Comments by Caudimordax

301. How Camp Inquiry introduces kids to the principles of humanism.

Comment #297682 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 11:33 am

And the camp session is only 6 days! I went to their website to try to get an idea of how expensive it is, but I guess I'll have to email them.

302. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297678 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 11:27 am

Gregg-

Just a crazy thought;

Because we are dealing with the "yuck factor" as Steve puts it, maybe the vernacular should be "same gender marriage".

Not crazy at all: In the Times article I linked to, it was pointed out that anti-gay bigots deliberately use the word "homosexual" because it has "sex" in it.

303. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297672 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 11:17 am

Decius - Is that avatar "our lady of the particle accelerator?" When I was a kid, our neighbors has a statue of "our lady of television."

304. How Camp Inquiry introduces kids to the principles of humanism.

Comment #297668 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 11:12 am

I wish I'd gone to this camp It would have saved me a lot of time (and anguish).

305. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297666 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 11:10 am

Re-reading the Times article, I hadn't realized that gays were responsible for "viruses mutating." (bottom of page 5) Well, I guess it couldn't be evolution.

306. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297660 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 10:59 am

Sort of an old article from the NY Times (2005), but reading the first paragraph it seems to me we've made some progress since then.

What's Their Real Problem With Gay Marriage? (It's the Gay Part)

Edit: Sorry, it wasn't the first paragraph, it was the first paragraph on the second page.

As hot-button issues go, however, gay marriage probably isn't a classic divide. For one thing, the country is fairly decisively opposed to it. The vote last November -- all 11 states that had anti-gay-marriage amendments to their state constitutions on the ballot saw those amendments pass -- made clear that most people are not comfortable with the idea of extending the marriage franchise to same-sex pairings. And polls on the issue reinforce the point. Only about a quarter of voters surveyed in the national exit poll following the election favored same-sex marriage, and interestingly enough, only about half of gay and bisexual voters did.

307. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297633 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 9:53 am

1394. Comment #297608 by mixmastergaz

You can "play" against a server:

http://metta.org.uk/light/crescent/result4.asp

Whatever that means.

Sincerely,
Fair Game

308. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297631 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 9:49 am

Well I'm jealous that some people can still afford the Kindle! I blew the dust off my library card and set off to my local library only to discover that they have multiple copies of novels by Daneille Steel and one paperback by Neal Stephenson (Big U).

Kindle's on my solstice celebration wish list, though.

309. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297606 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 8:32 am

Laurie - That was an amazing story! Very nice writing, too.

1390. Comment #297600 by mixmastergaz

I sort of get it that there aren't really any rules, but then people are actually playing this thing?

Edit: Do you really need a map of the London Underground or is it totally random?

310. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297599 by Caudimordax on December 5, 2008 at 8:17 am

Could somebody post a link to an explanation of Mornington Crescent? Even wikipedia isn't very helpful.

311. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297293 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:24 pm

Keep it up for a few more minutes and the entire home page will be just you and me! (Check it out.)

My attempt at un-addiction is trying to NOT turn the computer on until after lunch! (Not working.)

Anyway, really gotta go.

312. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297291 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:19 pm

I'm "self unemployed." Actually I'm a painter who is doing precious little painting these days thanks to RDnet (and people like you) ;-)

313. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297289 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:14 pm

1107. Comment #297288 by Brian English

Well, yes, some funny buggers, but I do enjoy your posts.

Edited spelling - damn! After midnight.

314. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297286 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:01 pm

What do you think about me? :D

You're wonderful! You're all knowing! You're all powerful! Did you ever see the original "Bedazzled" with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook? You're fabulous! Incredibly insightful! Can I stop now? You're incredibly witty! How about now?

315. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297283 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:45 pm

Caudi, is it because I'm a lone-wolf, or because Bernstein's a wolf and I'm his prey?

Actually, I don't think there's any real parallel in the animal world for this behavior. It's more like corporate rat race behavior. "Hey, I see how people here don't appreciate your brilliance..."

Probably not appreciating your irony...

316. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297278 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:37 pm

1094. Comment #297274 by Brian English

Uh oh - trying to cut at least one (suspected OUTLIER) out of the "group." Don't wolves use this technique?

Pathetic.

317. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297270 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Is anybody awake? Hello? Okay *sigh* it's up to me:

There are apparently only a handful of thinkers on these boards. The rest are followers or bloodthirsty troll-hunters.

So since you're not one of the "thinkers," which one of the others are you?

318. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297265 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:24 pm

how can I want for what I do not know?

I think that's why they invented the Williams Sonoma catalogue.

319. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297263 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:15 pm

see what you are missing out? Too bad.

Uh oh. I'm missing something and I don't even know about it?

320. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297262 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:03 pm

Your questions reeked of intellectual dishonesty. Like a lawyer trying to trap a witness.

Uh, I'm just going to let this one stand out there on its own.

321. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297259 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Do you actually think I enjoy conversing with the likes of you?

Er, I haven't been on a mission to enhance your enjoyment levels. You've mostly ignored my posts because they involved simple yes or no questions.

322. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297251 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:50 pm

1076. Comment #297250 by Bernstein on December 4, 2008 at 7:48 pm re: Comment #297248 by decius

*heavy sigh*

Didn't you read #297238?

Edited for clarity - as futile as that may sound.

323. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297244 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:45 pm

1070. Comment #297242 by secondsoprano

Oooh. I have hitherto unknown powers to bring the dead to life. Maybe I am a god too...

With great power comes great responsibility. Use it wisely, little grasshopper.

324. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297238 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:37 pm

1013. Comment #297031 by Bernstein -
This is a madhouse. I'm out of here.
Time of death: 17:07 GMT
Cause: Madness.

Sorry. You're dead. I'ts official. Go away.

325. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297236 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:32 pm

1065. Comment #297233 by Bernstein

It's aliiiivve! It's alliiivve!

Edit: No offense to Finns, but I just noticed mulitlpe "i's" and multiple "v's" look Finnish.

326. The Selfish Gene : 30 Years On

Comment #297231 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:23 pm

Incredible!

This went completely unnoticed and uncommented, and it's one of the finest audio on this site.

Strange, neh? I checked this out a couple of hours ago and thought, "All comments deleted?"

"Great piece - can't be nobody saw it, must be so old that it's already been chewed over and then purged." Still think that's a possible explanation.

327. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #297225 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:15 pm

2047. Comment #297223 by decius

Uh, this reminds me of:

I don't have a drinking problem:

I drink

I get drunk

I fall down

No problem.

Edit: Okay, yours was more sophisticated, Decius.

328. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #297221 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:07 pm

conscious being (so there could be no collapsing wave functions without consciousness

Hah! Proof of what I sorta suggested earlier!

The Wave Function

329. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #297216 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 7:00 pm

You seem to be simply assuming that the wavefunctions do collapse where there is no observer in the proper sense of the word as the Copenhagen Interpretation suggests. We may very well have good reason to assume that, given the status of science, but it is not something that can simply be assumed without further thought.

You folks are amazing - simply amazing. But is all this really necessary to refute DG? He's obviously just using his familiarity with science jargon to sound rational, just like those "What the Bleep..." people.

Maybe I'm just jealous.

330. 'Prop 8 - The Musical'

Comment #297106 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 11:27 am

88. Comment #297102 by TheReason

Comment #296177 by decius on December 3, 2008 at 8:02 am

Comment #296167 by mixmastergaz

In your browser, somewhere among the options, you can select the "encoding".

Assuming you use IE, which is in itself a grave error, open Page/Encoding and switch to Western European (ISO).

If you had a smarter browser, like Firefox, you probably wouldn't need to do this in the first place.

Is there a way we can put this info in an easily accessible place?

331. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #297100 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 11:19 am

I myself have played with a different solution: that the appropriate interpretation of QM is that the wavefunction describes the state of THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS GAME, given the information at hand. So what the wavefunction collapse is, IS THE FLYERS LOSING EVERY TIME MY HUSBAND WATCHES A GAME. This idea appears to work well up to a point, but does not PREVENT MY HUSBAND FROM WATCHING ANYWAY.

Can anybody play this game?

332. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #297087 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 10:51 am

I myself have played with a different solution: that the appropriate interpretation of QM is that the wavefunction describes the state of ignorance of one's mind, given the information at hand. So what the wavefunction collapse is, is the collapse of one's ignorance given some new piece of information. This idea appears to work well up to a point, but does not help naturalism out if its predicament because it does not fulfill naturalisms requirement that science describe the objective world out there.

Play on. Just be sure to put your toys away when you're done.

333. Win Ben Stein's Mind

Comment #297080 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 10:42 am

45. Comment #297074 by The Schuermannator

"How about a.... crockumentary?"

And a Golden CrocoDuck award ... oh, wait, that's for something else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC10H2sFigU

334. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297076 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 10:36 am

1041. Comment #297064 by Peacebeuponme

See comment 997 of this thread and then look at other comments by the same poster. (There I managed not to type a naughty word. ;-) )

Steve describes this person as his own personal stalker.

335. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297058 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:55 am

Steve, maybe I'm paranoid, but this creeped me out.

Try walking down a side street in E17 in that hat and you risk serious damage. Let on that you are an atheist within one mile of the East London mosque and you are finished.

There are people out there that hate you. Not because they know you, or anything about you, but because they are convinced that your life is a perversion.

I realize he's not couching it as a threat, but as a commentary on your optimism. However, it could be that the "messenger" really is the originator of the message. Okay, I think too much, but I thought it went beyond snide.

336. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297054 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:40 am

1032. Comment #297052 by phatbat

What's a "glove puppet?" Is it different from a "sock puppet?"

337. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297053 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:39 am

1032. Comment #297052 by phatbat
"I wonder who it is?"

It's Steve! (Sorry, I've read too many murder mysteries where the murderer is careful to send threatening letters to himself.)

I read the posts, too. I think it's extremely creepy. Steve, I think you should contact Josh.

338. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297039 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:15 am

993. Comment #297010 by Tezcatlipoca

Sorry to tell you Tez, but so far 84% of those voting (well it is on Lou Dobbs) think the ACLU is pursuing its own (scary music) "agenda."

Did you notice they put up "Win Ben Stein's Mind?"

339. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297028 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:03 am

1006. Comment #297024 by Bernstein

Comment #297023 by Steve Zara

Is this your way of apologizing, Steve?

That's it. TROLL.

340. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297025 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 9:01 am

1003. Comment #297020 by Quetzalcoatl

I wonder if he thinks "not acting immorally" is equivalent to "acting morally?"

341. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297017 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:54 am

994. Comment #297011 by phatbat

Right you are. Especially since this whole argument started with B saying he didn't think the issue was important enough to be bothered about, and now it turns out he's burning the midnight oil, wringing his hands and wrestling with his own dark night of the soul (I know, mixed up metaphors) trying to decide what's "best" for minorities.

342. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #297006 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:47 am

984. Comment #296999 by Bernstein

This is like pulling teeth but less entertaining. So you would leave the dots blank on Prop 8?

But all this time I didn't realize you were expending so much time and mental energy weighing what is really in the best interests of oppressed minorities, even when your conclusion contradicts their own clearly expressed desires. Sometimes Daddy has to make decisions the kiddies won't like for their own good?

343. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #296998 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:40 am

982. Comment #296992 by Bernstein

Brilliant. Assuming you go to the polls at all,

DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT FILL IN ONE OF THE GODDAMNED DOTS?

Edit: Misspelled goddamned!

344. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again

Comment #296985 by Caudimordax on December 4, 2008 at 8:19 am

Is this STILL going on???

MY question was never answered:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record - (an expression doomed to go the way of the dodo):

Bernstein:

It's election day. You get up, go to the polling place and are handed a ballot.

When you get to the two dots representing a yes or no vote on Proposition 8, WHAT DO YOU DO?

Do you decide it's too much trouble to fill in the "yes" dot? Or that just the presence of an empty circle is "arm-twisting" to be resisted at all costs? We're not talking about storming the barricades here.

345. An Open Letter to Richard Dawkins

Comment #296527 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 7:13 pm

"but some would view us as the devil's handmaidens or whatever."

Oooooohhhh. My mother told me I'm going to burn in hell, but to be a devil's handmaiden? It sounds rather - hmmmm.

Well, anyway, got to go to my god-sanctioned (but still pleasant) bed.

346. An Open Letter to Richard Dawkins

Comment #296519 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 7:05 pm

Probably a drive by, more's the pity. Sounded like someone who wants to become unconvinced -"Mind you, I'm not going to convert to atheism."

347. An Open Letter to Richard Dawkins

Comment #296515 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 6:59 pm

425. Comment #296513 by Brian English

Gosh, I wish I had the knowledge, creativity and (above all) energy to reply like that. Bravo BE.

348. Atheists want God out of Ky. homeland security

Comment #296514 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 6:56 pm

"Maybe then I can insure the car and start eating again."

oooofff

It's so weak, that guys drink about 10 of them 'cause it's like water,

So why is making love in a canoe like american beer?

349. An Open Letter to Richard Dawkins

Comment #296512 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 6:48 pm

So you're apparently pretty smart, but you believe in a book being true because the book itself says it's true? You sound like you could embark on your own search for god, unaided by a bronze age book.

350. 'Prop 8 - The Musical'

Comment #296456 by Caudimordax on December 3, 2008 at 3:12 pm

54. Comment #296418 by decius

I do hope you enjoy them - I haven't read the Carrados stories yet.

"Your indulgent censure will henceforth stimulate my powers of silence."