Atheism is not a religion

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 30, 2009 at 5:38pm   Comments   Comments  

Truly excellent piece at Skeptico:

This is a refrain I’m hearing a lot from religious apologists – atheism is a religion. Also its equally fallacious siblings, science is a religion and evolution is a religion. It’s a sign of their desperation that the best argument they have is not that atheism is wrong, or that god does exist (supported by evidence of course), but that atheism is a religion too. A strange argument for a religious person to make on the face of it.  Is it supposed to strengthen the atheist’s [sic] position or weaken the theist’s [sic] one? In reality it’s a sign they have run out of arguments.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest of the article.

Tagged   Atheism · Religion · Skepticism / Rational-Critical Thought · Social Commentary

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iDay +2 years: Happy Birthday, iPhone!

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 29, 2009 at 1:52pm   Comments   Comments  

Yep, two years old today.  I almost forgot.

My original iPhone has now become an “enhanced” iPod Touch for my son, but it’s not only still kicking it’s still going strong.  Love my iPhones!

Tagged   Apple · History · Personal · Technology · iPod / iPhone / iTunes

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Steve Jobs is back at work

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 29, 2009 at 1:45pm   Comments   Comments  

As if anyone didn’t already know, it’s now official.  New York Times:

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple said Monday that Steven P. Jobs, its co-founder and chief executive, had returned to work following a five-month medical leave during which he had a liver transplant.

“Steve is back to work,” said Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman. “He is currently at Apple a few days a week and working from home the remaining days.”

Tagged   Apple · Entertainment · Technology · Workplace / Business

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Tennessee tea-baggers at it again

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 29, 2009 at 1:42pm   Comments   Comments  

The Tennessee Tea Party is protesting again today in Nashville.  I’m not sure how effectively your message can be delivered with a mouth full of balls, but hey, more power to ya’.

Personally, I envy the protestors.  I’d love to make enough money to be adversely affected by the Presidents tax plan, but alas, I make less that half a million dollars a year.  Boo-fucking-hoo.

Tagged   Nashville · Politics

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Painting the Moon

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 26, 2009 at 11:23pm   Comments   Comments  

Nice profile of Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean in the paper of record.

Tagged   Arts · History · Space

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Large Hadron Collider restart delayed until October

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 24, 2009 at 6:53am   Comments   Comments  

It was set to restart in late September, but the date will probably be pushed back a few weeks.

Tagged   Science · Technology

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Quote of the week

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 20, 2009 at 10:30pm   Comments   Comments  

vjack writing at his incredible Atheist Revolution blog, Idiot of the Week: Juliana Davis:

It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that some people reconcile any discrepancies they encounter between reality and religious belief by completely disregarding reality.

Tagged   Quotes · Religion · Social Commentary

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Pixar grants girl’s dying wish to see ‘Up’

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 19, 2009 at 8:08am   Comments   Comments  

This story is all over the place this morning, but is too touching to ignore.  Annie Burris writing in The Orange County Register:

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

[...]

Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film.

Tagged   Entertainment · Family · Movies

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iPhone 3G S launch day

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 19, 2009 at 7:56am   Comments   Comments  

Well, for me it’s all up to FedEx now.  Might be early, might be late, but at least I won’t have to head across town to wait in line at the Apple Store…

Tagged   Apple · Books · Can't Wait! · Entertainment · Games and Gaming · Insanely Great! · Movies · Music · Personal · Podcast · Technology · Television · iPod / iPhone / iTunes

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Fossil solves mystery of dinosaur finger evolution

User  by thecodepounder Date Arrow  June 18, 2009 at 12:53pm   Comments   Comments  

LiveScience:

Now, newly described fossilized hands from a beaked, plant-eating dinosaur, called Limusaurus inextricabilis, reveal a transitional step in the evolution of modern wings from dino digits. The finding could resolve a debate over which fingers ultimately became embedded in the wing.

Of course, to the intelligent design/creationist crowd, the finding merely creates two gaps in the fossil record where previously there was only one.  Some people just can’t accept reality.

Tagged   Science

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