29 DEC 2016 by ideonexus
How Science Fiction Got Its Start with Frakenstein
It’s not completely fanciful to say that science fiction began with three things: a dead frog, a volcano, and a teenage bride.
The dead frog was one that an Italian physician named Luigi Galvani was experimenting with in the 1780s, when he found that a mild electric shock could cause the frog’s leg to twitch. It was just an induced muscle reflex, but it suggested that there might be a connection between electricity and life.
The volcano was Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which exploded in ...24 DEC 2014 by ideonexus
Ingress Operation Solstice
Enlightened believe in science, observation, and understanding of natural phenomenon.
The word Solstice reflects that on this one day, the sun stands still How did the ancients explain this? With Fear or Celebration? They turned to astronomy and the observation of the heavenly bodies that dance in the depths of space.
Just like our ancient fore-bearers, we believe that XM needs to be observed, understood, and celebrated, not feared and locked out of the portals that surround us.
We celebr...Folksonomies: enlightenment solstice
Folksonomies: enlightenment solstice
08 OCT 2013 by ideonexus
Evolutionary Theory Does Not Justify Greed
Human nature as it now exists was formed in accord with the laws of evolution under conditions pertaining well before recorded human history. Fossils discovered in Ethiopia and Kenya now date human ancestors back at least 5 or 6 million years. Distinctly human species arose in Africa at least 2 million years ago, while present evidence indicates that modern humans are only about 100,000 years old. Therefore the conditions relevant to which genetic mutations were advantageous and which were no...Many economic theories relying on "human nature" assume we are greedy, but this is not supported by the evidence. We might just as likely be generous and that is our evolutionary advantage.
29 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Weening Among Human Ancestors
Archaeologists have discovered that since the Pleistocene, humans lave always suckled infants for several years. Using biochemical analysis given human population when its children moved from breast milk to other foods. In one group of skeletons from South Dakota dated between 5500-2000 b.c., children were apparently depending on food other than mother's milk by the time they were twenty months of age.^' Recorded history also tells a similar story. Middle Eastern groups in 3000 B.C. were brea...Folksonomies: evolution breastfeeding
Folksonomies: evolution breastfeeding
A survey of ancient cultures and estimates of when they weened their children onto other foods.
29 MAR 2011 by ideonexus
Humans Are Strong, Civilization is Fragile
We have confidence in our science-based civilization and think it has tenure. In so doing, I think we fail to distinguish between the life-span of civilizations and that of our species. In fact, civilizations are ephemeral compared with species. Humans have lasted at least a million years, but there have been 30 civilizations in the past 5000 years. Humans are tough and will survive; civilizations are fragile. It seems clear to me that we are not evolving in intelligence, not becoming true Ho...Humans will survive the death of civilization, which has happened 30 times over the centuries.
24 FEB 2011 by ideonexus
Everyone is an Atheist
The dictionary definition of God is “a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe.” Included in this definition are all deities, goddesses and supernatural beings. Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.
So next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say “Oh which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupi...Folksonomies: atheism
Folksonomies: atheism
With thousands of deities out there to not believe in, Atheists just go one deity further.