Recent Comments Themes

Theme: What Makes Us Happy? – November 21, 2008

Happiness is a state of being. Is being intimate with ourselves, deep, accepting who we are and understanding and learning from our own emotions, feelings, reactions, actions, thoughts, relations, etc.
Is to be still and let the true self rise to the surface, even if we don't like what we see in the first place.
Is to accept whatever I feel in any precise moment and observe who I am in that moment, and be aware that I change in a minute, not depending on circumstances from the outside or even people around me. And understand that my thoughts influence in me as well as in my environment.
Happiness is given by who we are, not by what I do or what I have. If I AM happy, then I will do things that make me happy and accept the consequences of what I'm willing to allow for myself. We usually do this the other way: If I have, then I will do, then, only then, I will be happy. This is a trap because we always see happiness somewhere in the future, therefore, we never reach it. We do things expecting to be happy, instead of being happy doing things right now. We get things expecting that this thing or person will make me happy, instead of being happy with what I have and don't have... right now!

Theme: Evolution's Genius – November 19, 2008

The world needs more people like James Linzel and Gabo Moreno.

Theme: Is There a God? – November 18, 2008

Dexter

Apologies for the long absence.
Your belief set seems intriguing. You appear to hold a lot of very lucid and realistic ideas about the nature of most religion, and we share most of them. But I'm still very much in the dark about what it is you actually believe. You say that you stopped looking for an "All" god and that you didn't become an atheist as a result. Why not? I'm glad you've held onto my unicorn analogy, but I'm not sure you use it in the same way as I do. Yes, you can redefine 'unicorn' to simply mean 'horse', but what good does that do? It simply doesn't qualify as affirming the existence of unicorns. All the flavour, the potency and the grandeur of the idea is lost. In the same way, redefining 'god' as simply a highly advanced civilisation just doesn't cut it. I would be prepared to believe that such a civilisation exists if there were evidence for it, but it's a big leap from that to concluding that they are behind what mankind has always believed to be the supernatural, as opposed to the typical explanations such as hallucination, sampling error and so on.

Correct me if I've misunderstood (you've evaded giving much detail about your church), but it seems that this is the god/gods around which your denomination is centred. Admittedly, a lot of the metaphysical baggage is shaken off, but you still have Occam's Razor to contend with. Is it really more likely, more satisfactory an explanation, than the idea that religiosity in general is purely a part-evolved and part-cultural phenomenon?

Theme: New on TED.com – November 17, 2008

Zheng Fei, look here for infor about TED talks and Chinese: http://www.yeeyan.com/groups/show/ted

Theme: What Makes Us Happy? – November 16, 2008

Individuals look outside of themselves to find happiness. Money, material items, even religious and non-religious practice like church and yoga. We reach out to other people to make us happy. I think true happiness is found through deep understanding of ourselves and connecting with our emotions. By recongnizing our emotions and negative feelings, we are able to realize that each feeling and reaction is uniquely ours. And everyone reacts differently to situations.
Exploring who we are and what we like will allow us to find out what makes us happy. Those outside items we use to make ourselves happy are fine, as long as we do not use it as a crutch to cover our true emotions.
Understanding and accepting ourselves is the key to true happiness.

Theme: TED Prize Winners – November 15, 2008

Its a pity the prize winner of TED talks is ignorant about Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) which is one of the oldest religions (way of life) did not see a single war in the name of religion in its entire five to six thousand years of existence.

Theme: The Creative Spark – November 15, 2008

When I click the arrow for Tim Brown on "Creativity & Play",
it's B L A N K ! ? [what fun is that?]
All others seem to come up fine........ How can I hear Tim??

Theme: Is There a God? – November 14, 2008

Our belief, regardless of whether it concerns "scientific" or "religious" information exists largely to the degree that we are willing and able to trust the source and personally experience the effects for ourselves. Our minds are able to conceptualize both real and imaginary things and we tend to rely on those which we think are highly probable. As our understanding of the deeper details increases, we become clearer about the "truth" around us. Flaws and weaknesses in human perception do not change external "reality". That many have been deluded by religious leaders does not change the possibility that there is a concrete truth about God or humanity any more than the existence of millions of dollars of counterfeit money makes all money fake.

The first step towards proving a theory is to be willing to believe it. Then the facts of the matter can be objectively tested for rationality and consistency. Perhaps the best first test of whether a particular theory about God is valid or not is how reasonable it appears in the context of a real world - or universe - rather than an imaginary one. Our universe is not perfect - so perhaps we should consider looking for a real (plausible) god in the real universe, rather than an imaginary (implausible) one in an imaginary (perfect) universe.

We may search in vain for unicorns, overlooking real (and therefore useful) horses and eagles and consequently waste a lot of time and effort in fruitless pursuit of that which does not enlarge or enlighten ourselves or others.

I stopped looking for an "ALL" god years ago and did not become an atheist as a result. I had to reject the irrational contradictory imaginings of the "experts", particularly those who "discovered" god without corroborating evidence or witness. What I found, once I began to look for a plausible god, was a *real* one, which is infinitely more satisfying than the alternative - at least to my imperfect, human, soul.

Theme: What's Next in Tech – November 13, 2008

tech does not equal computer, apparently biology is of the top priority next century

Theme: Medicine Without Borders – November 13, 2008

The never-ending cycle of health problem, unemployment, poverty, terrorism, increasing standard of living of people, insufficient supply of food are just some of the current problem our economy is facing today, and sadly there were almost 10 million of the world%u2019s children dies each year at the age of five because of hunger.

The leaves are changing and the weather is getting much cooler, which is a good indication that flu season is upon us once again. Most people know that washing your hands is the easiest (and most inexpensive) way to prevent the spread of disease and illness, including the flu virus. If you didn%u2019t know that, WASH YOUR HANDS! What many people don%u2019t realize is how serious the flu is; about 226,000 people are hospitalized every year, and nearly 36,000 people die each year on behalf of the flu virus. Unfortunately, preventing and treating the flu can be costly. Health experts suggest getting an annual flu shot. You can typically get flu shots for $20-$30, but if you have a family of five, those $30 shots add up quickly. If you end up getting the flu, treatment can be expensive too, especially if it requires a hospital visit. Needless to say, flu season can take a toll on your body and your budget. This is a friendly reminder that a payday cash loan can help cover medical bills. Oh, and don%u2019t forget to wash your hands!

Click to read more on Personal Loans

Theme: Is There a God? – November 12, 2008

Nurtured as a fundamentalist and now an atheist with all of Robert Ingersoll and rest behind me, my conclusion is: We believe the belief of our culture without regard to proof. You can not substitute, "the bible says it" as evidence. That is why you can not convince a born again of anything. The "know" it and if god himself told him it was crap, he would argue god was wrong. Some years ago an intelligent, educated (Centenary, Shreveport, LA) friend was born again. He attended a large church in down town Shreveport with TV broadcast capability. Some clowns going around the country claiming they had visited Noah's Ark gave a talk and he bought the story. Later when the clowns recanted the story my friend continued to believe and even argue their story. Having been there in an earlier time in the most profound way, I could empathize with his mindset. Belief is a geographical accident of birth any way you slice it and nothing more. John Burton, Knoxville, TN

Theme: Design Like You Give a Damn – November 12, 2008

Design is finally taking deeper root into innovation rather then simply in it's literal interpretation (you're a designer - you make attractive things). Our firm adopted a mantra that began as a personal mission statement - "to Improve everything we touch". If we don't think we can make a product, a company, a relationship better by being a part of it...we just won't be a part of it. I think that statement resonates with the passion and commitment this theme communicates.

Theme: What's Next in Tech – November 12, 2008

Perhaps what's next in Technology is :
Clean and cheap energy that can be produced from a process which uses the pressure of the weight of a body of water to continuously drive a turbine. Improbable or impossible ?

Thinking on these lines is restricted by the limitation imposed by the rule that energy output cannot exceed energy input. I would be glad to submit for examination a concept I have developed which apparently challenges the above rule.

Theme: Evolution's Genius – November 11, 2008

"4. What are the odds that a simple single cell organism could evolve given the complexity of more than 60,000 proteins of 100 different configurations, all in the correct places when after 35 trilllion attempts, a chimp attempting to write the ABC's in order only typed 14 letters
correctly?"

This argument is related to incredulity. Creationist incredulity is not an argument. Lots of rare things occur. However, it should be noted that although there are numerous proteins [your number seems to high but I suppose if we add alternative splicing etc - perhaps] MANY proteins have been shown to be derived from earlier versions via genetic drift or duplication with alterations. Via duplication the selective pressure can be reduced allowing one version [allele?] to slowly drift and gather changes which over time may possess new function and lead to positive selection. Also, entropy has a large effect on the conformations that may arise. Certainly a large number may theoretically be possible, but due to physical limitation on the energetics, certain conformations become very favoured.

"5. When a female reproduces , she can only reproduce eggs. There is not possible way for her to produce sperm without supernatural interaction. Therefore, females cannot be part of evolution."

I don't even think this is a question. It seems to make the claim that two sexes are required for reproduction. What about binary fission? What about parthenogenesis? What about hermaphoditic organisms? Study the cost of males and the red Queen Hypothesis. Its not the only theory but it makes some of this clear. No offense but this was a silly question/statement.

"6. We can find artifacts that date back even 4,000 years, and possibly 8,000. But, if evolution is true, why can't we find artifacts over 10,000 years?"

Simply untrue. I think we need to define 'artifact' also. Are fossils artifacts? There are many human made 'artifacts' that age beyond 10000 years. Either this is lie or ignorance.
James

Theme: Evolution's Genius – November 11, 2008

To address Caroline and Doug;
To be a little more direct to answer some questions.
"1. Charles Darwin admitted that fossils of the transitional links between species would have to be found in order to prove his "Theory of Evolution." Well, these transitional links have never been found."
The above statement is false in its presumption that transitional fossils have NOT been found. They have, in hundreds of examples. Here is a cursory list I'm sure there ore others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transitional_fossils

"2. If natural selection is true, then why don't we see Eskimos with human fur to stay warm, similar to what a dog would have?"

The above statement is incorrect on many fronts. First the example is a poor choice. This has been discussed earlier. Chiefly, the selective pressure to develop hair was absent due to the ability of the Inuit [not Eskimoes] to solve the problems using other means. Evolution of hair would have required an environmental pressure slowly introduced over time to select for hair [Hominids] or fur [less likely?]. By solving the problem introduced when they MIGRATED to the area, they solved the climate problems using tools, thereby eliminating the selective pressure. Also please realize that evolution may also occur via genetic drift, large mutations as well as natural selection.

"3. Evolutionists say that dark-skinned people who live near the Equator have melanin that has evolved to protect their skin from the sun. Then why do Artic ethnic groups have dark skin? Even if their ancestors were from the equator, wouldn't it have evolved over time?"

The Inuit are ancestors, via migration routes, of equatorial races. The answer is related to the above.

more on next post....
James

Theme: New on TED.com – November 8, 2008

I 'm a Chinese student and I found it's kind of difficult for me to understand the speaker just by listening. So I want to know where I can get the lecture notes. Someone know that?

Theme: Master Storytellers – November 7, 2008

i like this site to explore more adventures

Theme: Is There a God? – November 6, 2008

This is a question one should not talk but ask and seek the answer in himself. There is no intellectual answer.

Theme: Top 10 TEDTalks – November 3, 2008

Personally I am unconvinced of the value of Ms. Taylor's talk. I think she ascribes really unnecessary (and unsupported) mystical ideas to the brain's function, and to our place in the universe. If indeed her experience arose from entirely physical phenomena, as the video would indicate, then her talk justifies recreational drug use just as much as it does a search for Nirvana. I think people in general have uncritically accepted her world view as legitimate, and Nirvana as a worthwhile goal. But that's just me.

Theme: What Makes Us Happy? – November 3, 2008

I think set against the theme.
Happiness makes us feel like has all things.
I like that feeling. How can I keep up that feeling?
that's the answer is simple...
Always think that I'm really happy even if I'm not happy at all.
like I have all already.
If you do that you'll find the way of happiness.

Thanks God makes me happy .