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Comment Re:why do athiests love to hate belivers so much? (Score 4, Insightful) 1293

> Electrons move around a nuclei the same way planets move around suns

Not even remotely. This idea was proposed back when humans had no understanding of subatomic behavior, and they were drawing assumptions based things they did know, like the solar system. If you want to actually know how electrons and nuclei behave, try to wrap your mind around quantum mechanics. It's almost impossible as it bears little resemblance to anything else you might be familiar with.

It's an interesting example, though, because it illustrates how whenever humans don't know what they're talking about, they fill in the gaps with things that are familiar. Like chariots carrying fire through the sky and an anthropomorphic God creating the universe.

From there your comment just goes further off the rails. Nobody thinks they're "smarter than everyone else". But observation and reason let us learn about the world, and we've learned over and over that mankind's notion of God is always several steps behind our observational understanding. Everything that has improved in the past two centuries has been at the hands of man. We're slowly figuring out ways to improve our lot in life. God's word was around for thousands of years before the enlightenment and didn't improve anything.

The universe is amazing, and every facet fills me with awe. But that doesn't mean there needs to be a personality behind it. I can take it for what it is without having to project my ideas of meaning onto it.

Comment Re:We should focus on... (Score 1) 308

Since when was the Commodore 64 a 16 bit machine? It used a 6502 derivative (6510 if I remember right), a 8 bit processor with only three 8 bit registers and an 8 bit data bus (internally and externally). Even if you added a Z80 second processor (IIRC, one later model of the machine did this), while the Z80 can perform some 16 bit operations, it accomplishes this through register pairing and everything is still actually 8 bit inside.

Comment Because... (Score 4, Insightful) 1293

... it pretty much removes God from the whole picture. His place is then relegated to the creation of life in it's absolutely fundamental form, where evolution takes over. Personally, I think that abiogenesis is the better rational explanation. The people who want intelligent design (or, let's call it by name: "creationism") have a problem with God of the gaps, so they desperately try to cling to a gap that has been filled a long time ago. The remaining gaps (like the actual "first life" and the "big bang") seem too insignificant for their great Skydaddy's glory.

Submission + - The Future Will Be Modular: Tinkertoy-Like Blocks Will Build Bridges, Planes

cartechboy writes: Does that sketchy bridge on your commute to work freak you out? How about that budget airplane seat your boss puts you in once a month? If you're nervous about that, then you'll probably freak out about this: Future airplanes, bridges, boats, even spacecraft may be built from modular blocks that snap together like Tinkertoys. While the idea seems strange, the parts are claimed to be up to 10 times stiffer than existing ultralight materials and the construction work will be done by tiny robots crawling along the structure as it's built. It would even be possible to disassemble one structure, say, a bridge, and repurpose it into a new building. Imagine taking apart one wing of your office building and turning it into a boat--just be sure to bring your life jacket.

Comment Re:No such thing as 'man made global warming' (Score 1) 235

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Climate_Depot
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wattsupwiththat.com
both are highly known as clime change deniers they are not reputable as you claim.

most real research is paywalled and/or sells books to fund their research above whatever grants they get. it is how academia works these are feel good stories for republicans to seed disinformation, as it takes all blame away from them.

even if the global warming is a result of the sun fusing higher density particles and not burning of fuels while deforestation there is still merit in finding ways to slow global warming. it's not 'shit we better burn all the coal we can before it all ignights and screws humanity'

Comment Re:Would probably be found (Score 4, Insightful) 576

What a lot of people fail to recognise is that the people in charge of governments and the state tend to have the mentality and vindictiveness of very small children. Unfortunately, they also have an adults guile. Assumming that small children will behave rationally, reasonably, or for the common good is not a legitimate strategy.

Comment Re:AMD multi-display problems (Score 1) 148

in my experience pc gaming is a nightmare, card upgrades driver going from single card to every possible hardware configuration...various oses and computer that fail... the tech universe has always been a nightmare scenario, it's just that usually you can get things to work for a few years if you search message boards for problems you can usually use someone elses disaster to keep from affecting you. usually but seriously does a small bug here or there stop you from using computers? i have probably bought about $10,000 worth in consumer grade computers, it is my hobby. i have seen almost every type of consumer grade hardware failure. i have yet to meet a hardware company that is able to please all their userbase, and i have upgraded gpus many times i have magazines where computers cost $3,500 and in the day were about equivalent to todayâ(TM)s graphing programmable calculators.
anyways i have nvidia and amd/ati systems and for the most part things work, although the linux drivers were a real challenge to get working on my laptop. mainly the wifi but on my desktop (gaming one) the lack of usb keyboard function in linux was unacceptable. some of us don't have the same ibm ones built to withstand a nuclear war. why force a usb keyboard? well for one it glows blue. sidetracked a bit but oh well

Comment Trust the Computer, Citizen (Score 1) 194

Do you have a Z Z Alpha requisition form for pre-conceptual authorization to think about putting a robot at risk?

Is it filled out in triplicate?

If so, you may now think about doing this.

(caveat: the article clearly states soldiers have no problems sending robots to die, but they like to have a funeral or memorial service for them if they die - not the same thing)

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