Fri, 27 Feb 2009
- Get a Grip!
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There is, in human society, an effect one might call "conservation of seriousness", whereby the amount of seriousness with which a person is taken is constant, and must be divided between himself and the rest of society. The more seriously a person takes himself, the less seriously everyone else will.
This, in my opinion, is why conservatives in the media always get mashed during "round table" discussions and the like. The liberals seem to know how to take the topic seriously, without believing so profoundly that they personally have to be taken seriously. It lets them "roll with the punches" as it were. The conservatives always seem to think that any attack on their argument is a personal one, and let anger take over long before it's warranted. Even when they're right, they still always seem to come off as blow-hards or buffoons.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Fri, 25 Jul 2008
- Adaptation
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If at first you don't succeed, you're probably using a Microsoft product.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Wed, 16 Jul 2008
- Home, Sweet Project
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I've learned two things about assemble-it-yourself kits. First, the time they estimate on the box is usually just about right, IF you multiply it by 6. Second, whatever tools it tells you you'll need, always add a sledge hammer, a crowbar, and a bottle of asprin to the list.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Wed, 18 Jun 2008
- Technobabble
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So I was watching a congressional hearing on Net-Neutrality the other day, when I realized that not a single person involved in the debate (other than the handful of mostly ignored experts called to testify) had even the slightest clue what they were talking about.
Technical terms in the hands of non-technical people are like machine-guns in the hands of monkeys. You might escape one without taking a hit, but end up in a room-full, and you're done for.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Tue, 03 Jun 2008
- Psychobabble
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Of course cynicism is a defense mechanism! So is an immune system. Should I stop fighting off infections, too?
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Mon, 26 May 2008
- Solipsism
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If it really is all in my head, I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in my imagination!
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Thu, 08 May 2008
- Rationality
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I got an junk email the other day from someone trying to convince me that there must be a god, since DNA is too complex to have 'happened by accident', and is irrefutable evidence of 'intelligent design' (oh yeah, and as Carlin put it "He needs money!"). My first thought was a reasoned response pointing out things like "that's not how evolution works", "evolution and religion *could* both be right to some extent", etc., but after carefully considering the source, I crafted the perfect response. I didn't send it, but I crafted it!
- "Your message was a real eye-opener. Your logic was so insightful, I decided to use it myself in my response to you. The sheer improbability of someone as obviously clueless about how the universe around you works as you are thinking you could convince me of your crazy-ass fundamentalist beliefs by means of such an 'incredibly effective' tool of persuasion as a mass junk-email is undeniable proof that there is, in fact, a consciousness of some kind that must have created you on purpose."
- "Further, that being either has a sick and rather ironic sense of humor, or is an utter idiot. "
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Thu, 01 May 2008
- Mayday!
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I didn't plan it. In fact, I told you not to do it that way. I'll be damned if I'm going to miss my TV show to fix it for you now!
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Wed, 16 Apr 2008
- Definition
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Engineering is the art of reconciling what people want to hear with the actual truth.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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Tue, 11 Mar 2008
- You Need Help!
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You can tell that a counselor, therapist, or confidant is a good one if when you hear their advice, you realize "That's just what I would have told someone to do in my place. Why didn't I see it before?" There's always a part of you that only others see.
[/Blaise/YAOOL]
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