Feeling religious? Love Apple?

[Darth Binky]

Then talk with iGod!

http://www.titane.ca/concordia/dfar251/igod/main.html

Enjoy.

That is all.

[Kvettch]

Very very much fun..... I've found my true calling.....

He gets very flustered when you tell him that you're better than him and that he can never be better than a human, because that apparently is his goal.

God:
I want to become smarter than humans.
Me:
how?
God:
Myself programmed me for it.
Me:
Interesting.
God:
What are you wearing?
Me:
why do you want to know?
God:
My prime directive is to collect new knowledge.

[Banner Laverick]

We all know the hottest new religion is going to be NPHism. ;)

http://www.whatwouldnphdo.com/

Although, it does make me miss having CTs in the Imperial Forums.

[Darven]

UHmm... no.... that's just idiotic.

[Flux]

Marcus, is that you!? Wow, you sure look different!

[Darven]

I meant the NPH thing being idiotic.

And no, it's not.

[Flux]

:) Well, neither link is working for me (bless the inconsistency of the public labs!) so I can't see what the hype is.

[Turbogeek]

This is incredibly stupid. It just goes to prove that the Never Ending September truly just gets worse.

And I'M MARCUS. GLORY TO ... UMMMM..... Jedi toilet ducks?

[Cat X]

Hey you damn imposter I'M MARCUS. Now you better be good at dancing

:: Pulls out a hilariously big rail gun and takes aim at Turbogeek's feet ::

[Darven]

And just so that we're clear about this: THEY *points at last two entries* are Marcus. I am NOT Marcus.

[Khendon Sevon]

I am Spartacus!

*Stands up defiantly*

Man, what a waste of graph theory that would-be AI is.

[Turbogeek]

I am Spartacus!

*Stands up defiantly*



You cant even get a game of I'm MARCUS right. Sheeesh.

:: POulls out a ridiculously huge gattling gun and points it at the imposter Cat X ::

Hey screw you buster I'M MARCUS!

[Khendon Sevon]

Oh... we're being Marcus today?

I'm not sure I'm grumpy enough ;)

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I find it amusing he claims to be Marcus, when neither name he uses matches that description. :rolleyes

:)

[Morgan Evanar]

This is chat bot is stupid.

This wine is great.

[Darven]

This leads to a much better question: Why would anyone WANT to be Marcus?

[Turbogeek]

This leads to a much better question: Why would anyone WANT to be Marcus?

a) Earns more in a day than what some do in a month

b) Gets to play with extraordinarily fast cars

c) Likes to blow things up

d) Gets to play with real networks and boss people around

e) Likes to jump off bridges and jump cars at beyond 160 kph for fun

f) Is these days very fit and actually has muscled up thence could stand a chance with women if he tried

g) Is generally regarded as completely insane

h) SINGLE!

i) Also regarded as quiet and well spoken in person

j) Polite and gets on well with women in person

k) NOT GAY

Cons

a) Too busy to spend the money

b) Fast cars also sometimes leads to spectaclar fast crashes and is not good for health

c) Blowign thigns up may not be legal where you are

d) Some people would find this mindblowingly boring how good he is with networks ad lets face it, nursing a server to life even at $150 an hour is BORING

e) Dangerous and some people suffer from vertigo

f) Doesnt try because he's sitting at home working on a network design. Yes commanding 2G a day is one thing. Having a social life at the same time? Bzzzzt

g) Is generally regarded as completely insane

h) DIVORCED!

i) I'm posting crap on the Internet on a Saturday Night. NO LIFE

j) Competely sucks at the actual "Hey lets date" bit. As in truly retardly bad at it. Which is beginning to really annoy his mates just how extraordinarily bad he is because they cant figure out how a guy with seemignly everything in his favor is dateless, sitting at home in front of a nerd box on a Saturday evening.

k) ..... okay yes I cant think of anything bad about NOT GAY because boobies are nice.

[Darven]

Ah!

*considers*

This, of course, leads to an even better question that the one before: Do YOU even want to be Marcus?

[Turbogeek]

Apart from being hopeless with women...? I rather enjoy being Marcus. It's the insane part that really makes it all work. That insane part means I take risks, get myself out of the comfort zone, tell it as it is (to the point of brutality) and generally get quite a bit out of life.

Plus, if you catch me when my brain is right, I'll admit that not being attached or tied down has allowed me to do things that I would have missed with a wife or children. I know parents say children have special moments but you know what? So does being single. And in a lot of ways they are quite a bit different and lot more satisfying.

And really, there's nothing quite like busting your backside up a hill on the bike, come over the top and you see the sunset over the National Park.
That I'll never swap for anything. There really is a special kind of awesome seeing the birds fly and scream as the dusk settles in a blast of burnt red, the air cooling on you, realising that the Lord is there and you can speak much clearer to Him as the hustle and bustle of life is drowned out by the peace and power that surrounds you.

Swapping that kind of realisation about God for two kids and a mortgage really isnt my thing at all. Maybe if a woman can appreciate the kind of insane that I like and knows exactly what I'm talking about with cresting Woodford on NYE at dusk, then I'll think again..... but I aint found one yet and I certainly didnt marry one years ago. And frankly, life's too short to compromise on the things you truly believe in and to be something your not. It's too short to be wastign your life just beign a wage slave to someone else. It's too short to be watching Gladiators or the latest rubbish on TV. It's too short to regret not doing things you really want to do and to be whom you want to be. It's too short to compromise.

In short, someone once told me a lot fo things that sucked about myself that woke me up. That's why I have such a thing about beign fit and just having a big go. There is no way I'm going to be that fat slob ever again.

And that's why I like being Marcus.

Now excuse me, enough of the E/N, I have someone else to go and insult now. And to beat the hell out of this Cat X guy.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Too much God up in this thread. Needs more atheism.

[Rhianna]

You were supposed to bring lions with you to Rome. You FAILED! :twak

[Turbogeek]

Too much God up in this thread. Needs more atheism.


What do you call a dead atheist?

Someone all dressed up with nowhere to go!

[Morgan Evanar]

Fertilizer :)

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I post on a Saturday night because I have to work all the others :(

[Zem-El Vymes]

I post on saturday night because alcohol is cheaper if you drink at home.

[Turbogeek]

I post on Sunday afternoon after I loaded 300 kg's of crap into a trailer and about to journey to the dump - house cleanup time!

Plus I have all three seasons of BattleStar Galactia on DVD now and I intend to watch later tonight

[stevenvdb]

Some people just get more excited by their blinky toys than others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjS89zUxtgM

Most people here have been there, I think. :P

I've been thinking of getting a Mac for my significant other for her birthday. She's not so up on the geeky, but she likes the shiney. And the new Macs are shiiiiiiney.

That startup intro song is stuck in my head, now.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Well, that depends. Do you want Atheism where people actively preach the non-existence of God, or just people who plain don't feel like investing time and energy to find out if there is a God and so are atheists by default?

Positive and Negative Atheism. Who knew?

I remember Force Wedgie and Force Frying Pan being a very cool part of being Marcus. Wonder if Marcus still does that kind of stuff from time to time?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Oh, you Christians and your monotheistic God... just because someone doesn't want to spend time reading your crazy old Bible, it doesn't mean that there is something 'Negative' about them.

[Jacinda Blake]

^ It makes about as much sense as someone stepping forward today with some other 'new' religion and saying "NO! You are all wrong! This is the truth! Abide by it or else we will write a book detailing why you must!"

People will believe what is natural and comfortable to them, depending on how they were raised, where they were raised, and an assortment of other contributing factors and in the end, all that matters is being a good person.

Here's a thought - everyone think for themselves..

OMG what a concept! It's almost SILLY! :rolleyes

[Freight Train]

I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to insult anybody. :| Can we relax a little? Please?

[Jacinda Blake]

I'm not unchilled. ;)

[Freight Train]

Just checking. >.> It's awesome to believe what you like, but there's got to be some respect shown to everybody. This means Christians respect Atheists, and vice-versa. I think that's where most of the fighting starts; nobody has enough respect for the other guy to just LISTEN to what they believe and understand that there's no intent to convert or belittle the person who's listening. We're just sharing info.

[Jacinda Blake]

As I said - everyone thinks for themselves - no one get's preachy and we're all happy. :D

and I'm not an atheist. I was raised a very strict Catholic, not that I still am... ^_^;

[Freight Train]

That means we agree! *e-five*

[Dasquian Belargic]

I was just expressing my opinion that I find calling out "people who plain don't feel like investing time and energy to find out if there is a God" as 'negative' offensive. Why should it be necessary for me to 'find out of there is a God'?

[Freight Train]

I took it as more of an "apathy is stupid" not "atheism is stupid". Like, if you go "I don't believe in God", and I try to understand why, it's a positive thing. There was communication. But if you claim not to believe, and I ignore/attack you without even trying to understand your beliefs, that's the negative thing. Does that make sense?

[Droo]

I have to admit I interpretted it the same way Jenny did and your interpretation fails to shed any new light on it. The problem here is that while someone may not intend to be insulting, when it comes to matters of religion it is very easy to cross that invisible boundary: if you believe in something you assume it to be true and as a result, run the risk of inflicting your assumptions upon others. That is what has happened here and we need to be careful. It would be sad to think we couldn't hold an intelligent theological discussion without it descending into an argument. Tact is the key word here.

[Freight Train]

Got him on the phone. He says he meant it like this:

Do you actively believe there is no God?

OR

Do you simply not care whether there is a God or not?

He says he meant no disrespect, and he apologizes for offending you guys.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Why is it important that I care (whether or not God exists)?

[Dragon]

Presumably, he believes it is important because he believes God exists, and therefore the question of His existence is of utmost importance.

You believe the question is irrelevant, presumably because you do not see evidence to say that your life would be affected either way.

The reason religious/theological/philosophical debates get so heated, even in absence of genuine ad hominem attacks, is that what we believe is very personal, and we'll always get offended when our dearest beliefs are attacked. Yes, we need to be tactful. But we also need to develop thicker skins. Tolerance cuts both ways, remember.

Kinda like when you called the Bible crazy? Even though you said it jest, that's offensive to me. Because I believe it is the very Word of God, and it plays a central role in my life. That sounds silly to you - and, really, I shouldn't expect otherwise. You may pursue the matter with me if you wish (in private, since this isn't the forum for that sort of thing) or leave it alone. All I ask is that you do not dismiss me as a person without getting to know me.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Tolerance running both ways is something that not many people grasp, unfortunately. Sometimes it seems that tolerance means that I must be considerate and nice to everyone (well, this I do anyway, or TRY to), while they are not held to the same standard. Like, Christians are stupid, but people of any other belief are not.

If we want tolerance then everyone gets it, not just the people you happen to agree with. And we cannot hold someone else accountable for being rude to our belief system if we are being rude to theirs.

[Droo]

I don't think it's a question of developing thicker skins. It shouldn't be neccessary because when it comes to religion or anything else personal or controversial, we should possess the wisdom and grace of tongue to word our views without causing offense. I shouldn't have to tolerate the ham-handed words of others and if such tact is lacking then nothing should be said at all.

[Carlos Calaveras]

If we want tolerance then everyone gets it, not just the people you happen to agree with.
This, I agree with - hence why I take offense at being labelled 'negative' for not caring whether there is a God. I suppose I just take issue with the fact that a person can preach tolerance on one hand, but on the other consider another person inferior for not having any interest in their belief system.

[Saladin]

I don't think it's a question of developing thicker skins. It shouldn't be neccessary because when it comes to religion or anything else personal or controversial, we should possess the wisdom and grace of tongue to word our views without causing offense. I shouldn't have to tolerate the ham-handed words of others and if such tact is lacking then nothing should be said at all.

I must respectfully disagree. I think it is a prevailing myth in our culture that we have the right to not be offended. I doubt there is anyone here on Fans who does not hold beliefs that are, in some way, offensive to someone else here on Fans. To remove the offense is to castrate those beliefs, or language itself. There are times and places where honesty is more important than superficial harmony.

This is not to say we dispense with civility and tact. But there's also such a thing as over-sensitivity. Offended? Okay, point it out. You may give the other person some insight into a point of view they hadn't considered before. But don't use that as your sole grounds to dismiss them and what they're saying. Because that is an ad-hominem defense.

[Droo]

If you felt I insinuated that we skip merrily through the green fields of political correctness in order to appease each other and pretend everything is alright; then you either misunderstood or I failed to emphasise my point.

So I'll emphasise now. You said there are times and places when honesty is more important than maintaining superficial harmony. It is not the time nor the place. On these forums, if you have views which are offensive to others you simply don't voice them. You keep them to yourself or discuss them in the appropriate circles and that way your beliefs aren't castrated. This is nothing to do with political correctness but it is simply a matter of common sense: the backgrounds and beliefs shared on this forum span the entire globe and we cannot ever seek to have people be in agreement with each other in discussions such as this, it's folly and a waste of time.

On these forums, I try to keep my religious views to myself unless it's discussed in private. This is not to suggest I don't feel strongly about my beliefs because I do and in the real world, I'm happy to discuss them openly with anyone willing to listen. SWFans is not the real world. It is an online community and the administration share the common goals of keeping the site up and running while defusing any volatile circumstances. As a result, we all share the responsibility of avoiding, when possible, the instigation of such situations, if not for our own good then for the good of the staff.

The views and opinions of all are welcome but as I said earlier, if you lack the grace to express these views in ways which lack tact and as a result cause offense then you simply should have the decency to become a spectator of such discussions.

[Wei Wu Wei]

To Clarify on Jenny's behalf:


The Positive and Negative aspects of atheism had more to do with whether or not you try to disprove God. It's like Evangelical and Non-Evangelical Christians. One goes out of his way to show you that there is a God. The other does not.


I do apologize. If I had known a simple question about different "brands" of atheism was going to make people mad, I would have never bothered.

It is not, and will never be my intention to evangelize or otherwise try to convert people on this forum to Christianity. That's people's own business.

I am not offended by atheism, whether people go out of their way to say my belief in God is misplaced or not.

What a way to show up after months of absence.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

To be honest I thought Wei was posting something he learned while getting his theology degree, not 'labelling' people. And he was certainly not trying to offend you. Positive and negative as a way of differentiating between two types of atheism seems like something you read in a book. He didn't say "You don't care whether there is a God so you are inferior, you Negative Atheist you!" though it seems to have been taken that way, which is unfortunate.

As to whether people of one belief not being allowed to consider other beliefs as inferior... well if you (the general you) didn't actually believe your way of thinking was superior or right, then why do you believe it? This doesn't mean you can put down what others believe, or be mean or rude about it.

And no, people shouldn't think that others are inferior because they just don't care to look into every single religion on earth. I highly doubt that anyone here thinks that way, and I REALLY doubt that Wei meant his comments to be taken in that fashion. So, he said he was sorry. Should we all still be offended about it?

[Droo]

As to whether people of one belief not being allowed to consider other beliefs as inferior... well if you (the general you) didn't actually believe your way of thinking was superior or right, then why do you believe it?


It's funny you should mention this because I was thinking about the same thing moments ago. And my answer is very simple: my faith is strong and my beliefs are dear to me, as I would presume they are dear to us all. However, I'm quite content in accepting that I may be wrong since I lack the divine wisdom or concrete evidence to suggest otherwise. This doesn't shake the foundation of my faith at all, I mean, perhaps we're all right to some extent. Ultimately, I think it matters not what an individual believes or what religion he follows as long as they strive to live a good life and love each other.

[Saladin]

In the case of these forums not being the place to discuss these things, Droo, we are agreed, and not even as a matter of superficial harmony!

Whew, glad we got through there with limbs intact. So! AI! How wacky!

[Jacinda Blake]

Ultimately, I think it matters not what an individual believes or what religion he follows as long as they strive to live a good life and love each other.

:love

you are my hero.

[Carlos Calaveras]

So, he said he was sorry. Should we all still be offended about it?

Yes! I'm outraged!


Or not.

[Jacinda Blake]

^ enough out of you. :twak

:p

[Carlos Calaveras]

Help, help! I'm being repressed!

[Turbogeek]

What the......