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Post by Undecided on May 24, 2011 0:57:20 GMT -5
Actually, the multiverse is the one I thought sounded most probable. The many-worlds one sounded sort of fishy to me. I don't really understand how a subatomic particle being in multiple places translates to that. I actually think that the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is the best one that I've encountered, but its advantages are a bit technical. Explaining cosmic inflation is an area of active research. As I recall, the data aren't good enough to differentiate between the various theories available, but they might be in the next decade or two. It's not my field. Shano might know: he does that sort of astrophysics stuff.
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Post by Undecided on May 24, 2011 0:27:56 GMT -5
What type of "parallel universe" do you mean? There are two different concepts that could be described as "parallel universes". In chaotic inflation and similar theories, the Universe is one of many different universes "frozen out" of an ambient inflating structure, like chunks of ice floating in water. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics suggests that the Universe splits into many equally real branches corresponding to different observable values whenever an observation is made. The former type of parallel universe is an unobservable consequence of a scientific theory that predicts laws that are in principle testable using certain types of data already available. The latter is a matter of philosophy: there are other consistent interpretations of quantum mechanics that reject the idea that the unobserved values of a measurement are real. Science doesn't care whether elements of a theory are "real" or not as long as the theory is testable and explains the evidence. Choosing an interpretation of quantum mechanics is largely a matter of taste.
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Post by Undecided on May 19, 2011 21:08:26 GMT -5
I'm not going to be whipped up into a civil libertarian frenzy just yet: at least one commentator implies that recent concern is fueled by a legislative summary that misrepresents both the bill's content and its likely judicial interpretation.
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Post by Undecided on May 14, 2011 23:01:31 GMT -5
Basically, like I usually do, I got drawn into an argument with this one guy who believed that people who play pay-to-play MMOs for PvE are "retards" because "MMOs are for PvP" and "raids are just the same thing over and over and over again" I'm confused, isn't pvp aren't MMORPGs also the same thing over and over again? fix'd *hides*
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Post by Undecided on May 13, 2011 20:44:25 GMT -5
I think it's an apt analogy. No matter how we as a society choose to define "gravity", we are pulled towards the earth when at its surface. Since we want our edifices to be able to withstand the natural elements, we should take the existence of this pull into account when designing buildings and infrastructure. How fortunate it is, then, that we have an already-existing account of this pull called gravity which can so easily help us fulfill these needs!
Similarly, no matter how we as a society choose to define "marriage", certain members of the same sex engage in monogamous romantic relationships and rear children. Since we want members of our society to have successful permanent relationships and raise children to be well-functioning adults, we should take the existence of these relationships into account when designing social institutions like contract law and welfare. Here, too, we are fortunate in having a preexisting institution called marriage which can do all these things for us!
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Post by Undecided on Apr 24, 2011 16:00:03 GMT -5
I know its a little off topic, but ltfred, have you ever noticed you gayforgough watermellons spend so much time bad mouthing the US, while at the same time striving ever more to be just like them? I'm sure any similarities between you guys and self loathing homosexuals is purely coincidental. A little more off-topic, but "you gayforgough" is a googlewhack.
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Post by Undecided on Apr 23, 2011 20:05:18 GMT -5
Orwell's point was that people use fascism as a catch-all insult and that this is a bad thing. Being actually accurate about fascism is a good thing, as Owell pointed out. Both of these remarks are obvious, as is Orwell's healthy obsession with clear and meaningful rhetoric. My point is that we should refrain from hyperbole by outlining superficial similarities between fascism and whatever other political happenstance we find objectionable. I, too, believe that some of what the Michigan state government is doing is anti-progressive and puts too much power in officials who are not democratically elected, but that doesn't make it fascist—not by a long shot.
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Post by Undecided on Apr 23, 2011 16:36:23 GMT -5
I made one as well. Attachments:
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Post by Undecided on Apr 23, 2011 14:00:12 GMT -5
---George Orwell, "What is Fascism?", 1944 (emphasis mine). Give "fascism" a break. Sometime in the past, perceived similarities between your political enemies and Fascism became irrelevant and the word degenerated into a cliché slur. As Orwell's lament shows, that point was nearly seven decades ago.
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Post by Undecided on Apr 9, 2011 21:45:30 GMT -5
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Post by Undecided on Apr 9, 2011 18:22:12 GMT -5
As I understand it—I'm not religious—Wicca is very diverse, decentralised, and dynamic. I don't think that one can expect to find a single book or collection of works that describes, defines, contextualises, or moulds the beliefs of a plurality of Wiccans in the same way that the Bible does for Christians.
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Post by Undecided on Apr 4, 2011 9:35:52 GMT -5
Call me a nerd, but I immediately thought "transistor" when I read the title.
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Post by Undecided on Mar 27, 2011 22:21:06 GMT -5
It's just me grasping at straws but... would the S be for "Scientology?" Aaaah. Yes. Just Googled it. That's their symbol. Thank you! Anyone here know if I'm correct on the Russian Orthodox thing? The keywords corresponding to the cartoon in its original context suggest that the man on the left is Mormon, but I've never seen that symbol before.
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Post by Undecided on Mar 25, 2011 14:17:49 GMT -5
Where'd this one come from? Would be interested to see more of this guys work www.troycomics.com/
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Post by Undecided on Mar 20, 2011 2:21:33 GMT -5
Um...some of the countries that georgebullocks listed do that sort of thing.
I can't say I support the action, exactly, but at least it avoids an objection levelled against players in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict. The actions taken against the Gaddafi regime seem have come about through multilateral institutions. The Arab League, EU and US appear to be talking with the rebel government, trying to discern its viability.
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