JDDavis
JDDavis's Journal"My Flavor of Atheism" a video
When one considers the scribblings of the ancients and places that against a background of the cosmos, the contrast is stark. Read a holy book, and then study the universe- you will see that the structure and behaviors of nature are not the modus operandi of the gods. What is written about the divine is better suited to a background of primitive and barbaric nations than it is to a background of mathematical harmony.
Your gods, like the people who invented them, is primitive, brash, and unrefined.
My god, if it exists, is at least as sophisticated as the universe that it created.
(To be clear, I don’t have a belief in the latter deistic entity, but I would have little objection to adopting one should the evidence be forthcoming.)
Also, I should point out that I took some poetic liberties toward the end of this video. They were heavily inspired by quotes from Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen) and Matt Smith’s Doctor (Doctor Who.)
Finally, the mood of this whole video was inspired by the following quote:
"Suppose there was an intelligence, vast and unknowable. Suppose it lit the big bang, suppose it wrote the laws of physics, and has been subtly molding the universe for 14 billion years. Now keep a straight face and tell me that it cares where you stick your dick." -Prof. Dr. Michio Kaku
Music by Biosphere, “The Third Planet”
Category
People & Blogs
Is there a subsection here to talk about quality video blogs?
Within the last 5 years, roughly, camera memory has increased 10-20 fold, allowing for longer high quality video shots, not just still photography.
I am sure most people here enjoy the still photography more than the busy nature of video, yet video and advanced video editing tools now enable several minutes of motion picture quality entertainment available for the common person, not just some Hollywood studio.
As we approach and begin becoming consumers of 4K photos and video, is there a space for sharing this on DU? (Or perhaps, there already is, and I have simply not found it yet.)
Youtube, and other popular video sites are now starting to post 4K videos. With proper equipment, folks can view these presentations, largely from unknowns from around the globe, on their large screen TV's, capture them on their computers, save them, re-view them as if they were part of a personal photo library.
Is this an area taht a photography discussion and sharing area on DU should focus upon? Or are we folks who want to simply have a haven for still photography?
Comments, positive or negative, and suggestions or info on other links to what I have in mind, most welcome to this question.
As a example of what I have in mind, I'm including a link to a Youtube video, just as a sample of what I have in mind, not pushing this guy's video, just showing what younger folks are now doing with their digital SLR cameras.
Published on Oct 22, 2014
CANADA - A Visual Vibes Film by Ben Brown
BEHIND THE SCENES - ?list=PLfA...
Anyone in or around Massachusetts following Hernandez trial?
Anyone care?
Anyone want to discuss it? (Perhaps there is another location other than this forum/group to discuss it?)
If not, I'll look elsewhere for discussion, but I thought DU members might have some astute observations.
Sort of ironic the trial started the week between deflation-gate and the Super Bowl, I think.
Atheist sworn in as new Prime Minister of Greece
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/01/atheist-sworn-in-as-new-prime-minister-of-greece/At his swearing-in ceremony today, Tsipras refused to take the traditional religious oath which is the custom in the Greek Orthodox country. Instead, Tsipras took his oath of office in a civil ceremony, swearing an oath of honor and conscience in place of the traditional religious oath.
In a symbolic move, Tsipras’ first action as prime minister was to commemorate Greek resistance fighters with red roses at a memorial in Athens to those executed by Nazis.
Tsipras, the country’s youngest-ever prime minister, led his party to a landslide victory over the governing conservative party in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, falling only two seats short of an absolute majority in the 300-seat parliament.
More at link.
Curious baby owls investigate camera
Curious baby owls investigate cameraWatch as a family of three adorable owls curiously investigate a GoPro camera left running outside of their tree hole home. One of the baby owls even decides to peck the lens! Credit to Sebastien Barrio.
Travel ban starts in Mass at midnight Monday (Jan 26 - Jan 27)
No MBTA service on Tuesday.
Obviously all schools will be closed Tuesday.
Only essential emergency state personnel will work Tuesday
This means banks, restaurants, stores will be CLOSED Tuesday.
($500 fine for violation of travel ban).
Only emergency and medical and other essential persons should be on the road.
Governor Baker has spoken.
Musical Group Of Elderly Men Conduct A Spontaneous Performance On A Plane
From San Francisco Globe:
Port City Sound won the Senior Quartet Championship for Maine and New Jersey. The quartet performs concerts in the northeast where their harmonies have garnered quite the following. It's hard not to love these guys especially when they use their beautiful harmonies to entertain a plane full of anxious passengers.
http://fb-1.sfglobe.com/2015/01/20/musical-group-of-elderly-men-conduct-a-spontaneous-performance-on-a-plane/?src=share_fb_new_32639&m=0&btn=popup_endvideo&grp=do_296
From the airline flight attendant who recorded this:
Our flight to New Orleans today was delayed for maintenance AFTER we had boarded (I'm a flight attendant). I started talking to the passengers and realized we had a barbershop quartet in our presence. I asked them to sing and most of the passengers began video taping! It was such a great moment... The mood changed and our passengers were awesome for the whole 5 hours they were on the plane! One of my favorite moments!!! Thank you to Port City Sound for creating a wonderful memory!!!
Richard Muller: I Was Wrong on Climate Change
Published on Jan 26, 2015
Richard Muller founded the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Project after declaring himself skeptical about climate change. He was funded in part by the Koch Brothers.
He found out what other scientists have known for decades. The Earth is warming, and we're doing it.
Are the TV weather media overblowing this Nor'easter snow storm ?
Well, perhaps those of you in California or Arizona haven't heard, but the weather channel and all local sources in NYC and New England are warning people in southeastern NY state, Long Island and all of New England that Monday night, Tuesday and parts of Wednesday in Maine will bring us record snowfall, high winds and high tides.
"Not as cold and bad as the blizzard of '78" they say, but "a dangerous and significant storm to be prepared for" and in some areas snows up to 3 feet and winds over 75 MPH.
Of course, I am prepared, firewood for the wood stove, food for 5 days in the house, cell phones charged, etc. I'm not in a panic, but I'm not sure what to make of the hype on the TV machine and internet.
We occassionally get big blizzards in New England, even along the Northeast coast from DC to Canada, it happens ever few years. But the hype about predictions of these storms on the media seems to get more and more hyperbolic. Of course, people have to have food on hand, have a plan for being without power for a few days, have a way to "weather-it-out"... but shouldn't the level of warning be kept to a dull roar, rather than escalated to get more viewers?
Feel free to discuss.
1 in 4 Americans think that God will decide the winner of the Super Bowl
1 in 4 Americans think that God will decide the winner of the Super BowlThe survey goes into further detail, showing that 65 percent of Catholics believe that God favors athletes of faith, as well as 68 percent of Protestants. Those who believe in God, but don't belong to a particular religion, have less faith in God intervening in favor of religious athletes. Only 27 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans think that God rewards the faithful.
In a country that was founded on a secular constitution, that led to Thomas Jefferson coining the phrase "separation of church and state," many still think that a deity controls the outcome of something like a sports game. While the United States is not a theocracy, it seems that many might still have that in mind.
More and video at link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/1-4-americans-think-that-god-will-decide-the-winner-of-the-super-bowl
Deflate those Patriots' footballs? God did it!
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Member since: Thu Sep 4, 2014, 12:45 PM
Number of posts: 725