I’m making a new blog at http://made-up.info/ so I won’t be updating this one anymore (not like I was already).
Come check out the new digs!
July 31, 2009
June 4, 2009
May 14, 2009
May 3, 2009
April 5, 2009
Light bulb.
Science and reason take a lot of work: Let’s just let ancient superstitions decide our public policy.
April 3, 2009
February 6, 2009
The most ridiculous item of the day —
The sheer absurdity of the argument astonishes.
In the early age of human scientific thought, it was supposed that through simply thinking things through logically, truths could be deduced about the universe without empirical evidence.
The ancients could prove things geometrically through scientific reasoning without seeing actual squares or triangles; consequently, they imagined they could lay back and arrive to perfect truth without ever conducting a single experiment or observing a single phenomenon — a priori reasoning, mere armchair ratiocination.
Back then, to assert the existence of a deity required no physical evidence, no observed proof, nothing in support of any kind other than clever philosophical suppositions.
That was over two thousand years ago.
Evolve.
February 4, 2009
A reason Obama scares me.
Here’s a quote from statements the president made about his move to cut top executives’ income at companies that receive “exceptional assistance” from the bailout (emphasis added):
This is America. We don’t disparage wealth. We don’t begrudge anybody for achieving success. And we believe that success should be rewarded. But what gets people upset – and rightfully so – are executives being rewarded for failure. Especially when those rewards are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.
One word changes everything.
Omit the “especially,” and he says that the public can be rightfully upset when executives get large bonuses out of the taxpayers’ money. Legitimate beef.
With the “especially,” he instead says that the public can get legitimately angry at large executive bonuses it feels are uncalled for, period, and that government action pusuant to eliminating the practice is acceptable.
With the “especially,” the fact that these particular bonuses are paid from taxpayer pockets becomes an aggravating but incidental factor.
February 3, 2009
February 1, 2009
Shopping.
I saw an old woman at the grocery store today. She was strangely disheveled in that way unique to geriatrics, confused, but moving quick, like insects do, dash-stop-look-dash.
I imagined her out of place and solitary, a forgotten artifact, no more used, no more useful, put out of society’s mind. And she didn’t understand any of it. She was lost and bewildered and hungry, and she didn’t understand any of it.
I couldn’t bear it.
She started moving again, dash-stop-look-dash — and skittered suddenly to a full basket pushed by her smiling family.
My relief contained worlds.
