Christianity

Exceptionally old, large, and wanky fandom of Jesus Christ. Basically like Star Trek, only not as big on slash.

Occasionally truncated to "Xianity" by those using "X" as a symbol for "Christ," or "Xtianity" by exceptionally stupid people.

I don't question God. The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall put none above Him. Which is why I know that if it were part of God's plan for me to stop viciously condemning others based solely on their sexual preference, He would have seen fit—in His infinite wisdom and all—to have given me the tiniest bit of human empathy necessary to do so.

You know who’s easily confused, easily thrown off-track and baffled by the questioning of rules they’ve learned? Adults.

When someone says “Kids won’t understand how two men can be married” what they mean, what they’re trying to say, is “I don’t understand how two men can be married.” When they say “Kids won’t understand why their dick looks different from daddy’s” they’re trying to explain “I don’t understand why you want to be different from tradition.” When they say “Kids won’t know who’s the daddy and who’s the mommy” they are telling you “I cannot comprehend a world without very rigid gender roles, and as far as I know neither can anyone else.”

If anyone can think of a counterexample, let me know, but from where I’m standing, it looks like every use of the “confused kids” argument is just people pushing their own incomprehension off onto some largely-hypothetical kids. Can we all agree to stop falling for it?

And I was dead serious earlier. If, after all of this, you can tell me that innocence is more valuable, that somehow your child knowing anything about sex or their bodies is detrimental to them so you’d rather they know nothing, if you can tell me that it’s more godly that they are kept in the dark, then I want you to tell me, right now, that you are okay with the children who are sexually abused within this silence. That you are okay with the knowledge that your child might have already been sexually abused and unable to tell you, and you appreciate the silence far more than their protection. (As a sidenote: asking an “innocent” child whether they have been abused won’t tell you anything if you haven’t equipped them with the knowledge of what that could even mean and if they have no knowledge of whether what happened to them could be construed as wrong or not.) If you are fine with teaching children that they are yours and that you have ultimate power and authority over everything including the say over their bodies, then I want you to tell me you are absolutely fine with sexual abuse. Because no matter what kinds of logical leaps you can make to justify these beliefs, that is what you believe.

And church, I hold you, and your culture, and your disgusting, elitist, worthless praising of innocence responsible for these lives. And until you and conservative Christianity changes, I will never see you as anything more than an abusive culture, willing to sacrifice children in pain for your own selfish illusions that “innocence” is any kind of protection, and has anything to do with morality.

In the spirit of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives. Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner, thereby improving our species' chances of long-term survival.

Trial to run between Black Friday and New Year’s Day
Two malls in California and Virginia will track shoppers
Antenna will follow your phone's identification number
Fears raised about what happens if data gets stolen

FARK.com We don't make news. We mock it.

Online version of the weekly magazine, with current articles, cartoons, blogs, audio, video, slide shows, an archive of articles and abstracts back to 1925

ScienceDaily (Nov. 18, 2011) — Scientists at Chalmers have succeeded in creating light from vacuum -- observing an effect first predicted over 40 years ago. In an innovative experiment, the scientists have managed to capture some of the photons that are constantly appearing and disappearing in the vacuum.

A couple of years ago our friend Clifford Pickover wrote the terrifically fun book, The Math Book. Now he's got a new one that's just as good about physics. It's called, as you might guess, The Physics Book and the publisher has kindly given me permission to run some examples from the book. You can check all of them out after the jump.

Results from a second experiment uphold the observation that neutrinos are moving faster than the speed of light. The OPERA collaboration, which first reported the superluminal neutrinos in September, has rerun the experiment and detected 20 new neutrinos breaking Einstein’s theoretical limit.

The findings are heartening to anyone hoping to see a major physics revolution in their lifetime. But scientists, as ever, are being cautious, and it will take an independent replication of the results by another team to even begin convincing many of them.

Karen sez, "Instructables user RobHopeless has engineered a way to make your own 3D printer. This tutorial is an entry in Instructables' 4th Epilog Challenge, which is accepting all sorts of creative projects for the chance to win an Epilog Laser."

Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel, Google:

I’ve considered your offer to not add my wireless network to your location database in exchange for appending “_nomap” to the SSID. I am rejecting it out of hand and laughing at the idea that this is “greater choice for wireless access point owners.”

To start with, I’m not going to reconfigure all the wireless clients I support. I’m sorry that Google is facing increased scrutiny, legislation, and legal action for raping the world’s privacy in order to sell things, but changing an SSID is a big deal for everybody. Doesn’t matter if it’s grandma’s little wireless network or a giant intercontinental wireless hotspot setup, it’s a big pain in the ass to “protect” our privacy this way.

Greater choice for wireless access point owners

From tagging a post with your location, to checking in to a restaurant, to simply finding out where you are, location-based services have become some of the most popular features of today’s Internet. One of the key ways technology companies are able to determine a location for these services is through a location database, which matches publicly broadcast information about local wireless networks with their approximate geographic location. By looking for wireless access points that are close to a user’s phone, location providers can return the approximate location you need. In addition, this method is a good alternative to other approaches, like GPS, because it’s faster, it works indoors, and it’s more battery-efficient.

You know how it is. You’re enjoying yourself, kicking back and relaxing at the pub or maybe at the library; or maybe you’re in class or just casually surfing the internet, indulging in a little conversation. The topic of the conversation is about a pertinent contemporary issue, probably something to do with a group of people who fall outside your realm of experience and identity. They’re also probably fairly heavily discriminated against - or so they claim.
The thing is, you’re having a good time, sharing your knowledge about these people and their issues. This knowledge is incontrovertible - it’s been backed up in media representation, books, research and lots and lots of historical events, also your own unassailable sense of being right.

Yet all of a sudden something happens to put a dampener on your sharing of your enviable intellect and incomparable capacity to fully perceive and understand All Things. It’s someone who belongs to the group of people you’re discussing and they’re Not Very Happy with you. Apparently, they claim, you’ve got it all wrong and they’re offended about that. They might be a person of colour, or a queer person. Maybe they’re a woman, or a person with disability. They could even be a trans person or a sex worker. The point is they’re trying to tell you they know better than you about their issues and you know that’s just plain wrong. How could you be wrong?

Computer networks proved their organizing power during the recent uprisings in the Middle East, in which Facebook pages amplified street protests that toppled dictators. But those same networks showed their weaknesses as well, such as when the Egyptian government walled off most of its citizens from the Internet in an attempt to silence protesters.

That has led scholars and activists increasingly to consider the Internet's wiring as a disputed political frontier.

The goal of this article is to help you understand what a neural network is, and how it is used. Most people, even non-programmers, have heard of neural networks. There are many science fiction overtones associated with them. And like many things, sci-fi writers have created a vast, but somewhat inaccurate, public idea of what a neural network is.

Wer das Volk fragt, wird zur Bedrohung Europas. Das ist die Botschaft der Märkte und seit vierundzwanzig Stunden auch der Politik. Wir erleben den Kurssturz des Republikanischen.

Papandreou hält dem zerrissenen Europa den Spiegel vor. Ein Kommentar zu Frank Schirrmachers „Demokratie ist Ramsch“.

Ein Land steht vor dem wirtschaftlichen und politischen Abgrund. Der Staat steht vor dem Bankrott und die Regierung spart drakonisch: Sie kürzt heftig bei den öffentlichen Bediensteten und erhöht kräftig die Steuern; die Wirtschaft schrumpft dramatisch, und die Arbeitslosigkeit steigt; in den Städten kommt es zu Massendemonstrationen und zu Straßenschlachten; die Banken stehen vor dem Kollaps, weil die internationalen Kapitalgeber ihr Geld aus dem Land abziehen; Banken müssen mit öffentlichen Mitteln vor dem Zusammenbruch gerettet werden. Griechenland 2011? Nein, Deutschland 1931.

Silvio Berlusconis Abgang hat nicht gereicht, das Misstrauen gegenüber Italien hat an den Märkten sogar zugenommen. Wie geht es nun weiter? Wie wirkt sich das Schicksal des Landes auf die gesamte Euro-Zone aus? Drei Szenarien.

Flucht aus der Globalisierung?

Plädoyer für eine nationenübergreifende Kritik am modernen Kapitalismus

von Jean-Marie Harribey

Seit fast zwei Jahren leiden die Gesellschaften unter den von den Finanzmärkten ausgehenden Spekulationsattacken. Jetzt ist ein kritischer Punkt erreicht. Die wirtschaftlichen Strukturen geraten ins Wanken. Der Schleier der marktwirtschaftlichen Ideologie ist endgültig zerrissen. Die Hymnen auf die Globalisierung und Markteffizienz sind nur noch gedämpft zu vernehmen. Und es hat eine breite Diskussion begonnen, die sich um die mögliche Alternative einer "Antiglobalisierung" dreht.

Verbohrte Lehrer, verlorene Debatten, verzopfte Blockierer. Das heimische Bildungssystem ist fast nicht mehr zu retten.

Datenlecks "symptomatisch für Österreich"

Fahrlässiger Umgang mit sensiblen Daten sei leider typisch für Österreichs IT-Landschaft. Hunderttausende Patientendaten aus dem E-Card-System als Datei herumzuschicken, sei nicht "State of the Art", sagt IT-Securityexperte Martin Prager.

VANCOUVER—A terminally ill woman who wants to fast-track her trial seeking to overturn Canada’s current right-to-die laws will have her case heard in November.

Gloria Taylor, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, asked the B.C. Supreme Court through her lawyer to expedite the hearing which was supposed to take place in spring 2012.

It's been nearly 20 years since Canada's laws on assisted suicide have been challenged by a terminally ill person, and now a similar right-to-die case has thrust the issue back into the spotlight.

So you've decided to work from home. As a rookie veteran of working without a traditional office for one year I'm here to tell you that it is the greatest and worst thing that can happen to your work life other—much like being transferred to a glitter-packing facility. What follows is a quick two minute guide of what you need to know before you take your pants off and turn up those old Hootie and the Blowfish albums.

We had the plaintiff's opening statement posted for some time when we received the following e-mail. -staff
-------

To: "'staff@lectlaw.com'"
Subject: Wile E. Coyote v. Acme Company
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 17:26:15 -0400
Return-Receipt-To:

Attached is the defendant's Opening Statement in the above-referenced matter. Please post to the Rubber Room, as default judgment against defendant would be an injustice.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Coyote V. Acme
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT,
SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT, TEMPE, ARIZONA
CASE NO. B19294, JUDGE JOAN KUJAVA, PRESIDING
Wile E. Coyote, Plaintiff
-v.-
Acme Company, Defendant

Decision made to open Twitter account of Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir, who is taking the case to the Council of Europe

It's a mistake to think a comedian is validated because their material is perceived as being 'brave'

was ich sagen wollte: das netz lebt und funktioniert nicht nur durch hyperlinks, sondern durch die vernetzung, mashups, widgets, werbebanner und anderen eingebetteteten scheiss. ja es finanziert sich sogar dadurch. oder anders gesagt, die überschreitung der strengen deutschen datenschutzrichtlinien ist das wesensmerkmal des netzes…

As I’ve mentioned here before (see QuickQuestion), I’m a total mess when it comes to remembering what I was tinkering with late at night or early in the morning. By the time my lunch break rolls around and I want to hack a little more, I have to search through git logs and Spotlight’s Recent Files just to figure out what I was working with and where I was at with it. Two days later, not a chance. Sometimes it even happens when I’m intent on completing a todo item and let something distract me for just a few minutes. What was I doing?

It’s probably a result of choices I made in my younger years, but whatever the cause, I’m always looking for tools to make this easier. This post outlines a method that I’ve found very useful. You may have a different reaction, especially if you’re the type of person who remembers what they had for breakfast. If you’ve already forgotten about your Wheaties, read on.

Every parent wants their child to become a self-confident, self-aware being who deals well with challenges and can get the most out of life. What if female couples have found the secret?
A series of studies in Canada and elsewhere over the past decade has found that the children of lesbians aren't just well-adjusted – they excel. On average, kids with two moms seem to be more confident and less aggressive than those raised by a mom and a dad. They are open-minded, affectionate and less susceptible to anxiety and depression.

Protecting Your Online Reputation
Something everyone needs to get better at….

Protecting Your Online Reputation: 4 Things You Need to Know [INFOGRAPHIC]

via Mashable! by Charlie White

"Wir müssen Griechenland im Euro behalten"
Als "wichtigen großen" Schritt hat Deutsche-Bank-Chef Josef Ackermann den Schuldenschnitt von 50 Prozent für Griechenland bezeichnet. Nun müsse dem Land geholfen werden, seine Wirtschaft wieder auf Wachstumskurs zu bringen. Im "Bericht aus Berlin" forderte Ackermann "eine Art Marshall-Plan für Griechenland".

At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA’s prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet.

No, it’s not Knuth’s “The Art of Programming”. I’m talking about quite an easy-to-read (compared to TAoP) book, which, in fact, does not require any engineering or mathematical background from the reader.

I am talking about C. Petzold’s “CODE”. It is a truly remarkable book about how computers work. Let me explain why I think this book is so awesome.

The book starts from the very beginning, from explaining what code is, bringing several examples, like Morse code and Braille’s system. It then goes on to explain how electricity works and how it can be used to represent information with binary codes.

Throughout the turmoil of the past 18 months, one constant has been the exponential growth of WikiLeaks' global support base. Followers of the website's Twitter account have increased nearly tenfold to 1.2 million. And evidence is now emerging that the website has played an important part in seeding and enabling the protest movement Occupy Wall Street and its international offshoots.

Every family has its childproofing lapses. Most survive just fine, but the stakes are always high.

Über den Versuch mit Internetusern über Feminismus zu sprechen
Feminismus ist, so scheint es bisweilen, ein Schimpfwort in nerdigen Kreisen. Eine Kapitulation vor dem Projekt der Emanzipation, gar der Versuch einer Revision der Gerechtigkeit. Trifft man im analogen Leben selten auf bekennende Anti-Feministen, scheint das Internet voll von diesen zu sein. Alleine der Begriff Feminismus - in welchem Kontext auch immer - provoziert ein gutes Drittel der sichtbaren Kommentatoren zu einer verbalen Welle des Hasses. Der Begriff "Femi-Nazis" fasst die Ablehnung gegen den Feminismus (im Netz) wohl eindeutig zusammen. Auch in den Kommentaren dieses Mediums wimmelt es nur allzu oft von pauschaler Ablehnung gegen den Feminismus - eine Partei, die sich zu gewissen Teilen aus eben diesem Forum rekrutiert, verspricht also ähnliche Probleme.

1. Inability to reason about code

Reasoning about code means being able to follow the execution path ("running the program in your head") while knowing what the goal of the code is.

Nearly half of all the college students in a new survey are scared about how much they depend upon the site.
Coed magazine, College Candy and Busted Coverage surveyed 2,500 people by posting a questionnaire on Google and offered prizes as incentives for answering all the questions. The survey also found that:
70 percent would delete Facebook if it became a paid service.
44 percent check their Facebook before brushing their teeth in the morning.
Over 66 percent do not judge others on the site based on number of friends.
54 percent are tagged in photos where they are clearly intoxicated.

When you’re tired, not much seems appealing. Life is dulled, and you don’t get much accomplished. Worst, you don’t have the energy to change the situation.

Software is a cornerstone of science. Without software, twenty-first century science would be impossible. Without better software, science cannot progress.

But the culture and institutions of science have not yet adjusted to this reality. We need to reform them to address this challenge, by adopting these five principles:

A programmer’s greatest enemy is getting stuck. A crucial skill in programming—and one that many of my beginning game programming students lack—is the ability to recognize when they’re stuck, to get out of being stuck, and to avoid getting stuck in the first place.

Life Sciences Physical Sciences Engineering

Know your enemy.

You never know when you might want to significantly alter the orbital path of the Earth. Maybe the Sun is going Red Giant and you miss the days when lead didn't melt in direct sunlight. Maybe Earth is about to hit an asteroid. Maybe it isn't, but you want it to. Maybe you want to destroy it: a significant number of methods for destroying the Earth involve moving it by some substantial amount. Well, it isn't easy. In fact, it's very very difficult. The Earth is very big, moving very fast, and therefore very difficult to stop or even slow down.

The complete destruction of rocky planets, gas giants, stars and frequently entire universes is a concept which dates back hundreds of years and has appeared in every significant medium. Here I aim to list the methods - real, imaginary, whatever - which have been used in fiction to destroy planets.

If you've decided to have the Earth destroyed, then you clearly already have your motive and don't need my advice. But if, for whatever reason, you're seeking to get inside the mind of the planet-killer, then read on.

The International Earth Destruction Advisory Board (IEDAB) is an independent scientific institution which monitors the current status of the Earth and the number of times it has been destroyed. In the event of the Earth being destroyed it will be the IEDAB's job to relay this information to people who need to know and provide advice on how to proceed. The IEDAB is funded entirely by charitable donations.

Destroying the Earth is harder than you may have been led to believe. You've seen the action movies where the bad guy threatens to destroy the Earth. You've heard people on the news claiming that the next nuclear war or cutting down rainforests or persisting in releasing hideous quantities of pollution into the atmosphere threatens to end the world.

#5: The Tsavo Man-Eaters
#4: Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident
#3: The Rogue Elephant of Aberdare Forest
#2: The Real JAWS.
#1: Gustave the Crocodile.

Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius),
Duck-Billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus),
Dingo (Canis lupus dingo),
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes),
Swan (Anatidae Cygnus, dozens of subspecies),
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Things in Australia that Will Kill You Everything. No, seriously: Everything. Things in Australia that Will Not Kill You .... Hugh Jackman seems nice.

Urban legends are mostly bullshit stories that are passed off as the truth. The majority of them are too awesome to be based on fact.