Archive for June, 2007

8 random things about me

Wednesday, June 27th, 2007

Like I said in the previous post, I’ve been tagged by several other members of Planet Atheism, a couple of times (3 times here, one on the PA announcements blog). I’m supposed to write 8 random facts about me, and then tag some other bloggers.

As for the first part, let’s see…

  1. I love all things zombie. Since I discovered George A. Romero’s movies, I’ve turned into a zombie nut, and have bought a lot of DVDs, video games, books, comics, etc. with zombies (including variants such as the 28 Days Later infected). It’s hard to say why the genre appeals to me so much; maybe it’s because zombies force us to look at ourselves with brutal honesty, sometimes for the first time. Plus, I love “what if” scenarios such as a world-wide zombie apocalypse: what would I do? Probably not survive long, but I’d sure try.
  2. I love unintentional humor, that is, things that weren’t intended to be funny, but somehow are. For instance, bad translations (such as in many video games), or the crude anti-communism in 60s Marvel comics (“We have no choice! Our communist overlords will slay us if we fail in our mission!”), or some “odd” titles (“Giant-Size Man-Thing”).
  3. I’m usually shy in person (much more so than on the Internet), especially with people I’ve just met. Except after a few drinks; then it’s hard to shut me up. :) I don’t become “dumb” or violent, though, like some people do when they drink.
  4. I love learning and solving problems, but after everything is working perfectly and there’s no more room for improvement, I usually get bored with my own solution, and start looking for something new to challenge me — even if it involves replacing my “perfect” solution with something else in need of improvement. Similarly, once I exchanged an 8-bit computer for an inferior one, simply because it was completely different, and new to me, while I knew mostly everything about the one I had.
  5. I’ve loved computer and video games since I was 6 (I’m 32). Before then, I remember that I was usually bored, as a kid; most things I did became repetitive and predictable after a while, and I didn’t have any real friends back then. Computer games were my “salvation”, because there’s always something new — they’re “a world that never ends”, to quote Machinae Supremacy. My interests are more varied these days, but I don’t know how I’d have survived the otherwise absolute, insanity-inducing boredom of my childhood and early adolescence without computer games.
  6. I dream of one day earning enough money to live comfortably from my blogs and sites, without a day job. Yet, contradictorily, I blog about things that interest me, such as philosophy, atheism, blogging, and personal stuff (all of which earn me virtually nothing — after all, there are no related products for advertisers to sell), and for serious money-making I should be writing about gadgets, phones, personal development and similar stuff. I guess I’m too honest not to write about what I want.
  7. I have a curious mix of confidence and lack of it. I know I am capable of just about anything if I put my mind to it, but I’m always afraid of not putting my mind to it if I try to do something, either due to laziness or fear of failure. In other words, I usually succeed if I try… and I know it… yet quite often I don’t try. This is something I should do something about.
  8. I get a little bored with Italian and Mexican food (both very popular here in Portugal), but I love Portuguese, Chinese, Israelite and especially Japanese cuisines.
  9. I can trace my loves of reading, fantasy, Tolkien, and the English language to one 1982 computer game, The Hobbit. More on that story here.

And I guess that’s it. With an extra one, too. :)
Now, I hope you’ll forgive me, but I won’t be tagging anyone. Many members of PA have already been tagged, and I’m too lazy to go check which have been, and which haven’t. :) But if you read this and, for some reason, haven’t been tagged yet, feel free to consider yourself tagged. :)

About being tagged: tomorrow! :)

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007

I’ve been tagged by other atheist bloggers at least 3 times now (one for the PA blog, two for this one), so, just so you all don’t think I’m ignoring you (since these things can actually be fun), I’m going to write my “8 random facts” tomorrow, OK? :)

"If you honor Rushdie, we’ll honor Osama!"

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

From this news article:

Meanwhile a group of hardline Pakistani Muslim clerics bestowed a religious title on Osama bin Laden as a tit-for-tat revenge for the slight. The Pakistan Ulema Council has given bin Laden the title “Saifullah”, or sword of Allah.

“If a blasphemer can be given the title ‘Sir’ by the West despite the fact he’s hurt the feelings of Muslims, then a mujahid who has been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah,” Tahir Ashrafi, the council’s chairman, was quoted by a foreign news agency, as saying.

Riiight. Comparing a writer and the “crime” of “blasphemy” (or “hurt feelings”) to a terrorist mass murderer responsible for the deaths of thousands1. Great going, guys. Very mature of you. Wonderful sense of perspective.

  1. not to mention Bush’s re-election, itself responsible for thousands more, both in Iraq and as a result of the lack of stem cell research []

Science vs. the Bible, and the God of the Gaps… again

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

Science, much like species, evolves; it’s not based on dogma, so, when evidence contradicts a theory (even a cherished one), the theory must be discarded. This is science’s greatest strength, and, yet, according to creationists and other theists, it’s a “weakness”, since God’s words “don’t change”…

One of the theists’ arguments goes like this: “science explains 95% of it, but the Bible explains 100%! The Bible is obviously superior!”.

The problem is that the Bible doesn’t actually explain anything! Every “explanation” is either magical, or requires something else that is unexplained — and, often, by definition unexplainable. Furthermore, a lot of the available evidence contradicts the Bible’s claims: no, there was never a worldwide flood. No, it wouldn’t be possible for the Ark to carry all those animals. No, the universe isn’t just 6000 years old. No, species weren’t created as they are. And so on.

A variant of that claim (PZ mentions it here) is to say that, since science explains only 95% of something, to trust in science requires faith… and, not only that, it requires as much faith as the religionists’ explanation. What they don’t understand is that those 95% have survived every available evidence so far, while many “scientific” claims in the Bible have been disproved long ago — and only the most willingly blind continue to believe them. The Bible’s claims remind me of Chico (not Groucho, as many people mistakenly believe) Marx’s “who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”, or of that claim from an ancient church father, that he would believe black is white if the church told him so.

The other claim by theists (especially creationists) is this: “science explains just 95% of it? Then the remaining 5% are obviously an act of God, and science will never be able to explain them! This proves God exists!”

Next year, that field of science advances another 1%, and you can guess exactly how the theists’ claim will change… and how they will scream it with as much certainty as the year before. :)

If you offend the kind, sensitive suicide bombers, YOU’RE the monster!

Monday, June 18th, 2007

Isn’t this absolutely disgusting?

From the article:

‘If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honour of the Prophet, then it is justified,’ Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq told the national assembly.

and:

‘If someone blows himself up he will consider himself justified. How can we fight terrorism when those who commit blasphemy are rewarded by the West?’ he said.

and, of course:

Dozens of students from hardline Islamic schools in the central Pakistani city of Multan chanted ‘Death to Rushdie, death to Britain’ and set a British flag on fire, witnesses said.

EDIT: PZ Myers comments on this as well.

Jesus’ last words

Monday, June 18th, 2007

The sub-heading from the The Honest Doubter blog reads:

Jesus’ last words on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” hardly seem like the words of a man who planned it that way. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure there is something wrong here.

Indeed.

The many types of ZOMBIES in fiction

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

A bit offtopic for this blog, but, hey, I’m not the only member of Planet Atheism who is a zombie fan. :) I had created this page, Zombie Types, several months ago, and today I updated it a bit. If you want to know the differences between Romero zombies, Max Brooks zombies, Shaun of the Dead zombies, The Walking Dead zombies, Autumn zombies, 28 Days Later zombies and Marvel Zombies, there is no better place in the entire internet. :)

Kent Hovind: Muy Loco en la Cabeza

Wednesday, June 13th, 2007

Kent Hovind’s “email exchange” with God. You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Excerpt:

KH: Do you have time for a few questions, today, Lord?

GOD: Son, time has no effect on me. I created it. I am always here to help you and guide you in any area of your life. Go ahead with your questions, son.

KH: These last seven months in prison have been rather difficult for me, Lord. In fact, in the last month, I’ve been in five different facilities.

GOD: I know, son. I’ve been with you the entire time (Hebrews 13:5).

KH: Thanks, Lord. I felt your presence many times. But there were other times that I was very sad and lonely.

GOD: I know, son. I saw your tears. I was there, but you were too busy acting like Jonah. You were more concerned about your own problems than the future of those men around you. You need to work on that.

KH: I’m sorry, Lord. You are right.

GOD: I am always right. Go ahead with your questions.

KH: Well God, yesterday was especially hard. I couldn’t sleep the night before because I expected them to call me at 3:30 a.m. to pack up for the bus ride up here to South Carolina.

GOD: I know, son. I was right there with you. I heard your prayers throughout that long night. We had sweet fellowship, didn’t we? Thank you for loving me and talking with me.

KH: Thanks for being there and for listening, Lord.

GOD: I’m always there and always listening, son.

KH: Lord, I asked you to let me sleep, because I knew the next day would be hard and I would need my strength. Why didn’t you let me sleep, Lord?

GOD: I did, son. You slept great from 3:00 – 4:45 a.m. Who do you think it was that made the guard forget to call you at 3:30? Didn’t you wake up refreshed at 4:45 and even comment on how hard you slept and how good you felt?

KH: Yes, Lord, now that you remind me, I did sleep real hard and woke up feeling great.

Seen on Pharyngula.

Second level on Dante’s Inferno. Not bad. :)

Sunday, June 10th, 2007

The Dante’s Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers) Very Low
Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful) Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous) High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) High
Level 6 – The City of Dis (Heretics) Very High
Level 7 (Violent) High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) Moderate
Level 9 – Cocytus (Treacherous) High

Take the Dante’s Divine Comedy Inferno Test

“Lustful”? Moi?
:)

Atheism is today’s featured article on Wikipedia

Friday, June 8th, 2007

This doesn’t happen every day. :) Why not go and read the article in full? Whether you’re an atheist or not, you’re bound to learn something new (as the article is very detailed — it was because of that that it was eligible to be a featured article).

BTW, thanks to overcaffein8d for emailing me about this, and congrats to Reed for mentioning it first. :)