chuck kottke

Assuming the Universe is only matter..:inquisitive: The Universe is that, and a whole lot more!! That table contains atoms that may have been part of the gases exhaled by Aristotle, for instance. And the lampshade - was once interstellar particles, being clumped together into hot hydrogen, condensed by gravity into a sun, exploded, and then re-condensed into planets. Mined (if glass) as sand and light element oxides or carbonates.. Sand that a dinosaur may have tread upon, or calcium carbonate that once was a coral reef, supporting the life that may have evolved eventually into we humans.. The technologies used to make the lamp shade and its parts - a long series of steps that advanced modern living, and gave us everything from velcro fabrics to kevlar vests. All things are connected. There is always so much more.

Monty Python Sketches.. who wrote them?!

The pantheon of Gods? I am a constantly evolving conscious being - yes, pantheist perhaps. If God is everything, then as everything exists, therefore God exists. Perhaps harder to put a finger on, as when God is everything, then everything is God, and one cannot just point to a location, or paint a face to show what God looks like. What sayest thou to this question?

Perhaps it's the perfect machine - a self-unraveling code of sorts; the ultimate computer (with mice and dice). The mystery, the thrill of the chase, the joy of discovery - there's the fuel that keeps the human engine going...

God in human form?? No, I can't buy that either. Although, since I believe we are all part of God, then in a sense Jesus was, just as you and I are. He seems to me to be a reformer, a man who sparked deeper thoughts in people's minds, and an actor to bring out a kinder side to Judaism, and someone who was willing to do what is best for his people, despite the certainty of suffering and death. An example to be followed, as a way forward against those who would use fear and intimidation to control others, and a way to break inequities in society. He was an actor - he was portraying the idealized man, the biblical messiah. Like the bible is a cogent work anyways!:laugh3: I can mix and match things as I choose - like any good novelist.:artist::P Not making sense?? Perhaps, as we approach the tips of the tree of knowledge, not every direction forward is clear, and we have to experiment with several different ideas in our minds, to imagine which way things could go. After all, the mysteries still abound in nature, as in religion..

Hmm.. a classical theist (or deist).. how so?

dream on I'm cool on Christ - he said some good stuff, did a lot of good (like standing up against corruption, knowing in the end you'll get the ax), and the people that embellished on the story generally did a pretty spiffy job of it. It's a good novel. I think you can pick and choose! Why? Because it's contradictory anyways, so go with what you like!!:P (YES! Mix and Match your own religion!) A lot of it is just rules of society codified into written form, which changes over time. So, go with what makes sense, and just find passages that you like.;) A bunch of authors already did that for us, so a few more can't hurt.. Carbon, at.wt.12 exactly, having 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons. Two in S, four in P, but SP3 orbital hybridization makes it possible to form 4 bonds with nice bond angles (combining the S & P orbitals), so it's not that simple exactly... Now, if you energize the electrons just the right amount, and cool the atoms, there may be a state where the electrons begin to actually "orbit" the nucleus, instead of the mixed state of properties between orbiting particles and quantum mechanical wave forms.. Of course, occasionally an electron collides with the nucleus, but we won't go there for now. What I'm saying is that things may be larger than we perceive, in terms of influences and outcomes. Religion may produce at times a serene state of mind, where deeper contemplation is possible, as it focuses the mind and trains us to blot out external interferences. It may produce stability in society, wherein a reflective state of mind finds fertile ground to grow in, and expand our understanding of the known universe. And why does it exist at all? Perhaps through all the twists and turns of our social and cultural evolution, we have advanced through the influences of various religions.. It affects scientific discovery, through ways we often don't contemplate when we are focused narrowly on scientific thought. Wasn't Gregor Mendel a monk? Even as an instrument maker, Galileo held fast to his belief in God ("did not God also give us brains to think with, as well as hearts to feel with and hands to work with?"), and perhaps instrument making too is a sort of religion - rituals, patterns to follow, materials to understand, quiet contemplative time to do it in. To leap past rational thinking is sometimes necessary as well - quantum mechanics requires a sort of non-intuitive creative thinking, something which comes from the imagination, and from stories (Alice in Wonderland), and further advances in theoretical physics comes as much from the day-dreams of physicists, as from science-fiction novels.. But beyond all that, there is an inherent human need for stability, for compassion, for some framework or guide to begin with. I am not saying that everything in the Bible is the word of God, or that it's all wonderful, but there are many morality tales that do make sense and bring order to chaos, where progress trumps regression. There are some stories that pique the imagination, some requiring our minds to dream past what limits us in the physical world. Imagination is more powerful than knowledge.. where have I heard that before??;)

I'm unfamiliar with them..:rolleyes: I was listening to a new kind of engine!EXCLUSIVE: Video Of Scuderi Split-Cycle Prototype Engine Running - Engine Pr0n - Jalopnik Just listen to that baby purr!! No muffler even!!!

Welcome Mady to the wild and wacky Coldplaying site! Enjoy it - it's probably less fun that surfing off the coast, but the conversations are easier to hear.;) What's your interest in Coldplay?

To occupy the higher orbital can be enlightening, but then it's lonely way up there. So, I came down to earth, to plow the field, and sow good feelings.;)

I take the larger view - that which we call God, much as what Albert Einstein thought of as God, simply is the Universe. In that sense, the creation of the Universe (the 'big bang') is the creation of God, and ultimately resulted in our existence as well. The fact that human social interactions have come so far to allow us the peaceful cooperation to study things with such detail as we do is simply amazing, and if that's our ultimate purpose, it's a great one! True - it isn't as simple as people think - DNA may have crossed species boundaries from virus vectors, virus DNA itself probably plays a major role in multicellular life's DNA and trait expression, etc. But just the amazing unlikely set of circumstances - that here we are, communicating with computers as we do, studying with great interest the inner workings of life itself, and having collectively used our knowledge and created the capacity to do all this - all from the forces of the universe, the low probability of planet Earth being ideal for life as we know it, the template for life in some form happening (through cells forming from the primordial soup of compounds, or enzymes forming from precursor chemicals, using perhaps clay particles as a template.. And all the necessary steps that have gotten us here - it's quite amazing, and suggests to me that we are one part of the Universe (though perhaps not alone) which has a special purpose of unraveling the mysteries and colonizing space. So, as that goes, we are as much a part of God as we are apart from God. In our human interactions, there is a sorting and rearranging of what we perceive as real - from the concept that the Earth was the center of the Universe, to the concept we think of today in terms of planets, solar systems, etc.. After all the scientific method - observation, forming ideas idea about how the observations interrelate, forming a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, etc. is somewhat akin to reflecting on the older teachings and changing them to suit a more enlightened view of things. Yes, I believe that evolution is a motive force in life on the planet, and it is incredibly beautiful as a process. One thing to consider, however, is that we can and already have begun to transcend evolution. We are the manifestation of life that has the capacity to do what evolution, in our absence cannot do. When and where we should do this is a matter to debate, but we have already done things that defy evolution as the primary force in determining an organism's viability, as well as it's DNA composition. In other words, I'm trying to view things from a broad perspective, having participated in many narrowly focused fields. The civility between people, and the societies in which we live is a prerequisite to our ability to advance our understanding of the universe. Without purpose, hope, and positive motivation, we are like a ship without a rudder and captain.

There's gold on the sea floor - where the volcanic vents are! Getting at it is one question. Doing minimal harm to the environment is another. A third begs the question, "do we really need it"? But I'm not totally against the idea, if it were done properly, the harm minimized, and then more people could enjoy the flashy yellow metal.. just ramblings..

Maybe Jesus was gay? After all, he never had a wife, although there were those references to some gals who were there at his entombment..? Anyhow, it's a social and cultural evolution - as God gave us the brains and wherewithal to figure it all out..;)

The Old Testament (Hebrew bible) has some parts which are gruesome, cruel, and definitely evoking hatred towards others - cloaked in the righteousness of doing 'Gods' will. Those parts I think of as being unenlightened and vengeful towards whole groups, irrespective of their societies' individual thoughts, feelings, or actions. Here's one passage filled with invective language: "But the day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty-- a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes. The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.." There are numerous other examples - usually directed against groups other than the Hebrew tribes. But then I'm sure the regions' other civilizations and religions did much the same - it was a world of sparring powers... I think we are evolving a better understanding of human relations, and in doing so, hopefully lessening wars by addressing the root causes of conflict. If the message is one of peace, I'm all for it! Settle differences not with bloodshed and vengeful thinking, but with civility (international courts, etc.), and by speaking to one-another. Perhaps one good message from the Jesus tales is to "love your enemies" - a truly remarkable thing to say! It's a transformation from the older, more vindictive view of God, towards a more enlightened view.

Interesting quote, Bryce! The former sounds better, the latter unthinkable - at least in modern times.. to tame the animal within and without - that is the challenge. Perhaps being part of the whole is becoming the change we wish to see - it's all pretty much state-of-mind before substance anyhow. What was the one idea Pete Seeger had about change? The idea was that change was like a seesaw, with one end weighted down with the problem, and at the other end there's a big empty bucket. As the people who understood the need began to fill the bucket (a tiny teaspoon at a time), others would say "look, it's such a little amount of sand - the change will never come." But each day, more and more people came, and more and more teaspoons full of sand filled the pail, until all of a sudden, the seesaw flipped the other way! The non-participants were amazed and surprised when the change came so quickly, but they didn't notice how all along a great many people had each been taking the tiny teaspoons of sand, and slowly building up to a tipping point. For the ones with the teaspoons, the change had already began when they lifted their first spoonful of sand.

Here Comes The Sun (by none other than The Beatles.):sunny:[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVyt7Wd9Bp4]YouTube - The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun (with lyrics)[/ame]

If I was a moderator, I would moderate.:P Now behave!

Blues on vinyl would be cool..:cool: That's almost as real as it Gets!

I'm sorry to hear that:cry:.. my heart goes out to you. I hope you get the chance to play piano again in the future - and bring cheer to a room full of people for the Christmas season!

:laugh3:Yes, for the album art! Makes perfect sense now. And there is something to that - it's 'real' somehow with those scratches - maybe because there's a background sound to it, and that makes it seem like a 'special event' thing? But does it have more of a high range sound to it??

L.A.S.T.:P Load And Sound Testing.

:stunned:Modern stuff is still offered in vinyl?? VLVODAAHF?! That's a shock to me! Glad you can get it that way, though - it does still offer great high-fidelity, perhaps unequaled to anything digital commonly on the market.. Isn't that funny too - the older vinyl is superior in sound quality (without scratches, of course) to digital recordings. It's noticeable too! Does it have a more higher frequency tone to it (where the mid and upper ranges are louder or more pronounced than the bass)?

Yes. Just last week I was listening to the Beatles on vinyl, and Peter Paul & Mary..:cool: What have you been spinning off at 45 speed?

I dunno. When Abraham was commanded by god to take his only son Isaac up to the altar, and then slay him as a sacrifice, even though at the last minute god commanded Abraham not to do it, I kind of wonder what sort of god would ask anyone to do something like that in the first place, just to test their loyalty?! Or not allowing the Israelites to enter their kingdom just because they forgot to make a sacrifice on one holy day? Sounds pretty extreme to me, and very heavy-handed. And there's worse, but I'll spare everyone the gory details. Better to have more cause-and-effect teachings, and less 'almighty wrath' stuff methinks. The idea that we should "fear the lord" is quite simplistic and readily prone to abuse by those in power - I prefer a more logical, reasoned approach myself. Plus, why does the bible create a male image of God? Sounds rather unequal, if you ask me. Older religions worshiped the mother Goddess; and in some ways this is carried forth in the worship of Mary, a virtuous woman and naturally the mother of Jesus (who's father was probably Joseph, as what sort of God would make immutable laws of nature that can be broken?). So I think religion is evolving, and getting closer to the ethics we have come to understand in the modern world. Following God means to me following what is right in your heart, and listening to others, considering their thoughts as well. Mohamed said that Men, Women, and Children are all equal in the eyes of God if I understand correctly - well advanced in terms of equal rights!

And just what's so wrong with Mr. Brown?:laugh3: G. Gordon Brown calls the plumbers.. This just piqued my interest:FRONTLINE: Coming Soon - The Card Game | PBS ..and it's all tied to the lobbyists! To put a firewall between them and the congressmen, we first need to get officials elected that represent us. Doing that requires the gut-wrenching act of beating the money machines running the races, and that will take time - but it's worth it. Credit cards played a major role in almost tanking the whole global economy, and the so-called commercial banks played a major part in the lending crisis.. To get the aphids off the plants, it will take a bath in soapy water, followed by a rinse.. To get the money out of politics, we'll need to scrub our elections process clean again, before the infestation sucks down the whole economy!