Quantum Matrix Scribe - Latest Comments

Re: Response to Kevin Vallier: Um, no, Christian belief is not reasonable

yourlordandmaster — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 09:22:30 -0000

Oh no Christian demanding respect how dare they speak against your hate pathetic. Now go hit the block button like a bitch dude.

Re: 5 Reasons Why The Star Trek Mirror Universe is Stupid

yourlordandmaster — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 09:20:59 -0000

Lets not forget the food replicators that make oxygen into steak or that the Federation solely survives thanks to the writing staff making up some insane hail mary plot line.

Re: 5 Reasons Why The Star Trek Mirror Universe is Stupid

Travis — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 22:41:51 -0000

Then there is the #1 #1 stupid fact about the Mirror Universe: It is literally impossible for there to be evil duplicates of everyone in a reality where everything happened differently. No one in societies affected by the changes would have been born.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

panait ciprian — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 02:43:48 -0000

You are so full of shit. Everyone is just a bunch of cells. But the fact the dna is human and it lives in the real sense of the word makes it human. I would actually say is a human when it starrs dividing but either way let's go with our premise. By the time you get an abortion the bunch of cells as you call them already have a working brain and heart. Why don't you show pictures of aborted babies? Maybe because everyone would see they are babies? You are a liar.

Re: If You’re Gonna Do Product Placement, Make It Believable

Uncle Siam — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 07:42:25 -0000

Falling for Top Gear biased shenanigans. .. a show that definitely has a lot of arrogance and tries to make one feel stupid. We now know how everything is staged for entertainment purposes as well as to support the opinions of the hosts and producers.

I own a LEAF and have recently seen the episodes you speak of. Part of the idea was to lend an element of cutting edge science of the Fringe unit. Part of it were the pro electric car agenda of the people involved in the show. Part of it was product placement. They were honest enough to show charging and range concerns.

Despite what you've been led to believe an electric car will not burn thru it's charge in mere seconds in a high speed car chase. A combustion engine on the other hand guzzles more fuel in such a situation. Unlike combustion, in an electric car the only inefficiencies would be from wind resistance , energy loss thru non brake recharging, and tire slippage.

We are not told in detail why they are assigned a LEAF , but we aren't ever told about other vehicle choices either right?

The same detractors were all over the Hybrids when they first came out. Look how popular they are now. Admittedly a Tesla would have been cooler, of course we are then reminded of the Top Gear debacle when they had a chance to review those. Remember they've always referred to their show as Entertainment.

Lastly, we suspend reality for all of the show's fictional plot lines but we are supposed to draw the line with the Nissan LEAF? Your are also assuming that it has the exact same tech and configuration in the particular universe/timeline.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

Brenda Summerow — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 12:27:14 -0000

All I have to say to this is "Can urine form into a baby?"

Re: 5 Reasons Why The Star Trek Mirror Universe is Stupid

Alan King — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 14:28:46 -0000

TO THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTYS AFTER THE CHEEP SCI FY FILMS OF THE 50'S EVEN MIRROR MIRROR was a bit of genius . So go complain to yourself .

Re: 5 Reasons Why The Star Trek Mirror Universe is Stupid

daniel — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 22:11:01 -0000

This is why the Mirror universe is Amazing it's deranged it's evil it's Dark it is the opposite of Gene Rodden Dick Heads vision I would love a new TV series to be set in the mirror universe.

Re: .@pzmyers smears Michael Shermer, and I have a hunch why

mark young — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 22:39:15 -0000

After reading the anti-PZ commentaries across many blogs on the accusation issue I've concluded this is far more about PZ's politics and alliances than the accusation itself.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

robdicken — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 10:39:28 -0000

I think you are misunderstanding what he is arguing. He is not arguing against Evolution, or that we should or shouldn't procreate. It's not that he doesn't understand Science or cell lifespans. He's providing valuable information toward a philosophical debate on when life actually begins. One side typically uses scientific information to back up it's claims, while the other side typically uses religion spliced with a bit of science to help prove their argument. The latter is usually a volatile cocktail that sends most heads spinning whom are trying to think rationally.

Re: .@pzmyers smears Michael Shermer, and I have a hunch why

Eric Holp — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:11:18 -0000

Agreed!

Re: People Should Stop Pontificating

Jeremy — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:20:37 -0000

Oh please. I know the WHO isn't the IPCC, but I can't take what that umbrella bureaucracy has to say seriously after the IPCC started using unpublished grad student notes jotted down from hikers saying the glaciers were melting and had to retract.

As for "Better dead than Red," over three million died from Communism. I think that tells the story.

Re: People Should Stop Pontificating

levlafayette — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 06:18:16 -0000

> I don’t think it is anything to be worried about, and I most certainly do not want the government trying to “fix” it.

"Climatic changes already are estimated to cause over 150,000 deaths annually."

http://www.who.int/heli/ris...

> then just point out the potential consequences of undoing capitalism and
trying to embrace some form of eco-socialism (which I personally think
would be disastrous.)

Better dead than Red? Or Red-Green?

Re: Libertarians: Don’t Bother With The Confederacy

Jared Hull — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 13:24:58 -0000

In other words, a war to free the slaves would have been legitimate had abolition occurred prior to secession. In the absence of abolition, and as the war was explicitly for the purpose of preserving the Union then no war should have taken place. Under this view, statements in support of secession, contrary to your view, do not amount to a tacit support for the Confederacy or for the institution of slavery

Re: Libertarians: Don’t Bother With The Confederacy

Jared Hull — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 13:17:24 -0000

You can also despise slavery and despise the actions of the North at the same time. You can say that the North initiated the war and that a war for the preservation of the Union is illegitimate. It is not a contradictory proposition to state both that the slaves had a right to be free and that the South had a right to secede. I've outlined above the order of events which theoretically would have had to occur in order to justify the Norths actions. Abolition would have had to occur prior to secession as then the act of secession could be seen as an attempt to deprive U.S. citizens of their rights. However, as this was not the case, upon secession the Confederate states would have become their own sovereign nation and any military force on the part of the U.S. would be akin to our actions in Iraq.

Re: Libertarians: Don’t Bother With The Confederacy

brucerb — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:57:18 -0000

Note that the OP is talking about the Confederacy, and never mentions the Civil War. You seem to mostly be talking about the Civil War. The formation of and the "meaning" of the Confederacy is a distinct topic from why the war was initiated and fought. Yes, the war was initiated over secession, not slavery. But the problem with the Confederacy is that its reason for being, the primary reason for the secession, was the preservation of the institution of slavery. The Confederate constitution prohibited any of its member states from ending slavery or, ironically, seceding from the Confederacy. Therefore, the Confederacy was an institution for the preservation of slavery, and therefore any statement of support for the Confederacy, or any display of its symbols outside of a military cemetery, are, in my opinion, a display of support for slavery. This position is not inconsistent with saying that the north should not have initiated war against the south. You can despise slavery, despise the Confederacy, despise the war, despise reconstruction, and despise the post-war segregation laws all at the same time.
(Shouldn't matter, but fyi, I was born and raised in the south, 3/4 of my ancestors owned slaves, and I know of a couple of ancestors that died fighting for the Confederacy. I neither condemn nor praise them, but view them as products of another era).

Re: Abiword vs OpenOffice (AKA I Want to Shoot Myself in the Face)

Bob Milanov — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:03:16 -0000

Check Nevron Text Editor - it is a new free text processor and yes it displays the paper right.... - docs.nevron.com

Re: Not Iraq. Not Gaza. Not Ukraine. This is #Ferguson, Missouri.

gamingbus — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:47:34 -0000

My problem with all of this is that I don't think there's a "free" world anymore.

Seriously. Look at the UK, other EU partners, even freer allies like Canada.

Re: Libertarians: Don’t Bother With The Confederacy

Jared Hull — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 16:12:32 -0000

Sorry it has been so long but the fact of the matter is that the North engaged in war with the South to preserve the Union and not to end the institution of slavery. Had they done so for that purpose and prior to secession then they would be morally vindicated. However upon secession the South became a new sovereign nation, in which case you are advocating for our involvement in foreign affairs which would be contrary to libertarian principles.

Re: The Cult of Death Is Building A Temple in Canaan

Stephen Littau — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:18:01 -0000

I cannot say for sure that your analysis is correct or not since I haven't studied much about this but it's good to see something other than "Israel good/Palestinians bad." That said, I'm probably better informed than most Americans who only support Israel because they think their Bible tells them they must...no matter what. It seems that Israel is the kid who can do no wrong. Those who dare to question Israeli policy for any reason risks being called an antisemite ( it would be like calling someone unAmerican for disagreeing with Obama's foreign policy).

Unquestioned loyalty to any government frightens me. The amount of political power the Israel lobby has in the US is terrifying.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

Dan — Wed, 14 May 2014 23:53:32 -0000

Poor rebuttal, you need to read less blogs and more science textbooks because it seems you are trying to argue facts with your opinions. A cell that has a life span of 5 days can't be compared to a human being that can live decades, I'm not saying they're functionally different from people, I'm saying they AREN'T people and will never ever be. By deflecting all my arguments saying that all those things happen to people too it shows you immensely understate the value of the human embryo. That can be understood as it seems you have little scientific background and probably little interest in the topic or maybe you just enjoy being difficult. Cells have a stated purpose coded in their DNA, they do nothing more, nothing less than asked of. A human embryo, is more than just "cells", it has a heart beat after 13 weeks, which is the main medical criterion for checking if a person is alive (notice, I said person, not cells, because cells don't have hearts). And actually procreation is our duty, its the only thing that got us this far. Evolution only works when we procreate, and so if we want our species to slow to a standstill, then sure lets "try to rise above and conquer nature". We'd destroy this planet and all life on it before that happens. New viruses and diseases will come and the ones who will be immune or will have the best chance to survive through it will be the next generation, the ones who have more genetic diversity which is only capable through birth. Sure you can hope for science to try, but bacteria and viruses are getting more and more complex (i.e. MERS, drug resistant bacterial strains). So yeah, in the end I guess we would be sacrificing our generation, just not for our grandchildren but for our own arrogant wants and stupid beliefs. Deviance is a minority in society, there's a much greater chance that the person will be a contributing member of society, why take everything so negatively? On the other hand, if a child is born, due to a failed abortion, with brain damage, then there is a pretty good chance that it'll grow up screwed up and be a menace to society.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

Jeremy — Tue, 13 May 2014 11:54:07 -0000

"First of all you don't pee out old cells if anything those cells are already dead."

So you're still peeing them out, just in a different form. In any case, you got the gist of my message.

"Now for the sperm cell argument, sperm cells have a limited life span,"

So do people, last time I checked.

"Sperm on its own is absolutely useless, and does not have any role."

Same could go for many people.

"Now every time you try to fertilize the egg via sexual intercourse there is a chance that it is unsuccessful and even when it is successful you still "murder a few hundred million or trillion sperm cells" because only one gets to go into the egg."

Hence why the argument over zygotes being people is still stupid. Thank you for making my point.

"The main problem with this argument is that cells die regardless. They have a life cycle, and there are accidents."

So do people.

Summary: I argue that the "life begins at conception" stance requires we treat all cells as persons, because zygotes (at conception") are just cells, and the stance says we cannot abort or destroy them, and logically this should extend to all cells. You then say that we shouldn't shed a tear for dead cells because they are functionally different from persons, but then list all sorts of attributes that also apply to persons. In other words, you have made my argument even stronger. Either you treat cells as people...or you recognize the folly in that and don't. And if you don't treat cells as people, it also follows that you don't treat zygotes as people.

Now, on to your section about "potential." Let me just stop you right there and direct you to Ayn Rand ( http://aynrandlexicon.com/l... ) and Leonard Peikoff ( http://abortionisprolife.co... ). Actuality trumps potentiality. Many horrible things have been done in the name of human potential: the experiments at the Tuskegee Institute, the destruction brought about by communism, Nazi eugenics, and ruinous policies the world over. Do we sacrifice our current generation for the grandchildren of tomorrow's tomorrow? Just how monstrous is that? To forsake living, breathing people who are suffering now for potentialities that currently exist only in our own mind? By ascribing rights to the clump of cells called an embryo, you are obliterating the rights of the living. "Proceation is not a duty: human beings are not stock-farm animals."

You also speak of a doctor who could have cured cancer, had his parents not "aborted him". Sure - but he could have also become a man who kidnaps and rapes women. There are many "coulds" and "possibilities" and "potentialities," but they do not trump the living, breathing people of today. Abortions do not go against nature; they are humanity rising above nature and conquering it. To deny a woman control over her own body is to deny her own humanity and the humanity of us all, and there is no appeal to potential that can trump that.

Re: Abortion Is Not Murder – Why I Am Pro-Choice

Dan — Mon, 12 May 2014 15:29:02 -0000

Many biological mistakes in this. First of all you don't pee out old cells if anything those cells are already dead. Your body does a great job breaking down cells into components that no longer resemble cells what so ever. AND these cells are already dead mainly because they lived their lives.
Now for the sperm cell argument, sperm cells have a limited life span, and we also have a limited storage capacity for the, hence if you don't do anything then you have the phenomenon of nocturnal emission. Sperm on its own is absolutely useless, and does not have any role. For sperm to be significant you need the counter-part which the females supply, the egg. Now every time you try to fertilize the egg via sexual intercourse there is a chance that it is unsuccessful and even when it is successful you still "murder a few hundred million or trillion sperm cells" because only one gets to go into the egg.
The argument about the cutting and bleeding thing is also stupid.

The main problem with this argument is that cells die regardless. They have a life cycle, and there are accidents. HOWEVER these cells don't have the potential to turn into a full function human (at least not in vivo and in the case of the sperm it needs an egg). These are normal epithelial cells when talking about skin and the urine argument which die by the millions (or maybe billions) each day and replaced because that is natural. This is a natural process that happens to everyone because it HAS TO. A human embryo is more than just a pile of cells. The potential of this "pile of cells" has been the most fascinating discovery of the past century. You totipotency in embryonic cells, meaning they can differentiate into any sort of cell type which eventually forms a human being. Abortions go against nature, I'm not going to go into the God argument. The reason childbirth and conception occurs the way it does is because it is the best way for it to happen. Everyone starts off the same way, and stopping that process for whatever reason halts the development of a whole functioning and beautiful thing that is the human being. Someone who will have connections and will affect other people. Someone who is capable of doing amazing things, and even terrible things. That person aborted could have discovered the cure for cancer, solved world hunger, and an infinite number of other things.

Re: Why Gundam Build Fighters Ending Is The Worst Thing Ever

Jeremy — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 00:24:44 -0000

Pretty much.

I do think a Season 2 is in the works. It has to be. After showing Arian and the Build Strike Cosmos in the final episode - not to mention the whole thing with Aila - there has GOT to be a second season coming.

Re: Why Gundam Build Fighters Ending Is The Worst Thing Ever

gundam fan — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 08:29:03 -0000

well written will really miss this anime hope sunrise will make a season two cause is just so good and what you say is true watching an anime or any other cartoon ,movie or drama is like an escape of the real world you get to dream and be the person you want : )