Thursday, March 23, 2006

Experiences of Werewolves

John McCarthy: An atheist doesn't have to be someone who thinks he has a proof that there can't be a god. He only has to be someone who believes that the evidence on the god question is at a similar level to the evidence on the werewolf question.

I am forced to wonder who has ever been crucified upside-down as St. Peter, persecuted and killed as certain Buddhist monks in Tibet, shot and speared as Chrsitians missionaries so often are, or stereotyped as terrorists as the Muslims are, simply because they believe in werewolves. And I would submit that perhaps this puts the god question on a level that is different: People claim experiences of werewolves, but those experiences don't call them to martyrdom. While the logic of the quotation seems to hold (I could elaborate my argument for that if asked) I wonder which athiest would honestly believe that justification which McCarthy submits.

Now back to figure out what's going on in that Calc problem. It's polar coordinates if you want or care to know.

Goodnight and God bless.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

What the Hetts?! #5: Every Tongue Shall Confess...or a Security Breach Will

Warning. Subjects discussed in links (indirectly, here) may be inappropriate for children under 10.5 or so years of age.

Wow. Talk about a great revealing of peoples' sins.
This is definitely a fairly significant breach of security and privacy. Part of me wants to smile, being reminded of the idea that, one day, all sins will be revealed, and thinking of all those old sermons about how, if you don't pray to God, allow Him to convince you to reveal something to someone--even if only in accountability--then Satan will pick a time. Not that there's no flaw in that--it's possible and even plausible that some of those whose names appear on this list have since repented and are working through the issue with different forms of accountability.

Obviously, either way, this breach of security isn't acceptable. But it's still sort of interesting that of all the services that could have had this breach, it was the ignominous service.

"What the Hetts?!"

Thursday, March 02, 2006

What the Hetts?! #4: H&R Mental Block AND Phase III Begins

Slashdot reports that H&R Block, that tax-return firm that's always talking about how much money it can save you, has actually managed to "[goof] on its own taxes," which I find to be an amazing feat for a tax-return firm. Not only did the goof on their own taxes, but the amount apparently hovers around $32 million. So if they save you money, will you end up owing it in the future?

What the Hetts?!

Also, Phase III begins now as the Bib-Trad paper is done, and is about to be turned in. Phase III consists of me trying to make it to see at least a bit of CJ's performance and a bit of the tail end of Christie Pub as well, while cramming for a Persuasion and Leadership midterm and finishing a Spanish dialogue. And when I'm done with this feat, I'm going to breathe fire and swallow four swords. Heheh, four swords. Zelda reference. After Phase III comes Phase IV: Operation Don't-Get-Killed-by-the-Dialogue-or-Midterm. Why of all the times to get an actual 1-2 minute Spansh dialogue NOT over the weekend did I have to get it on this Wednesday? This is, seriously, the first bigger dialogue I've ever gotten that I didn't have at least a weekend to do.

It's sad. This week, the usual Physics quiz doesn't have me worried one bit. Not because, as in some weeks, it shouldn't. Because everything else is so much worse.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Phase II: BIB-TRAD

Phase II: Bib-Trad paper. Write paper using what sources I scrounge up. Take short break to go to Cove with a friend (by short break I mean <= 30 minutes or so), who is mad about not being able to have meat in the commons on Ash Wednesday, an issue which I’ll explore sometime after the persuasion test on Friday. Tomorrow is Phase III, which is a bit relaxed early-on, and Friday is Phase IV, or Phase Try-Not-to-Die-From-Persuasion-Midterm. Once the plan is complete, I’m less bogged down and only need to implement the neverending Phase [n in Roman Numerals]: establish better study habits.

k-po said: distractions....hmmm. what can we do to help you stay focused on the #1 priority and then work down the list to the least of the priorities. i could come and visit you and act real weird and scare all your friends away so they will leave you alone and then you can study.

Please don’t.And remember that it could backfire on you like when you visited at DLSNC. My friends might actually like you. Again.

if you would just get your work done first you would see that you will actually have MORE time for socializing. But we live in a society where we want what we want and we want it RIGHT NOW. Instant gratification. What you think you want right now and give in to will bite you in the butt later when you are up late, tired and scrambling to get homework done. Then you are kicking yourself about the choice you made to par-tay your studying/sleeping hours away.

A-ME-HEH-HEH-HEHN, sister.

There is always time and there is always someone to talk to. There is not always time to get your work done.

True, true. That’s part of the reason I always try not to put stuff off till the due day (exception: Bib-Trad editing is happening tomorrow, but unless I discover I wrote a total crock of a paper in the morning that won’t be an issue.) Once you go to sleep, you really cut down on the time you have. And yes, I know that’s not the point.

If you get your work done you will be less stressed in those social situations and will be able to enjoy them more because you are not thinking about all the HOMEWORK you need to be doing in the quiet of your OWN room - not at the cova, cova cabana where there are TOO many distractions. and what about the women. what is going on there. hopefully nothing because that is the biggest distraction and biggest time waster. i know. i am one :P)love you. now get to work!!!!!!

Okay. (Sometimes I do leave the Cove to go to Christie’s study rooms, but that’s more an issue of lateness than anything else. Why not my room? My roommate is a light sleeper.

llgp said: Amen. And I'm praying for you. Amen.

Thanks much.