tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post7812922448771647168..comments2024-03-28T20:04:20.286-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Normal, Anti-Normal, and Trans-Normal (1.04.12)Gagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-12820377843242563222008-12-12T08:41:00.000-08:002008-12-12T08:41:00.000-08:00Boys and girls, did I ever tell you the story abou...Boys and girls, did I ever tell you the story about my sister Julie?<BR/>Oh, she was something else, I tell you.<BR/>One day she was walking through the forress, on her way to the emerald city...<BR/><BR/>:-)Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589423819039764711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-17864003143475682612008-12-12T08:15:00.000-08:002008-12-12T08:15:00.000-08:00Jules: Look for Patriarch Alexi (who lately repose...Jules: Look for <A HREF="http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2008/12/10/pictures-of-the-day-74/?mod=rss_WSJBlog" REL="nofollow">Patriarch Alexi</A> (who lately reposed.) like <A HREF="http://02varvara.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/schmemann-archpriest-alexander-1963.jpg" REL="nofollow">Fr. Alexander Schmemman</A>, he pierces the soul. Based on their pictures, I think both of them to be saints, but my eyes are not so clear.Ephrem Antony Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00032465992619034619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-65810698619279547572008-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:002008-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:00I think you're right, Ricky. As to wise men, well,...I think you're right, Ricky. <BR/><BR/>As to wise men, well, they seem to be fewer and more far between these days.<BR/><BR/>But there's a mighty dense concentration of 'em right here, lucky for me.<BR/><BR/>Of course, sometimes they <I>were</I> born yesterday. Or maybe just a year or two ago ;)juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-79064579390250398542008-12-12T07:36:00.000-08:002008-12-12T07:36:00.000-08:00...and that it is normal that your body look old........and that it is normal that your body look old... the word ‘old’ in this context is not a negative. Wise men weren’t born yesterday.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589423819039764711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-23628644674149258032008-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:002008-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00I used “sexy” because I carried the point to its l...I used “sexy” because I carried the point to its logical conclusion. As in “sexy” is out to replace feminine women with sexy females or masculine females or… Anything but feminine women is ‘normal’ and encouraged and doing it by “inverse shame”.<BR/>But it’s just a theory…Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589423819039764711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-23885616690281690122008-12-12T07:07:00.000-08:002008-12-12T07:07:00.000-08:00Heh - something we can agree on :) I think to most...Heh - something we can agree on :) I think to most people, "pretty" has come to mean "very" or "mostly" - it's essentially divorced from its original meaning. But yes, increasingly our culture seems to view attractiveness/ beauty as equivalent to "sexiness" (hence all the cartoonishly proportioned people out there who think themselves "beautiful;" the added irony being that the perception of "sexiness" can vary quite strongly from one person to the next. Thus what one person might see as a gorgeously slim women with bountiful breasts might look to another like a toothpick with a couple baseballs stuck on. Often with a pair of overinflated fish lips plopped on top for that added flourish. Appreciation for proportion has flown right out the cultural window, alas). But beauty, or prettiness, doesn't have an age limit, nor a size limit. It has more to do with the character under the skin, though when you find a conjunction of the inner and outer the effect tends to be illuminating.<BR/><BR/>These days, if you call a girl "pretty" it seems the equivalent of saying she's "nice" - faint praise, liable to piss her off if she's shallow.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-62929236163569507662008-12-12T06:53:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:53:00.000-08:00"Truth should be compelling on its own..." (Anon) ..."Truth should be compelling on its own..." (Anon) Yep, if it weren't for that pesky sin thing. Truth is aligned with holiness (I know, another pesky word). Truth seen through the eyes of holiness is where true freedom lives. <BR/><BR/>Remember, the entire passage says, "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (Jn 8:31-31)<BR/><BR/>Saturated? Yes. But still tasty!NoMohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01100042056270224683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-71156684797342419412008-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00Ray said "You're just quite definite on what can't...Ray said "You're just quite definite on what can't work, I got it. Of course, your only proof is that 'it's obvious that it can't be that'."<BR/><BR/>Spoken like a true falsifier.<BR/><BR/>"Lots of things have been 'obvious' that just ain't so, though."<BR/><BR/>Obviously.Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-36115861684255411302008-12-12T06:35:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:35:00.000-08:00Julie - One thing I'm sad about is the general...Julie - One thing I'm sad about is the general abandonment of the word "pretty", and its replacement with "sexy". Beauty doesn't have to be sexually alluring... but sadly Orwell was right that language can shape thinking. :-<Ray Ingleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290483120987779339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-64123616608811228752008-12-12T06:22:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:22:00.000-08:00Anonymous:In order to understand my point about Tr...Anonymous:<BR/><BR/>In order to understand my point about Truth, you'd have to wade through my previous 1,158 poopy posts, which I would not recommend.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-18438882783548698292008-12-12T06:20:00.001-08:002008-12-12T06:20:00.001-08:00Van - which strongly suggests that our mode of und...Van - <I>which strongly suggests that our mode of understanding is different than that of flipping and recording 1's and 0's... What that is, and how it operates, I couldn't say...</I><BR/><BR/>You're just quite definite on what <I>can't</I> work, I got it. Of course, your only proof is that 'it's obvious that it can't be <I>that</I>'.<BR/><BR/>Lots of things have been 'obvious' that just ain't so, though.<BR/><BR/><I>you take that as proof that it doesn't exist, and I take it as an indication that there is something there which I cannot fully grasp</I><BR/><BR/>Nope. I've also said that we don't fully understand things like consciousness yet. (Want me to break out the Google-fu?) You, however, go further and say that it's <I>incomprehensible</I>. And, as I've also said, I just don't see the point of going there.Ray Ingleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290483120987779339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-45823301320682643772008-12-12T06:20:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:20:00.000-08:00It’s funny you should mention those 13 billion yea...It’s funny you should mention those 13 billion years, MF. Why aren’t we knee deep in these robots by now? I mean, if they’re replacements for people, then why didn’t they get here before us? Musta rained or something…rusty fossils maybe.<BR/>Well, gotta run. Have to check my pile of filings. I think I hear an employee popping up.<BR/><I>Be right there!</I>Captain Fezziwighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448732925188766988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-78461673314501784042008-12-12T06:16:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:16:00.000-08:00I dunno. I kinda like her.Awe, heck, I’ll take two...I dunno. I kinda like her.<BR/>Awe, heck, I’ll take two. One with a pinkish-hue like that one, and one that looks like Nicole Kidman except more life like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-85812723943551665202008-12-12T06:15:00.000-08:002008-12-12T06:15:00.000-08:00Ray,Me and my buddies were talking. We’ve had it. ...Ray,<BR/>Me and my buddies were talking. We’ve had it. It’s been like 13 billion years and not one of us has sprung to life. What the hell?<BR/>I’ve got two contracts for concertos by Christmas and I haven’t got a thing to wear. When can we expect some progress, man?<BR/>Don’t make me come in there…Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-19495670540863734672008-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:002008-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:00Ximeze - I'd say that link doesn't mean wh...Ximeze - I'd say that link doesn't mean what you think it means, but I'm incapable of a subterfuge you couldn't see through, so it must mean what you say. :->Ray Ingleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290483120987779339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-92094574852351581552008-12-12T05:48:00.001-08:002008-12-12T05:48:00.001-08:00"(in fact, you cannot have one without the other, ..."(in fact, you cannot have one without the other, for one must be free to discover truth, and truth is what sets one free; this is why the compulsory truth of political correctness, or of reductionistic Darwinism, is an intrinsic contradiction)."<BR/><BR/>I'd understand if one has never taken a writing course that this could make sense, but unfortunately you fail to actually connect 'political correctness' and 'reductionistic Darwinism' to the original idea in any way. How have you proven a 'compulsory truth' to be an 'intrinsic contradiction' by merely stating such? <BR/><BR/>Truth should be compelling on its own, and when it comes down to bashing on opposing ideas it makes me curious as to how compelled you are to seeking your own truth, when it seems you wouldn't hold open opinions of opposing truths. How exactly are you 'free' when you seem to have closed your mind to other ideas? You treat them as wrong, instead of unlikely. By acting so condescending, you are propagandizing your own compulsory truth, and you are guilty of the "free to be like me" mindset, which isn't free at all. <BR/><BR/>I'm not impressed by fanciful philosophical talk when the larger picture paints a hypocrite. It's like Monet painting a picture of a pile of dung. Amazing techniques, but it's still shit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-86852690272116086532008-12-12T05:48:00.000-08:002008-12-12T05:48:00.000-08:00River - My theory is that, in order to be a compel...River - <I>My theory is that, in order to be a compelling game, it had to yield itself at some level to the Logos.</I><BR/><BR/>How many 'compelling games' accurately model reality?Ray Ingleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290483120987779339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-17267768795264599192008-12-12T05:28:00.000-08:002008-12-12T05:28:00.000-08:00... on the other hand, Dean Kamen uses real A.I.(a...... on the other hand, Dean Kamen uses real A.I.(actual intelligence) to invent a <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_mLumx-6Y" REL="nofollow">Luke Skywalker arm</A> for those who have met Darth Vader so we wouldn't have to.Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-46460841729477146072008-12-12T00:16:00.000-08:002008-12-12T00:16:00.000-08:00Van,"Aiko" means "love child" in Japanese. It soun...Van,<BR/>"Aiko" means "love child" in Japanese. It sounds from the article as if he is missing a child more than a wife. I can certainly sympathize with that. The parental drive is not to be underestimated in humans, misguided as it often is.Magnus Itlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18445902788427523461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-88864154015165347252008-12-11T23:28:00.000-08:002008-12-11T23:28:00.000-08:00That last comment was for Ray, of course.That last comment was for Ray, of course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-56541921406013505542008-12-11T23:19:00.000-08:002008-12-11T23:19:00.000-08:00I'm bouncin' a Bible here on my knee waitin' on yo...I'm bouncin' a Bible here on my knee waitin' on your smelly ass ta come git ejicated!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-88581299287865406672008-12-11T22:04:00.000-08:002008-12-11T22:04:00.000-08:00Van,I think Dr Franadianshtein is putting us on. D...Van,<BR/>I think Dr Franadianshtein is putting us on. Did he say that when he sends video of that thing to “corporations” they think it’s CGI? I’ll bet it was more like “you’ve got to be kidding me” and then “don’t email us, we’ll email you.”<BR/><BR/>Actually it’s a perfect example of the absurdity that AI is shooting for. “Feel pain”. This thing feels as much pain as a tape recorder does when you press play.<BR/><BR/>Guess he doesn’t think much of his grandmother either that she would rather have that thing read to her instead of him. Let’s see I can spend 10,000 hours building a mannequin with creepy rubber backwards bending fingers natural voice and yes life like hair too can all be yours, or a half hour reading to her.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589423819039764711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-42492532704601527082008-12-11T21:35:00.000-08:002008-12-11T21:35:00.000-08:00"We're hurled into the world like a curveball with..."We're hurled into the world like a curveball with a hard spin on it, with a predilection to break down and away."<BR/><A HREF="http://davidroper.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Doublehaul Dave</A><BR/><BR/>Just seemed to fit. Besides, you got to love baseball metaphors.<BR/><BR/>Then comes the "destiny drive". Get ready Ray. I see trans-normality in your future.NoMohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01100042056270224683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-30621231660193708982008-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:002008-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00Ok... you 33 yr old software guys up there in Cana...Ok... you 33 yr old software guys up there in Canada living with your parents... um...<A HREF="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465844,00.html" REL="nofollow">this isn't the answer</A> to normal, anti-normal or trans-normal.<BR/><BR/>Video of the <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l6buDfU9AY" REL="nofollow">Canadian robogirl</A>. <BR/><BR/>Ray, maybe she'll get the whole iron filings thing....Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-2670112057900213312008-12-11T19:54:00.000-08:002008-12-11T19:54:00.000-08:00If my "sarcaustic" remarks did anything to inspire...If my "sarcaustic" remarks did anything to inspire today's post, Bob, I am glad I presumed to make them. You have articulated the radical difference between "existentialist license" and "essentialist liberty" beautifully, making it much clearer in my own mind.<BR/>Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com