851. Interview with John Lennox

Comment #284317 by Laurie Fraser on November 15, 2008 at 3:25 am

Epeeist - wasn't it Bertrand Russell who said that all of the "arguments" for the existence of god were simply postulations, and that "postulation has all the advantages of theft over honest toil"?

852. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284299 by Laurie Fraser on November 15, 2008 at 2:41 am

Finnish? Can't be as hard as Spanish, decius :)

853. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284295 by Laurie Fraser on November 15, 2008 at 2:14 am

ev-love,
While not having read Armstrong puts me at a disadvantage in many ways, I was merely making the point that the "arrogant atheism" charge rears its head too often, as if it is a trusted truism; i.e, a canard.

Edit: corrected for calling ev-love "ex-love". Sorry, my Freudian slip :)

854. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284264 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 8:56 pm

Intereting quote, Layla. I always get tetchy when I see the old "arrogant atheism" canard get thrown about. Is it arrogant to use reason against superstition? Perhaps she'd be better off calling it "strident."

855. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284262 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Decius - PM for you.

856. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284254 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Decius, you amaze me. So you have Spanish, or Portuguese, or both? Remind me to tell you a great joke about the Irishman in Barcelona one day. (I won't tell it now - Tyler and Hungarian might start telling Aussie jokes!)

857. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284249 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 6:16 pm

Comment #284246 by steveroot

Even worse, Steve - imagine a duet by Celine Dion and Kenny G.

858. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284243 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 6:03 pm

Cerebate - good point! My apologies, Steve. ;)

859. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284241 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 5:58 pm

Decius - are you native to Sweden? If so, then you have an outstanding grasp of language if you can decipher Welsh's tortured Scots!

Oh, and not the dogs. Anything but the dogs.

860. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284238 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 5:55 pm

Decius - just read the story. Incredible! Thanks.

861. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284235 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 5:41 pm

R2S - Fuckin brallient! I want to see Decius perfect the back foot off drive against a wiley piece of fast bowling from yours truly.

862. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284227 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 5:29 pm

Root2Squared - help, help! I'm being attacked by a mob of infidels.

(Ah, but Phil, that "boredom" is worth the price just for one majestic cover drive from Sachin Tendulkar!)

863. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284222 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 5:15 pm

Perhaps, D. But you see, cricket will appeal to that fine brain of yours. Picture the physics of cricket. A very hard ball, weighing six and a half ounces, is propelled at about 140k.p.h. down a 20 metre turf strip. It will swing through the air on its trajectory, and this swing can be controlled by the bowler's method of delivery. It then strikes the ground about two to three metres in front of the batsman, and can careen off the pitch at an angle controlled by the skill of the bowler.

Meanwhile, the batsman must attempt to judge the trajectory of the ball, and has about half a second to react to all of these variables. The fact that a batsman can actually make contact with the ball, let alone hit it right in the middle of the bat and guide it between the opposing fieldsmen with a seemingly effortless, fluent stroke full of grace, majesty, and power, verges on the miraculous.

And that's only part of the reason we love cricket!

864. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284218 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Aha! Guess what, Decius - Vaal and I are intent on educating even Scandinavians on the finer points of the game. Prepare, brother!

865. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284207 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 4:29 pm

Apparently the match referee now has the power to suspend the captain for one match for a slow over rate. Ponting's been criticised for acting selfishly. with which I don't agree. Nevertheless, Australia does need a re-think of its approach.

866. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284201 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 4:09 pm

2 - you might be interested in this:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/bpeter-roebuckb/2008/11/14/1226318927750.html

867. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284195 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:54 pm

Blasphemer!

868. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284194 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:52 pm

Posting whilst drunk is a time-honoured tradition on this board, Titania - isthatclear does it all the time. (And you thought he just had a poor grasp of spelling and grammar.)

869. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284188 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Titania - well she's a "religious thinker", a tautology if ever I've heard one. How was your dinner?

870. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284187 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Steve - you are truly funny! Damn! Just spat coffee on the keyboard.

871. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284184 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:20 pm

Haha - you can't get away that easily, Steve. I'll be back in England for three weeks after Dublin, and I believe Vaal and I have a scheme planned for a certain Test match fixture. *twirls moustaches and grins evilly*

872. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284178 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Steve - are you intending to go to Dublin?

873. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284170 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 2:42 pm

Steve - link doesn't work.

874. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284165 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Seriously, light from any source can be reflected back out of a cats' eyes and many other animal eyes...

875. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284149 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 1:06 pm

Nice research, Brian - I told ya!

876. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284142 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Typical liberal ignore-what-I-don't-want-to-hear-or-defend tactic

877. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284140 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Comment #284137 by Ian Bamlett

Thanks, Ian - I enjoy being told I'm smarter than God ;)

878. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284136 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Well, the Greeks were responsible for just about everything else that is good, Brian - why not give them the golden rule as well?

879. Christian group halts book launch

Comment #284131 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:33 pm

Comment #284129 by ianrgoulding

Pheeeeeewwwwwwieee! Jebus, Ian - there's "whacko" and then there's "seriously out of kilter". That's priceless; thanks!

880. Atheism/Agnosticism Plus Compassion Equals Humanism

Comment #284127 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:22 pm

Comment #284120 by Ian Bamlett

I see your point, Ian, but I disagree. I think the golden rule's a beauty. To answer your "bus-stop" example, I'd say that the golden rule is merely shorthand for the notion of compassionate empathy. Any bloke worth his salt will only engage a woman in conversation that is "neighbourly", and respects the appropriate distance between the two. Of course, this can sometimes lead to mix-ups. I was waiting for a taxi late one night in a rough part of Sydney. A young woman came up to the taxi-rank. When the first cab came along, I said to her "You take this one, love - I'll get the next one." She turned on me and yelled "How dare you patronise me!" It was pretty funny, really.

881. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284124 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:12 pm

DP - the Weathermen were pussies in the terrorist game compared with the Nixon administration. "Guilt by association" - give me a break. I didn't see Palin criticising any of her Rethuglican mates whose association with Nixon and the master terrorist, Kissinger, goes back 40 years.

882. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #284122 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Titania - I was watching that same big full moon last night, just before a wild electrical storm landed on the house and blew all the power out. Fortunately, my house is run on an independent photovoltaic power supply, so I merely had to go over to the ergotron shed and re-set the fuse. My neighbours are still without power.

Hope you enjoyed your night at Brennan's. You're right - I'm eating my heart out!

Sarah Palin is not very popular here, either.

883. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283903 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 1:55 am

Comment #283883 by epeeist

Hahahaha - brilliant, epeeist! Steve, change your avatar now!

On second thoughts, don't. Those red eyes are strangely alluring, you spawn of the devil.

884. Hubble directly observes planet orbiting Fomalhaut

Comment #283901 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 1:51 am

Vaal - right on, brother!

885. Richard Dawkins: An Exclusive Profile

Comment #283893 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 1:43 am

Richard Dawkins is officially invited to the RD.net conference in Dublin next year as a guest speaker.

886. Hubble directly observes planet orbiting Fomalhaut

Comment #283885 by Laurie Fraser on November 14, 2008 at 1:35 am

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Suck on that, religoids!

Or should I say - explain that, religoids.

887. Astronomers capture first images of newly discovered solar system

Comment #283834 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 9:25 pm

Not a problem for my Volvo, Neuro ;)

888. Astronomers capture first images of newly discovered solar system

Comment #283822 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:47 pm

R2S -

Aren't you early by 64 posts?

889. Astronomers capture first images of newly discovered solar system

Comment #283813 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Jeebus, 2, that link sent shivers down my spine. It shouldn't, I know; I've spent my entire life dealing with tiny minds like that which wrote that garbage. Nevertheless, I recoil in horror every time I see such willful stupidity.

890. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283810 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:23 pm

The hottest it's ever been here was a couple of Januarys ago. On one afternoon it was 47 in the shade on my verandah. That was freakish. It was an effort to rip the top off a beer, that day.

891. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283808 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:19 pm

Hi Brian - hot as hades here, about 38. Just about to throw myself in the pool.

892. Astronomers capture first images of newly discovered solar system

Comment #283805 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Brilliant! What an achievement - hats off to the astronomers, engineers, designers and technicians who made this possible.

Lee, the answer to your (undoubtedly rhetorical) question is a big, fat NO. Considering that they believed the Earth was flat and approximately 2000 kilometres across, and that the stars were little rents in the "firmament", even the conception of spherical planetary objects was beyond them.

893. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283801 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 8:06 pm

All right, you boys - back to your respective corners. This is one debate of which it is good to sit on the sidelines when one is a little brain dead. My wife accused me of being vague this morning. I replied that being able to hold the thesis positions of 21 students, their lines of argument, and the thrust of their research material in one's head simultaneously is exactly the opposite of "vague".

894. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283797 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 7:59 pm

Hi 2, an XC70. It's an AWD with lots of nice engineering features, 2.5 L slow turbo. Plenty of torque, and fairly nifty (0-60 in 8 flat). I wanted to go with the 6-speed manual, but I deferred to my wife on the 5-speed auto. I must say, however, the tiptronic is pretty sharp and accurate. Beautiful handling, for a wagon, and deliciously comfortable.

895. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #283783 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Did someone mention peak oil?

896. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283614 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 3:55 pm

whitepearl - I haven't sorted accommodation either, yet, but my wife and I will be staying in Youth Hostels throughout Europe (I'll be pretending to be young), so we might do the same in Dublin.

Unless, of course, I lob on Mike in Germany and help him with his thesis :)

897. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283610 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 3:53 pm

I just posted a comment on that insane woman's blog. I would rather have kidnapped the poor girl and given her a decent family to grow up in, but fuck - this really makes your blood boil.

898. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283580 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 3:20 pm

hawt - I'm afraid you'll just have to stow away on a ship bound for Ireland. Your presence is required, my good woman!

899. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283571 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 3:15 pm

That's perfectly OK. I'll be just back from Europe then, so I believe there'll be no problem when I say to SWMBO "Just taking off for a week with a few of the boys on a vineyard crawl, darling."

900. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #283568 by Laurie Fraser on November 13, 2008 at 3:11 pm

Settled, then. What sort of timing are you thinking of, Goldy, considering imminent stork activity and all?