What had happen' was.....

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

18 Things You Should Know about Genetics [Video]

This video is really cool. It sums up what Genetics is and what we know so far. The only pet peeve I have about it is the "fact" given about "junk" DNA. Current research shows that "junk" DNA may not be as superfluous as scientists once thought. You can read three great blog posts on junk DNA on Luke Nix's blog. The articles are the work of Dr. Patricia Fanning of Reasons to Believe

Article: Junk DNA: An Outdated Concept- Part 1
Article: Junk DNA: An Outdated Concept- Part 2
Article: Junk DNA: An Outdated Concept- Part 3

18 Things You Should Know About Genetics from David Murawsky on Vimeo.

18 Things You Should Know about Genetics [Video]

DC Comics On Starfire Controversy: 'Pay Attention To The Ratings' - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Comics Alliance posted the following. It deals with how DC Comics is dealing with the negative publicity for how the Character Starfire is being handled in Red Hood and the Outlaws #1.

Prompted by the resoundingly negative critical response to Red Hood And The Outlaws #1's dubious, oversexualized depiction of the superheroine Starfire -- in particular, the disgusted reaction of a 7-year-old fan of Cartoon Network's Teen Titans, a popular animated series in which a version of Starfire appeared -- DC Comics released a terse statement via Twitter (here and here) that advised unhappy readers to "pay attention to the ratings." The full statement is as follows:

We've heard what's being said about Starfire today and we appreciate the dialogue on this topic. We encourage people to pay attention to the ratings when picking out any books to read themselves or for their children.

Red Hood And The Outlaws #1 is rated "T -Teen", which DC Comics defines as "Appropriate for readers age 12 and older. May contain mild violence, language and/or suggestive themes." Fair enough, then. By that guideline, the book is obviously inappropriate for a 7-year-old. But the 7-year-old girl's question, and that of Shortpacked's David Willis and our own Laura Hudson remains valid. Should a Starfire comic book be targeted so narrowly? As part of the bold and massive publishing initiative and mainstream outreach that is DC's New 52, does using characters best-known from all-ages cartoons in books like Red Hood And The Outlaws make sense?

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/28/dc-comics-on-starfire-controversy-pay-attention-to-the-ratings/#ixzz1ZJQVawrx

I don't buy DC's explanation because they say they relaunched these books to bring in new readers. Why alienate children who love Starfire? This is the only book she is in now. Where is her kid-friendly book and now the character is almost unrecognizable.

DC Comics On Starfire Controversy: 'Pay Attention To The Ratings' - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

7 Allergens in Your Home [infographic]

7 Allergens in Your Home [infographic]

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

My Common Sense is Tingling - Debunking Christianity: An Omniscient God Solves All Problems and Makes Faith Unfalsifiable

John Loftus has again posted a blog article that makes me wonder if he understands anything about what Christians believe.

It doesn't matter what the particular problem is for a person's faith. Having an omniscient God concept solves it. It could be the intractable and unanswerable problem of ubiquitous suffering; or how a man could be 100% God and 100% man without anything leftover, or left out; or how the death of a man on a cross saves us from sins; or why God's failure to better communicate led to massive bloodshed between Christians themselves. It just doesn't matter. God is omniscient. He knows why. He knows best. Therefore punting to God's omniscience makes faith pretty much unfalsifiable, which allows believers to disregard what reason tells them by ignoring the probabilities.

Most of what Loftus raises as problems are answered and have been answered for centuries. Theodicies answers the question of ubiquious suffering. The death of one man on a cross saves us from sin because one man's disobedience puts us in need of saving. Also it helps to understand how Jesus pulled this off because He is not just a man but God. And as for why there has been much dispute and bloodshed, it's not God's fault or failure but our inabilities and rebellion against God. I find it difficult to understand this. Loftus claims he used to be Christian.

I call this the Omniscience Escape Clause (read the link). There is only one way to convince believers in an omniscient God that their faith is false. They must be convinced their faith is impossible before they will consider it to be improbable, and that's an utterly unreasonable standard since the arguments to the contrary cannot hope to overcome the Omniscience Escape Clause. So think on this: Given that there are so many different faiths with the same escape clause let believers seriously entertain that their own God might equally be false. Sure, an omniscient God might exist (granted for the sake of argument), but how we judge whether or not he exists cannot rely over and over on his omniscience since that's exactly how other believers defend their own culturally inherited faith. Reasonable people must not have an unfalsifiable faith, and yet an omniscient concept of God makes one's faith pretty much unfalsifiable. But this is not all...

SO because Christianity is unfalsifiable it can't be true? The reason why I believe, isn't because of God's omniscience. You don't need to "punt to God's omniscience" to answer the questions Loftus says he has that makes Christianity contrary to reason. Loftus' logic dies under its own weight.

The concept of God's omniscience is not the only thing that makes a faith pretty much unfalsifiable. So also does the concept of hell, since believers must be certain there is no hell before they will abandon their faith, thus overcoming the force of Pascal's Wager. With an omniscient God concept and the threat of hell it is nearly impossible for believers to doubt their faith and then walk away from it.

Loftus does not explain why hell must be abandoned. He offers no reason to explain why anyone should believe that there is no hell other than that he doesn't like it and that he thinks its unfair.

Believers must be forced to acknowledge that other believers in different religions (or sects within their own) who have the same concepts have the same exact problems when it comes to reasonably evaluating their own faith. And they too must be convinced their faith is impossible before they will consider it to be improbable, which is an utterly unreasonable standard of proof, making their faith pretty much unfalsifiable as well. This is something believers reject when it comes to evaluating the probability of other faiths. Why is it they don't reject this when it comes to their own?

Well, when it comes to Christianity, Loftus fails to show that Biblical Faith and that the God of the Bible are impossibilities. Other religions however fail those tests..

My goal is to force believers to see this. They must approach their faith with open eyes given the nature of religious faith concepts. You must have a Gestalt Shift in the way you see your faith (read the link). Nothing less than that will do the trick. You must try seeing it differently. Try it. What are you afraid of? Do you really want to know the truth? Why wouldn't you?

I can't look at Christianity the way Loftus does because he doesn't look at the Bible correctly. He makes presuppositions and assumptions that can't hold up when you compare it to what the Bible says.

Debunking Christianity: An Omniscient God Solves All Problems and Makes Faith Unfalsifiable

FacePalm of the Day #128 - Debunking Christianity: Christians are morally compromised

John Loftus posted a video clip from a debate in which Dan Barker debated Dinish D'Souza. Loftus seems to think that Barker was able to show that Christians are inconsistent because we would condemn evil acts committed by people but don't condemn God in the Bible. I'm amazed that Loftus would post this considering that he and Barker both lost their debated to D'Souza.

Barker makes some serious mistakes in his reasoning. First let's just agree that it's wrong to break into a person's home and destroy all they have and kill their children and then blame the devil for his actions. However, Barker goes off the rails when he tries to argue that God is just like such a person because of all that happened to Job and then God said:

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” Job 2:3

I am familiar with Dan Barker, and have never been particularly impressed with his exegetical skills. This is a great case in point.God is not saying that He didn't have a reason to put Job through all Job went through. God is not saying "Devil, I'm only allowing this because you told me to do it." God is in control of these scenarios. Yes, the Devil is given as the agent for all of these catastrophes the befell Job but he isn't the one in charge. For example:

⁴ “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. ⁵ But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
⁶ The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”- John 2:4-6

Look the devil clearly says that God is in control and God then tells him that Job is in his hands but that he's limited. The Devil may be like "a roaring lion roaming to and fro seeking whom he may devour" but he is on God's leash!. I know that the next question this bring up troubles some. Why would a good God allow a perfect and upright man to go through so much disaster and heartbreak. The story challenges the presuppositions on which the very question rests. Recall that throughout the book, Job was accused of sin by his three friends because they don't think for a second that God would allow Job to suffer like that unless it was a punishment for sin. God chastised the men.

⁷ After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. ⁸ So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.- Job 42:7-9

What we learn is that bad and terrible things can happen to you, through no fault of your own, but God has something good in mind for you even if He sends the calamities. Like Job can hold on to our faith in God:

¹⁴ Why do I put myself in jeopardy
   and take my life in my hands?
¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
   I will surely^[a] defend my ways to his face.
¹⁶ Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,
   for no godless person would dare come before him! - Job 13:14-16

And I love this scripture:

²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives,
   and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
   yet in my flesh I will see God;
²⁷ I myself will see him
   with my own eyes—I, and not another.
   How my heart yearns within me! - Job 19:25-27

Who says that there is no resurrection in the Old Testament? It's right there - plain as day - before Moses! The suffering that Job lived through helped him to see the world a lot differently than most people.

In our suffering we get to know God better. We learn more about Him and ourselves. Although the devil might mean it to destroy you, God will turn it for our deliverance.

And what did Job get out of all of this:

¹ Then Job replied to the LORD:
² “I know that you can do all things;
   no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
   Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
   things too wonderful for me to know.
⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
   but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
   and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6

Job understood God better. It wasn't God saying "I'm bigger. I'm boss". God wasn't bragging. God wasn't pushing him Job into the ground and grounding him into powder. God was explaining who He and who Job is. - who and what we are. It's not bragging if it's true....and it is.

Debunking Christianity: Christians are morally compromised

Parting Shot: A 7-Year-Old Girl Who Loves 'Teen Titans' Reacts Sadly to the New Starfire - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

A few of my favorite blogs have been in uproar lately regarding general drift DC Comics' female characters have been portrayed in their re-launched titles. To say it's been several steps taken backwards for how women have been portrayed in comics is an understatement especially in Catwoman #1 and Red Hood and the Outlaws #1. I think that it this article in Comics Alliance shows a major problem: how these things affect young girls. I have a young daughter who loves superheroes and I don't want her to read these. She loved Teen Titans that animated series and she like Catwoman. This article says in part:

This response comic from Shortpacked really hit the nail on the head about how nu-Starfire is in particular a betrayal of all the (mainstream!) fans of the Teen Titans cartoon. I got into comics by watching the X-Men cartoon on Fox as a little kid, so I know how great animated shows can be for bringing in new readers and especially girls, which is why this piece at io9 talking to a 7-year-old Teen Titans fan about how Starfire was no longer a hero to her was so heartbreaking:

Mom: "Is this new Starfire someone you'd want to be when you grow up?"
Daughter: *she gets uncomfortable again*"Not really. I mean, grown ups can wear what they want, but...she's not doing anything but wearing a tiny bikini to get attention."
Mom: "So, you know I'm going to put this on my blog right? (she nods) Is there anything else you want to say?"
Daughter: "I want her to be a hero, fighting things and be strong and helping people."
Mom: "Why's that?"
Daughter: "Because she's what inspires me to be good."

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/27/starfire-little-girl-teen-titans/#ixzz1ZD6A4UJt

I agree with the little girl!!!

Parting Shot: A 7-Year-Old Girl Who Loves 'Teen Titans' Reacts Sadly to the New Starfire - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

The Dead Sea Scrolls Online | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

Dr Mariotttini has brought up that the Dead Sea Scrolls are being digitized! Real cool! Read more on his blog!

The Dead Sea Scrolls Online | Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Preterism?

James Swan posted the following:

Here's another mp3 lecture attempting to pull preterism apart.

Kim Riddlebarger: A Problem for Preterists

Go to his blog to get the link.

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Preterism?

One-Minute Physics: Schrödinger’s Cat [Video]

Okay, here is a great explanation of this well-known but ill-understood concept from Quantum Mechanics. Of course when we did this in my Physics classes we used poison instead of explosives - but the concept is the same. take a look. I sure hope no one's actually tried this in real life.

One-Minute Physics: Schrödinger’s Cat [Video]

Monday, September 26, 2011

The Associated Press: Roll over Einstein: Law of physics challenged

I don't know what to think about this. I mean it's been drilled into me that nothing can go faster than the speed of light and I've even seen the equations in physics blow up and go "gaga" if light is ever faster than 3.0 times 10 to the 8 meters per second. It's in all the textbooks I've ever read. So what's happening? End of the world?

Drew Baden, chairman of the physics department at the University of Maryland, said it is far more likely that there are measurement errors or some kind of fluke. Tracking neutrinos is very difficult, he said.
"This is ridiculous what they're putting out," Baden said, calling it the equivalent of claiming that a flying carpet is invented only to find out later that there was an error in the experiment somewhere. "Until this is verified by another group, it's flying carpets. It's cool, but ..."

Nope. I think that is a good idea to just wait this out and see if the findings from CERN are verified. Even if it is, I see no reason to totally rewrite all of Physics.

The Associated Press: Roll over Einstein: Law of physics challenged

Infographic: Visualizing the Republican Debate - Politics - GOOD

I admit that I haven't been closely following the Republican Primaries, but Google has compiled info from the debate and the data has been converted into an Infographic.

You can look at the video on YouTube using the following link.

Infographic: Visualizing the Republican Debate - Politics - GOOD

The Evolution of the Big Dog Robotic Mule [Video]

I've just heard about this robot for the first time today on Television. Ironically, I found this post today on the Geeks Are Sexy blog. Robotics has come a long way!

Here is another video:

You can read more at this link.

The Evolution of the Big Dog Robotic Mule [Video]

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Iron Man 2: A-Rusted Development? | Psychology Today

Psychologist Dr Robin S. Rosenberg wrote a really cool article analyzing Iron Man 2 from a psychological point of view. Check it out!

Iron Man 2: A-Rusted Development? | Psychology Today

The 2010 Social Networking Map / Flowtown (@flowtown)

What if the major Social Networks were continents on a planet? It might look like this!

The 2010 Social Networking Map / Flowtown (@flowtown)

Must Watch: Welcome to the Genomic Revolution [Video]

In this accessible talk from TEDxBoston, Richard Resnick shows how cheap and fast genome sequencing is about to turn health care (and insurance, and politics) upside down.

Must Watch: Welcome to the Genomic Revolution [Video]

How to Create Your Own Twitter Infographic Quickly | Tech the Plunge

Okay, I admit that I am getting more and more enamored with infographics! Turns out that there is a site that will generate an infographic of your Twitter tweets telling you how much paper and ink would be consumed if you tried to print your timeline! Here is mine as of 10:30 PM PST September 24, 2011.

Created by Cartridge Save, suppliers of HP LaserJet cartridges

How to Create Your Own Twitter Infographic Quickly | Tech the Plunge

How the World Uses Social Networks [INFOGRAPHIC]

How the World Uses Social Networks [INFOGRAPHIC]

Faithful Thinkers: Video: Misuse of Free Will

Luke Nix has posted a great video clip of Norman Geisler answering a question about Free Will.

I don't fully agree with him because I don't think we can fully explain where evil comes from or even really understand what having free will is like because we are born enslaved to sin and unable to make proper choices fully aligned with God's will - and we all start off that way.

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.- Romans 8:5-8