The Chat Thread

I'm obviously dealing with Richard Dawkins or something here me ol' mucker. Better get God in.

You're obviously dealing with God here or something, man. Better get a lawyer in.

You're obviously dealing with a lawyer or something, old chum. Go fetch a florist.

In work today over the ASDA radio a ad for moshi monsters went out for it on the DS3, You think someone at head office would check what is going to be on the radio but one bit of good news there also doing a ad for lego marvel superheroes which they said at the end what formats it's coming out on which include Wii U which was a shock.

Maybe Moshi Monsters is available for a Citreon? Wouldn't put it part them...

So the popping candy you can buy as an ingredient isn't that exciting, even mixed with vodka.

If you're gonna mix classic sweets with vodka, you can't go wrong with a Fireball.

Are they the gobstoppers? Quote a few people have mentioned the thing with vodka and the various flavours of Skittles, I'll have to try that soon.

Nah, these bad boys.

Does anyone know where to buy them by the way? Had an urge for some for a while now.

Most high streets now seem to have at least one of those shops that sells classic sweets/ American sweets. The one over the road from me where I get my lucky charms might have them.

If you can't find one of them, you need one of those newsagents that never left the seventies.

Yeah, those American candy shops sprung up everywhere. Are they really that popular?

Most of the sweets are crap, but I do see a lot of people buying the insanely over-sugared cereal and drinks.

I think Glasgow City Center has more of those Americandy shops that it does Greggs or Starbucks. I spend a fiver on a packet of Jolly Ranchers for a girl at work, there was about twenty in the bag - such a rip-off!

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I spend a fiver on a packet of Jolly Ranchers for a girl at work, there was about twenty in the bag - such a rip-off!

But did you get any?

...I mean, I know twenty's not many, but the least she could have done after you'd spent that money is give you one.

Ahh that's what I feared, looks like it'll be £20 a few turnips just for one box.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I think Glasgow City Center has more of those Americandy shops that it does Greggs or Starbucks. I spend a fiver on a packet of Jolly Ranchers for a girl at work, there was about twenty in the bag - such a rip-off!

Wow, it must really be an American region, they even spell 'Centre' American style  

Education is a tough game to get back into, after being away from it for 33 years (I left University in 1980). I started the online course of Philosophy (it isn't a full course, just part of one), at MIT and so far my results have been less than stellar. In fact, I am still failing after 3 of the 18 parts, but today I managed to pass Part 3 with a 75% score - a pass is 70%. I failed Part 1 with 60% and Part 2 with 56%.

I feel that I was getting into a proper learning groove this time and this might set me up to doing better at this. It is very frustrating though when you realise you over-thought something; more than once I clicked an answer, thought more about it, then changed it only to find my first answer was right. One ocassion though I changed my answer, then changed it back to my first answer and lucky I did, as I was right the first time.

The Philosophy course is about the existence of God. I am an atheist, so my position is fixed prior to this. However, it is good to put your beliefs to a level of logical and rational arguments. What I do believe though is that arguing with someone about the existence of God is pointless if you are expecting to yield an outcome one way or the other. I can no more prove there isn't a God than a religious person can prove there is. You cannot argue logically against faith, as faith isn't logical to begin with. I find it better to not insult a person's faith, but it is okay to have a debate based on respect.

Quick question - anyone believe in the idea of the multiverse or do you believe ours is it?

I'm a "hardline agnostic": there's no proof that there isn't a deity, but there's certainly lacking proof that there is, and the onus is most certainly on the people who think there is to prove it. Not that they will, because, as you say, faith.

As for other universes - why not? Again, it's a case of "unprovable either way".

The theory I like the most (not sure whether I believe it or not) is this: thinking of the number of simulations we've created, how likely is it that we're in a simulation ourselves? That accounts for both multiverses and deities, where the "deities" are the starters and observers of the simulation. They are theoretically omnipotent, assuming that they can change the simulation parameters, but are they likely to be looking at what a bunch of microbes which have somehow evolved far enough to construct bobble hats, or are they going to be more concerned with the effects of the simulation (i.e. the universe) as a whole, seeing as they bothered to make it?

I've just recently returned to education myself, doing a philosophy and psychology degree through the open university. It's not quite as big a gap for me though- I left sixth form in 2009!
I'm a big ol' atheist too, but I'm more than happy for other people to believe in a magic man in the sky as long as it doesn't start influencing national policy or encouraging prejudices...

Balladeer wrote:

The theory I like the most (not sure whether I believe it or not) is this: thinking of the number of simulations we've created, how likely is it that we're in a simulation ourselves?  

I remember seeing a documentary on that a while back! I remember the counterargument being that as we can see further into space, and smaller on a subatomic level, the idea that any computer could render such a universe gets more and more crazy but then, it's not like I can just fly to alpha centauri whenever I want. It only needs to be rendering what each of us is perceiving at a given time. And we already know our brains make a good deal of it up as they go along!

As for the multiverse I would like to think that is alternate universes, but that's just me.

That sticker speaks truly.

Buskalilly wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

The theory I like the most (not sure whether I believe it or not) is this: thinking of the number of simulations we've created, how likely is it that we're in a simulation ourselves?  

I remember seeing a documentary on that a while back! I remember the counterargument being that as we can see further into space, and smaller on a subatomic level, the idea that any computer could render such a universe gets more and more crazy but then, it's not like I can just fly to alpha centauri whenever I want. It only needs to be rendering what each of us is perceiving at a given time. And we already know our brains make a good deal of it up as they go along!

We are talking about a programme much much more advanced than anything we understand. Given time and technology, I don't see why a much more complex species than ourselves couldn't model everything.

I think the argument was, to model everything in the universe at the atomic level would require something containing at least the same number of atoms as the universE.

As I said I'm atheist in the what %$^&£$ thread and was talking about my ex-girlfriend who was religious and wanted me to convert, I asked her what proof she had her answer the bible as it says in there god made the earth in 7days etc. How is that proof I could right something right now and say that's what happened.

Ohh on multiple universes, why not

I hate it when the religious ones put all their religious crap all over social media