Interesting Stuff Thread

Shrap · 21-09-2015 7:39pm

silverharp wrote: »

it depends on the facts , so far the ones ive heard are that the clock didnt have a battery so had to be plugged in and thats what he did in his english class and set the alarm to go off. When he was challenged he went all passive aggressive and didnt ask his engineering teacher to vouch for him and he did all this on the first school day after "9/11".

we will see I guess

Ooooh. I had seen none of that. Ok, yes a judgement call that maybe a clever 14 yr old could wind up an adult with. Will reserve judgement till I know more. Probably Dawkins should too though

Michael OBrien · 21-09-2015 8:49pm

Shrap wrote: »

Ooooh. I had seen none of that. Ok, yes a judgement call that maybe a clever 14 yr old could wind up an adult with. Will reserve judgement till I know more. Probably Dawkins should too though

Add to that that his mechanical engineering teacher warned him NOT to show it to other teachers as it would alarm them. So he had to plug it in, set the alarm, and have it in a pencil case that just happened to look like a briefcase with a timer, in his English class, which served zero purpose other than to gain attention.
Plus his father is big into the idea of islamophobia in America. Add all this to it JUST happened on that particularly sensitive day and the kid went very quite when first questioned, never mentioned the ONLY teacher that would vouch for him, the engineering teacher.
However the next day he had loads of info to share, after the arrest.
I do think there is more to it than people are letting on.

Shrap · 21-09-2015 8:59pm

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Add to that that his mechanical engineering teacher warned him NOT to show it to other teachers as it would alarm them. So he had to plug it in, set the alarm, and have it in a pencil case that just happened to look like a briefcase with a timer, in his English class, which served zero purpose other than to gain attention.
Plus his father is big into the idea of islamophobia in America. Add all this to it JUST happened on that particularly sensitive day and the kid went very quite when first questioned, never mentioned the ONLY teacher that would vouch for him, the engineering teacher.
However the next day he had loads of info to share, after the arrest.
I do think there is more to it than people are letting on.

Ah right. That should teach me to follow up on an initial story before opening my beak, but it probably won't

Michael OBrien · 21-09-2015 10:01pm

Shrap wrote: »

Ah right. That should teach me to follow up on an initial story before opening my beak, but it probably won't

Don't beat yourself up, I was in the same position, I thought he was just doing his homework and was unfairly arrested.
But it was not homework, or any assignment, at all. Just out of the blue, he turns up with a fake briefcase pencil case, possible countdown clock, that is set to go off in his English class, tied shut with a cord, because he admitted he did not want it to looking "too suspicious". Then when things go wrong, he acts completely surprised by the whole thing, keeps his mouth shut, acts cagey and his own sister (18) is there to photograph him in handcuffs, and they have hashtags set up immediately and his father is on the media circut.
The police have said that the reporting is unbalanced but they cannot reveal more because of the student privacy rules, that the family could waiver, but they refuse to.

MrPudding · 22-09-2015 7:05pm

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Don't beat yourself up, I was in the same position, I thought he was just doing his homework and was unfairly arrested.
But it was not homework, or any assignment, at all. Just out of the blue, he turns up with a fake briefcase pencil case, possible countdown clock, that is set to go off in his English class, tied shut with a cord, because he admitted he did not want it to looking "too suspicious". Then when things go wrong, he acts completely surprised by the whole thing, keeps his mouth shut, acts cagey and his own sister (18) is there to photograph him in handcuffs, and they have hashtags set up immediately and his father is on the media circut.
The police have said that the reporting is unbalanced but they cannot reveal more because of the student privacy rules, that the family could waiver, but they refuse to.

In other news. I took the yellow cover off a banana and invented a piece of fruit. I wish I was still at school so I could show my teacher.

MrP

Michael OBrien · 22-09-2015 8:31pm

MrPudding wrote: »

In other news. I took the yellow cover off a banana and invented a piece of fruit. I wish I was still at school so I could show my teacher.

MrP

MIT needs you to visit them asap. NASA would probably also be delighted to fund your trip to Mars. You deserve it all. Impressed.

Shrap · 22-09-2015 8:40pm

Michael OBrien wrote: »

MIT needs you to visit them asap. NASA would probably also be delighted to fund your trip to Mars. You deserve it all. Impressed.

In all fairness, a dumb priest never got a parish *.

*Oh, I've been wanting to use that phrase here for SUCH a long time!!

silverharp · 22-09-2015 10:44pm

"Muhammad Syed is an ex-Muslim and President of the Ex-Muslims of North America. He spent a few minutes with Seth Andrews in conversation about his former faith."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDIR3GhXszo

silverharp · 22-09-2015 11:06pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TZzznMefcg

Hotblack Desiato · 22-09-2015 11:33pm

Michael OBrien wrote: »

I do think there is more to it than people are letting on.

Indeed, but that didn't stop an AH thread appearing with 150+ posts ranting about how Dawkins is (and, somehow, therefore, atheists in general are) evil/nasty/wrong/arrogant as usual :rolleyes:

Michael OBrien · 23-09-2015 2:00am

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Indeed, but that didn't stop an AH thread appearing with 150+ posts ranting about how Dawkins is (and, somehow, therefore, atheists in general are) evil/nasty/wrong/arrogant as usual :rolleyes:

Saw that. Read some pages. Reactionary bull. Over the top sympathy.
There are crackpots that make huge conspiracies out of this, they are problematic but these people come out with "false flag" this or "Islamic plot" that. However that does not mean ANY deviation from the story they like is (a) racist, (b) islamophobic or (c) some kind of cyberbullying.

The kid seemed to want a reaction. He is reportedly smart, whether he made the clock or simply dismantled a store bought one and put it in a mini brief case, at least that is what I have heard, but if so, why the crappy job, why plug it in during classes that were not the engineering class, after being told not to, because it could cause alarm, why have it beep constantly enough to draw attention. Why go quite when questioned. Why not call the engineering teacher to vouch for him. Why not waive the gag on the police records.

The arrest was unfortunate but he was arrested not for making a bomb, but for making a suspicious device that might cause alarm, which he failed to explain properly. Calling it a clock does not explain why he made it, brought it in in that condition, had it beep in class that had nothing to do with the subject, etc.

Also I don't know if you saw this video, tweeted by Dawkins, but it shows how much effort it took to make this "clock". 20 seconds.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers · 23-09-2015 2:19am

If there's one thing my depressed, apathetic, nihilistic state has taught me, it's don't get too caught up in these stories. Usually the 'next big outrage' will come along and I'll say 'give it a week, and the tide will have turned 180 degrees...' I didn't even notice this one till it had passed me by, hit me from the other side..
The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

(Now where's that video I saved and meant to watch, something to do with Kony...)

Michael OBrien · 23-09-2015 2:25am

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

If there's one thing my depressed, apathetic, nihilistic state has taught me, it's don't get too caught up in these stories. Usually the 'next big outrage' will come along and I'll say 'give it a week, and the tide will have turned 180 degrees...' I didn't even notice this one till it had passed me by, hit me from the other side..
The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

(Now where's that video I saved and meant to watch, something to do with Kony...)

Stefan Molyneux did a good video on it too, basically what I already said. Take it or leave it, depending on how you feel about Stefan.

Nodin · 23-09-2015 4:47am

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Stefan Molyneux did a good video on it too, basically what I already said. Take it or leave it, depending on how you feel about Stefan.

I'll take option 3 and flush.

Thargor · 23-09-2015 10:55am

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Add to that that his mechanical engineering teacher warned him NOT to show it to other teachers as it would alarm them. So he had to plug it in, set the alarm, and have it in a pencil case that just happened to look like a briefcase with a timer, in his English class, which served zero purpose other than to gain attention.
Plus his father is big into the idea of islamophobia in America. Add all this to it JUST happened on that particularly sensitive day and the kid went very quite when first questioned, never mentioned the ONLY teacher that would vouch for him, the engineering teacher.
However the next day he had loads of info to share, after the arrest.
I do think there is more to it than people are letting on.

NASA tshirt on him for the big day aswell.

Cabaal · 23-09-2015 3:56pm

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2015/09/23/his-take-on-the-church/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMRiFPNamM

"There are three human acts of being born, creating life or making love and dying, and I think they are the three most important things you ever do and for each of these the Church has doctrine which would inspire you to fear all three of them”

Hozier on The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne on Sunday night on RTÉ One at 10.35pm.

recedite · 24-09-2015 1:01pm

Gay Byrne there sneakily trying to make it seem like the church position is very reasonable, while Hozier is being unreasonable.
But denying (or hiding) the church position on original sin is a dishonest way of doing that.

The Church has always held baptism to be "for the remission of sins", and, as mentioned in Catechism of the Catholic Church, infants too have traditionally been baptized, though not guilty of any actual personal sin. The sin that through baptism was remitted for them could only be original sin, with which they were connected by the very fact of being a human.

The water used in baptism is part of a purification ritual, which actually involved total immersion in the water back in the early days.

Cabaal · 24-09-2015 1:17pm

recedite wrote: »

Gay Byrne there sneakily trying to make it seem like the church position is very reasonable, .

yeah thought that myself, what gay was saying isn't the church's position at all.
The baby is born out of sin in the church's eye's, it has to be cleaned from that sin by baptising it. Much like a women after birth had to be churched.

sbsquarepants · 24-09-2015 1:26pm

I really like the concept of that show, but I can only bring myself to watch it if someone I really really want to know about is on, all because gay is such a smarmy tosser. I'll watch the hozier one, the last one I could face was Stephen Fry and I can't actually remember watching any others. If any half decent interviewer done it I'd watch every week, eh, religiously!

Cabaal · 24-09-2015 1:29pm

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I really like the concept of that show, but I can only bring myself to watch it if someone I really really want to know about is on, all because gay is such a smarmy tosser. I'll watch the hozier one, the last one I could face was Stephen Fry and I can't actually remember watching any others. If any half decent interviewer done it I'd watch every week, eh, religiously!

Also don't like the man, mainly because I think he's taking up a perfectly good job (or jobs) in RTE that others could have. He retired years ago...but yet he just won't go away.

He's 81 for feck sake, what fool wants to keep working until they are 81?

Nodin · 24-09-2015 3:30pm

Cabaal wrote: »

Also don't like the man, mainly because I think he's taking up a perfectly good job (or jobs) in RTE that others could have. He retired years ago...but yet he just won't go away.

He's 81 for feck sake, what fool wants to keep working until they are 81?

Somebody who lost all their money by being ripped off, then 20 or 30 years later lost all the money they earned over that period by investing in some Bank.

(I can't stand the sight or sound of him, btw).

robindch · 24-09-2015 5:23pm

Raising your children sans religion has lots of benefits. Lots.

http://www.bustle.com/articles/62411-raising-children-without-religion-may-be-a-better-alternative-suggests-new-research

.

Shrap · 24-09-2015 9:38pm

robindch wrote: »

Raising your children has lots of benefits. Lots.

Gosh, I dunno. Have been considering the benefits of giving them to someone else to raise could seriously outweigh the dubious benefits of raising them myself

I might get to keep some of my face wrinkle free, for example. And maybe save a few hairs from the grey......

robindch · 24-09-2015 9:44pm

Shrap wrote: »

Gosh, I dunno. Have been considering the benefits of giving them to someone else to raise could seriously outweigh the dubious benefits of raising them myself

Ah, the risks of posting to A+A in a hurry.

Hotblack Desiato · 25-09-2015 12:05am

I was thinkin' of the oul' traditional fattenin' for export meself.

lameusername · 25-09-2015 12:08am

robindch wrote: »

Ah, the risks of posting to A+A in a hurry.

They are many.

Shrap · 25-09-2015 8:25am

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

I was thinkin' of the oul' traditional fattenin' for export meself.

Indeed, that is the path I have chosen. That and bringing them up godless heathens. Improves the flavour.

Hotblack Desiato · 26-09-2015 12:37am

silverharp wrote: »

it depends on the facts , so far the ones ive heard are that the clock didnt have a battery so had to be plugged in and thats what he did in his english class and set the alarm to go off. When he was challenged he went all passive aggressive and didnt ask his engineering teacher to vouch for him and he did all this on the first school day after "9/11".

we will see I guess

recedite · 26-09-2015 5:24pm

legspin wrote: »

http://www.paviliontheatre.ie/events/view/an-evening-with-richard-dawkins

Going myself. Thought other folk here may be interested.

I managed to get in before it sold out.

silverharp · 28-09-2015 8:53am

possible answer to life on Mars question

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-mars-mystery-solved

Nature Geoscience has Embargoed Details until 11 a.m. EDT Sept. 28)

NASA will detail a major science finding from the agency’s ongoing exploration of Mars during a news briefing at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 28 at the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The event will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

News conference participants will be:

· Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters

· Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters

· Lujendra Ojha of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta

· Mary Beth Wilhelm of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California and the Georgia Institute of Technology

· Alfred McEwen, principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) at the University of Arizona in Tucson

legspin · 28-09-2015 9:38am

recedite wrote: »

I managed to get in before it sold out.

I think that's five of us now

robindch · 28-09-2015 10:36am

Plus three.

Pineapple-free pizza beforehand?

KomradeBishop · 28-09-2015 2:27pm

While the rest of the world encountered record high temperatures this year, the North Atlantic recorded record low temperatures: (excuse big image - but worth having in post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/24/why-some-scientists-are-worried-about-a-cold-blob-in-the-north-atlantic-ocean/

This was probably caused by the melting of glaciers in Greenland, disrupting ocean currents in the North Atlantic - which could threaten long-lasting/semi-permanent changes in climate, for northern European countries (Ireland particularly) - possibly to the point, of making our local climate cooler, as global 'warming' continues.

Pretty clear/dramatic evidence, of this long-suspected effect of global warming.

robindch · 28-09-2015 2:33pm

^^^

Thargor · 28-09-2015 3:15pm

silverharp wrote: »

possible answer to life on Mars question

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-mars-mystery-solved

Probably just something to do with ancient water, good stuff but they really need to stop these "mystery reveal press conference at x o clock" announcements, they're well into crying wolf territory.

legspin · 28-09-2015 4:59pm

robindch wrote: »

Plus three.

Pineapple-free pizza beforehand?

That's an idea.
It's over quite early (as far as I can see anyway) so post-show drinkies are also an option.

oscarBravo · 28-09-2015 5:04pm

Thargor wrote: »

Probably just something to do with ancient water...

Better: recent/current water. Which is a Pretty Big Deal.

recedite · 28-09-2015 5:16pm

There seems to be a Wetherspoon's there; they're always good for a real ale though the food is not the best.

Thargor · 28-09-2015 6:09pm

oscarBravo wrote: »

Better: recent/current water. Which is a Pretty Big Deal.

Yeah pretty amazing stuff actually.

robindch · 29-09-2015 2:52pm

Behold the levitron:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VylZJrep1MM

Shrap · 29-09-2015 9:46pm

robindch wrote: »

Behold the levitron:

COOOL.

Wonder do you have to have such large magnets?

recedite · 29-09-2015 10:26pm

I think the small one has to fit inside the ring of the bigger one, because magnetic flux blah blah...
Anyway, I just tried it with two small ones and the spinning one kept flipping over (quite violently!)

pauldla · 15-10-2015 12:46pm

Has Kepler Discovered an Alien Megastructure?

At 1500 light years away we probably won't have any 'welcome to erf!'-type encounters, though. But still: wow, if true.

robindch · 15-10-2015 1:31pm

It's Sandy after Stephen.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34528586!

recedite · 15-10-2015 3:37pm

pauldla wrote: »

Has Kepler Discovered an Alien Megastructure?

At 1500 light years away we probably won't have any 'welcome to erf!'-type encounters, though. But still: wow, if true.

On the other hand, whatever it is Kepler has spotted, it was 1500 years ago. It they had solar arrays in space then, by now they should have warp-drive vehicles, so they'll be along for a visit any day now.

pauldla · 15-10-2015 3:56pm

recedite wrote: »

On the other hand, whatever it is Kepler has spotted, it was 1500 years ago. It they had solar arrays in space then, by now they should have warp-drive vehicles, so they'll be along for a visit any day now.

Or, being so far ahead of us, they've had their Second Coming already. Lucky bastards.

Peregrinus · 16-10-2015 12:18am

recedite wrote: »

On the other hand, whatever it is Kepler has spotted, it was 1500 years ago. It they had solar arrays in space then, by now they should have warp-drive vehicles, so they'll be along for a visit any day now.

Or, they are sufficiently technologically advanced to have established that warp-drive vehicles are impossible.

Or, they could get her if they wanted to, but they are sufficiently wise not to want to.

Or . . . they're already here!!! (Duhn -duhn- duhn!!!)

sponsoredwalk · 17-10-2015 2:47am

silverharp wrote: »

Dawkins has weighed in here, I think he is right

http://gawker.com/priorities-confused-1731919698

recedite wrote: »

Its a clock that looks like a bomb.
I don't think the kid bought it that way and disassembled it. I think he created it, so he's not a fraud.
Dawkins could still be right in assessing the kid's motivation though. I suspect some mischievous intent, and if so, the authorities have played right into his hands. I'm guessing he's a hero among his classmates right now, and rightly so..

silverharp wrote: »

it depends on the facts , so far the ones ive heard are that the clock didnt have a battery so had to be plugged in and thats what he did in his english class and set the alarm to go off. When he was challenged he went all passive aggressive and didnt ask his engineering teacher to vouch for him and he did all this on the first school day after "9/11".

we will see I guess

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Add to that that his mechanical engineering teacher warned him NOT to show it to other teachers as it would alarm them. So he had to plug it in, set the alarm, and have it in a pencil case that just happened to look like a briefcase with a timer, in his English class, which served zero purpose other than to gain attention.
Plus his father is big into the idea of islamophobia in America. Add all this to it JUST happened on that particularly sensitive day and the kid went very quite when first questioned, never mentioned the ONLY teacher that would vouch for him, the engineering teacher.
However the next day he had loads of info to share, after the arrest.
I do think there is more to it than people are letting on.

Michael OBrien wrote: »

Saw that. Read some pages. Reactionary bull. Over the top sympathy.
There are crackpots that make huge conspiracies out of this, they are problematic but these people come out with "false flag" this or "Islamic plot" that. However that does not mean ANY deviation from the story they like is (a) racist, (b) islamophobic or (c) some kind of cyberbullying.

The kid seemed to want a reaction. He is reportedly smart, whether he made the clock or simply dismantled a store bought one and put it in a mini brief case, at least that is what I have heard, but if so, why the crappy job, why plug it in during classes that were not the engineering class, after being told not to, because it could cause alarm, why have it beep constantly enough to draw attention. Why go quite when questioned. Why not call the engineering teacher to vouch for him. Why not waive the gag on the police records.

The arrest was unfortunate but he was arrested not for making a bomb, but for making a suspicious device that might cause alarm, which he failed to explain properly. Calling it a clock does not explain why he made it, brought it in in that condition, had it beep in class that had nothing to do with the subject, etc.

Also I don't know if you saw this video, tweeted by Dawkins, but it shows how much effort it took to make this "clock". 20 seconds.

Tricking MIT & Obama, but you guys seen right through it :cool:

This is all just so utterly unbelievable, I genuinely cannot believe a sane person can entertain this stuff. I hope it sinks in that places like MIT do not think along these same lines.

Hotblack Desiato · 23-10-2015 10:13pm

legspin wrote: »

http://www.paviliontheatre.ie/events/view/an-evening-with-richard-dawkins

Going myself. Thought other folk here may be interested.

Bump.

For those. like me, who already have tickets (it's sold out) -

http://atheist.ie/events/event/an-evening-with-richard-dawkins-post-event-drinks/

Richard Dawkins will be reading from his new book, the second part of his memoirs, ‘Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science’ at the dlr Lexicon Library in Dun Laoghaire on Friday 30th October. This event is not being organised by Atheist Ireland and is now sold out.

However, Atheist Ireland are organising post-event drinks in the Kingston Hotel Dun Laoghaire and all are welcome to come along.

Took me ages to find the post quoted above, it should be in Upcoming Events really.

Thargor · 23-10-2015 11:07pm

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Bump.

For those. like me, who already have tickets (it's sold out) -

http://atheist.ie/events/event/an-evening-with-richard-dawkins-post-event-drinks/

Took me ages to find the post quoted above, it should be in Upcoming Events really.

Whoa good thing you posted that thanks, I must have been half asleep when I booked it, it completely slipped my mind, looking forward to it.

Interesting Stuff Thread

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