Comments by bugaboo

1. Swatting attacks on fruit flies and science

Comment #275653 by bugaboo on October 31, 2008 at 10:46 am

Little Fly
Thy summers play,
My thoughtless hand
Has brush'd away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance
And drink and sing
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength and breath;
And the want
of thought is death;

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.

-- William Blake

2. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #275604 by bugaboo on October 31, 2008 at 10:29 am

Hi Folks

Whats been happening?

3. Robert Winston criticises dangerous 'science delusion'

Comment #247360 by bugaboo on September 14, 2008 at 10:47 am

The "softly softly" approach once again from Winston.

When he speaks like this he really makes matters worse I think.

You simply cant accomodate everyone, every faith, every belief Prof Wilson.

He's clutching at straws here with references to epigenetics. Is this presented as some kind of get out of goal free card?

And then he talks about "truth" suggesting that Dawkins is offering it.
This is completely dishonest and he knows it.
He seems to believe in belief and is therefore a really patronising git (IMHO)

4. 'Climate crisis' needs brain gain

Comment #244053 by bugaboo on September 8, 2008 at 8:14 am

"It's all very well to demonstrate that we can land a craft on Mars, it's all very well to discover whether or not there is a Higgs boson (a potential mass mechanism); but I would just suggest that we need to pull people towards perhaps the bigger challenges where the outcome for our civilisation is really crucial."

"

So invest in future scientists ie childrens education. How many new faith (anti-science)schools are planned teaching ID, YEC etc?

Any comments on that Sir David?

5. In the know

Comment #243808 by bugaboo on September 7, 2008 at 12:17 pm

Strange Disciple

I think the point that Mark Vernon is probably trying to make is more one of form than content.

Please explain this to me. What form? What do you mean?

Dawkins may turn out to be the Newton of his day, but Newton didn't have the whole picture either, as it now turns out

No shit. When has Dawkins ever claimed to have "the whole picture"?

This article really irritated me. The guy is a dickhead. The "nuke" comment attributed to Sam Harris is an outrage.

6. Autism and Vaccines: Why Bad Logic Trumps Science

Comment #243794 by bugaboo on September 7, 2008 at 11:26 am

Can children (or for that matter adults) who were not vaccinated at the usual age be vaccinated now?
(i dont see any reason why they shouldnt)

I ask this question since a lot of parents refused vaccination at the time of the controversy and may now wish they had went ahead.

It seems to me that there should be another campaign to have these older children vaccinated in light of the inreased risk of infection together with the debunking of the original scare.

7. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #243524 by bugaboo on September 6, 2008 at 5:11 am

Roger

We English just blame it on on the Scots. ;-)

And we Scots have noticed that ;)

8. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243517 by bugaboo on September 6, 2008 at 4:40 am

Comment #243515 by tangerine_tree

So, the torygraph finds the word "twat" too offensive to print?

Related article in todays grauniad

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/sep/06/1

9. Opening minds

Comment #243508 by bugaboo on September 6, 2008 at 4:19 am

Oh dear Clod

All of you comments have disapeared. I personally wanted to see the Hovindmeter just one more time.

Edit. Thats odd. epeeist gets them! What gives? Browser related?

10. Opening minds

Comment #243503 by bugaboo on September 6, 2008 at 3:48 am

Thanks for that laurie.

Suberb version I hadnt heard.

11. Opening minds

Comment #243500 by bugaboo on September 6, 2008 at 3:28 am

Morning All

Roger. I like it.

Laurie. Ah!! perhaps my favoutite tune by the great man-save perhaps Sofa.

PS Theres a guy advertising in the classifieds here. He's selling some jousting sticks. Interested?

12. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243341 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 1:22 pm

Comment #243340 by Oystein Elgaroy

Ah! Thank you. Need some sleep before reading more.

13. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243336 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 1:09 pm

zeroangel

Try this link to CERN.

http://askanexpert.web.cern.ch/AskAnExpert/en/PPhysics/Blocks-en.html#22

I've been reading through it for a while and its really good. Although ive ended up confused(again)since they say that the Higgs particle has different spin from a graviton. But I read at wiki that Higgs is scalar and has no spin!

14. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243278 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 11:00 am

Lithuanian cuisine

http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/food/soups.html

personally, I love soup!!

Edit Orange on bread is just WRONG

15. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243272 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 10:51 am

Al

Are you a big fan of sauerkraut soup?

16. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243267 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 10:46 am

sorry Zerongel
I'm just in a silly mood and like spotting slight ambiguities in English.

You married your sweetheart who then became your wife.

I'm just a bit daft that way.

OK. Is there an anti-Higgs boson?

17. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243256 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 10:29 am

Zeroangel

You married your wife?

Isnt there a law....

18. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243228 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 10:01 am

Comment #243220 by Oystein Elgaroy

Good grief. 40% alcohol by volume (i had to look it up)

40% tax in Norway. Coincidence?

19. Large Hadron Collider readies for world's biggest experiment

Comment #243210 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 9:41 am

What is all this about the end of the world/universe? the beginning of a new universe?

I trust the guys over at CERN have got their sums right. Yes?

NEBob

I doubt that risk, but even if it did, we would all get to live a very, very, very long time as we go through the event horizon of the black hole.

Thats stretching it a bit ;)

20. Participating In Religion May Make Adolescents From Certain Races More Depressed

Comment #243051 by bugaboo on September 5, 2008 at 3:17 am

TalkyMeat said perhaps its the music...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7598549.stm

21. Better Know a Lobby - Atheism

Comment #241545 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 1:25 pm

The old British comedies made at Ealing studios in the 50s/60s were fabulous IMHO :)

22. Monogamy gene found in people

Comment #241538 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 1:11 pm

16. Comment #241499 by Bonzai

What genetic determinism?

23. Friend or Foe? Crows Never Forget a Face, It Seems

Comment #241486 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 11:34 am

12. Comment #240646 by Hellene

Interesting crow/turtle story Hellene. Just wondered if this behaviour has been documented. Do you know?

24. Monogamy gene found in people

Comment #241473 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 10:46 am

Hasan

From the little I have read, i guess having a particulat gene is not necessarily a perfect predictor of behavior.

Of course. All thats suggested is that the probabilty of certain behaviour manifesting is increased with the presence of certain versions of a particular gene. Thats whats meant when you see "a gene for x" in the literature.

25. Better Know a Lobby - Atheism

Comment #241469 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 10:21 am

Ah I now have an oppotunity to ask a question.
I read recently that most if not all humour worked because we see an authority figure humiliated.
We listen to a story in a particular frame of reference and then suddenly something happens that doesnt make sense. It makes sense however in a different frame of reference and in this new frame someone loses face.

But i cant remember where i read it. It may have been Pinker but i cant find it/remember

Anyone?

26. Monogamy gene found in people

Comment #241359 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 6:35 am

Perhaps a better way of doing this would have been to look at a cohort of mothers in monogamous relationships and then determine if there is any correlation with the alleles present and non-paternity of the children. :)

27. Pakistan investigates 'honor killings' of 5 women

Comment #241205 by bugaboo on September 2, 2008 at 2:00 am

Vaal

Estimated population 172,800,000
Demonstators 60

But i suppose its a start

Edit: foul mood after reading this shit.

28. No atheist burials in Co Donegal

Comment #239189 by bugaboo on August 29, 2008 at 8:18 am

Carto

I've never heard a corpse express even the slightest hint of religious sentiment on its own.

I have. There's a lot of gas builds up in there.

29. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #239176 by bugaboo on August 29, 2008 at 7:43 am

291. Comment #238452 by rkid001

I agree with what you say. Its strange though that the editors/reviewers at "Social Text" couldnt see a good argument/opinion from gobbldygook. Dont you think?

30. Beetle drive

Comment #239141 by bugaboo on August 29, 2008 at 6:43 am

Is this not sexual selection?

edit: epeeist

Here is a prediction. When you point out this as an example of speciation they will respond with "But it is still a beetle".

Ah! of course, they havent changed kind.

31. Richard Dawkins on Talkback Radio

Comment #239125 by bugaboo on August 29, 2008 at 5:49 am

123. Comment #239092 by ridelo

When the page opens up look for a volume control and adjust-the default is set at low

32. Postmodernism Disrobed

Comment #238418 by bugaboo on August 28, 2008 at 6:05 am

Comment #238405 by rkid001

Im sorry but some of the comments on this subject are borderline ignorant

That's your interpretation. And why should your views have privelege over the views expressed by the other posters ;)

You see? it's self refuting!

Heard an excellent quote recently "Whenever the Emperor needs new clothes he goes shopping in Paris"

33. Monkeys Enjoy Giving To Others, Study Finds

Comment #237311 by bugaboo on August 26, 2008 at 10:40 am

J Mac

The words that jumped out at me from the article were " satisfying experience", "empathy" "enjoying".

Has bearing on the other post about the chimps. Also there was a post or article recently about yawning dogs.

Dont see why other mammals would not have mirror neurons.

Any thoughts?

34. Channel 4 announces return of Undercover Mosque

Comment #236208 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 11:26 am

Bonzai

Can you tell me how it is "Fascist" to let them eat pork?

You were implying forced ingestion.

am half serious, but I think your answer is quite revealing. Since anything which offends the Muslim sensibility is considered "Fascist" we would never be able to do anything to combat religious induced fanaticism in an effective way.

No. I did not say that. You want the liberal left to wake up to the current situation? Well that is not going to work by using the language used by the extreme right. They will have no part of it if they suspect that they will be perceived as saying the same thing as the right. How effective do you want to be? To my mind that just wont work.

PS. I'll have to catch up with the rest of this thread, seems to have moved on considerably..

35. A flea we missed?

Comment #236065 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 5:58 am

DR
Arno Penzias is Jewish. So is he only right about the five books of Moses the Psalms, the Bible as a whole? What about the new testament David? No he's wrong there i'm sure and you are right.

36. Channel 4 announces return of Undercover Mosque

Comment #236063 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 5:45 am

Mark Till

Well said.

I would add only that to "teach them better" is becoming inceasingly more difficult with the increasing numbers of faith schools. This really has to be addressed.

37. Kamikaze bacteria illustrate evolution of co-operation

Comment #236051 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 5:07 am

Josh? Josh? Are you there Josh?

Regarding the bacteria. I don't have access to the paper but is it really the case that they are all genetically identical? Are the genes for the virulence factors not encoded by plasmid DNA and so the game-theoretical model is being applied here?

Just a thought.

38. What Binti Jua Knew

Comment #236048 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 4:58 am

Panurge

What we call and make of our emotions and how we reason is not hard-wired in our brains, but is instilled by our (human) culture.

I would take issue with this. You seem to be suggesting that if other primates were exposed to human culture then they would learn how to suffer. No? And why not? Simply because they are not hard wired the same way that we are. Of course our emotions and reasoning have been wired into us to a large extent by natural selection.

Edit. Are you realyy suggesting that we are blank slates at birth?

39. Channel 4 announces return of Undercover Mosque

Comment #235997 by bugaboo on August 24, 2008 at 2:36 am

TWP

Just wanted to point out that recent statistics in the UK show that the more radical muslims are from second and third generations and not recent immigrants.

Bonzai

A worry for me in this whole business is that the extreme right will gain favour among the British electorate with simplistic right wing solutions to these difficult problems. I find it disheartening to hear things like "A non lethal ingestion of pig blood would do too" etc.

Can we try and not couch the discussion in the same language used by the fascists.

Edit: i'm assuming you dont REALY mean that.

40. The rise of Miliband brings at last the prospect of an atheist prime minister

Comment #234797 by bugaboo on August 22, 2008 at 3:24 am

Earlier

SurfDude said

They have some pretty smart ideas too - with more to come (one of my friends is quite close to Cameron personally and the Tories are keeping a lot of very good stuff tucked away up their sleeves).

Reminded me of this- from Carl Sagans baloney detection kit

argument from authority (e.g., President Richard Nixon should be re-elected because he has a secret plan to end the war in Southeast Asia

41. Free Will vs. the Programmed Brain

Comment #234434 by bugaboo on August 21, 2008 at 11:03 am

The article and a lot of posts refering to "belief in free will" and many suggestions that free will cannot be defined, that its incoherent. But what about belief? isnt that just as incoherent?

My head hurts

42. Scientists Create Blood From Stem Cells

Comment #234318 by bugaboo on August 21, 2008 at 7:16 am

Quine said

Now, if they just sub in the gene for hemoglobin from bar-headed geese (which works three times better than human) you could get a transfusion and for about a week or so, be able to walk up Everest, no problem.

Could also get expression of antifreeze glycoproteins from antarctic fish so you could do it naked.

43. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #234273 by bugaboo on August 21, 2008 at 4:10 am

Sue2

This doesn't mean I believe in superstitious nonsense just that I think we won't be able to change the way people think by telling them how wrong they are and trying to educate them. As I said above it would be like telling people not to love or hate.

So, why dont you believe in this nonsense?

Education perchance?

44. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #234270 by bugaboo on August 21, 2008 at 3:57 am

Sue2

Its a battle against ignorance and superstition.

...you cannot win a "battle" against nature, nature always finds a way

Tell that to the cancer researchers.

45. A flea we missed?

Comment #234260 by bugaboo on August 21, 2008 at 3:45 am

Already available Steve

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

46. Free Will vs. the Programmed Brain

Comment #233736 by bugaboo on August 20, 2008 at 11:06 am

J Mac

I suspect the cheating behavior is not the result of the notion of no free will, but rather it is the result of the partial shattering of the individuals world-view.

Interesting point. They may have had a mood swing and been slightly pissed off therefore didnt care so much about the "consequences" of the cheating.

It would be interesting to see both passages they read in full.

47. Sincerity no substitute for evidence

Comment #233490 by bugaboo on August 20, 2008 at 1:43 am

HOW many readers have gone to dinner parties and listened to otherwise intelligent people assert that alternative medicine can be just as effective as mainstream, scientific medicine?

I have. Once.

I met a woman who had had a minor operation which had resulted in bruising to her leg. She had used arnica and told me it was wonderful since the bruising had almost disapeared. When i suggested that it may have gone down without the arnica anyway, (I tried explaining the very real phenomenon of placebo but to no avail) she wouldnt to speak to me the rest of the evening. . Not been invited back.

48. A flea we missed?

Comment #233202 by bugaboo on August 19, 2008 at 10:05 am

Peace

They all talk about respecting each others' faiths don't they?

Well, not the wee frees who call the pope the antichrist.

Hellene

We have an expression in Scotland "In the name o the wee man" meaning "oh for goodness sake" or something like that.

49. A flea we missed?

Comment #233197 by bugaboo on August 19, 2008 at 9:42 am

Peace

I really hope he comes back and clarifies this. My working definition of faith has been Dawkins' that you quote.

If so would that mean he and his flock would have to see that type of faith as virtuous and so would have to respect the faith of other christian groups who use that definition of faith- catholics and transubstantiation for example?

50. On TV: The Genius of Charles Darwin: Presented by Richard Dawkins

Comment #233187 by bugaboo on August 19, 2008 at 9:12 am

CFL

The idea eg that there is no such thing as objective reality. No ones belief,culture etc takes precedence over another. You cant critisise other cultures. Leads to statements like "science is only one way of looking at the world and is not priveleged over a religious worldview". You know. Postmodern gobbyldygook.

RD does a fine demolition job in an article on this site.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,824,Postmodernism-Disrobed,Richard-Dawkins-Nature