More from Agape Press

Now it’s the fact that a North Carolina town has replaced it’s gay pride event with a prayer event. The Christofascisti are at it again.

I’ve noticed that even good old Christopher Columbus didn’t get his due in Providence last year. Instead we get little religious parades that scare the freaking hell out of me. All those brainwashed sheep are being preached to, they aren’t learning or studying.

As an atheist I’d love to see an atheist pride event in my city. We’re out there, but it’s hard to find most of us.

Canadian author says Americans losing their critical thinking abilities

As if this is in any way surprising to those of us who don’t rely on the main stream media for our news. I subscribe to the Agape Press newsletters on the theory that knowing ones enemy is always advisable. Because once you know something, you can vanquish it.

In any case, came across this news blurb on their site. It has in it a kernel of truth but it doesn’t go deeply enough for me. There is certainly massive consolidation in the mainstream media (msm) but there is also the propensity of people to abdicate their personal responsibility to question what’s being beamed into their homes.

This is precisely why the Internet is so valuable. I love reading English, French, German, Chinese and Japanese papers on the web to get a perspective we’d never see in the U.S.

Getting back to my point about abdication of personal responsibility it’s true. We hire educators that don’t teach student critical thinking skills, instead we teach to the test. And then of course there’s the religious aspect. Having religion preached to you is a far different thing than actually studying religion. I prefer to study it, that way I can make my own assumptions, which by the way is that religions are mostly sugar coated bullshit that preys upon peoples fear of the unknown.

So the article I referenced earlier doesn’t even come close to scratching the surface of why more and more Americans can’t think for themselves. I invite you to contribute your opinions on this. We need a lively dialog in the United States.

A better way to mass produce Tamiflu

Looks like science has once again saved the day. With all the hysteria about H5N1 they had to step up production of Tamiflu somehow. But Roche, which holds the keys to Tamiflu uses a flamable chemical in the process that limits the amount that can be created at any one time.

But now a Nobel winning chemist has stepped up and shown how to use petrochemicals to produce a continuous stream of Tamiflu insted of the small batches currently being produced by Roche.

Graciously enough, Roche is licensing production so we may just see our stocks of Tamiflu increased enough to ward off the next flu season. Because H5N1 still hasn’t made the human:human transmission route yet.

How much of an Atheist are you

Found this on Onanites blog and just had to post my results here. The bias in this test is interesting. According to it I’m, oh just look at the results.

Satan’s Lil’ Helper The results are in, and it appears that you have scored 83%…

Whoa. You’re not just an atheist… you’re an evil atheist! Satan’s Lil’ Helper sees atheism as a good excuse for covering up a whole array of misdemeanours and crimes, because after all, there’s no divine punishment awaiting them when they meet their doom. Whilst not believing in God, Satan’s Lil’ Helper would be ready and waiting to give God a metaphysical wedgie should he ever pop into existence. Keep on sinning, you evil little thing, but just try not to get caught…

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 85% on pentagrams

Link: The Atheist Test written by chi_the_cynic on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Whoa – I guess the French really ARE more liberal

Found this while looking at milkandcookies and thought it interesting because it pushes two messages, one is to practice safe sex, the other is that love comes in many different forms.

An ad like this would never get airplay in the United States.

So the French are not only more liberal, they’re also better lovers. Who knew.

Tom Gilroy: Bush’s Trojan Christ

Once again one of my favorite reads – The Huffington Post – has done it yet again. Tom Gilroy has succinctly nailed it about the Christofascisti.

For example: It used to be that Christians were known to all by their good deeds, but after almost four decades of the GOP’s cleaving the populace into warring sects to be manipulated at the polls, ‘being Christian’ is no longer defined by doing good deeds, it’s defined by an arrogant mission to tell others how they must live—who they can marry, who they can adopt, what they can say in public, what they must teach in schools—all the way down to what kind of medicine they should have access to.

I am so happy I’m an avowed atheist. But I’m very unhappy about having religion forced down my throat. It’s time we sane people, Christian, Buddhist, Janist, Hindu, Atheist, etc. pushed the Christofascists back into their closets. But how do we get the rest of the believing population to swallow that they’ve been hoodwinked? That’s the conundrum I face with every post about this. Maybe honest leadership would do the trick but how do we compete with corporate backed incumbents? How do we run honest campaigns without being crucified by the opposition?

Babybot: Why engineers will do it first

Babybot is a project to create perception via sensory input. The project is profiled on Information Society Technologies.

What I find most interesting is that engineers are doing this and not scientists. Engineers have a distinctly different mindset than scientists. Perfect example of this is the birth of the transistor. It was interesting to the scientists but it took engineers to see the real value of the transistor and why it should be freely licensed.

The computer you’re using to read this had hundreds of millions of transistors in it. All because engineers could put scientific finding to real world knowledge. So it isn’t a far view to think that these engineers might be the first to produce self-aware machines.

I’m going to prognosticate here and venture that we are within a decade of a functional artificial intelligence. Granted, the first ones might reach the mental level of a five year old, but that’s a damned big leap in AI.

On of the reasons behind my prediction is the DARPA Grand Challenge. In essence the challenges are to build an autonomous vehicle capable of navigating various terrain and now with DARPA Grand Challenge III, a vehicle that can navigate an urban landscape obeying traffic law and merging into moving traffic.

Granted, this is more an expert system but I still see it as a step toward general AI. After all, those vehicles depend on an extraordinary amount of sensory input, be it GPS data, local video and audio input, etc. Matter of fact, cars of today have several input sources too – they monitor engine function and emissions, altering fuel/air mixtures and other parameters including transmission shift points, etc. So in essence, they’re autonomous too.

But getting back to the DARPA Grand Challenge III, I would really dig getting on a team, or even forming one if I could find the financial backing. After all, still have to shelter, feed and clothe myself.

The new headphones

Yes – again. The HD Pro’s have trouble holding charge and syncing now. So I decided – wired headphones again.

I searched around and found these:

They’re by an outfit called Symphonized. And yes – they’re wood. They sound fantastic.

One thing I do like about them – note on the bottom of one of the drivers – that’s a jack! One of the biggest issues I’ve had with headphones is the cable from them to the device always breaks. But even the cable they provide is nice, cloth covered too.

The company only sells on Amazon which is interesting. I’m seeing a lot of business moving to Amazon and Facebook of all places.

Paid $69 for the phones – well worth it. And now I’ll take the Inland HD PRo’s apart – and replace the stupid USB connector with a mini connector. Then maybe it’ll charge again.

The Immigrant Issue

Had my commute home today made more difficult by the May 1st immigrant protest in Providence. The police blocked off pretty much all of downtown Providence. I’ve got some jumpy video that I’ll be posting shortly.

What irks me is that we’re talking about illegal immigrants getting special rights. Sorry, my ancestors paid the price, Mexican immigrants have to pay the price too. Because this is all about Mexican immigrants, not Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, etc.

My proposal: Tell the 12 million illegal immigrants that they’re granted automatic green cards with the stipulation that they have 2 to 3 years to become naturalized citizens of the United States. Should they not become citizens they will be immediately deported. At the same time, seal the border with Mexico. Plant land mines and put guard towers every few hundred feet and kill anyone that tries to come across the border illegally.

And perhaps the U.S. should put pressure on Vicente Fox to clean up his own house. Maybe if there wasn’t so much poverty in Mexico people wouldn’t be clamoring to get into the United States. You don’t see Canadians illegally streaming into the United States, do you?

Powell asks Rice to defend Iraq planning

Oh this is great. I’ve known for quite some time that Colin Powell wasn’t happy as Sec. of State. After all the man has always had a look on his face that said he wanted to say more, but wasn’t being permitted to do so.

He is a former General after all. And their allegiance to the Commander in Chief is legendary. Well, at least not until George W. Bush became president.

While he was Sec. State he had the State Dept. draw up plans for securing Iraq. It took considerably more manpower and he and Rumsfeld butted heads over it. This is when the White House Iraq Group took control and dictated how to run a war to the Pentagon. But he could never have bitten the hand of the master until AFTER he officially retired. And now is that time.

So now he’s asking Condoleeza Rice to defend the planning for post-war Iraq.

By the way, it seems the George W. Bush has Narragansett Indian blood in his veins. So embarassing that there’s a Rhode Island connection to Dubya.