[Fox]

Look again.

[Forge]

The Commander, on 05 February 2014 - 07:04 AM, said:

I'm not seeing anything odd in the last two?

i thought it was just me

i can't find anything in that picture with the four guys

i wasn't sure about the last one - does it have something to do with the plant life on the left side isn't the same as on the right, or is it the skewed perspective on the road that seems to disappear around a bend then reappear on a further hill? The left side appears to have some sloppy brush work done to the water & beach as well. could it be two photos blended together?

[Kyanos]

Fox, on 05 February 2014 - 07:29 AM, said:

Look again.

I give up. Spell it out for us please

[Fox]

In the 4th it should be hard to see the black guy among the 3 (although Forge noticed it). The last one should look like a mountain with a lake while it's actually a white wall.

[Kathy]

What do you mean by "white wall"? Is it a picture of a picture on a wall?

[Ronin]

The Real Slim Flibble, on 04 February 2014 - 03:18 PM, said:

So, I hear there is a debate between Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and a dude from Kentucky...They are going to discuss creationism and evolution. I heard some of the commentary in the preshow and...I got a secret..."Christians" are allowed to do science. In fact, the entire foundation of all scientific inquiry was founded by Christians. Now, don't tell any atheist scientist this, they'll explode from the irony.

Humph, the powers that be at any particular time decide whether or not universities and places of learning are built.

Sure Christians etc can be scientists, but's it's not going to help them answer questions when the god of gaps so conveniently does that for them. Science is about finding answers through facts not faith, using testable methods.

Christianity may have helped science along through out the ages not because of faith, but despite it.

If you had any idea of how large the universe is and how insignificant we are then you might change your mind.

As for the "we are being watched" Forge, nobody really understands quantum physics yet, not even the greatest minds who know it best, as they admit themselves.

We are only really beginning to unravel the cosmos, I hope in my lifetime to see someone well and truly tear the mask off god once and for good.

We have learned more about the spectacular universe in the past hundred years than in the entire history of humanity, now that we won't be burnt at a stake for asking the wrong (right) questions, so give us time.

Mr. Flibble, as a result of some of your recent posts, I am beginning to form the opinion that you do not have as much faith as you would like to believe. There is a slight bitterness attached to some of these posts that reeks of insecurity, but that's OK, it's good to question everything. Even your own faith.



See that image? They are all galaxies, each swirling around a super-massive black hole, our entire solar system is just a mere insignificant speck on the outskirts of one of these. Does anyone really think we are being watched?

[The Commander]

Kathy, on 05 February 2014 - 11:11 AM, said:

What do you mean by "white wall"? Is it a picture of a picture on a wall?

I see it now, the part that looks like the lake/water is actually a old style white wall. Probably made of lime or something.

The rest are rather easy to work out, but now I can see the black guy pretty easy on my monitor compared to my phone. Go figure.

[Kathy]

The Commander, on 05 February 2014 - 01:56 PM, said:

The rest are rather easy to work out, but now I can see the black guy pretty easy on my monitor compared to my phone. Go figure.

I've already figured you have a shitty phone.

[Ronin]

Now ladies (Kathy) and gentlemen, could you please welcome to the stage......Fooooooorge!!!

[Forge]

Ronan, on 05 February 2014 - 01:41 PM, said:

Does anyone really think we are being watched?

yes, but it can't proved at this time anymore than other universe and particle unknowns.
it's all speculation and a belief on how things work, why they work that way, and how did it get that way in the first place.

in a universe this big and old (from our perspective), just about anything is possible

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 03:06 PM, said:

yes, but it can't proved at this time anymore than other universe and particle unknowns.
it's all speculation and a belief on how things work, why they work that way, and how did it get that way in the first place.

in a universe this big and old (from our perspective), just about anything is possible

HaHa got ya!

Yes but a lot of our knowledge of how the universe works is based on what we do know for a fact using the established laws that work. We don't know it all, of course not, but we are getting there one brick at a time.

It's a lot more logical than anything Genesis has to offer.

We still have to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics, but when you have faith, what's point in even looking for answers any more?

The not knowing is what drives science forward.

I think it's us that's doing the watching, and maybe others like us.

[Forge]

Ronan, on 05 February 2014 - 03:07 PM, said:

HaHa got ya!

okay. you got me.
care to let me in on how i was got?


btw-i'm completely aware that what i said about observed particles is contradictory to being observed by a supreme being. if the supreme being was omnipresent then particles would always behave in only one way.

still doesn't change my opinion. we cannot have possibly observed every particle in the universe. everything we could not observe until the existence of photosensitive organs should have flown apart in waves before the universe cooled enough to form particles

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 03:09 PM, said:

okay. you got me.
care to let me in on how i was got?


btw-i'm completely aware that what i said about observed particles is contradictory to being observed by a supreme being. if the supreme being was omnipresent then particles would always behave in only one way

Faith! I saw your name at the bottom of the screen in italics which means you are posting ....I think.

"still doesn't change my opinion. we cannot have possibly observed every particle in the universe. everything we could not observe until the existence of photosensitive organs should have flown apart in waves before the universe cooled enough to form particles"

Maybe we are simply not able to observe them yet, we might just have to find a new way of looking for them, I think that's the job of the large hadron collider.

I think it's a great time to be alive.

[Master Fibbles]

Ronan, on 05 February 2014 - 01:41 PM, said:

Mr. Flibble, as a result of some of your recent posts, I am beginning to form the opinion that you do not have as much faith as you would like to believe. There is a slight bitterness attached to some of these posts that reeks of insecurity, but that's OK, it's good to question everything. Even your own faith.

Bitterness, yes. Not because of lack of faith in God, but because of lack of faith in humanity.

Ronan, on 05 February 2014 - 01:41 PM, said:

If you had any idea of how large the universe is and how insignificant we are then you might change your mind.

Like many scientists, because I DO know how big the universe is and how insignificant I am, I believe in God.

[Forge]

you got me cause i have some silly faith in an invisible deity?

guilty. you got me.

i can't prove it. i don't expect you to believe it. i'll stay in the unpopular minority here and be happy about it.

The Real Slim Flibble, on 05 February 2014 - 03:25 PM, said:

Bitterness, yes. Not because of lack of faith in God, but because of lack of faith in humanity.

humanity.
the problem is for all the good things the church has done with education, science, solidarity which led to the formation of stable countries, taking care of the poor and needy - they've done nearly as much crappy stuff - suppressing knowledge, wars and inquests, using their position to dictate to governments, corruption.

do 100 good things and 1 bad thing. which do you think the people are going to remember you for?

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 03:26 PM, said:

you got me cause i have some silly faith in an invisible deity?

guilty. you got me.

i can't prove it. i don't expect you to believe it. i'll stay in the unpopular minority here and be happy about it.

Nah that was just a joke, read the small print after the word faith.

I do believe you have faith and I'm glad that you are comfortable with that, sincerely.


The Real Slim Flibble: "Like many scientists, because I DO know how big the universe is and how insignificant I am, I believe in God."

So then if you didn't know how big the universe is (as far as we can) would you still have faith? Because the church was most powerful when the world was flat.

I don't have much faith in humanity either, but every now and then I meet people who change my mind a bit, sadly they are few and far between.

The question is, do you have lack in faith of humanity because we can be so horrible or because a growing number have a lack of faith in the teaching of the Bible?

[Forge]

Ronan, on 05 February 2014 - 03:29 PM, said:

Nah that was just a joke, read the small print after the word faith.

I do believe you have faith and I'm glad that you are comfortable with that, sincerely.

I'm cool. I don't get butthurt if people dis on religion. It's easy to do, so why not?

It is a good time to be alive. So much stuff is getting discovered all the time and i like the science of the big and the small.

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 03:40 PM, said:

I'm cool. I don't get butthurt if people dis on religion. It's easy to do, so why not?

It is a good time to be alive. So much stuff is getting discovered all the time and i like the science of the big and the small.

Damn right, I can't imagine anything more interesting and thought provoking.

[The Commander]

Kathy, on 05 February 2014 - 02:21 PM, said:

I've already figured you have a shitty phone.

https://www.google.c...alaxy+s3+review

Google tells me other wise and fuck religion, it causes wars.

[Forge]

The Real Slim Flibble, on 05 February 2014 - 03:25 PM, said:

Like many scientists, because I DO know how big the universe is

err..what?

i know how big the visible universe is, so clue me in on how big our universe really is
and while we're at it, is this the only universe?
what was before the big bang?
oh yea, if time is dependent on the movement of particles/sub-atomic particles & space, but there were no particles nor space before the big bang, thus no time, movement, nor heat, what caused the big bang?

[The Commander]

[Forge]

The Commander, on 05 February 2014 - 03:52 PM, said:

and fuck religion, it causes wars.

i already said that, get some fresh material

[Mark]

"oh yea, if time is dependent on the movement of particles/sub-atomic particles & space, but there were no particles nor space before the big bang, thus no time, movement, nor heat, what caused the big bang? "


God dropping his frying pan on the floor.

[Forge]

Mark., on 05 February 2014 - 03:58 PM, said:

"oh yea, if time is dependent on the movement of particles/sub-atomic particles & space, but there were no particles nor space before the big bang, thus no time, movement, nor heat, what caused the big bang? "

God dropping his frying pan on the floor.

whew. that's a relief. better than the alternative i was thinking about - God shooting his wad off through a glory hole

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 03:53 PM, said:

err..what?

i know how big the visible universe is, so clue me in on how big our universe really is
and while we're at it, is this the only universe?
what was before the big bang?
oh yea, if time is dependent on the movement of particles/sub-atomic particles & space, but there were no particles nor space before the big bang, thus no time, movement, nor heat, what caused the big bang?

I like the theory about how matter and even light get squashed down by gravity by a black hole then burst out the other side as a new big bang, it actually makes sense in what we observe in the universe as a continuous cycle of life and death and reproduction, but that's just speculation, sexy speculation. However, could there be enough "stuff" absorbed by the black hole to create a universe? Well a sperm becomes a fully grown person when it connects with the gamete, if lucky, so maybe the fabric it's released into feeds it somehow allowing it to grow, casual brainfart.

Not sure if that can ever be proven but it's the most pleasing theory I've come across, though the two previous answers are far funnier and made me laugh out loud.

[Forge]

i contemplate along similar lines, but it kind of goes off the soap bubble theory.
the universe is in a "soap bubble" adjacent to an infinite amount of other soap bubbles all kind of stacked up on top of each other.
eventually all the material in the universe collects at the bottom of this soap bubble and collapses into a "singularity"
this singularity is so hot and dense that it rips through the wall of this soap bubble into the next soap bubble
this action of ripping through to the next bubble is what creates the instability that causes it to explode into another universe
repeat times infinity

[Ronin]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 04:17 PM, said:

i contemplate along similar lines, but it kind of goes off the soap bubble theory.
the universe is in a "soap bubble" adjacent to an infinite amount of other soap bubbles all kind of stacked up on top of each other.
eventually all the material in the universe collects at the bottom of this soap bubble and collapses into a "singularity"
this singularity is so hot and dense that it rips though the wall of this soap bubble into the next soap bubble
this action of ripping though to the next bubble is what creates the instability that causes it to explode into another universe
repeat times infinity

And why the fuck not.

That's a very cool cartoon to play in my head, then we have to wonder what force is holding them together, opening another can of worms.

I do think it could be a cycle of some sort anyway.

Everything does seem to be fractal in nature.

[MrBlackCat]

Interesting direction...
Little comment by myself other than maybe I see things quite differently. I won't go into deep speculation as to WHY people are so driven by the desire for "answers" of why, other than maybe we are spoiled by modern times producing SO many answers about so many things in only a few hundred years... but I tend to try quite consistently NOT to let my own quest for answers get clouded by the need itself. I refuse, consistently, so accept the answers given, even if possible or believable, if they can't be proven to suit my current view of existence/the world/life etc. This way as I have evolved in thought, education and perspective, I don't get stuck in as many "habits" of thinking a particular way as science proves, and disproves and evolves over time.

Besides, a great deal of scientific view is "right" at the time basically, and as we learn more about how things work in nature the right isn't "wronged" exactly, it is just viewed through evolved points of view, better technology for testing and verifying it etc.

Creators/god... this is so fragile...
I seriously doubt that an entity with the capacity for "causing" all of this would truly interact with us however. Of all that I have had shown to me and proved to me over the years, the concept of an interactive god, that would need or desire worship or even appreciation for "creation" is as arrogant as the concept that the earth revolves around the sun. With my telescope and a little thought I can prove the solar revolution concept to myself satisfactorily.

For my own personal speculation, I have always drawn blanks however. Simplistic ideas I have considered, but have not way or have ever tried to prove would be things like... 1. We could easily be the characters in the dream of some complex being. 2. We could in fact be dreaming and we wake up in layers just as we do when we sleep. 3. Maybe YOU are the complex being and you are the "real" one and the rest of us and maybe this entire universe is just part of your thought process... which would make "everything else" just part of your thought process.

I just don't need answers bad enough to go with anything that isn't pretty black and white, and it serves me well... or at least as well as I am content with being served maybe. I am not saying that everyone who believes in an interactive god is motivated this way, but in the vast majority of those I have questioned deeply about it, that desire to have answered questions is huge. Based on my understanding of various personality types, I believe that belief in such a system as Christianity or other religions is probably best for them. I do not experience this, but can say that I was a "strong" Christian into my 20's. Some intentional changes to my thought structure in the end did not allow for beliefs of this nature however.

Ok... I know about long posts. Stopping it here. I realize this could easily end up 50 pages because of this one concept... there is nothing simple, only simple views. I realize this when I bought a book on Freshwater Crayfish that was like 500 pages long, serving a great example for understanding that simplicity is based on the observers skill, technology and mental capacity, and that simplicity doesn't exist in the observed. Molecules! Atoms! Quarks! Yeah... does it end? Probably, but if String Theory works out, our views will change yet again, and rather drastically.

MrBlackCat

[♥Coraline♥]

[Fox]

Forge, on 05 February 2014 - 04:17 PM, said:

i contemplate along similar lines, but it kind of goes off the soap bubble theory.
the universe is in a "soap bubble" adjacent to an infinite amount of other soap bubbles all kind of stacked up on top of each other.
eventually all the material in the universe collects at the bottom of this soap bubble and collapses into a "singularity"
this singularity is so hot and dense that it rips though the wall of this soap bubble into the next soap bubble
this action of ripping though to the next bubble is what creates the instability that causes it to explode into another universe
repeat times infinity

The problem with that kind of theory is that it (sort of) relies on another universe to have created ours. According to the Big Bang theory, not even time existed before the initial expansion, so it doesn't really makes sense to rely on the occurrences of another universe.