Forget 'Call of Duty' ... here's the true massacre!
http://www.break.com/games/tiger-woods-wife-outrun.html
Joyeux Noël ! Merry Christmas !
10 years ago
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Progress
In old times the saying went:
"Wherever you go, there you are."
now it is:
"Wherever you go, you are in your blackberry."
"Wherever you go, there you are."
now it is:
"Wherever you go, you are in your blackberry."
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
More Memory anyone?
From last week's Nature;
We can create mice with enhanced memory. These animals are very anxious and have a higher chance of getting cancer.
Forgetting seems as necessary as forgiving for a happy live.
We can create mice with enhanced memory. These animals are very anxious and have a higher chance of getting cancer.
Forgetting seems as necessary as forgiving for a happy live.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Civilised religion
I wonder: is religion just the attempt to reattain a thoughtless state we had before using our brain so much that we had to create civilisation?
Worry out of Eden
I wonder: was the garden eden just a time when humans didn't think (and hence worry) so much? Sometime before the first settlements, during the happy hunter and gatherer period, say before 50,000 BCE?
Laws of happiness
I wonder: what would be the minimum number of laws that, if strictly observed, would lead to violence-free happiness and justice?
10,000? more? or just one, such as 'do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself?'
10,000? more? or just one, such as 'do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself?'
Friday, 13 November 2009
The Inexorable Sophistication of Technology
The rational of technology is to make a solution to a problem increasingly sophisticated until it doesn't work any more. Then you have a new problem, much more sophisticated than the first one, for which one finds ever increasingly sophisticated solutions, until ...
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Thursday, 22 October 2009
A prolific equation
I wonder how many scientists get cancer because they do cancer research (cancerogenous products, stress).
Do we create more cancer than we cure?
Do we create more cancer than we cure?
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
The Darwin-year God of Creation and Evolution
Dear Mr. Harun Yahya
A friend recently gave me your Atlas of Creation (Vol I), thinking I might find it inspiring.
This is indeed the case.
I am sure God will be pleased that you devote so much energy to prove his existence through making and distributing this wonderfully crafted book.
And it does indeed very convincingly prove God.
When looking through these pages, one can but feel that it is simply DIVINE, that all these fascinating and diverse creatures have, in fact, evolved from one single cell!
Because if God exists, then He/She is not only limited to 'Creation'. Man can create cars, and they will always be cars; Man can create houses that will always be houses. Man can even create new races of animals or plants. But Man can not create a single cell that evolves into a whole biosphere of a whole planet. We are limited, but God is everything, or God is not. Thus if God is Creation, He/She is also Evolution.
Thank you for pointing this out to so many of us with your Atlas!
Yours
BLT
PS: In case you want to make an additional volume of this exciting series, please consider making an Atlas of Embryonic Development. It is fascinating how the embryos of all animals reproduce, in their mothers womb, the hundreds of million years of evolution of their species. From a single cell to their present state, including, for us, stages with webbing or a tail. And this is so much better documented than the sparse fossil record, and happens million times every day around us! The fact that the simple existence of you, me, everyone on this planet proves that God is Creation and Evolution, is certainly worth an Atlas.
A friend recently gave me your Atlas of Creation (Vol I), thinking I might find it inspiring.
This is indeed the case.
I am sure God will be pleased that you devote so much energy to prove his existence through making and distributing this wonderfully crafted book.
And it does indeed very convincingly prove God.
When looking through these pages, one can but feel that it is simply DIVINE, that all these fascinating and diverse creatures have, in fact, evolved from one single cell!
Because if God exists, then He/She is not only limited to 'Creation'. Man can create cars, and they will always be cars; Man can create houses that will always be houses. Man can even create new races of animals or plants. But Man can not create a single cell that evolves into a whole biosphere of a whole planet. We are limited, but God is everything, or God is not. Thus if God is Creation, He/She is also Evolution.
Thank you for pointing this out to so many of us with your Atlas!
Yours
BLT
PS: In case you want to make an additional volume of this exciting series, please consider making an Atlas of Embryonic Development. It is fascinating how the embryos of all animals reproduce, in their mothers womb, the hundreds of million years of evolution of their species. From a single cell to their present state, including, for us, stages with webbing or a tail. And this is so much better documented than the sparse fossil record, and happens million times every day around us! The fact that the simple existence of you, me, everyone on this planet proves that God is Creation and Evolution, is certainly worth an Atlas.
Inner Answering-Machine (I AM)
autistic and enlightened humans, as well as probably animals use often a sort of instinctive, not directed cognition to find answers to complicated problems. They don't really think, they just listen, or see. Should I try and trust this first 'inner intuitive answer' for complicated and important matters?
>NO< says my inner intuitive answering machine.
So what? says my rational guided thought: If instinct answers NO, don't believe it, then the answer should be YES, believe it...!?
oh bugger.
>NO< says my inner intuitive answering machine.
So what? says my rational guided thought: If instinct answers NO, don't believe it, then the answer should be YES, believe it...!?
oh bugger.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
dilemma of faith
As a rational scientist, having judged all arguments, I came to the conclusion that it is favourable for the human being to be religious.
So rationally speaking, I have to be religious.
However 'religion' is a matter of faith, not of rationalism.
oh bugger.
any suggestions for available Gods suitable for rational scientists?
So rationally speaking, I have to be religious.
However 'religion' is a matter of faith, not of rationalism.
oh bugger.
any suggestions for available Gods suitable for rational scientists?
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
H. sapiens, limited edition
The problem of science: our senses and brain are adapted to survival, not to perceive the absolute and objective truth of all things.
Nature of Paradise
Our brain was big and complex for about 1 million years before we actually started to use it for complex actions and thoughts (tools, burial rites, social structures). Is that epoch the Paradise referred to in the Genesis? Is the apple the consciousness? Or the civilisation?
Paradise lost because consciousness gained?
Paradise lost because civilisation gained?
What about 'uncivilised' tribes? Do they die of stress, of fears? Do they hate their neighbours an does this stop them from sleeping? Are they as afraid of failing to hunt pray as we are of social failure? How afraid are they of disease and death?
In becoming civilised, we have lost the connection with Nature that they had. We have gained civilisation and consciousness instead. Fears of Nature have transformed into fears of civilisation. Have we advanced, or just shifted?
Paradise lost because consciousness gained?
Paradise lost because civilisation gained?
What about 'uncivilised' tribes? Do they die of stress, of fears? Do they hate their neighbours an does this stop them from sleeping? Are they as afraid of failing to hunt pray as we are of social failure? How afraid are they of disease and death?
In becoming civilised, we have lost the connection with Nature that they had. We have gained civilisation and consciousness instead. Fears of Nature have transformed into fears of civilisation. Have we advanced, or just shifted?
L'enfer, c'est les autres
Is it that our brain is so complex because our social system is so complex, or is our social system so complex, because our brain is so complex?
Friday, 29 May 2009
From Kafka to Douglas Adams: bureaucracy goes US
Dear John,
As you can read below, the institutes' administrator says my French diploma of a doctor is not enough to certify the award of the diploma of a doctor. She wants an original transcript showing all the grades.
I replied that the diploma of a doctor can not show "all the grades", simply because there are no grades; you can only pass it (with certain distinctions), or not pass it. And this is clearly written on it.
She replied that she would then need "a certified letter [in English] from the University stating that they do not provide transcripts with grades and that the diploma is the only source of documentation used to confirm that. "
Needless to say that the lady that deals with this stuff in our University is a) not good in English, b) out of work because of a broken wrist. She may still kindly agree to state the above obvious, and to help her, I suggest the following phrasing for the letter:
"I certify that the University of Montpellier I does not provide original transcripts showing individual grades for the diploma of a doctor, simply because there are no individual grades for the diploma of a doctor.
I certify also that the ‘Diplome de Docteur’ delivered by the University Montpellier I is the only source of documentation used to confirm that the diploma of a doctor has been delivered by the University Montpellier I."
Importantly, this all is NOT to needed certify that I have obtained my diploma of a doctor, because my degree has already been certified by an official US credential evaluation, delivered by a certified (NACES) company.
Yet, even this official credential evaluation appears not enough as an official credential evaluation, because, for the institute, it also needs to contain all the four points:
1) a translation of my diploma
2) verification of accreditation of the foreign university
3) the equivalency of the non-US degree to a US degree
4) my attendance at and graduation from my university
However, my initial credentials evaluation company replied that a credentials evaluation is exactly that. It naturally includes all of the above. The company suggested that my administrator may call them to see what they actually want.
She did not call them, but replied to me "Our department must cover all four points that was provided below." And she suggested that I should use another evaluation company.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
As you can read below, the institutes' administrator says my French diploma of a doctor is not enough to certify the award of the diploma of a doctor. She wants an original transcript showing all the grades.
I replied that the diploma of a doctor can not show "all the grades", simply because there are no grades; you can only pass it (with certain distinctions), or not pass it. And this is clearly written on it.
She replied that she would then need "a certified letter [in English] from the University stating that they do not provide transcripts with grades and that the diploma is the only source of documentation used to confirm that. "
Needless to say that the lady that deals with this stuff in our University is a) not good in English, b) out of work because of a broken wrist. She may still kindly agree to state the above obvious, and to help her, I suggest the following phrasing for the letter:
"I certify that the University of Montpellier I does not provide original transcripts showing individual grades for the diploma of a doctor, simply because there are no individual grades for the diploma of a doctor.
I certify also that the ‘Diplome de Docteur’ delivered by the University Montpellier I is the only source of documentation used to confirm that the diploma of a doctor has been delivered by the University Montpellier I."
Importantly, this all is NOT to needed certify that I have obtained my diploma of a doctor, because my degree has already been certified by an official US credential evaluation, delivered by a certified (NACES) company.
Yet, even this official credential evaluation appears not enough as an official credential evaluation, because, for the institute, it also needs to contain all the four points:
1) a translation of my diploma
2) verification of accreditation of the foreign university
3) the equivalency of the non-US degree to a US degree
4) my attendance at and graduation from my university
However, my initial credentials evaluation company replied that a credentials evaluation is exactly that. It naturally includes all of the above. The company suggested that my administrator may call them to see what they actually want.
She did not call them, but replied to me "Our department must cover all four points that was provided below." And she suggested that I should use another evaluation company.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Thursday, 21 May 2009
The Unterpants of Cultural Heritage
Untergunther are an underground organisation of a dozen members specialised in the clandestine restoration of hidden cultural heritage. They only restore pieces that no-one can see. They got a trial for repairing a monumental clockwork that was piled up somewhere in the attic of the Parisian Panthéon . However the process got adjourned, because the court decided that restoring heritage is not an offence. Annoyed, Pascal Monet, the administrator of the Panthéon, took away a central piece of the clock, so that it stopped working.
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
The Right Choice
Just noticed that Google Ads have chosen to advertise for Retractable Urinals on my blog. I'm not sure that this a compliment for my writing ...
An Ongoing Mess
If after 2 million years of Human evolution most (!) men and woman still can't form harmonic and stable relationships (neither live happily with continuously changing partners) then this means:
a) that this is in fact the best reproductive strategy (i.e. semi-stable relationships produce the highest off-spring rate, due to adultery sex or serial monogamies).
b) that this is an obligatory negative by-product of another very favourable trait (e.g. the difference between men and woman, or individuals in general, allows specialisation into different tasks, which is important for a community).
c) that we have not yet adapted to our current condition (overpopulation and high mobility means extremely frequent encounter of attractive potential partners)
d) that the Gods like to have a laugh sometimes.
a) that this is in fact the best reproductive strategy (i.e. semi-stable relationships produce the highest off-spring rate, due to adultery sex or serial monogamies).
b) that this is an obligatory negative by-product of another very favourable trait (e.g. the difference between men and woman, or individuals in general, allows specialisation into different tasks, which is important for a community).
c) that we have not yet adapted to our current condition (overpopulation and high mobility means extremely frequent encounter of attractive potential partners)
d) that the Gods like to have a laugh sometimes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
