O.J. gets bail doubled.

The Judge in O.J. Simpson's trial for armed robbery doubled his bail after he tried to contact a co-defendant. Apparently that guy thinks he can get away with murder*.

-- Yes the entire post was leading up to that one joke.

Quote: Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, Revelation

"Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication-- after that it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it can not be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner; for it was not a revelation made to ME, and I have only his word for it that it was made to him."

William Lloyd Garrison, To the Public

I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No! no! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; – but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead.

-- William Lloyd Garrison, “To the Public,” from the Inaugural Editorial in the 1 January 1831 The Liberator'

Yeah, it seems odd to post fairly random bits of stuff from the past. But, I think he's absolutely right.

Syphilis came from America went to Europe... (insert joke)

Oddly enough, research is showing that a Syphilis evolved a new transmission method in Europe: sex. In the old world it relates closely with other similar pathogens. In the New World it adapted to the environment with a new transmission method.

This means that it traveled not from Europe to America but from America to Europe.

There's a joke in here involving Europe, sex, spring break, and America... but I just can't find it.

UPDATE: Indian-giver?

Where does the Library of Congress store the Bible?

In the BS section of course!

Predictions of the Past.

http://deepbutter.blogspot.com/2006/06/after-al-gore-bill-clinton-takes.html

Bill Clinton, half-way through 2006, made the prediction that: “I don’t know if they’re overstating their reserves,” Clinton replied. He added that he expects oil prices will reach US$100 per barrel “in five years or less”.

-- Hm. One and a half years. That's kind of spooky.


PEAK OIL! PEAK OIL! PEAK OIL! PEAK OIL! PEAK OIL!
EEEEEEEEEECK.

Seriously though, we're kind of screwed on that front.

Putting the FSM back is Chrifsmas.

XKCD: Best comic in the world. Honestly.

I know it seems a little odd to have a comic where the jokes tend to require a genius level IQ, but nevertheless it makes for fantastic humor when you're smart enough to get the joke.

Perl and Lisp.

Choices, Freedom, and Happiness: Gay Marriage and Divorce

A fascinating little talk, one of the interesting byproducts of this research that increased choices cause decrease satisfaction and reversible choices being less conducive to happiness than irreversible choices allows for two arguments to be made, one unjustified and one justified.

Gay marriage makes other unrelated marriages less happy and satisfying. If one is given the option to second guess their choice of mate not only on account of other members of the opposite sex but other members of the same sex this should lead to less happy straight marriages. Now, men will be second guessing their wives not only because they might very well have found a better woman but they could have found a better man. -- I feel this argument is probably crap, what's an additional 3 billion more choices if you aren't slightly drawn to any of them. Further on the flip side, have 0 choices is worse than having more than 0... (it's a law of diminishing returns).

Divorce makes marriages less happy. If you aren't stuck with this individual for the long haul, you can do better and are going to constantly debate reversing your decision. Kids make for a more stable marriage not simply because of any other factor but because they mean you're really stuck and there's no going back. -- Oddly enough, I think there's some real truth to this one. The option of a divorce makes marriages less stable and less happy. I'm not saying it's an argument against it, just an interesting factoid. With the possibility of leaving your spouse you're less likely to turn on your "psychological immune system".



I'm not sure what the argument does or means, but it's interesting.

Will Smith, Scientologist?

You know when your cult/religion/scam starts picking off the weaker links of B-list celebs that's one thing. But, when you go for the actually good actors that's just a shame.

Apparently, Will Smith is dabbling in Scientology.

"I was introduced to it by Tom, and I'm a student of world religion. I was raised in a Baptist household. I went to a Catholic school, but the ideas of the Bible are 98% the same ideas of Scientology, 98% the same ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism."

Regardless what beliefs Scientology holds it is absolutely impossible for ANY belief system to share 98% with the Bible and with Buddhism. Such an overlap requires at the very least a 96% overlap between Christianity and Buddhism, any "student of world religion" should know the difference.

If for some reason you aren't well versed in Scientology nonsense Operation Clambake is a fantastically good site.

Soft number in NH / Endorsement

Everybody has a theory as to why Hillary won the NH primary my guess is that it has a lot to do with liking most people running on the Democratic side.

The Republican numbers were pretty straightforward because sometimes you hate one a bit less than less than the others, and the hate doesn't switch as easily as mild preference. Though I support Edwards, the field isn't that bad, I won't be mourning the eventual nominee. I actually like all three of the top folks. Though, I do rank them Edwards, Obama, Hillary as Hillary isn't liberal enough, doesn't have many coattails, and I'd just really love Edwards style reform.

Though, might as well make it official myself and Godsnot (this blog, of which I'm the only blogger) are hereby endorsing:

John Edwards for the Democratic nomination.

Previous I did endorse Alan Keyes for the Republican nomination. I think insuring a loss for the Republican party would be a more productive use of Keyes time than ranting about Cheney's lesbian daughter while ignoring his own lesbian daughter.

John Edwards will win the nomination. This prediction brought to you by Is-From-An-Ought Inc.

Hillary? NH?

Hm. I hope she doesn't win. I'd prefer a bit more of a liberal, more a shoe in, and with larger coattails... Edwards.

Driving up voting against her in areas that make a difference in her race but would in other races is a worry. That and I'd prefer some fresh blood.

Evolution, Creationism, and Theistic Evolution.

If I were to show a snippet of code to represent each of these, they would be as follows.


Evolution:

    int q;
    for (int i = 0; i < 100;) { //loop until i >= 100
        q = rand() % 10; //q is random #[0-9].
        if (q == 0) i++; //If q is zero, increment i.
    }

Evolution isn't about chance, if it doesn't get it right, it tries again. And keeps preserving its previous lucky hits until it bootstraps a solution.


Creationism:

    bool God = true; // God is assumed true.
    bool Evolution = false; // Evolution is assumed false.
    int q;
    for (int i = 0; i < 100;) { //loop until i >= 100
        q = rand() % 10; //q is random #[0-9].
        if (q == 0) i++;  //If q is zero, increment i.
        else { // if q is not zero,
            Evolution = false;  // Evolution is false.
            God = true; // God is true.
            exit(1); // exit program.
        }
    }

Creationism looks a bit like evolution, but it makes some odd assumptions, and at the first sign of a problem bails out declaring that God exists, declaring the odds of this running successfully are 10^100 (a googol).


Theistic Evolution:

    bool God = true; // God is assumed true.
    int q;
    for (int i = 0; i < 100;) { //loop until i >= 100
        q = rand() % 10; //q is random #[0-9].
        if (q == 0) i++;  //If q is zero, increment i.
        else { // if q is not zero,
                if (God) i++; //if God, increment i anyway.
        }
    }

See, evolution works exactly like it should! But sometimes God needs to step in and fix things when they go wrong or are a bit too complex or might run forever. Thank God for stepping in there to help. Though if God were false, it would still work perfectly fine. God is just there to cheapen the entire operation.


So the general religious view of evolution is as follows.

    bool God = true; // God is assumed true.
    bool Evolution;
    cin >> Evolution; // asks user to set Evolution.
    int q;
    for (int i = 0; i < 100;) { //loop until i >= 100
        q = rand() % 10; //q is random #[0-9].
        if (q == 0) i++;  //If q is zero, increment i.
        else if (God) { // if q is not zero & God true.
            if (Evolution) { //if Evolution is true
                 i++; //God helps evolution along.
            }
            else { //if Evolution is not true.
                 Evolution = false;  // Evolution is false.
                 God = true; // God is true.
                 exit(1); // exit program.
            }
        }
    }

Now, applying Occam's razor. Which is probably the better code? The three simple easy to understand lines, or the absurdly long bit of code that wants to know the truth of evolution before we start and makes sure we get the conclusion we assumed?

Blast From the Past.

You forget how far we've come until you look at some old text media pages from a decade ago. Oh, those simple simple people.

You Know You Are Too Serious About Computers If...

* If no one can reach you by phone since your computer is always online.
-- Nope.

* If you can type your top 10 favorite web sites....by heart.
-- Who can't?

* If you can locate a particular home page without using a search engine.
-- Does that include the hundred bookmarks?

* If you can write your own html page.
-- DUH!

* If you download more than 20Mb from a binary newsgroup...in one session.
-- WOW. You need to spend 2 minutes on those bin sites to qualify for geekdom. What Like I'm going to download 25 seconds spread out over multiple sessions?

* When you find it easier to dial-up the National Weather Service: Weather/your_town/now.html than to simply look out the window.
-- That's certainly not easier. Though clicking the one link on my firefox bar linking to Google which gets an RSS feed of the local weather is actually easier.

* When you order most of what you buy.....online.
-- Um, was this ever a sign of geekdom? Because ouch. I'm writing this on a computer I bought from newegg, next to a nice pile of books I got from Amazon. I'm drinking from a Pokerstars cup I ordered up with some player points online.


* When you log-off from a session in your favorite newsgroup, and your log reads: Online time: 56 hours 24 minutes.
-- Log Off? My current uptime is 5 days and that's pathetic. I've done months on end before.

* If your net provider suggests you try a competitor, because you're exceeding 300 hours a month, connect time.
-- I have a connect time of (24 * 31) = 744 a month.

* When that 112 GB hard drive is full.
-- I had a 120 gig drive that I gave to my roommate. I just handed it to him. Not because it sucked, but because I only have the two systems and the other one has 720 gigs and this one has 1.7 tb and I didn't have the drive slots for tiny drives.

* If 300 Mhz is simply too slow.
-- You're kidding right? The other day my mother picked up an old 700 Mhz system, I chuckled and recommended she throw it out.

* When your desk collapses under the weight of your computer peripherals.
-- Is that a weak desk or does this electronic stuff weigh more than one or two pounds?

* If you can actually talk to the computers in your new car, and understand what they say.
-- There's actually a device for that. It's USB compatible and helps diagnose your car.

* When you modify the programming of your car's computers and actually get better mileage.
-- That's actually a real thing too.

* When you can access the Net, via your portable and cellular phone.
-- Who would, the rates are crazy high. Though, It is only a button.

* When you put a CD-ROM in your car's player.
-- What? Like a burnt CD full of mp3s? Or am I being asked to dig up an old CD-ROM and put it somewhere. Or is a CD simply considered a ROM?

* If every sentence you utter begins with, "On the Net..."
-- Nope. That's assumed. No need to start sentences like that.

* If you put your e-mail address in the upper left-hand corner of envelopes.
-- Hm. That's actually a good idea.

* If you have your e-mail address printed on your stationery.
-- That's actually nearly universal.

* When you insist on seeing the movie "The Net" for the 63rd time.
-- That's actually nearly unheard of. Most people can't stomach once.

* If you maintain more than 6 e-mail addresses.
-- Yahoo, Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, Website bouncer. - Nope.

* If you use more than 20 passwords.
-- Duh.

* If you set up your own Web page.
-- Duh. Though I let it expire. I do have a couple cheap replacements:
http://tatarize.nfshost.com/
http://www.geocities.com/tatarize/index.html
These do different things and are both used in different ways. I highly recommend Nearly Free Speech even if you do few things which might require hosting. A purely solid site, pay for what you use. Used them for various things spent 12 cents. Does this blog count?

* If you set up a Web page for each of your kids...and your pets.
-- True by default. I have no children or pets.

* If, instead of a phone number, you ask someone for their e-mail address.
-- And?

* If you don't know anyone who DOESN'T have an e-mail address.
-- What do you mean doesn't?

* If you convince your mom that she HAS to get online because e-mail is so much cheaper than long distance phone charges.
-- We have Vonage. Our long distance calls run through the cable, as such they are free and unlimited. I could call someplace and just leave the phone off the hook. Don't know why though.

* If you can write a list like this.
-- Hardly, I don't even remember how sucky it was back when my torrent client didn't have its own RSS feed, I certainly couldn't remember how bad it sucked a decade ago.

* If you can relate to a list like this.
-- I certainly cannot.

I called it!

Mental note: Edit post claiming John Edwards would win the caucus.

I knew Obama would win the Iowa Caucus!

I'm in favor of mandatory religious education.

I'm in favor of mandatory religious education, Bible reading, theology discussion, interfaith religious discussions, comparisons and everything. Dan Dennett suggested this on the grounds that if you just taught a kid a bunch of facts about all religions then any really militant and fundamentalist faith would be purged simply by being exposed to standard factual information. However, I feel that goes too far. I think we need to go ahead and bring it in with the whole Christian really just trying to convert folks baggage. The first amendment of the constitution is pretty clear that such activities that the religious support and want and would approve this plan just to inject are unconstitutional. So an undefined sort of vague trojan horse of sorts. Basically they get it in to convert folks, a few court cases later and they need to tone it down a little and then a little more. After a while it will end up exactly as Dan Dennett wants, just a secular class concerning facts about religion.

Christmas was brought into the public sphere because folks wanted people to celebrate the religious holiday. It was quickly nipped, picked, and clipped down to the secular bit it is today a winter holiday with songs about snow. What would a whitewashed religion class look like? Exactly what Dan Dennett wants, but this way it would be the Christians who really push for it. Rather than start it out in a clear box... it starts out like an amazing program to bring school children to Christ and quickly gets thrown into a box to save it from the first amendment.

Shorter Michael Coren

Shorter Michael Coren,
Their Disbelief Is My Strength

C.S. Lewis is awesome. God is just hidden enough. Bad things happen because fuck Earth. And I'm rubber and you're glue!

Ingersoll Morality

Reading Ingersoll About the Holy Bible at 5 in the morning having stayed up all night. He does make a number of fantastic points.

According to the Bible, picking up sticks on a Saturday and murdering your father on a Monday are equal crimes.

Great one liner.

Iowa Caucus.

I have done a reasoned analysis, crunched the numbers, sensed the winds, viewed the future through the eyes of a cold calculation, looking at massive amounts of data in order to bring you a fantastic prediction about what the Iowa Caucus will bring.

John Edwards will win. His victory will swell the ground game and cause a domino effect sapping strength from the message of Obama (see message of Edwards) putting him into a head to head contest in the national race against Hillary Clinton for the nomination. He will win the nomination and choose Obama to be his running mate (Hillary will be Chief of Staff). A few months prior to the general election, Edwards' wife will tragically die of metastatic breast cancer. The Republicans will debate continuing on their negative message, and despite the fact that only a callous bastard would do such a thing they will continue. Romney's presidential bid will fail, not as a result (he was already down 20 points in the polls at this point anyhow) but it certainly didn't help. And Edwards will be elected with 64% of the vote, to Romney's 30%, with Ron Paul's independent campaign pulling in 7%.

What statistics suggest such a thing? How could I be this impressive with my tabulations of the future? Mostly, I pulled it out of my ass. Heck I had to look up the Iowa Caucus to know it was on the third. Of course I could just say that you have your math and I have THE MATH! -- But, only an ass would do such a thing. In all seriousness I hope Edwards wins the nod. Mostly because I want a slam dunk and kind of want the Dems to pick up several additional senate seats. Think Hillary-hate might drive out the vote on the Republican side, even in states where they stand no chance at winning, costing some minor races their wins. That said, she'd win the general. Heck Kucinich would win the general.

Here's another prediction two years out. The Governator becomes the Senatator defeating Boxer, and Vitter is sunk, both in 2010.

God Snot, Wishes you a happy new year.

I the only editor and blogger on God Snot, don't however. The blog does, I don't.

Happy New Year.