• 15Apr 09

  A defector

  After wandering for over two years in the wasteland, and after looking across and away from the vast desert and the vast Blue Ocean to constantly witness how much greener the grass was on the other side, I have, after numerous fits and starts, finally resolved to relocate, and have effectively committed to it. No, I shall not be a resident of both regions, sorry to say, for in doing so, friendships and alliances on both sides would become strained. This desert and this plain through me shall not mix, though it be possible, as others before me have shown.

  This person, to whom it is no simple task to cease with favored endeavors--has done the improbable: he has quit the Revolution, and he is off to join the ranks of the Evil Green Empire--enlistment occurs this summer. In this decision lie happiness and contentedness, though elven swordsmen be absent and there are no plumbers to plumb, nor are there assortments of rowdy personalities of old to do battle amongst each other. May the desert one day flourish with life and become as green as the ocean is blue. But until that day comes, prosperity is only to be had as a citizen of one of the two great empires, and I have decided to which I wish to belong.

  Live long and bear fruit, Revolution. Perhaps I shall join in once more someday. But should you expire without having fought the good fight, I shall not forgive you--instead, your memory shall perish utterly.

  As a last act from me to thee, I give to my most beloved friend the power I once wielded over you. May you find success in his care.

  UPDATE (08/13/09): No more consoles this gen. I'm just going to upgrade my gaming PC, and have already gotten a Radeon HD 4890 video card.

  • Posted Apr 15, 2009 9:17 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 26Jan 09

  Wanna know why many atheists are angry?

  One reason: behold, the fair and balanced (as long as you're a conservative Christian) Fox network!

  For the record, and surprise surprise, not everything Beck says is correct.

  And a summary of more general reasons here.

  • Posted Jan 26, 2009 2:50 pm PT
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• 12Aug 08

  Militant? Um, no. Try again.

  Read this.

  Seriously, what is this? Militant atheists, eh? Where are they?

  Here's a primer on atheism:
  http://www.atheistrev.com/2008/06/militant-atheism.html

  Here are a couple cartoons that illustrate the situation very well:
  http://www.jesusandmo.net/2008/06/20/lake/
  http://www.offendedyet.com/2008/03/same-thing.html

  Here's a video that says it even better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5OEocRp2wA

  And no, the term "fundamentalist atheists" isn't accurate, either:
  http://atheism.about.com/od/atheismmyths/p/Fundamentalist.htm

  Reread the "primer" again if you have to. Let this all sink in. These atheists that people are calling "militant", "fundamentalist", etc. are not, in general, the perpetrators of bigotry--they are the victims of it. They're being held to a double standard by hypocrites who are so accustomed to their religion being favored by the state that they don't see injustice when it happens. Tell me, what would it take for a Christian or a Muslim, for example, to be called a "militant Christian" or a "militant Muslim"? Whatever your response is, see if those requirements for militancy are being met by atheists who are being called militant. If they aren't being met, then be sure you don't use the term unless it's use is warranted. If these atheists really are militant by your requirements, then be sure you apply the term to believers who also meet the requirements. If you aren't going to be consistent, you're a hypocrite who is instituting a double standard.

  Now, about Spore: I have no problem with religion being included as an option for one's creatures to practice. That would certainly make it realistic if we're talking about creatures that are mentally somewhat similar to us humans. Without further information, though, I can't say why those atheists were upset. From what Will Wright said, I suspect that it might have something to do with the player having some level of control over his/her creatures, which is not the way that evolution in the real world works, or appears to work. It is, however, the way that theistic evolutionists believe it works, and this realization opens up room for potential criticism. But also, in trying to simulate biological evolution, do it right. You can certainly be afraid of offending the religious/theists, but please don't misrepresent the way the world works for the sake of appeasing them. I hope you aren't doing this, Will.

  But back to the point of this post: Think for a moment of a type of creature that you don't believe exists--for instance, a giant, invisible pair of hands (GIPoH). Let's say that everything these hands can supposedly do is or can be better-explained by the behavior of things that are confirmed to exist (i.e. there is no evidence for the GIPoH). Furthermore, let's say that there are 100 people in our society and that you and five others do not believe that the GIPoH exists (which is NOT the same thing as believing that they don't exist). Let's also suppose that the other 94 people in our society are more prone than the other 6 are to doing bad, harmful, stupid, or illegal things because of their belief in the GIPoH, and that there are many known instances of such actions being committed.

  For many centuries, the GIPoH-ians have been given special privileges by the government, and they have been spreading horrible, vile, but entirely false, rumors about the a-GIPoH-ists. When the GIPoH-ians have come in conflict with other, similar (to their own), groups in the past, their interactions have consisted of violence and hatred--i.e., militancy. When the a-GIPoH-ists try to point out injustices being perpetrated in their 100-person society, via means of talking, writing, and going to court, they are given the label "militant". Doing so spreads the bigoted misconception that they are being like the GIPoH-ians were to other groups in the past.

  Now, isn't there something fishy about that?

  "Militant" my ass. I'm tired of all the bigotry.

  • Posted Aug 12, 2008 3:56 pm PT
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