Re: Evolution versus religion
On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 8:55 PM, Ronn! Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Note how Thorax gets it exactly backwards (according to contemporary evolutionary biologists) in the second panel It's wrong from the basic premise, that Darwin either sought to or believed that he had proved there is no God. I'm hard-pressed to think of a well-remembered (for good reasons) who had that goal. Such a pursuit would be fundamentally unscientific. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to Hyperinflation!
From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'm not sure that all that many people have learned not to be greedy and short-term focused. No doubt. But some have learned that house prices don't always go up. My posting was ironically predictive, as my job fell victim to the market's obsession with positive cash flow. The way I see it, a short-term focus on cash returns is a good thing for all but the most proven and talented forward thinkers. It keeps the market moving towards greater efficiency. Exciting ideas for expensive long-term projects are a dime a dozen -- choosing which ones to pursue takes rare talent. It seems harsh to creative people, but I think it is a good control. After all, creative people who are good at predicting the future should have no problem amassing a small fortune, which will then allow them to pursue their pet projects as they see fit. And we bought a house at what now seems to be pretty much the exact wrong time. Ouch, but on the bright side, I bet you won't overpay for housing again! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: war on the environment...
Ronn! Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] You obviously have B.S. in statistics. You obviously are overestimating me. Try a non-linear curve fit. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
war on the environment...
i think it is already too late, considering humanity's greed, and lack of foresight. Could be. I had a heck of a time getting a statistically significant r-squared with a 4th order curve fit to the modified Malthus equation, particularly with the stiffness of the inverse-greed parameter. it's not just about population demographics; it is about large carbon footprints due to capitalism, greed, and materialism. western populations are probably one of the worse offenders, but the asian countries are rapidly catching up with our model. more and more people are starting to curb their voracious appetites, largely due to economic conditions. corporations that feed the greed are also starting to feel the effect, but increased demand and decreased supply still create increased profit. jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Science and Ideals.
So what if you don't believe in God and your neighbors are alcholic assholes who keep the neighberhood up all night and mistreat their dogs? Olin hopefully they will pass out and their dogs will attack them!~) jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Welcome to Hyperinflation!
The way I see it, a short-term focus on cash returns is a good thing for all but the most proven and talented forward thinkers. It keeps the market moving towards greater efficiency. the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/the-world-is-flat ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to Hyperinflation!
Jon Louis Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: How would you allocate resources among all the people who say if I only had this then I could accomplish ___? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Science and Ideals.
hopefully they will pass out and their dogs will attack them!~) jon Now, that's something I can pray for. Olin - Original Message - From: Jon Louis Mannmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussionmailto:brin-l@mccmedia.com Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 1:11 PM Subject: Science and Ideals. So what if you don't believe in God and your neighbors are alcholic assholes who keep the neighberhood up all night and mistreat their dogs? Olin hopefully they will pass out and their dogs will attack them!~) jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-lhttp://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: war on the environment...
Jon Louis Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] it's not just about population demographics; it is about large carbon footprints due to capitalism, greed, and materialism. western populations are probably one of the worse offenders, but the asian countries are rapidly catching up with our model. more and more people are starting to curb their voracious appetites, largely due to economic conditions. corporations that feed the greed are also Good point. I updated my equation to include the exogenous materialism variable, and a square root voraciability scaling factor. I believe it increased the accuracy of the model by at least 13.9%. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Sept Scientific American
September's issue of Scientific American is devoted to technology and privacy. Himself is cited in the Editor's note. There is also an item that I found very interesting. It seems that in 2006 two Swiss primate researchers attempted to renew their research licenses through the local veterinary office, which is required every three years. Daniel Kiper wanted to look at how the brain changes when learning tasks, research that may help stroke victims. He planned to implant electrodes and regulate water intake. Kevan Martin wanted to study the macaque neocortex which carries out functions such as spatial reasoning and conscious thought. This researcher relied on injecting tracers in the primates and later euthanizing them. An advisory board, the Committee on Animal Experiments protested that the studies' expected benefits were not sufficient to justify the burden on the animals. They appealed to the Swiss Health Department who forced the researchers to halt their experiments. Hans Scherberger who uses techniques similar to Kiper, studies how the brain controls hand movements. His research was approved with *no* protest. The reasoning was that Scherberger's research had a very clear application for humans. Kiper and Martin's experiments were not concrete and would take a long time to benefit society. I won't go on (read the article for yourselves), but I wonder what does this mean for basic research. Will we see the day when research involving animals will be permitted only when there is a direct and immediate application for humans? What about basic research in other fields? Securing funding for basic research is always chancy. Will funding be contingent on direct applications for humans? And if so, is serendipity doomed? inquiring minds maru john ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
more BS
the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: How would you allocate resources among all the people who say if I only had this then I could accomplish ___? by telling them if i had a laxative i could have a bowel movement... jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to Hyperinflation!
Jon Louis Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: Good point. If the market were less efficient, almost no one would be able to afford computers or Internet access. Then no one would need to listen to crazies spouting nonsense about the benefits of a free market. Woo hoo! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Bush being thrown under the bus
It started at the RNC convention, now Woodward has a new book out talking about how incompetent Bush was handling the war. He is being interviewed right now by Larry King. I am waiting to hear how McCain was trying to get Bush to change things. So what is the point? Well, of course, the whole purpose is to blame all the war on Bush's incompetence and it had nothing to do with the Republicans. So obviously if you elect McCain you will have a competent Republican who will properly manage the war? Please tell me that I am just imagining things can these guys really think that this will fly? But of course, CNN also lowered the boom on Palin's fiscal conservative claims as well as her religious beliefs. Could it be that they really didn't want to win this election and now they our letting all the dogs out to insure that Barack gets to deal with the messes they are leaving behind? Wheels with in wheels my head hurts? Chris Frandsen . ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to Hyperinflation!
At 03:25 PM Monday 9/8/2008, John Williams wrote: Jon Louis Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: How would you allocate resources among all the people who say if I only had this then I could accomplish ___? Start by listing all of the people who have ever said If I only had the money I could _ and annotating the list to show all of the accomplishments by those people who then won the lottery or got a big inheritance? Contributions Gladly Accepted Maru . . . ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: war on the environment...
At 02:34 PM Monday 9/8/2008, John Williams wrote: Ronn! Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] You obviously have B.S. in statistics. You obviously are overestimating me. You're saying that what you wrote earlier doesn't come up to the level of B.S.? . . . ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Welcome to Hyperinflation!
the way i see it is focusing on cash returns is a BAD thing no matter how efficient it makes the market: Good point. If the market were less efficient, almost no one would be able to afford computers or Internet access. Then no one would need to listen to crazies spouting nonsense about the benefits of a free market. Woo hoo! you don't get it john, the market is fixed; it is rigged by the plutocrats. they don't care what all this capitalism is doing to the planet, or the wars that are mortgaging your children's' future. you are nothing but a unit of consumption to them, programmed to purchase cars that use gas, plasma television, i-phones and a new computer every three years. now with all the houses that are in foreclosures american will be a land of renters and consumers. WOO HOO! jon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Welcome to Hyperinflation!
Jon Louis Mann [EMAIL PROTECTED] you don't get it john, the market is fixed; it is rigged by the plutocrats. Thank you Jon! I've been so naive, but you have opened my eyes. Those evil plutocrats have really kept me down, but I won't stand for it any more! they don't care what all this capitalism is doing to the planet, or the wars that are mortgaging your children's' future. you are nothing but a unit of consumption to them, programmed to purchase cars that use gas, plasma television, i-phones and a new computer every three years. I must break my programming! I need to give up my car and my TV and my cell phone and my computers, they are proof of how the evil plutocrats have kept me down! now with all the houses that are in foreclosures american will be a land of renters and consumers. I've been renting and consuming for years! I can't believe I've never seen it before! This has to stop. I think my best bet is to move to somewhere in Africa so that I can cut down on my consumption (Africans don't consume much, right?) and maybe find a piece of land that no one wants so that I can avoid paying rent. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: war on the environment...
Ronn! Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] You're saying that what you wrote earlier doesn't come up to the level of B.S.? Now you're twisting my words. Straighten up and try a linear curve fit! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
