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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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JohnOAS
SFN Regular
Australia
800 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 20:10:07 [Permalink]
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One of the best shorts I've seen.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Ghost_Skeptic
SFN Regular
Canada
510 Posts |
 Posted - 04/01/2007 : 23:18:52 [Permalink]
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| I read most of that dialog in a book about consciousness (written by a philospher) - Great short film |
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. / You can send a kid to college but you can't make him think." - B.B. King
History is made by stupid people - The Arrogant Worms
"The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism." - William Osler
"Religion is the natural home of the psychopath" - Pat Condell
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter" - Thomas Jefferson |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/01/2007 : 23:38:51 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
"They talk by flapping their meat at each other." Funny stuff right there.
I was slightly disappointed no alternatives were offered. There's meat, and then what? ...spirit?
Or I guess, to steal an idea from Douglas Adams, there's always the possibility of a hyper-intelligent shade of blue. 
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2007 : 00:10:08 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by H. Humbert
quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
"They talk by flapping their meat at each other." Funny stuff right there.
I was slightly disappointed no alternatives were offered. There's meat, and then what? ...spirit?
Or I guess, to steal an idea from Douglas Adams, there's always the possibility of a hyper-intelligent shade of blue.
I think it was implied, in the "Shriner's" surprise that human's brains were not machines.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 16:55:25 [Permalink]
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Was just poking around Amazon.com and looking at the customer reviews for
The Bible Unearthed, a book mentioned by Baza in another thread, when I found this:
quote:
The authors take a minimalist perspective in analyzing the bible, and as a result their bias towards the side of skepticism shows. I read this book and enjoyed it greatly, but it's not the only book you should read. Read some of the works by writers who tend to believe more in the historicity of the bible as well to balance this book and to get a more balanced picture. I was tempted to rate this book higher because of its clarity and quality, but one has to look out for biases.
We have a long road ahead if some people think that skepticism is a bias.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 18:56:08 [Permalink]
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Awhile back I remember reading about a promising new treatment for eliminating tooth decay involving genetically modified bacteria.
Here is a sample from a 2002 news article:
quote:
A mouthful of genetically modified bacteria could keep tooth decay away for life. The scheme involves replacing your mouth's natural cavity-causing bacteria with GM bacteria specially designed to prevent tooth decay.
The GM bacteria would be swabbed onto to children's teeth at about age two, before they acquire the natural strain. The treatment could take just five minutes cost about $100.
"My goal was to construct a good version of bad bacteria," says dental researcher Jeffrey Hillman at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
It's an interesting idea. The guy basically developed a strain of bacteria that could out-compete the harmful kind. Our mouths would still be full of microcrobes, only they wouldn't produce lactic acid, and thus wouldn't cause tooth decay.
Is it just me or would this be like the greatest advancement in medicine ever? The reason I bring it up is because I haven't heard anything about it in a long time, and I'm beginning to suspect the powerful Dentist Lobby is burying the research. 
(And did I bring this up before? I think I may have, but if so, I've forgotten.)
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 04/03/2007 18:58:44 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 20:45:35 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by H. Humbert
Awhile back I remember reading about a promising new treatment for eliminating tooth decay involving genetically modified bacteria.
Here is a sample from a 2002 news article:
quote:
A mouthful of genetically modified bacteria could keep tooth decay away for life. The scheme involves replacing your mouth's natural cavity-causing bacteria with GM bacteria specially designed to prevent tooth decay.
The GM bacteria would be swabbed onto to children's teeth at about age two, before they acquire the natural strain. The treatment could take just five minutes cost about $100.
"My goal was to construct a good version of bad bacteria," says dental researcher Jeffrey Hillman at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
It's an interesting idea. The guy basically developed a strain of bacteria that could out-compete the harmful kind. Our mouths would still be full of microcrobes, only they wouldn't produce lactic acid, and thus wouldn't cause tooth decay.
Is it just me or would this be like the greatest advancement in medicine ever? The reason I bring it up is because I haven't heard anything about it in a long time, and I'm beginning to suspect the powerful Dentist Lobby is burying the research.
(And did I bring this up before? I think I may have, but if so, I've forgotten.)
Well, there's this more detailed old article. But this whole approach has seemed to disappear from the radar screen for the last 5 years. I suspect research is going slowly, not because dentists oppose the idea (they supported water fluoridation, which hasn't hurt their business), but because it's hard to get investors excited about a project that may essentially defeat its own need for existence in a few years, and might not be super-profitable in the interim.
Anyway, maybe things are coming along well in the little lab, and we'll be hearing good news any day now.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2007 : 22:49:09 [Permalink]
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The Family Guy lands in Ireland.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 01:16:00 [Permalink]
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Just came back from a holiday to Wanaka (South Island, New Zealand). There, we walked past a chinese restaurant. Now, I hardly ever eat chinese food, because it inevitably tastes like crap, but the name of the restaurant made me even LESS likely to eat chinese. What was the name of the restaurant?
Choi Po.
(You have to be a tiny bit imaginative in your pronounciation for maximum effect.) |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2007 : 01:56:23 [Permalink]
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William Dembski, ID icon and a not-so-closet christian has his take on how atheists should be handled. He links to a you-tube video and comments "Who knows where Richard Dawkins would be if he had a mother like this:". For those who haven't got broadband, the video essentially shows a mother screaming at her young teen because he claims that he no longer believes in god. Her best "effort": You're going to get absolutely nothing for christmas, cause that's what christmas is about: Jesus Christ.
Although Bill posted the link under the category "just for fun", I seriously doubt he was trying to make a joke. |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2007 : 02:43:17 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Hawks
William Dembski, ID icon and a not-so-closet christian has his take on how atheists should be handled. He links to a you-tube video and comments "Who knows where Richard Dawkins would be if he had a mother like this:". For those who haven't got broadband, the video essentially shows a mother screaming at her young teen because he claims that he no longer believes in god. Her best "effort": You're going to get absolutely nothing for christmas, cause that's what christmas is about: Jesus Christ.
Although Bill posted the link under the category "just for fun", I seriously doubt he was trying to make a joke.
Good for that kid for standing his ground! What pathetic, fanatic, parenting by that mother and that silently consenting father! If this is an example of how Dembski would handle atheists, then I wasn't far off with "The Rat's Generation" spoof. I'd love to have just one free swing at Dembski's smug, sanctimonious face. And that's no joke.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 04/12/2007 02:44:07 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2007 : 19:48:55 [Permalink]
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Gross-out factor: 7
I keep a pair of old unlaced combat boots next to my back door to use when I'm just stepping out for a short time, like when I walk the dog. Like I did on Friday morning. I feed the dog, step into the boots, put the leash on the dog, open the door, walk the dog, come back in, close the door, unleash the dog, kick off the boots, and do the rest of my morning stuff before putting on my good boots and going to work.
Last night (still Friday), I get home from work, take off my good boots, putter around the house for a while, go downstairs, feed the dog, step into my right old boot and stop. I said to myself, "wow, there's a little lizard trying to hide under my left boot." Except when I picked up my left boot, the lizard came with it, its little head stuck to the sole of my boot.
Ugh. There's a trash can right next to my back door, also. I banged the boot on the edge, and the lizard fell off and vanished in what trash is in there.
It's pretty obvious that I stepped on the poor thing's head when I was walking the dog in the morning, and I didn't even look down when I kicked my boots off afterwards. At least, hopefully I killed it instantly, and it wasn't flailing around trying to get unstuck and I just didn't notice because I'm not a morning person.
But I just got curious about it. From what I remember of the markings, it looked sorta like a female brown anole, but from what I read at that link, there shouldn't be any this far north. So now I'm really curious.
Luckily, that trash can gets only dry trash in it, 'cause I think I'm going to go find the lizard and snap a photo or two.
So which is more gross: the fact that a dead lizard spent most of a day stuck to the bottom of my boot, or the fact that I'm about to go grubbing through garbage to find said dead lizard? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2007 : 21:23:58 [Permalink]
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Well, just goes to show how bad one's memory can be... Turns out the lizard was a five-lined skink. (Presumably in the "live" state, this photo is much better, but wasn't mine.) Given what this page says, my skink is actually a southeastern five-lined skink, because there don't appear to be any enlarged scales under the tail.
And you just just see a hint of it in the photo I took, but there's definitely still a blue tint to the tail, so the skink I stepped on was just becoming an adult. Cut down in the prime of life, and not even noticed as dead for many hours. The horror of it all... |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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The Water Cooler
Topic Locked
