Messages

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

91

Photoshops / Re: What'd you add to *your* version of the Anarcho-Capitalist flag?

« on: April 07, 2009, 04:43:16 AM »

What the fuck would an anarcho-capitalist want a flag for?

92

General / Re: Linux Sucks. Java sucks. I'm a Microsoft guy again!

« on: April 07, 2009, 02:36:36 AM »

I'm actually gonna spend a little time this easter getting an ubuntu partition up and running. Anyone with any experience sharing media ubuntu -> xbox 360?

93

The Polling Pit / Re: why hyped up moral/safety outrage caused your parents to make you to miss out

« on: March 23, 2009, 11:37:12 AM »

I used to draw little Hitlers in all of my school books when I was a kid. This freaked my mom out, but I'm not totally sure if I fits the bill as irrational

94

The Show / Re: Law of Attraction

« on: February 09, 2009, 12:29:58 PM »

A rational world view, empiricism, the material basis for the universe, rejecting stories about supernatural sky fairies that grants wishes, etc. And by subscribing to this Secret crap, you actually have embraced an amoral, anti-rights philosophy, since the universe is delivering to people exactly what they want, so even when most libertarians would recognize a rights violation, Sam says they are getting what they want and/or deserve, since they either wanted it to happen, or did nothing to prevent it. That ain't any kind of libertarianism with which I am familiar.

It is a kind of materialistic hedonistic nihilism.

Nope, it's original sin in a different but just as stupid wrapping.

95

The Show / Re: Law of Attraction

« on: February 09, 2009, 10:19:54 AM »

I think I've had my share of Sam's rambling from the 06.02 show.

As an answer to the person who brought forward the hypothetical situation of a guy being shot by a lunatic, Sam actually said that the universe only says "Yes!", and therefore will take one person who wants to get shot, and one person who wants to shoot someone together.

The logical conclusion based on Sam's statement is that EVERYTHING that happens to a person happens because the person wants it, conciously or subconciously.

Logically, the citizens of Gaza WANTED to be bombed by Israel, conciously or subconciously.
The citizens of Gaza that died from the bombing WANTED to die from the bombing.
The slaves in the US who died in slavedom WANTED to be slaves for the rest of their lives.

This is the most ridiculous bullcrap I HAVE EVER HEARD!

According to Sam, we also have complete responsibility for everything bad that happens, and he actually said "What did you do to prevent it?" when Ian brought up a real or hypothetic (I don't remember) case where someone was obviously not responsible for someone's terrible ordeal.

Logically we can then conclude that Sam was responsible for the bombing of Gaza?

96

The Show / Re: Penn and Teller

« on: January 25, 2009, 03:44:30 PM »

But I think my absolute favorite is the one about world peace.

Actually, Pen Jillette is one of the reasons that I finally gave up socialism and discovered my liberatarian nature.

I was already a free minded person when watching that episode but I had never thought of globalization really in that way before. I was hesitant to agree with them on that issue, but after much thought what they say makes sense.

Yup, it makes perfect sense. When you in a discussion introduce peace as an argument for free trade you really discover how deep the brainwashing in the schools and media really is. People are taken aback by it because it's something they have never ever heard before.

97

The Show / Re: Penn and Teller

« on: January 25, 2009, 11:26:16 AM »

Penn and Teller's show Bullshit (don't know if you've seen it) combines skepticism with libertarianism, which I know rankles the kind of skeptics you're talking about.  I have mixed feelings about it.  It's not supposed to be scientifically rigorous, because then not as many people would watch and enjoy it.  But on the other hand, when people disagree with the ideology then they may get caught up with that and then not take in the skepticism.   Still, I know there are a lot of people who got turned on to libertarian in the first place by watching Bullshit.  So I guess people can get their skepticism laden with authoritarianism from Skeptic's Guide, and their libertarian skepticism from Bullshit.   Ideology-free skepticism seems to be difficult to come by, because sooner or later the question of whether science should be funded by the government comes up and everything goes all to hell. 

You can't do anything totally objectively and ideology free. Anyone who claims otherwise is a lying ideologue with an agenda. I'm a huge fan of Bullshit, and love every episode they've made. But I think my absolute favorite is the one about world peace.

Actually, Pen Jillette is one of the reasons that I finally gave up socialism and discovered my liberatarian nature. I discovered his radio show through his skeptic activism, and realized that the cognitive dissonance that had been tormenting me disappeared when I thought about issues while utilizing the non-aggression principle after listening to his show. That together with my constant failure to win discussions with liberty-minded people.

I kinda have some problems with P&T actually disregarding good science in matters like global warming and second hand smoke. It's totally possible to be a libertarian and at the same time acknowledging that the science is not on the side of the deniers of those two issues. 

98

The Show / Re: Penn and Teller

« on: January 25, 2009, 10:34:08 AM »

Yep, there's at least one other here, but I don't recall who it is.  I really enjoy Skeptic's Guide....the only time I don't like it is when they get gung-ho about prosecuting people for publishing pseudoscience.  Follow that line of logic and you end up putting anyone who makes money off lying to people in prison, and I don't want to live in that world.  I get the feeling sometimes that Steve and the bunch wouldn't mind locking up fortune tellers for fraud. 

Yeah, my impression is that most public skeptics are of the more authoritarian persuation. They fall into the special interest trap and are totally blind to every other consideration than promoting science, and more especially their own branch of science, not hesitating to use force against heretics. The Skeptic's Guide is supposed to be totally non-political, but they fail to grasp the fact that promoting the use of force against those whose views one opposes is in fact as political as can be. Anyhow, one of the highlights of my week is the Skeptic's Guide show.

99

The Show / Re: Penn and Teller

« on: January 25, 2009, 09:33:52 AM »

The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe got Teller to interview on the show when they broadcasted lived from The Amazing Meeting in Vegas.  I'm not sure if they didn't want Penn or just couldn't get him, but most likely FTL isn't going to get either Penn or Teller any other way. 

Ah, both a Skeptic's Guide and and FTL listener? Mad props!

100

The Polling Pit / Re: Do you trust YouTube?

« on: January 17, 2009, 01:02:03 PM »

I'm pretty sure it's acceptable to use censorship to describe private activities.

You might qualify it by saying it's acceptable to your ethical system that they make such a decision.

You don't see any need to use different words to describe a government's violent repression of expressions on the one hand, and a private entity's right to control content on the other?

101

The Polling Pit / Re: Do you trust YouTube?

« on: January 03, 2009, 03:57:31 PM »

True, but as a customer i have the ability to ostracize a provider of a service, and perhaps if enough customers do so they will adjust to what the markets demands.  I don't think anyone is contesting their right to do what they have done, only the decision. 

I would think you're not going out on a limb there, considering this forum is a hub for people who look at property rights practically as holy My only point is that it is unwise to use the word censorship in this context, because it contributes to the muddying of the real meaning of the word, and basically puts China and YouTube in the same boat.

102

The Polling Pit / Re: Do you trust YouTube?

« on: January 03, 2009, 01:54:20 PM »

It's really important to hold on to the difference between censorship and a private content broadcaster's (in lack of a better word) right to control their own property, and by that what kind of content that is broadcast through it.

Censorship is a violent repression of certain expressions, usually perpetrated by governments. Censorship typically is violence supported rules that's universal usually within the censoring organisation's claimed jurisdiction. Within this jurisdiction, you will face violent reprisals for the censored expression, no matter what medium you utilize for it.

YouTube's content control is not censorship. YT will not use violence against you if you migrate to another provider or set up your own.

103

The Polling Pit / Re: My next name on this BBS?

« on: January 02, 2009, 09:59:13 PM »

Brownian Motion, just because it's a fucking cool phenomena to read about.

I had some brownian motion going on a few hours after christmas dinner.

104

General / Re: What are you eating?

« on: December 24, 2008, 04:55:13 PM »

I've just come home from the Xmas celebration at my aunts. We had all the traditional shit; ribs, meatballs, sausage, ham, sauerkraut, potatos. I'm fuckin' stuffed

105

The Polling Pit / Re: Aspartame

« on: December 23, 2008, 04:21:52 PM »

Get.
Off.
The.
Couch.
Now.
And.
Again.

I know it's hard for you Americans, but those long things attached to your ass are in fact made for walking 

Great generalization, but until you run half-marathons every Friday like I did for 2 1/2 years, you shouldn't generalize. It makes you look silly.

Sorry for having fun with stereotypes. It won't happen again, Mr. Gebrealassie