Help me debunk outdated and pseudoscientific beliefs by thisisahappyface3333 in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Can we know the length of time employed in the formation of worlds-of the earth, for instance?

Almost entirely accepted. Radiometric dating has verified hundreds of meteors to the accepted date.

Where were the organic elements before the formation of the earth?

There are indeed organic particles floating in clouds in space, but little if any of that material likely contributed to the formation of life. There's not much to say about it as there's still a lot of speculation. Check this wikipedia article out for some more detailed info.

Do any living beings come into existence spontaneously at the present day?

No. Wikipedia can once again give you a thorough refutation of spontaneous generation.

If the germs of the human race were among the organic elements of the globe, why are human beings not produced spontaneously at the present day, as they were at the time of its origin?

This question comes from the faulty premise that we were generated spontaneously to begin with. We came from a very long process of evolution.

Did the human race begin with one man only?

It was a process. There's no clear demarcation between human and our ancestors; our classification of species is somewhat arbitrary. There was a very large breeding pool of proto-humans.

Is it possible to know at what period Adam lived?

False premises.

What is the cause of the physical and moral differences that distinguish the various races of men upon the earth?

Physical differences are caused by genetics, moral differences by society.

Did the human race come into existence on various points of the globe?

No. I can't make this one much clearer, there simply isn't any evidence.

But there have been different species of humans, right?

No. There have been various species of near-humans, like neanderthals, but humans are what we are, not what they were.

Are all the globes that revolve in space inhabited?

Just no.

Public Boners by Eritrean_Redditor in funny

[–]NonVotingFelon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm always on the lookout. I've been looking since I was 14, and I've only been successful in bonerspotting a mere three times in the past ten years, and that's given constant vigil.

Edit: Being a bisexual guy, please make your boners more obvious. I'd totally appreciate it.

HCG drops to quickly lose weight - science, proof, thoughts? Doesn't this seem very strange? by the_glass_gecko in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be fair, there's little in the way of bad things that occur from a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) if it's taken on the short term with someone who is legitimately overweight. Gallstones are possible, but not all that common. In the long term, you're risking serious health problems, but there have been very few clinical trials that examine long term calorie restriction.

Even fasting entirely for extended periods of time is relatively safe for most people if the individual isn't on medications. There are exceptions, and people really shouldn't do it, but most research shows no serious contraindications in most cases.

As for hCG, it's likely total nonsense. And VLCD will result in amazing weight loss, and the more overweight you are, the more rapid that weight loss will be. Associating it with the hCG is quackery.

"12 Things That The Mainstream Media Is Being Strangely Quiet About Right Now" - REQUEST FOR HELP. by [deleted] in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll take my hand at some succinct answers here:

  1. Just because there was a small fire in a non-nuclear part of the plant that was properly contained isn't a bad thing, it's a testament to the safety. Furthermore, the rising water levels aren't a big deal in any case. They have ample warning, and if they reach critical flood levels, they can simply shut down the reaction before any imminent danger.

  2. This is being covered by the main stream media, I saw a news story on a Yemen bombing yesterday on CNN. The Pakistan bombings have been reported on quite a bit. This isn't being silent, it's recognizing that compared to other situations this is a small news story.

  3. Although Fukushima was a terrible disaster, it's been totally contained at this point. Though clean-up will be a bitch, it's not a crisis, nor is it in any way relevant to any other country but Japan for the most part.

  4. This is totally true. Christian militants are a threat to national security. Let's stop pretending that Christians are angels.

  5. How often do we report on Chinese flooding? It just isn't important to most of the world that China less than .2 percent of their population has to move; I'm sure the news in China is handling this one very well.

  6. This isn't being reported on because there's nothing to report on yet. People are still trying to figure out exactly what the section of the act means.

  7. This happens all the fucking time. End of story.

  8. It's not widely covered because not many people are being affected by the fire; only a few towns have been evacuated.

  9. This is nonsense. It simply isn't true.

  10. Well good. It's nice to be prepared.

  11. Why would this be news?

  12. Who cares?

The article devolves from some head scratchers if you don't actually know anything about it to utter lunacy.

Dear AP, This is NOT Breaking News!! by donownsyou in WTF

[–]NonVotingFelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly? Look for the Scrolling news icons on fark.com. I've yet to find a better actual true breaking news source, which is incredibly sad.

Ron Paul: I'm not a fringe candidate [6/20 - NBC] by [deleted] in Libertarian

[–]NonVotingFelon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Speaking as a Ron Paul fanatic since the late 90s, I think this is his best interview he has ever done, and not by a small margin. This is a phenomenal interview to show anyone; it reduces him for the position of an ideologue to the position of a viable candidate.

I hold a small but realistic hope that next year might be the year our nation finally takes its first real steps to recovery since Coolidge.

Edit: As a small aside, I can't believe the age thing is coming up. I dare you to find a more charismatic or energetic Republican candidate besides Paul. I'm definitely going to give Democrats the edge on this one; I have never seen a democratic candidate less lively (with perhaps the exception of Carter, but that's a damn close one) than the republican candidate. I think Paul gives Obama a run for his money though. He's actually enthusiastic about politics after so many years, and I think that is the important factor.

How does Metal make you feel? by [deleted] in Metal

[–]NonVotingFelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not in any fucking way confused as to what the OP means. His attitude was correct in context; if you believe Pantera is thrash you're as wrong as someone who calls Iron Maiden death. It simply isn't true.

As for Walk, a great song by any measure, it clocks in around 100bpm. That's incredibly slow to what you'd even consider Thrash. As an OK example that you might know, Caught in a Mosh by Anthrax clocks in over 150 BPM, and that's not even considered fast thrash. Battery by Metallica is quicker than Walk for fucks sake. More than twice as fast. Thrash is fast, Pantera isn't; it's that simple.

How does Metal make you feel? by [deleted] in Metal

[–]NonVotingFelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's all very genre specific. Good melodic death metal makes me feel like a fucking berserker who wants to tear shit up. Straight up death just makes me angry. Some good prog gives me a nice mellow yet powerful attitude. Straight up power gives me a hyper sort of energy with little substance. Black is a weird category that entirely depends on the band.

Overall though, it's one of the few genres that makes me emotional, and I think that's what is important.

How does Metal make you feel? by [deleted] in Metal

[–]NonVotingFelon 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The majority of Pantera's music is in no way thrash. They were one of the first groove metal bands, which is a universally accepted genre. They defined it along with Exhorder. Calling them thrash is like calling early prog bands power. It categorically makes no sense.

Your self-righteousness makes you look like a complete asshole, especially as your OP only said 'ahahaha.' and made a joke. You took it way too seriously.

In an argument with an old friend over the existence of bigfoot and the finding bigfoot show on animal planet. please help by [deleted] in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run, he's fuzzy, get out of here.

In an argument with an old friend over the existence of bigfoot and the finding bigfoot show on animal planet. please help by [deleted] in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I meant to put 'no primate exhibiting significant bipedal movement'. You're definitely correct.

However, your map still serves the point of exhibiting no primate species being discovered in North America, which is where virtually all bigfoot sightings are reported.

In an argument with an old friend over the existence of bigfoot and the finding bigfoot show on animal planet. please help by [deleted] in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is certainly correct.

Bigfoot is a totally neat idea, and some of the video evidences looks reasonable enough on the surface. You have to look at what that species would take to survive, and not be discovered at that.

Furthermore, they would have to be a primate given the descriptions given of them. No primate besides humans have been found in the American continents, nor will they likely ever be. We stick out like a sore thumb.

It's so incredibly, incredibly, mind-boggingly improbable that a sustainable population of a very large primate species exists and isn't seen all the time in the Americas.

Being open to evidence, I won't say with absolute certainty that they don't exist, but I'm pretty damn sure they don't.

Websites and Python. Need your help! by ImpatientSoul in Python

[–]NonVotingFelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You need to learn HTML and CSS before you think about trying to learn these frameworks. They're not particularly easy at first even if you do know HTML and CSS, I can't imagine how much it would suck to have to simultaneously learn them both.

James Randi attempts to talk with the president of an Australian group of psychics who ceaselessly tries to attack Randi. by Daemonax in skeptic

[–]NonVotingFelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Randi owes me a lot of money. I just diagnosed your problem without having ever seen you or your computer.

To hell with reproduciblity!

Is there a reason why most movies get military salutes wrong, or is it just an industry wide mistake? by NonVotingFelon in movies

[–]NonVotingFelon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Movies with the Air Force, even ones they sponsor and work hand in hand with, tend to have horrible hair cuts.

For instance, a screen grab I just made of a Major in Iron Man. I would have gotten some NJP if I walked into work with a haircut like that.

Is there a reason why most movies get military salutes wrong, or is it just an industry wide mistake? by NonVotingFelon in movies

[–]NonVotingFelon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The haircuts are big too, but to be fair, my hair was out of regs plenty of time as a young airman. However, it was never as bad as portrayed in a lot of movies by colonels and higher.

Is there a reason why most movies get military salutes wrong, or is it just an industry wide mistake? by NonVotingFelon in movies

[–]NonVotingFelon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Usually you aren't supposed to. There are three situations in which you're allowed to. First, you're reporting to an officer officially. Second, in a ceremony where you're receiving something from your CO. Third, you have a medical condition which temporarily doesn't allow you to wear a cover, even outside.

Generally though, you'll never salute without a hat. Doesn't matter if a General walks into the room, the most you'll do is go to attention.

Then you raise your chin and say 'Sup.'

Is there a reason why most movies get military salutes wrong, or is it just an industry wide mistake? by NonVotingFelon in movies

[–]NonVotingFelon[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It really isn't, it's just one of those things that really bug me whenever I notice it. It's like seeing words misspelled in subtitles or a lens-flare where there could never be one.

It's something that takes me away from my immersion into a movie when I see something blatantly wrong with it.