Shoot an Email

You know what phase I hate.  “Can you just shoot me an email?” or “I’ll just shoot her an email”.  Nothing about the process of sending an email in any way relates to ‘shooting’.  Some definitions of shoot are as follows;

 

to send forth missiles from a bow, firearm, or the like.

to be discharged, as a firearm.

to hunt with a gun for sport: He fishes, but he doesn't shoot. 

to move or pass suddenly or swiftly; spurt: The car shot ahead and was soon out of sight. 

Nautical. to acquire momentum and coast into the wind, as a sailboat in a confined area.

to grow forth from the ground, as a stem.

to put forth buds or shoots, as a plant; germinate.

Photography. to photograph.

Movies. to film or begin to film a scene or movie.

to extend; jut: a cape shooting out into the sea. 

Sports, Games. a. to propel a ball, puck, etc., at a goal, basket, pocket, etc., or in a specific direction: He shot for the green with a five iron. 

to propel a ball in a specific way: The center shoots left-handed. 

to be felt by or flow through or permeate the body: Pain shot through his injured arm. Chills shot up and down her spine. 

to carry by force of discharge or momentum: The missile left its pad and shot thousands of miles into space. 

Evolve This!

I haven’t posted anything on here about Gov. Palin, but I did want to point out one of the things she believes in. Creationism, as an actually science to be taught in public schools.

This is just insane. I found these questions on a Creationism site and thought I’d answer them. Or at least try, some of them do not make any logical sense so putting a logical answer behind them is difficult, but I’ll do my best.

1. Where did the space for the universe come from? It didn’t come from anywhere. It isn’t like God went down to the local Gundaker Realtor office and picked out a nice piece of space to build his ‘great’ plan. Also why is the universe so vast and basically empty? If God just did all of this so he could make man, then why even bother with all the extra space and millions of other starts and planets. It would just seem like a waste of time.

2. Where did matter come from? Matter came from a fundamental necessity of existence.

3. Where did the laws of the universe come from (gravity, inertia, etc.)? They came from physical objects reacting to each other and finding balance in their continued co-existence.

4. How did matter get so perfectly organized? Who says matter is perfectly organized?

5. Where did the energy come from to do all the organizing? Energy comes from negative and positive charges that exist everywhere. These are not magic tricks or miracles, they are simple reactions.

6. When, where, why, and how did life come from non-living matter? That is assuming that there is such a things as non-living matter. Once any living things dies and breaks down it becomes non-living. So I’m not there should even be a category difference between non-living and living matter. It is all just matter, it just depends on how it is used.

7. When, where, why, and how did life learn to reproduce itself? I’m not even sure how to address this question. For the simple reason that life does not ‘learn’ to reproduce, life just does.

8. With what did the first cell capable of sexual reproduction reproduce? This is an easy one, ITSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. Why would any plant or animal want to reproduce more of its kind since this would only make more mouths to feed and decrease the chances of survival? (Does the individual have a drive to survive, or the species? How do you explain this?) Since I’m guessing you are not talking about human beings, because they love to reproduce many more mouths than can be feed. I’ll assume you are talking about ‘lower’ forms of life. If the need to reproduce was not part of nature, there would be no nature to speak of. And in that light, we wouldn’t even be here to speak about it.

10. How can mutations (recombining of the genetic code) create any new, improved varieties? (Recombining English letters will never produce Chinese books.) The best thing about DNA is that it takes a very simple few pieces and can form them into just about anything. Think of it this way if I want to build a basic ranch style home, I don’t take a sky scraper apart and try to conform the pieces into a house. But I can use the same exact building materials in their original forms to build either structure. Also there are millions of pieces in the genetic code we and nothing else on this planet even use. To your analogy, all written word is just moving around dots and dashes in different combinations.

11. Is it possible that similarities in design between different animals prove a common Creator instead of a common ancestor? I suppose like a painter may produce works that have similar characteristics a Creator could really like a design and stick with it. However, why would a Creator needed to develop different versions of the same thing? Why are there over 10000 species of birds in the world? Why isn’t there just one? Just for fun?

12. Natural selection only works with the genetic information available and tends only to keep a species stable. How would you explain the increasing complexity in the genetic code that must have occurred if evolution were true? Species even today are born with ‘defects’ or mutations. When these mutations, accidents, give the individual animal and edge, he or she will then produce more off spring passing on its accident to the next generation. What you are saying is why haven’t we seen amazing mutations that advance a given species? Probably because we haven’t been paying attention for that long. And human involvement in many of these situations has broken down the process.

13. When, where, why, and how did:
o Single-celled plants become multi-celled? (Where are the two and three-celled intermediates?) When: Millions of years ago. Where: in the ocean Why: Because of a genetic accident. How: Refer to my pervious answer. The term multi-celled organism isn’t a static number of lets say, seven. So it isn’t that there isn’t or wasn’t three-celled organisms they just don’t thrive. Well actually they do thrive by dividing more and growing into more complex organisms.
o Single-celled animals evolve? I’ve already talked about that.
o Fish change to amphibians? More that likely it was a product of an over populated prehistoric ocean. When the food sources grew smaller and habitat grew over crowded a fish who could live closer to the land or even on it, would have thrived and had offspring.
o Amphibians change to reptiles? Same as above.
o Reptiles change to birds? (The lungs, bones, eyes, reproductive organs, heart, method of locomotion, body covering, etc., are all very different!) Same as above. They may seem very different but when it comes down to it. All of those things are built from the same blocks. Have you heard of stem cells?
o How did the intermediate forms live? Not very well, that is why they aren’t here.

14. When, where, why, how, and from what did:
o Whales evolve? I’m just going to sum this whole section up right here. It isn’t important how individual species or appendage evolved. The very fact that they exist today and thrive should be enough.
o Sea horses evolve?
o Bats evolve?
o Eyes evolve?
o Ears evolve?
o Hair, skin, feathers, scales, nails, claws, etc., evolve?

15. Which evolved first (how, and how long; did it work without the others)? Trial and error. This is for all the questions in the section.
o The digestive system, the food to be digested, the appetite, the ability to find and eat the food, the digestive juices, or the body’s resistance to its own digestive juice (stomach, intestines, etc.)?
o The drive to reproduce or the ability to reproduce?
o The lungs, the mucus lining to protect them, the throat, or the perfect mixture of gases to be breathed into the lungs?
o DNA or RNA to carry the DNA message to cell parts?
o The termite or the flagella in its intestines that actually digest the cellulose?
o The plants or the insects that live on and pollinate the plants?
o The bones, ligaments, tendons, blood supply, or muscles to move the bones?
o The nervous system, repair system, or hormone system?
o The immune system or the need for it?

16. There are many thousands of examples of symbiosis that defy an evolutionary explanation. Why must we teach students that evolution is the only explanation for these relationships? Just because one or two things don’t fit perfectly into the puzzle doesn’t make the puzzle wrong, it just makes it extremly complex.

17. How would evolution explain mimicry? Did the plants and animals develop mimicry by chance, by their intelligent choice, or by design? By chance. The bug that looks like the tree doesn’t eat eaten as many times that the bug that is bright orange. So the tree bug gets to reproduce and prosper. While the orange bug quickly goes extinct.

18. When, where, why, and how did man evolve feelings? Love, mercy, guilt, etc. would never evolve in the theory of evolution. But yet it did.

19. How did photosynthesis evolve? I think the answers to the following two questions are defined quite vividly in any account of the basics of evolution.

20. How did thought evolve?

21. How did flowering plants evolve, and from that?

22. What kind of evolutionist are you? Why are you not one of the other eight or ten kinds? The sure fact that scientists are able to look beyond their narrow view of the word and let in other possibilities is a testament to finding the truth. If we sit back and do not search for the truth and take we are told as fact, then how can we grow (dare I say evolve)?

23. What would you have said fifty years ago if I told you I had a living coelacanth in my aquarium? Why haven’t you let anyone study it? Selfish much?

24. Is there one clear prediction of macroevolution that has proved true? Is there one clear perdition of the existence of God that has proved true?

25. What is so scientific about the idea of hydrogen as becoming human? I don’t even know what to say to that.

26. Do you honestly believe that everything came from nothing? Without any hesitation, yes.

Are People Really That Dumb?

NOISE

Our world is filled with noise. Everywhere you can go some sort of noise will meet you. It is an amazing constant of the planet. No matter where you turn you WILL come into contact with things like cars, radios, air cooling or heating systems, chitchatting, keys typing, electronic hums from various electronic devices, foot steps, clothes moving, birds, the wind, and the list goes on and on. I suppose the only place where you might be able to retreat from all noise is probably a soundproof room. Although, your simple presence there is probably going to contributing to some degree of noise.

So, we cannot escape it, yet there is something wonderful about silence. This is of course not a ‘true’ silence, but the closest one can get. I always think it is important to, once in awhile, stop. Whatever it is you are doing and just let the absence of movement fill the space around you. Just for a moment, stop typing, turn off the MP3 player, mute the TV and simply exist.

Tout

I’ve never really understood personalized license plates. Putting some cutsie name, which is probably spelt wrong, on the front and back of my car doesn’t seem like something I’d like to spend extra money on, but maybe I’m missing the point.

I noticed this license plate in my parking garage at work. As a general statement, I don’t believe you should flaunt your accomplishments. I’m all about being proud of goals set and reached, but by adverting the accomplishment well after the initial completed task I think it may loose something.

I’m not saying this as a blanket statement. However, if something is really worth working toward and attainting, then you really shouldn’t be in it for the bragging rights.

In Theory

So, how would feel if your signifigant other of five years didn't know important details about you? How important is it that they remember your birthday? Your anniversary? Your age?

Say you're at dinner with your signifigant other. Then let's say the topic of your age comes up, and your signifigant other (let's call him Mike) doesn't know how old you are. Granted, he thinks you're a year younger, which I suppose is better than older, but still. How would this make you feel? If, hypothetically, this happened to me, I'd be irritated. Angry, even. Especially if "Mike" doesn't really seem to feel bad that he didn't know.

Also, what if "Mike" doesn't know when your birthday is? Let's say he thinks it's two days before the actual date. Is it fair, then, to assume that if you get presents two days before your birthday because "Mike" doesn't know when your actual birthday is, you deserve a second set of presents on the actual day? Especially since you've hypothetically been together for more than five years.

Theoreticals are fun.

Bug Off

So, I’m not exactly sure what this says about me but I thought I’d share my thoughts anyway. I was in the restroom at work doing general restroom type things when I noticed a rollie-pollie walking down the line of the adjacent wall. I didn’t think much of him at first, but my usual feeling toward insects. I don’t hold them in high regard. This I’m sure is do to the fact that I’m basically ignorant to their existence. Anyway, he moved smoothly almost glided down the base of the wall, following it closely as if he was a train on track. The distance was probably some five feet or so and he was moving at a pretty impressive speed. I assumed that once he reached the corner he would turn and follow the connecting wall in the same fashion. This is when the idea entered my mind about how simple his life must be. His life is full of extremely straightforward goals. All he has to do is walk down a path someone else designed, mindlessly moving in a straight line until he happens across a food source, a mate, or a predator. It seems like a life of no worries and once he reached the corner he paused for a moment and then like I expected he continued down the other wall.

The simplicity of it is what caught my attention. How do we seem to make life so complicated if really it is as easy as moving forward instinctively? I might have treaded further down that path of thought. Going on to say we humans live to over think situations and attempt to mold our words instead of simply living in them. However, my rollie-pollie friend derailed that train of reflection when he diverged from the second wall and started out across the tile. Why had he left behind the secure solid line of the wall to venture into the unsure world of the floor?

As he moved out father away from the wall, his path was nothing but defined. Sometimes he would transverse the tiles cutting them in half or traveled down the gout grooves. He tried to take a groove too fast once or twice and fell upside down, but quickly righted himself and soldiered on. With all this, he seemed to stop making much forward progress, but now seemed to move more in small circles. Going over areas he had already been and even taking the same exact path more than once.

I could not help but wonder if there were higher beings out there looking down on Earth watching us. They would probably have much the same interpretation as I had toward this “lower being”. It would seem that sometimes the human race ceases to make any progress forward. We move in circles bringing back up the same arguments and situations. Much to the credit of the old adage, that history is doomed to repeat itself. How humbling is life that it can be vividly reflected by the actions of a tiny unassuming bug?

I did a little research on rollie-pollies whose more proper name is isopod. Interestingly isopods aren’t even insects they are Crustaceans. I’m not saying they would taste good boiled and served with a side of melted butter, but it is an interesting clarification. On another interesting note, they actually breathe through gills. This usually means they are restricted to areas with high humidity, under rocks or logs or in crevices. This is sort of an odd statement considering I was in the restroom of a large office building. Most people don’t consider the humidly of such a place relatively high.

The time that elapsed between when I first noticed the isopod and when I decided I should get back to work was about ten minutes. The average lifespan of an isopod is 2 years and assuming I live to be around 80, he shared 0.001% of his life with me and I shared 0.00002% of my life with him. It is amazing how such a small amount of time can inspire so much thought.

So did I judge him too quickly as a painfully simple creature? Probably, I have a tendency to do that. However, I hope that I am intelligent enough to notice when I do and try to revisit the issue.