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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 07:18:59 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
I'm pretty sure I'm going to attend a lecture by the mighty Christopher Hitchens this Thursday in Palo Alto. I'll try to get him to sign my copy of God is Not Great. He'll be my second collected handshake (after Daniel Dennett) in my "Four Horsemen" series. Anyone have any simple questions I could pass on to Hitch?
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He's always interesting. I suspect that in his talk he may throw things out that you might want him to elaborate on.
One thing about Hitchens is depending on what the subject is, you might find yourself in complete agreement or in total disagreement with him. His views on the world of Islam and the war in Iraq are areas that some of us think he is simply wrong about. But challenge him and you will find that he is so adept at defending his ideas that you will never know what hit you.
On the whole, having met him twice, he is a nice guy and willing to debate or simply discuss his ideas with anyone interested. Camera's don't need to be rolling for him. He is very approachable. Of course, it helps if you smoke... |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 07:34:28 [Permalink]
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Thanks for that advice, Kil. If my daughter goes with me, I'll try to get a photo together with him, if possible, as you did.
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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 07/06/2009 07:37:24 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
 Posted - 07/06/2009 : 09:15:58 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Anyone have any simple questions I could pass on to Hitch? |
"What's in the cup?"
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LOL |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 19:22:25 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Anyone have any simple questions I could pass on to Hitch? |
"What's in the cup?"
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If he's got a cup, I will ask, attributing the question to SFN's fora.
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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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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 21:39:11 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by sailingsoul
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Originally posted by astropin
Congrats on the raise. Ant pictures from the party?
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I think it unlikely. It was dark, and ants like to sleep at night.
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While it is true that ants have yet invented little torches or flashlights for night work. I have seen them active at late night. I find it a little surprising that people believe they sleep at night and work daily, when a lot of their lives are underground, in the dark. Working in total darkness doesn't seem to be a problem, why would they care about the sun being out. I would venture to say, being cold blooded they tend to be more active during day. Do insects sleep or are they just less active? If yes, do baby ants run like puppies do in their sleep? SS
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Insects being cold blooded, their metabolism is less active as temperature drops.
Below a certain point, they essentially falls into a coma and below zero temperature has a good chance of killing them (as water crystal will form into their cells) but then, I have heard tales about arthropodes (insects or lobster) coming back to life after thawing.
At any rates, when the temperatures drop during the night, they will become less active and vulnerable to warm blooded predators.
Of course, it is probably less noticeable in the depth of the colonies, whose subterranean location protects from the elements, as well as under you latitudes when the nights stay pretty warm, you lucky bastard.
Edited to add: I also forget to mention that, because of their vulnerability at night, it is likely that ants would have evolved a reflex to get back to the safety of the colony as dusk approaches... |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
| Edited by - Simon on 07/06/2009 21:40:53 |
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Cuneiformist
The Imperfectionist
USA
4955 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2009 : 23:00:30 [Permalink]
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This LA weather is killing me. I'd kill for just like two days of overcast skies and rain. I'm in this open-air prison of the sun, and Sauron's All-Seeing Eye will not stop.
That is all. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 02:55:35 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Cuneiformist
This LA weather is killing me. I'd kill for just like two days of overcast skies and rain. I'm in this open-air prison of the sun, and Sauron's All-Seeing Eye will not stop.
That is all.
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Yeah, that's Southern Cal in the summer. Not a hell of a lot better in Northern Cal. The main thing about the temps is that it's more temperate right near the coast. I'd prefer a tiny apartment right on the beach to a large house inland. (Theoretically, that is. Unfortunately, I have a tiny apartment away from the beach.) Of course, when the Santa Ana winds blow, being on the beach does you no good at all.
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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 07/07/2009 07:07:12 |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 07:06:39 [Permalink]
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That was neat. The kid wrote a pretty good review, too. One thing he probably didn't realize is that the predecessor to the Walkman (in terms of delivering portable music of fairly good fidelity) was the huge ghetto blaster, which required carrying on one shoulder and annoying strangers in order to have ambulatory music.
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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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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 07:17:17 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Originally posted by Cuneiformist
This LA weather is killing me. I'd kill for just like two days of overcast skies and rain. I'm in this open-air prison of the sun, and Sauron's All-Seeing Eye will not stop.
That is all.
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Yeah, that Southern Cal in the summer. Not a hell of a lot better in Northern Cal. The main thing about the temps is that it's more temperate right near the coast. I'd prefer a tiny apartment right on the beach to a large house inland. (Theoretically, that is. Unfortunately, I have a tiny apartment away from the beach.) Of course, when the Santa Ana winds blow, being on the beach does you no good at all.
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I'm with you. I do have a small apartment near the beach. And I guess our June gloom doesn't reach as far east as West LA, because most of our mornings have been gray for the last month or so. That gives way to sunshine when the prevailing winds start to blow, keeping us cool in the afternoon.
The Santa Ana's that come later in the summer heat things up around here. But they don't usually last for very long per stretch.
Anyhow, it does get cool and cloudy here and it also rains. We even get an occasional monsoon rain in the summer with lots of lighting and thunder. And the winters, while mild when compared with some other parts of the country, do serve up a nice change. And the winter storms also keep our ski resorts in business.
Southern California is the only place where I have surfed in the morning and spent the afternoon in the snow, all within a short driving distance.
Cune's complaint reminds me of a line from a Paul Simon song. "I can't get used to something so right..." |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 07:43:19 [Permalink]
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| I just survived two weeks of Sauron's eye here in Sweden. We're not used to having 25°C in the shadow, and just as much in the bedroom at night. Now I'm preparing to do battle (once again) with the condo board, this time about installing air conditioning in the apartment. |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 08:14:51 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
I just survived two weeks of Sauron's eye here in Sweden. We're not used to having 25°C in the shadow, and just as much in the bedroom at night. Now I'm preparing to do battle (once again) with the condo board, this time about installing air conditioning in the apartment.
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You might want to try a swamp (evaporative) cooler first, maybe try out a rental unit. It's a lot more energy efficient, given dry enough air, and can produce just enough cooling to make a difference. Also, it can be placed anywhere in a room with no need for heat exchange with the outdoors.
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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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astropin
SFN Regular
USA
970 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2009 : 08:54:01 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
I just survived two weeks of Sauron's eye here in Sweden. We're not used to having 25°C in the shadow, and just as much in the bedroom at night. Now I'm preparing to do battle (once again) with the condo board, this time about installing air conditioning in the apartment.
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Oh man....first thing I did was install AC in our house. I can't imagine how the previous family handled it; The bedrooms are UPSTAIRS.
I can't handle heat & humidity....heat is fine, humidity SUCKS. |
I would rather face a cold reality than delude myself with comforting fantasies.
You are free to believe what you want to believe and I am free to ridicule you for it.
Atheism:
The result of an unbiased and rational search for the truth.
Infinitus est numerus stultorum |
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The water cooler, part 3
