If only energy wasn't so cheap then I wouldn't have so much excess energy stored in my body, giving me heart disease and diabetes
Why does no one who believes what I believe, stand for election?
Legalisation could never work, think of all the bloody turf wars we already have between rival pharmacists and bartenders
School didn't teach me the important things in life and there's no cheap way to find information on every conceivable topic in seconds
Why do I only remember the things that I give lots of time and attention to, instead of the important things?
Maybe if I stop voting they'll finally get the message that I'm unhappy with the job they're doing
I'd like to get more exercise, but how am I supposed to burn calories without a $500 machine?
I love how many energy drinks there are these days. Finally we have easy access to caffeine
I think the recording and movie industries are evil so I want to brainstorm ways to stop them getting all my money all the time
Profane Inspiration
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Top Five Arguments for the Importance of Napping
"The benefits of brief (5-15 min) naps are almost immediate after the nap and last a limited period (1-3h). Longer naps (> 30 min) can produce impairment from sleep inertia for a short period after waking but then produce improved cognitive performance for a longer period (up to many hours)." - Lovato N, Lack L.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075238
"The only safe counter measure to driver sleepiness, particularly when the driver reaches the stage of fighting sleep, is to stop driving, and-for example, take a 30 minute break encompassing a short (<15 minute) nap or coffee (about 150mg caffeine), which are very effective particularly if taken together." - Reyner LA, Horne JA.
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ssehs/research/centres-institutes/sleep/publications/driver_sleepiness.html
"Results indicate that motor learning was consolidated in a brief nap and was associated with stage 2 spindles, but only for those who habitually take naps." - Catherine E. Milnera, Stuart M. Fogela and Kimberly A. Cote
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051106000299
"Mark Rosekind, PhD, President and Chief Scientist of Alertness Solutions in California and former Director of the Fatigue and Countermeasures Group at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), conducted an experiment in which he instructed NASA pilots to take short naps when possible during long haul flight operations. Dr. Rosekind found that compared to long haul pilots who did not nap, the napping pilots had a 34% boost in performance and a 54% boost in alertness that lasted for 2-3 hrs." - healthcentral.com
http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/napping-192940-5.html
"A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death." - BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075238
"The only safe counter measure to driver sleepiness, particularly when the driver reaches the stage of fighting sleep, is to stop driving, and-for example, take a 30 minute break encompassing a short (<15 minute) nap or coffee (about 150mg caffeine), which are very effective particularly if taken together." - Reyner LA, Horne JA.
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ssehs/research/centres-institutes/sleep/publications/driver_sleepiness.html
"Results indicate that motor learning was consolidated in a brief nap and was associated with stage 2 spindles, but only for those who habitually take naps." - Catherine E. Milnera, Stuart M. Fogela and Kimberly A. Cote
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051106000299
"Mark Rosekind, PhD, President and Chief Scientist of Alertness Solutions in California and former Director of the Fatigue and Countermeasures Group at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), conducted an experiment in which he instructed NASA pilots to take short naps when possible during long haul flight operations. Dr. Rosekind found that compared to long haul pilots who did not nap, the napping pilots had a 34% boost in performance and a 54% boost in alertness that lasted for 2-3 hrs." - healthcentral.com
http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/napping-192940-5.html
"A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death." - BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm
Monday, 23 May 2011
Top Five Arguments Against Creationism / Intelligent Design
"If complex organisms demand an explanation, so does a complex designer. And it's no solution to raise the theologian's plea that God (or the Intelligent Designer) is simply immune to the normal demands of scientific explanation. To do so would be to shoot yourself in the foot. You cannot have it both ways. Either ID belongs in the science classroom, in which case it must submit to the discipline required of a scientific hypothesis. Or it does not, in which case get it out of the science classroom and send it back into the church, where it belongs." - Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/sep/01/schools.research
"You imply that if we do not understand the exact mechanism of a process (like evolution) we must allow for intervention by the 'Creator.' Sorry, but science doesn't work that way. Consider what happens when a living cell divides and its chromosomes move apart. We do not, in fact, know exactly what produces the force that moves chromosomes. Do I make a 'materialist' assumption when I say that the force is probably generated by biochemical mechanisms? Of course not. But your logic would claim there is no mechanism, and the Creator Himself has to push every chromosome around." - Ken Miller
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/debate/deb07mil1206.html
"Some mutations add information to a genome; some subtract it. Creationists get by with this claim only by leaving the term 'information' undefined, impossibly vague, or constantly shifting. By any reasonable definition, increases in information have been observed to evolve. We have observed the evolution of:
- increased genetic variety in a population (Lenski 1995; Lenski et al. 1991)
- increased genetic material (Alves et al. 2001; Brown et al. 1998; Hughes and Friedman 2003; Lynch and Conery 2000; Ohta 2003)
- novel genetic material (Knox et al. 1996; Park et al. 1996)
- novel genetically-regulated abilities (Prijambada et al. 1995)
If these do not qualify as information, then nothing about information is relevant to evolution in the first place." - The talk.origins FAQ
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CB/CB102.html
A scientific theory must be tentative and always subject to revision or abandonment in light of facts that are inconsistent with, or falsify, the theory. A theory that is by its own terms dogmatic, absolutist and never subject to revision is not a scientific theory" - (Judge William R. Overton, in Science, 1982)
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=03b_a0monNYC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq="A+scientific+theory+must+be"
"Science, by definition, is a method of learning about the natural universe by asking questions in such a way that they can be answered empirically and verifiably. If a question cannot be framed so that the answer can be tested, and the test results can be reproduced by others, then it is not science. Creationism, whether in its earlier form as creation 'science' or its more recent guise of intelligent design, attempts to explain complicated phenomena of the natural world by invoking a creator or designer. Creationism is not science because it invokes supernatural phenomena that cannot be tested. It therefore has no place in a science curriculum. Because science is limited to explaining natural phenomena through the use of empirical evidence, it cannot provide religious or ultimate explanations. Science teachers should not advocate any religions interpretations of nature and should be nonjudgmental about the personal beliefs of students." - The Geological Society of America.
http://www.geosociety.org/positions/position1.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/sep/01/schools.research
"You imply that if we do not understand the exact mechanism of a process (like evolution) we must allow for intervention by the 'Creator.' Sorry, but science doesn't work that way. Consider what happens when a living cell divides and its chromosomes move apart. We do not, in fact, know exactly what produces the force that moves chromosomes. Do I make a 'materialist' assumption when I say that the force is probably generated by biochemical mechanisms? Of course not. But your logic would claim there is no mechanism, and the Creator Himself has to push every chromosome around." - Ken Miller
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/debate/deb07mil1206.html
"Some mutations add information to a genome; some subtract it. Creationists get by with this claim only by leaving the term 'information' undefined, impossibly vague, or constantly shifting. By any reasonable definition, increases in information have been observed to evolve. We have observed the evolution of:
- increased genetic variety in a population (Lenski 1995; Lenski et al. 1991)
- increased genetic material (Alves et al. 2001; Brown et al. 1998; Hughes and Friedman 2003; Lynch and Conery 2000; Ohta 2003)
- novel genetic material (Knox et al. 1996; Park et al. 1996)
- novel genetically-regulated abilities (Prijambada et al. 1995)
If these do not qualify as information, then nothing about information is relevant to evolution in the first place." - The talk.origins FAQ
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CB/CB102.html
A scientific theory must be tentative and always subject to revision or abandonment in light of facts that are inconsistent with, or falsify, the theory. A theory that is by its own terms dogmatic, absolutist and never subject to revision is not a scientific theory" - (Judge William R. Overton, in Science, 1982)
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=03b_a0monNYC&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq="A+scientific+theory+must+be"
"Science, by definition, is a method of learning about the natural universe by asking questions in such a way that they can be answered empirically and verifiably. If a question cannot be framed so that the answer can be tested, and the test results can be reproduced by others, then it is not science. Creationism, whether in its earlier form as creation 'science' or its more recent guise of intelligent design, attempts to explain complicated phenomena of the natural world by invoking a creator or designer. Creationism is not science because it invokes supernatural phenomena that cannot be tested. It therefore has no place in a science curriculum. Because science is limited to explaining natural phenomena through the use of empirical evidence, it cannot provide religious or ultimate explanations. Science teachers should not advocate any religions interpretations of nature and should be nonjudgmental about the personal beliefs of students." - The Geological Society of America.
http://www.geosociety.org/positions/position1.htm
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Top Five Arguments for Atheism:
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen Roberts
"To say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that disbelief in pixies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if Einstein himself told me there was an elf on my shoulder, I would still ask for proof and I wouldn’t be wrong to ask." - Geoff Mather
"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." - Albert Einstein
http://books.google.com/books/princeton?id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA328&dq=a+man's+ethical+behaviour
"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder." - Homer Simpson
"To say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that disbelief in pixies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if Einstein himself told me there was an elf on my shoulder, I would still ask for proof and I wouldn’t be wrong to ask." - Geoff Mather
"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." - Albert Einstein
http://books.google.com/books/princeton?id=G_iziBAPXtEC&pg=PA328&dq=a+man's+ethical+behaviour
"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder." - Homer Simpson
Top Five Reasons to be Careful of Your Habits:
Because they are, by definition, something we don't need to think about, it's easy to forget about the difference our habits make. Here are some reasons to be careful with them:
"Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them." - Confucius
"Achieve success in any area of life by identifying the optimum strategies and repeating them until they become habits." - Charles J. Givens
"It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them." - Benjamin Franklin
"Right discipline consists, not in external compulsion, but in the habits of mind which lead spontaneously to desirable rather than undesirable activities." - Bertrand Russell
“Habits are first like cobwebs, then like cables” - Proverb
"Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them." - Confucius
"Achieve success in any area of life by identifying the optimum strategies and repeating them until they become habits." - Charles J. Givens
"It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them." - Benjamin Franklin
"Right discipline consists, not in external compulsion, but in the habits of mind which lead spontaneously to desirable rather than undesirable activities." - Bertrand Russell
“Habits are first like cobwebs, then like cables” - Proverb
Friday, 20 May 2011
Top Five Arguments for Democracy:
"Of democracy, only the shoemaker can make the shoe. Only the wearer can tell if it fits." - Attributed to David Spitz
"Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." - Winston Churchill
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/45238/
"Voting is one of the few things where boycotting in protest clearly makes the problem worse rather than better." - Attributed to Jane Elizabeth Auer
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=9100
"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." — Reinhold Niebuhr
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr
"Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." - Winston Churchill
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/45238/
"Voting is one of the few things where boycotting in protest clearly makes the problem worse rather than better." - Attributed to Jane Elizabeth Auer
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=9100
"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." — Reinhold Niebuhr
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Top Five Arguments Against the War on Drugs:
"Alcohol didn't cause the high crime rates of the '20s and '30s, Prohibition did. And drugs do not cause today's alarming crime rates, but drug prohibition does." – US District Judge James C. Paine
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-08/news/fl-judge-paine-obit-20100308_1_federal-judge-hardest-working-judges-federal-bench
"If the government can't keep drugs away from inmates who are locked in steel cages, surrounded by barbed wire, watched by armed guards, drug-tested, strip-searched, X-rayed, and videotaped – how can it possibly stop the flow of drugs to an entire nation?" – Attributed to Ron Crickenberger
"Vices are those acts by which a man harms himself or his property. Crimes are those acts by which one man harms the person or property of another. Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons or property. In vices, the very essence of crime—that is, the design to injure the person or property of another—is wanting. It is a maxim of the law that there can be no crime without criminal intent; that is, without the intent to invade the person or property of another. But no one ever practices a vice with any such criminal intent. He practices his vice for his own happiness solely, and not from any malice toward others. Unless this clear distinction between vices and crimes be made and recognized by the laws, there can be on earth no such thing as individual right, liberty, or property, and the corresponding coequal rights of another man to the control of his own person and property." - Lysander Spooner
http://www.lysanderspooner.org/VicesAreNotCrimes.htm
"Opium and morphine are certainly dangerous, habit-forming drugs. But once the principle is admitted that it is the duty of the government to protect the individual against his own foolishness, no serious objections can be advanced against further encroachments … Is not the harm a man can inflict on his mind and soul even more disastrous than any bodily evils? Why not prevent him from reading bad books and bad plays, from looking at bad paintings and statues and from hearing bad music? The mischief done by bad ideologies, surely, is much more pernicious both for the individual and for the whole society, than that done by narcotic drugs." – Ludwig von Mises
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=bqhZRn5zWA4C&pg=PA728&dq=%22Opium+and+morphine+are+certainly
"Stop wasting jail space on prostitutes, drug users and other victimless criminals. Even if we find it morally acceptable to imprison these people for choices they make regarding their bodies, we must realize that we simply cannot afford to continue clogging the court system and the prison system with the harmless 'criminals.'" - Edward B. Wagner
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-26/local/me-1332_1_jail-space-drunk-driver-drug-users
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-08/news/fl-judge-paine-obit-20100308_1_federal-judge-hardest-working-judges-federal-bench
"If the government can't keep drugs away from inmates who are locked in steel cages, surrounded by barbed wire, watched by armed guards, drug-tested, strip-searched, X-rayed, and videotaped – how can it possibly stop the flow of drugs to an entire nation?" – Attributed to Ron Crickenberger
"Vices are those acts by which a man harms himself or his property. Crimes are those acts by which one man harms the person or property of another. Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons or property. In vices, the very essence of crime—that is, the design to injure the person or property of another—is wanting. It is a maxim of the law that there can be no crime without criminal intent; that is, without the intent to invade the person or property of another. But no one ever practices a vice with any such criminal intent. He practices his vice for his own happiness solely, and not from any malice toward others. Unless this clear distinction between vices and crimes be made and recognized by the laws, there can be on earth no such thing as individual right, liberty, or property, and the corresponding coequal rights of another man to the control of his own person and property." - Lysander Spooner
http://www.lysanderspooner.org/VicesAreNotCrimes.htm
"Opium and morphine are certainly dangerous, habit-forming drugs. But once the principle is admitted that it is the duty of the government to protect the individual against his own foolishness, no serious objections can be advanced against further encroachments … Is not the harm a man can inflict on his mind and soul even more disastrous than any bodily evils? Why not prevent him from reading bad books and bad plays, from looking at bad paintings and statues and from hearing bad music? The mischief done by bad ideologies, surely, is much more pernicious both for the individual and for the whole society, than that done by narcotic drugs." – Ludwig von Mises
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=bqhZRn5zWA4C&pg=PA728&dq=%22Opium+and+morphine+are+certainly
"Stop wasting jail space on prostitutes, drug users and other victimless criminals. Even if we find it morally acceptable to imprison these people for choices they make regarding their bodies, we must realize that we simply cannot afford to continue clogging the court system and the prison system with the harmless 'criminals.'" - Edward B. Wagner
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-26/local/me-1332_1_jail-space-drunk-driver-drug-users
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