope they never will. I hope all the bullies leave Casey alone as well.

I'm sure you don't think it's funny for our President to joke about the loss of more freedom?...Besides, he didn't "address" the pat-downs, he attempted to make a joke about what all of us (the little people) are having to endure. Even in the name of safety, what the TSA is doing is wrong. How many more of our freedoms are we willing to surrender under the guise of safety? It'd be one thing if the TSA was effective...But they aren't, they are simply an illusion of security. In addition to that, part of being "free" is having the right to travel in the US without showing ID or being subjected to pat-downs, body scans, etc. without reason.

Journalism was hijacked long ago. Its advent came before CNN, Fox News or MSNBC. But it's gotten so bad I worry we will never truly know where the truth might be hiding. I used to think if I read enough from as many sources as possible, that I could kind of point in the general direction of truth, but the fog's getting thicker each year.

The descent into madness is unfortunately, for many, unavoidable. You either buy the BS or you don't. In the meantime, I'd prefer our President to joke about salmon (which was kinda funny) and not the decline of our personal freedoms. Feeling this way shouldn't be seen as a left or right thing, but a human thing. >> ^cosmovitelli:

Except for bojebees who apparently is more offended at the president addressing the TSA pat-downs in a way he doesn't like (but still on the most public forum in the country) than his country's inevitable descent into madness by the hijacking of journalism for political obfuscation

Oh, right, durr. My brain lapsed while writing that, and I was still using the 'if you have points when recharge hits they are wasted' mentality.

>> ^xxovercastxx:

>> ^GDGD:
I fully support this. Would the recharge timer then pause if you earned powerpoints for something else, and then resume when you reached zero again?

Actually, her proposal states that the countdown begins when you hit zero and is not interrupted. If you gain points through other means in the meantime, you still get your recharge points at the same time you would have had you stayed at zero.
I think either method would be fine, though bb's proposal sounds easier to program to me.

>> ^GDGD:

I fully support this. Would the recharge timer then pause if you earned powerpoints for something else, and then resume when you reached zero again?


Actually, her proposal states that the countdown begins when you hit zero and is not interrupted. If you gain points through other means in the meantime, you still get your recharge points at the same time you would have had you stayed at zero.

I think either method would be fine, though bb's proposal sounds easier to program to me.

Qwest Field management responds to the video. Hmmm.....

"We received a copy of the YouTube video showing the quantity of liquid served in the 16 oz. beer cup is the same quantity that fits into the 20 oz. beer cup. This is the first time we have been alerted to this fact. Upon our internal investigation this afternoon, we discovered the cups that are marked 16 oz. hold 20 oz. of liquid. Fans who purchased a 16 oz. beer actually received 20 oz. of beer for the 16 oz. price. Fans that purchased the 20 oz. beer received the amount they purchased.

"We are working with Levy Restaurants to follow up with the cup vendor about the measurement and to determine how long this has been occurring at Qwest Field. We are determined to find a solution as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we will serve domestic beer in the 20 oz. cup at tomorrow's playoff game to ensure all fans receive the amount they purchase, and we will charge the 16 oz. price."

Well my first thought being that driver wouldn't be to call a tow truck to unstick something like that. You usually use something like that to unstick a truck. I can't fathom that they wouldn't contact another clearing vehicle they have probably a couple blocks away to clear a path to the guy if he couldn't wiggle himself out in the meantime. It's not like they wasting much effort if they are clearing roads that need cleared in the process to dig out a stuck machine.

Plus, and maybe Im missing something, but it seems like you'd want to clear a good starting point and work your way from there instead of just blindly driving through the snow in an effort to clear faster.....while not really clearing it at all if you can't drive big ass machinery through it without getting stuck.