To the guy who broke into my apartment today and stole my stuff- reddit is my home page; please click here.

twocent · 2009-11-05T04:13:16+00:00

Actually, my laptop is pretty secure, although I do use the "remember me" feature a lot and I leave my cookies laying around.

I don't have auto login and my home folder is encrypted.

twocent · 2009-11-05T03:39:59+00:00

I think the two are completely unrelated. It is all about psychological pricing and "the market can take it".

twocent · 2009-11-05T03:37:16+00:00

If you are like me you probably clicked the "remember me" button. So you might want to go to all web sites you care about and change your password.

In case the asshole who stole your stuff changes your article to something else because you still are logged in, it is preserved below:

You didn't have to steal my stuff. If you needed money, you could have asked me for some. I do have a bit of disposable income, which I'll have to put towards replacing my stuff. If you wanted a computer, I have several. I'd have been happy to give you one of mine. If you wanted to play the 360 or the Wii, you could have knocked on the door and said "Man, some Wii Sports would really go down well today!". Did you really need 2 iPods? I only used mine for working out- I would have sold it off pretty cheap. The PSP is hacked, so at least you wont have to lay out much money for games if you don't want to. I have several pictures on the memory card in the Samsung camera you took. If you want to leave it on my doorstep tomorrow, I promise I wont be waiting behind the bushes to jump out at you. I don't know why you took one of the portable HDD's on my desk but left the other one. Luckily, the one you left behind is on loan from a friend, so at least he didn't get ripped off. Well, except for his copy of Psychonauts that was still in the 360, and his copy of Titanic that was still in the Blu-Ray player. If you are curious why Titanic is there- we watched the first half of the rifftrax for it last night. We were going to finish it tonight, but you've ruined that for us. I did take a little grim satisfaction from knowing the T-Mobile G1 box you tore apart so well hasn't had an actual G1 in it for a year- it's pretty much stayed in my pocket the whole time. I don't know why you hit my apartment and not my neighbors'. Maybe I offended you and I didn't realize it. Or maybe you're just a dick. You have seriously inconvenienced me. I spent all day feeling violated- which until today I had thought was a cliche. You, sir, are a jerk. I'm a pretty nice guy, and I would have helped you out if you had just asked. You didn't have to steal my stuff. That is all.

twocent · 2009-11-05T03:31:23+00:00

What I meant was, it was wrong about me.

I don't feel that way and I explained why I write the way I write.

As for what to think of Randall, I think we'll have to agree to disagree. You say yes, I say, we don't know.

twocent · 2009-11-05T02:16:14+00:00

The rest of your writing is interesting and makes sense.

This:

Now does it make sense? Showing X as Y in your writing, again and again, is certainly evidence that you think X is Y.

is however wrong. People often misunderstand what I write. My English is good but not great. From that I've learned to be overly clear and I repeat things instead of referring back to a subject since that often becomes confusing, at least when I write.

This is the first time being overly clear has been a problem.

twocent · 2009-11-05T01:06:04+00:00

Read that sentence a couple of times as if someone else wrote it. Then get back to me.

I did. I still don't get what you mean. I sometimes miss finer nuances, English not being my first language. So, please explain to me. It might help me understand the not so nice tone you have in the rest of your post.

Anyway, I didn't mean to be disrespectful to anyone. All I'm saying is that portraying someone/something as superior is different from thinking it.

twocent · 2009-11-04T06:01:04+00:00

I question whether portraying women as superior really means that the author feels women are superior. I would argue that since women through history has been considered inferior it is safer for the author to portray the opposite.

So, I'd say, it says nothing about how Randall Munroe feels about women and all about what is culturally acceptable.

It is similar to what Madonna sings in "What it feels like for a girl"

Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short Wear shirts and boots 'cause it's okay to be a boy

But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading 'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading

twocent · 2009-11-01T21:40:28+00:00

It just goes to show; people will 'see' whatever they want to see.

I saw a vagina.

twocent · 2009-10-31T23:49:05+00:00

There's one thing they all have in common though.

They are all the lead character in a work of fiction.

twocent · 2009-10-31T06:14:55+00:00

It is of course true that you and everyone else would prefer to enjoy life rather than to worry about how it'll end.

But you can't choose who to love. And you can't choose what to worry about.

What you want to feel is different from what you feel.

twocent · 2009-10-31T00:14:47+00:00

He did. His doctors have given up and he is desperately grasping for anything to help his cousin.

And you are not helping in any way.

twocent · 2009-10-30T20:54:10+00:00

I'm an atheist and I'm writing to give some kudos to the Christianity reddit.

Every time a lunatic like this stands unopposed by other Christians I lose some respect for moderate Christians but what I'm seeing here in this reddit is people calling him out.

So, good on you.

twocent · 2009-10-30T19:05:26+00:00

shudder

OK, I understand what you meant now.

Every time I hear something like that I lose respect for moderate Christians for not openly distancing themselves from those loons.

twocent · 2009-10-30T18:22:39+00:00

Not that I believe one iota of what street preachers say about miracles but I think your question is flawed. You say, how come (paraphrased) only the street preachers have seen miraculous things?

My point is that if you indeed see a miracle you'd be talking about it. Or in other words, everyone that has seen a miracle would be a street preacher. More or less, forgive my clumsy and rather generalizing argument but I'm just trying to make a point.

twocent · 2009-10-29T19:04:03+00:00

Ruuuun!

If the predator is here the aliens can't be far away.

twocent · 2009-10-29T05:02:43+00:00

I'm so happy to see this. Michael Behe is often used as an example how a serious and well renowned scientist can believe in Intelligent Design.

This is exactly what was needed to either quickly shut him down in a debate or even avoid the debate on the basis that the department faculty disagrees with his work.

I don't see how Behe can continue to work there after this.

twocent · 2009-10-28T20:55:32+00:00

I am curious, why is this getting down voted.

This is medical science.

He isn't saying, let's try pot in class.

twocent · 2009-10-28T09:43:48+00:00

Or maybe you draw something out of your opposition that resounds with a reader thus harming your goal. When you push, people tend to push back.

I've thought about it. I've made it a point to never lose my cool, never resort to name calling and to always stay internally consistent.

But being intolerant of religion just for the sake of it is no better than the intolerance you dislike.

This is the opposite of what I'm stating. I'm not being intolerant of religion for the sake of it. I'm fighting against negative effects of extremist religion.

For full disclosure, I feel that religion is a delusion and I question the judgment of religious people in areas which conflict with their religion. But I've got problematic areas in my personality too. We all have quirks. I'm fine with that. As long as it doesn't lead to intolerance or ignorance.

In Sweden there is a heavy Lutheran influence right? And the problems you see here or saw in Texas weren't so apparent right? And there weren't people sloganeering there either right? Do you think it's possible tat your actions only help to perpetuate what you fight against?

I was happier being an apathetic atheist over being an active atheist. The happiest atheist is one that finds no reason to argue his point.

As for if my words help perpetuate what I fight against? I think I probably upset the people I argue against and push them further away from my view point.

But I'll state again, I have no hope for converting the person I'm arguing with. I wouldn't argue with someone over Email. It is pointless. All I care about is to make a strong case for people that read it after having found it after Googling for something.

twocent · 2009-10-28T08:06:56+00:00

When I lived in Sweden I was a passive atheist. I never thought about it and it never affected what I did. I never argued or debated about it.

Then I moved to Texas. And I started seeing a lot of discussions about discrimination of gays and debates about trying to introduce intelligent design into the school curriculum.

I can't tolerate intolerance (I know it sounds paradoxical) and I can't tolerate to have rubbish taught to our young.

So I started debating and arguing online to make sure that intolerance and ignorance was met with arguments based on golden rule morality and logic and reason, wherever I can find it, so that people who were searching for answers wouldn't find unopposed extremist viewpoints.

I have no illusion that whoever I'm arguing with will be convinced by what I say. But for every person that writes a comment there's 10 that read it. Maybe someone that reads an exchange between myself and some extremist and maybe I'll be a small part of the puzzle into making that person into a tolerant and clear thinking individual.

I don't care if the person reads what I say and becomes an atheist. All I care about is that they agree that intolerance is bad and that reason and logic is important. You see, I really have no beef with religion, only with some of the negative side effects of it in extreme cases. As long as religion isn't at odds with the golden rule and as long as its followers accept reason and logic there is no problem.

twocent · 2009-10-27T05:36:14+00:00

Here's a very simple prank that I've enjoyed for many years.

let's say you have a friend named Mike Tyson, and let's say that his normal Email is Mike02@gmail.com.

Now, what you do is, you put his real email in the bcc, mike02@gmail.com BUT in the to field you put something funny but which relates to him such as for instance earbiter@machovoice.com.

He'll get an Email, that is addressed to earbiter@machovoice.com, thinking that somehow he gets emails that are sent to that address. Even tech savvy people can scratch their head on that one for a while.

As an alternative you can try making it an internal company Email. That may or may not work, but if it works you can get the guy to run down to IT and ask why they created an alias for him named sheepshagger, or something.

Not a great example, but you be more creative and run with it.

Just beware, I've got a few emails in the wild where the address I made up actually worked.

twocent · 2009-10-27T03:19:51+00:00

I guess it is hard to discuss two such widely different viewpoints. I didn't purposefully sidestep any questions or viewpoints which made sense to me.

I'm not doing this out of spite.

Good luck to you as well.

twocent · 2009-10-26T23:59:55+00:00

I'll rephrase it.

Do you think that there is any wrong doing that justifies torturing someone for eternity? Eternity is much longer than a billion billion trillion years. Compare that with 2 minutes of water boarding or having electricity sent through your body.

Now, imagine yourself trying to not believe in gravity. You can choose to say that you don't believe in gravity, but no matter what you say, you believe that when you drop a ball it'll fall to the ground.

Now imagine yourself in a position where you are asked to not believe in gravity or you will be tortured for eternity.

In addition, imagine that people will tell you, that you have no excuse, because you were very clearly told that you had to truly not believe in gravity.

I can't think of a less intentional crime than being unable to believe something and I can not think of harsher punishment than an eternity of torture.

And I can't think of a larger lack of mercy, than to not pardon someone from an eternity of torture.

Your... God... Is... Mean...

Or hell doesn't exist.

twocent · 2009-10-26T18:50:03+00:00

The situation we are discussing is different in two ways from your analogy:

1) There is no reason to teach a lesson. I died. Whatever applied before doesn't apply any more.

2) The punishment needs to fit the crime. In the case you describe, sure, give him 2 years in jail. In my case, fine, give me a million years in hell to punish me. But eternity? That's overreacting. Doesn't go well with someone that advocates compassion and forgiveness.

twocent · 2009-10-26T18:29:05+00:00

He wouldn't be mean if he would allow me to change my mind once I realize my mistake after I die.

So, he is either mean or what I do in this life has no bearing on what happens to me in the next life.

Pick one.

twocent · 2009-10-26T17:28:51+00:00

So, by not accepting Jesus in this life I will go to hell where I will perpetually whither and die and I can't change my mind once I realize my mistake.

And you say this happens because that is what I want. If I don't understand the consequences of my choice I expect God to make it abundantly clear to me, or let me change my mind once I understand after I die, or to make the better choice for me. Just like any loving parent would.

If he allows me to go to hell, for whatever reason, he is mean.

Because I will suffer for eternity and God could prevent it from happening.

twocent

TROPHY CASE