JackC

Actually, I do apply the scientific method to science on account of it being my job. I try to apply the same rigerous thinking to any line of thought because science is the best method I know of to find out if that line is bullshit or not. Theism included. All of the things you mentioned are rooted in the real, natural, physical world where science can (and does) get it's hands on them. God quite famously, ain't. But that's not too much of a problem because we've got his followers and their scribblings to go on. Science (or more properly, rationalism) can have a poke about in there to see what falls out. Why shouldn't it? And what right have you got to play God?

The only way you can get away with that is if you don't apply the scientific method to theism and vice versa. If you do, either theism comes to a grinding halt or science does. Ergo, science and religion are mutually exclusive.

Build your own magnetic linear accellerator Make your own sundial. Figure out how long a drinking straw can be before you can't suck any juice up it any more. Make a bicycle wheel with elastic rubber spokes and point a heater at one side, then explain why the wheel rotates. Build your own solar cell If you're feeling really adventurous, you could irradiate your friends with your very own particle accellerator!!!. That might be a bit advanced. And expensive.

I think the main developement was not just miniaturization but also changing the regulator from a pendulum to a balance wheel. Balance wheels are less susceptable to stopping if the clock (or watch) is moved around.

That's why they call it research.

Try this: http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=13

Yeah those damn red top tabloids, responsible for all the worlds ill's. I'm not so convinced. Water vapour in the atmosphere is largely self regulating. the Sun heats up the ocean which evaporates, produces cloud and then rains. CO2 isn't. It requires a sink and the ones we've got are disappearing. Satellites can actually measured CO2 being sucked in by plants during the growing season. Likewise, air polutants like NO2, CO and NH4 can all be seen to increase in concentration in local areas over a very short period. It used to be called smog, but you don't notice it so much these days because we've cleaned our act up a bit and removed the soot. The fact that pre-industrial revolution heat waves existed isn't that surprising. It's a bit of a red herring really. Weather cycles didn't just appear overnight sometime after WW2. It's not that heat waves or big freezes existed before the internal combustion engine, it's the average trend that matters. If temperature records are getting broken on a regular basis, it just might be that the average is going up a bit. There is a well known 11 year sun spot cycle and there may be other long term solar cycles we don't know about that may affect our climate. I'd be hesitant to blame global warming on a largely unknown solar cycle/climate interaction when we've got stacks of data to show atmospheric polutants do have that effect. In reality, it might well be a bit of both but only one of them is within our power to do anything about and not treating the planet like a garbage dump is probably a good idea anyway. Still, a good H5N1 pandemic and this global warming nonsense wont seem anywhere near important.

That might be true if the differential was becomming less but all the data I've seen suggests otherwise. Quite a bit of the sceince they used looked dubious to me. Like the ocean fliping between intake and emission of CO2 with temperature. I don't know for sure but that seems dubious over the few degrees we're talking about here. If anyone has a reference for that, I'd appreciate it. For me the program lost a chunk of credibility when they said the whole global warming movement was a neo-marxist conspiracy and that scientists were routinely falsifying data to get more "interesting" results. The production quality was OK though, it was just aimed at the average Sun reader, all hyperbole and conspiracy theories. 2/5 stars.

Federal wildlife officials will be an attending international meeting on polar bears. Part of the discussion will, I'm sure, be about the natural habitat of the polar bear. The natural habitat of the polar bear may be disappearing and one of the main contenders for causing it is climate change. Federal wildlife officials who go to these meetings have been told not to talk about how climate change is affecting polar bears. So if the Norwgian deligate and the Canadian deligate start a conversation about climate change and it's effect on the polar bear, the American deligate is not allowed to be part of that conversation. If there is a seminar on climate change and it's effect on the polar bear, the American deligate is not allowed to attend. It seems to me that it's not a matter of sticking to the agenda, it's about restricting the American deligates ability to contribute. In the business world, companys do censor their employees for various reasons. However, science is not a business in the usual sense of the word and it does not work well in handcuffs.

What has evolution got to do with free speech? Are you saying scientists should adapt to censorship?

Check. Capitalism sure can be myopic at times. Edit: actually, is there any evidence that the oil industry are the puppet masters here? It might seem intuitive but...

I don't get it. What do the US government hope to achieve?

C.S. Lewis: the bloke famous for writing kids books. Oh the irony...

I've used musicmatch to download track tags and do renames acording to tag data automatically an album at a time. I don't know if it will handle larger batches though, I've never tried it. Edit: just tried it with 5 albums (76 tracks). It found all of the songs OK but got the wrong album if that track appeared on several. It then gives you a choice. Super rare stuff that's not in the database, you're on your own. Once the tags are set, it will rename all the files acording to your preferences. It will merge collections too. I have the free version of musicmatch 9.

Wow. It's got to be true then!! You must immediately send a check to that particular televangelists ministry if you are to be spared from hell. It was on some science program on brain function I think, definately not the god channel. But hey, you asked, I just relayed the story. The way I see it, it doesn't take much to tip the ballance of brain chemistry enough to induce halucinations. In fact auditory and visual halucinations are extremely common. Good trip.. bad trip.. it's still just a trip.

FWIW I remember seeing one woman on tv who claimed to have had just that. Apparently it scared the shit out of her and she immediately found religion in a big way. Musta been some good shrooms.

Right, a ban will only penalise the wrong people but the government wont give a hoot because it looks like they're doing something. And they wont understand that unless enough people tell them.

No, we don't all agree, as usual. From my theological viewpoint the soul is everlasting. It is the essence of who we really are. Isn't that what Phil said?

How else are they going to know that you are an allowed exception, so that they don't arrest you? You're probably going to have to register yourself and your swords, and of course, that will likely involve some kind of recurring license fee... Which is why I signed the petition. Not that the government will take any notice.

The maintainance I can live with. Plus in my experience buying good stuff initially turns out to be better value in the long run than constantly spannering rubbish.

I hope I don't have to get registered just so I can keep a bunch of antiques. A petition has been set up for those interested: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/swords/

Yeah I was looking at the XTC LX which looks pretty good. Wiggle are in Portsmouth though and I'll be buggered if I'm driving that far to try it first. Never mind, I have a plan that involves dangling a carrot in front of my local shop and then buying mail order. Sometimes I just hate myself.

Until about 3 months ago I was near Taunton. Just moved up to the Notts area though.

Yeah they probably are but I remember brakes fading in the wet way back when I was a BMXer. But hey, it's all about the looks right?

Well I live in the UK so you can pretty much guarantee loads of rain and mud and there are some pretty good trails near where I live. I suppose that answers my question. Thanks guys.