Black After

agnosticpope @ 7:06pm: Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch died today.

He was an amazing human being who upon being diagnosed with terminal cancer, decided that rather than moping around and waiting to die, he could wait just as well in zero gravity, buddying up with childhood heroes, designing VR rides for Disney World, or pleading for cancer research on behalf of his widow and children.

He also gave one last lecture entitled "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams".

Here's the usual suspects:
Youtube
iTunes (free and the best quality)
CMU Obituary

lordshell, posting in atheism @ 6:41pm: Extreme Bible Stories!
Dunno if this has been posted before, but it is fucking hilarious.

http://www.seanet.com/~billr/xbs/DontdisElisha.htm

jenisnape @ 2:41pm: The altfriday5 is pleased to meet you
From the altfriday5:

1. Who was the last new person you met? What were the circumstances?
Two new Couchsurfers! At the CS gathering we had at the Heuther Patio!
They were awesome. And it's always great to meet new CSers :D

2. What was the last meeting you attended? What were the circumstances?
A Gas Seminar at work. And it sucked. Because it was part 2 of another seminar that I wasn't invited to. But then they invited me last minute and didn't tell me. So I missed part 1. WTF? And way, I did learn one thing though.
Carbon Monoixide/smoke detectors that are combined are useless for detecting carbon monoxide.
Because a carbon monoxide detector needs to be about 3 feet off the floor (because carbon monoxide sinks; it's heavier then air...). So thus it's useless....yup

3. How often do you meet new people, in general? Why?
Actually quite often. Often friends will bring their friends to get-togethers. Or CSers.

4. How often do you attend meetings, in general? Why?
I go out with friends often, but office meetings...not so much.

5. Describe your nightmare meeting and your dream meeting.
Nighmare meeting = The last Christmas meeting we had. It was BOILING HOT in the room, and we ran way late! :(
Dream = Snacks and fun slides. Plus naps. :D

jenisnape @ 2:38pm: Friday Fiver: Stolen from bonorattle since the one I use hasn't updated in forever!
1. If you could change one life-changing event in the life of someone important to you, would you?
Yes. I hate seeing my father ruin his life because of his addiction.
And I hate how my personality has been so altered because of it.

2. Which do you think is easier to do, being friends for many years, or being life partners for many years?
Life partners.
Friends move. Friends get new friends. And most won't try very hard to keep in contact :(

3. Have you ever walked away from someone you considered a friend?
Yes. I find it so hard to do but sometimes it's necessary.

4. If you had to choose between telling the truth and hurting a friend or lying and making them happy, which would you choose?
I wouldn't lie. But I'd maybe find someway of telling them so that it wasn't as bad...? Or maybe procrastinate...>_>

5. Which would you rather hear--the truth which will hurt, or the comforting lie?
Depends. I wouldn't want to be lied to, but I also don't want to end up crying :(

upinmytree, posting in atheism @ 1:01pm: Follow-up
Response from a Catholic Apologist: PZ Myers Must Be Fired

Akin criticizes Myer's actions, claims he is now unfit as an educator and calls for an email campaign to UMM President and Chancellor.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that PZ violated the code of conduct, especially not in such a way to be grounds for dismissal outright. He wasn't technically disrespectful toward any person, just an idea. And that should be covered under academic freedom.

Thing is, Jimmy Akin is not Bill Donahue. He's pretty dogmatic, but he's not a vein-popping blowhard. It makes me wonder how more moderate Catholics will respond.

Anyway, here's the contact info if you want to cancel out a few Catholic emails.

President Robert H. Bruininks
202 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Via phone: 612-626-1616
Via fax: 612-625-3875
Via e-mail: upres@umn.edu

Chancellor Jacqueline Johnson
309 Behmler Hall
600 East 4th Street
Morris, MN 56267

320-589-6020
E-mail: grussing@morris.umn.edu

kinectra @ 6:19pm: Terrapin Tales!
It's up! Though I'm still looking for a guestbook or chatbox that google pages will host.



Terrapin Tales

upinmytree, posting in atheism @ 3:53pm: It is done.
The Great Desecration

Up to this point, I've felt that PZ Myers was being kinda childish, but this entry was written with surprising eloquence, and I feel he made his (valid) point rather well.

And since the thread on that article will undoubtedly become too long to tolerate, and will probably be filled with more threats and vain curses than I'd like to see, I thought I'd open it up for discussion here. So what do the atheists of LJ think? Good move? Bad move? Next move? Do you think the Church will be able to effectively retaliate? And what does all of this mean for atheism as a whole?

kinectra @ 1:27pm: Meme of Hawtness, Kiz Flavor
Stolen from reijiro75

1. List 15 actors or fictional characters that you would have sex with/you admire.
2. Put all of them in order (15-1, 1 is the ultimate).
3. Say what hooked you.
4. Supply pictures for said characters. 

marilena_r @ 5:17pm: Just wondering
Isn't Tat-chan a dangerous guy? 
He likes weapons, fighting, and after that, teasing his friends. He is especially happy when his buddy - read Nakamaru - gets teased. First, he was the one who made him participate in the Batsu Game in Hokkaido. Now he is the one proposing bungee jumping to him. 
Poor Maru was terrified. No, I understand. I have a hight-phobia as well and not even Kazuya would be able to calm me down. Of course, the other guys are kind of dangerous as well. Kazuya's eyes trully glittered at the idea and Junno also supported it. Koki and Jin didn't object. Ah, those six. <333333

zoda12321, posting in atheism @ 12:29am:

That guy is definitely a joke though.

summary:

-If someone created video games then someone must have also created us.
-We can say for certain that the sun will rise tomorrow.
-Christians have always believed in gravity?

It's obviously a contest which cannot be won, because it's judged by the wrong people.. But, it's certainly funny to watch.. The entire website is a joke. GodTube?


EDIT: Sorry, the embedded video didn't work! here's the link:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8eac64eb46ea47490279

Should make alot more sense now..

jarkimusprime, posting in atheism @ 9:34pm: Residents upset over Distribution of Qurans
It doesn't seem this has been posted before, I know a good lot of you aren't the biggest fans of fox news, neither am I, but I found this article funny


Residents Upset Over Group's Distribution of Qurans
[www.myfoxhouston.com]


Last Edited: Tuesday, 01 Jul 2008, 9:27 PM CDT
Created: Tuesday, 01 Jul 2008, 8:31 PM CDT
Quran
FOX 26 News

HOUSTON -- The distribution of Qurans in a southwest Houston neighborhood has some residents worried about the motives of the group who dispersed the Islamic book.

An English translation of the Quran began appearing two weeks ago on the doorsteps of hundred of homes in the BraesTimbers neighborhood. The books came in plastic bags with a note attached from the ‘Book of Signs Foundation’ asking recipients to accept the Quran as a gift from the Muslim community.

But some residents, like Greg and Sue Ann Pieri, said they feared the group is imposing its beliefs on non-Muslims and found the gesture offensive.

“If we went into a Muslim country and left a bible, we would be in prison and then decapitated a few years later,” said Sue Ann Pieri, who chose not to destroy the book like other neighbors did.

However, Houston's Council on American-Islamic Relations President Tarick Hussein said although his organization did not partake in distributing the books, he believes that the Muslims behind the distribution only wanted to educate non-Muslims about the religion.

The Book of Signs Foundation claims to have distributed 30,000 Qurans in Houston, targeting neighborhoods believed to be most receptive of the Quran or in need of a better understanding of Islam.


(For those who don't want to read all that, it basically says, Christians get a taste of their own medicine, and don't like it.)

childofstrings, posting in atheism @ 3:35pm: OH LAWD MAH PETS!!!!
Smart Atheist is Smart.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/ksc/725674463.html

I lol'd.

stevenxonward, posting in atheism @ 9:38am: The sun stood still?!
I got this e-mail just a few minutes ago. Read it... then weep for humanity.


x-posted

texanguitargod, posting in atheism @ 8:36am: Slavedriver
I ruminated on this for a bit, and I propose it to all of you for discussion.

It's commonly claimed by Christianity that humans are reflections of God. Looking at the evidence of everything sharing common ties from our creations (buildings, utilities, etc.) to our DNA, it can't be far off track to venture that in some way we are reflections of the original, whatever it be.

That being said, if we look at rulers and kingdoms of humanity and even the power structures of the animal world, wouldn't God need to be a slavedriver or some kind of ruler with a designation that sets him apart from the underlings, and that God would need to reinforce his rank through disciplinary action time to time, lest his position as God be challenged? After all, look at the Tower of Babel story in the Bible. Summary: Humans build tower to heavens. God(s) say, curiously, "They have become like us!" Smiting ensues and languages are created to confuse everyone.

Forgive me if this has been brought up before. It's a new thought to me.

Anyway, my take is that this God is not worthy of worship. No God should require worship, even. God must have taken out of himself to make everything, otherwise where else could he have drawn energy if there was only him? (this is already assuming the improbable feat of being an entity that needed no creation and always was, in spite of reality) And if God had to take out of himself, should we not all be God as well, though we would be divided sections of it? If that's true, no worship should be required because WE ARE what is currently being worshiped.

Soooo... if God must be a slavedriver, but God must also not require worship/obedience (the combination of my last two points), God could not be God. God could not be.

Point out any wrong data here and discuss. I'm really interested to know what you all think.

kinectra @ 1:54am: Terrapin Tales
Whoo! The Economy of Suckatude is making it extremely difficult to find work (there are hiring freezes everywhere, and three public schools have closed due to lack of funds). While I continue to place what is nearing forty applications, I find myself needing a project. I cannot at this time sit and write for hours such as I used to, so I need something a little more involved.

Remember the old days of the TMNT fandom when personal fansites were everywhere? Most of those sites are now dead links or at the very best, haunted hosts that have not seen an update in years.

So! I'm building my own! It will host my fanfiction, icons, some links, fanfiction recs, a blog about various TMNT observations, and hopefully some scans when I get the income needed for a scanner. Fansites may be considered too 'old-school' nowadays, but I'm enjoying the site.

I'm still working on it, uploading content and tweaking the look. But I'll post a link when it's acceptable!

mariko_azrael @ 11:37pm: After watching Gao 7-12
Yeah, yeah, I've only seen a little Gao, and I shouldn't already be shipping Gao Red with Time Red, but guess what, I am. >.>

braddogg, posting in atheism @ 11:22pm: Three questions from a theist
I used to work at a Christian summer camp, and still read the blogs of a few friends I made there. Last week, one of them (the wife of the camp director) asked a few questions about the Bible. She said she wanted a lot of people to respond to the post, but after a few days, none of the Christians had answered the call, so I decided to :^D

The questions:

Do you believe that the BIBLE is a) The DIVINE WORD OF GOD; b) is INERRANT (without error or mistake) in its entirety; and c) is ABSOLUTELY TRUE for all people, in all places and for all time (past, present and future)? Yes or No (on each and/or all), and comment on your answer (why or why not?)

My response:

The answer to your questions, in no particular order, are: no, no, and no.

a) An article of faith. There is no way to know for sure what the divine word of God would look like. Someone reading the Bible, Koran, a collection of Amerindian myths, and Dianetics wouldn't be able to tell which was the word of God. But, if the Bible IS the divine word of God, he's one evil dude. For example, he commands Joshua to slaughter an entire city, young and old, men and women. It sickens me that that's a children's song.

b) An empirical question. Clearly, the Bible is not inerrant. It contradicts itself. For example, it claims that God doesn't tempt men (James 1:13) and that God tempted Abraham (Genesis 22:1). The Proverbs advise us not to answer a fool according to his folly (26:4) and to answer a fool according to his folly (26:5). Jesus tells us to let our good deeds be done in public so that our light may shine before men (Matthew 5:16), and to do our good deeds in secret (6:3-4). More here. It also contradicts reality. The one that sticks out in my mind is when Jesus is taken by Satan to the top of the Temple and shown all the kingdoms of the world. Only if the world were flat would that be possible.

c) Truth doesn't change. A=A, for all times and all places. Since the Bible is not true, then it is not true in any place or any time.

Anyone want to object or add to my response?

ETA: A week after her post, mine is the only comment left, and she hasn't responded to my comment yet. I think people have learned that it's better not to get into discussions with her (she's aggressive and stubborn), and that she's learned that it's better not to get into discussions with me (I'm a heathen and can be stubborn).

greenwavedave, posting in atheism @ 5:38pm: I love a close shave.

maiteoida, posting in homemade_manga @ 5:35pm: Hi, I just wanted to share a new webcomic I started about a month ago. It's name is Overland, and it's about a hapless imp who suddenly gets put in charge of escorting a girl to the Overland (or, in our terms, the living world).


( A few of the actual comic pages under the cut )

I've tried a lot of webcomics in the past, but this is probably the first time I've had as much fun creating one. I guess it's kind of inspired by the sort of comics serialized in Wings (with a bit of Mag Garden for good measure). Anyway, if you're interested, it'd be awesome if you checked it out!

j_brisby @ 4:57am: I've got five entries up now at Rolled Up Dog. I'd appreciate some feedback... -'sniff' puppydog eyes-

--------

I tried to see Batman in IMAX, which meant hauling all the way out to Langley, only to find that it was sold out. So I hauled all the way back to Metrotown in Burnaby, saw it at 10:30 in a packed theater.

I was surprisingly lukewarm. Sure, Heath Ledger was creepy and disturbing, but I kinda thought that any actor could have made it creepy and disturbing; it was creepy and disturbing on paper. Also, a lot of the action scenes were just plain confusing. Lots of people running around in the dark, and I wasn't sure who was running where or why.

I won't see it again, until it comes out on DVD.

mariko_azrael @ 11:43pm: Jetman fic
Title: Nesting (5/?)
Fandom: Chojin Sentai Jetman
Series/Character/Pairing: Tendou Ryu/Yuuki Gai
Theme: #16, Time
Rating: Going to go ahead and bump this up to PG-13 >>;
Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: Post series, spoilers apply, AU

( Part Five: Before We do Know. )

mothwentbad, posting in atheism @ 11:18pm: 1st Generation Atheists vs Others
Define "atheist" in your mind in whatever way seems reasonable for this poll.

Poll #1227496
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

I am:

The recent post about dating Christians got me thinking in general about how seriously different atheists take atheism and whether this correlates with being brought up with the expectations of religious faith. How is it with you on both questions, and can you attempt to speculate how it may've been different? I would've liked to have added questions about attitudes toward religion, but it would've been complicated to pigeonhole the options reasonably well, and LJ wouldn't correlate the answers for me, anyway.

mariko_azrael @ 9:31pm: La la la getting out of the house
( Really quick recap on Elijah's birthday. )

( Quick school update. )

I'd really like to know when my RL actually became almost sort of interesting. >>

aaeichsteadt, posting in atheism @ 4:02pm: This article is made of creepy.

"After dinner comes the ballet performance, when seven tiny ballerinas in white tulle float in; then seven older dancers carry in a large, heavy wooden cross, which they drape in white, with a crown of thorns. Four of the five Wilson daughters are among the dancers, and they offer a special dance to their father, to the music of Natalie Grant: Your faith, your love And all that you believe Have come to be the strongest part of me And I will always be your baby ...

Then Randy and his friend Kevin Moore stand in front of the cross, holding up two large swords, points crossed. Fathers and daughters process beneath the swords to kneel; the girls place a white rose at the base of the cross while the fathers offer a quiet blessing. Splayed on the floor all around them are half a dozen photographers looking for the right angle and a camera crew from the BBC, in a syncopation of private praise and clicking shutters."

nom_anor, posting in atheism @ 3:44pm: revelations
Every time I find out a girl I met (and liked) is a hardcore Christian, I die a little inside.

What's everyone's opinion on religiosity in the context of forming relationships?

I've been wrestling with this personal demon for some time. While I hate to cut myself off from the vast majority of the population (at least here in the US), past experience has taught me that it just doesn't work. As nice as these people can be, most do still judge you and assume that without God you can have no moral compass. One even admitted to me a fear that I would poison the minds of any potential (emphasis mine) future children against her raising them to be good (brainwashed) Christians. In my experience, we both say it doesn't matter in the beginning, but we're both lying. It complicates things later on, and it's just a ticking time bomb waiting to end a relationship with a single ill-timed/-worded remark.

I've also noticed that, though we are a fairly diverse lot, we all do share a number of core personality traits. I've noticed that those people I get along best with and are most compatible with often turn out to be freethinkers, atheists, and agnostics when it's more appropriate to ask about that taboo topic without fear of giving offense. Coincidence? I think not.

But that's my opinion, and my experiences, for what they're worth. I'm wondering if anyone else has similar experiences or has a different opinion of this issue.

x-posted in atheist