Would You Opt for Immortality? - Quillette

jerry99 comments on Mar 9, 2018:

Well, we're living a lot longer than our ancesters and I suspect another 100 years or so is within reach given modest advances in medical technology. As usual, it will be the privileged who attain the greatest benefit. That aside, it wouldn't take much for us to be able to upload our consciousness to the cloud and have some semblance of ourselves made available indefinitely, though I'm not sure how appealing that would be. I rather enjoy having a body!

Would you eat lab-grown meat?

jerry99 comments on Mar 3, 2018:

Is it healthy? Does it taste good? Is it environmentally-friendly? Is it reasonably priced? Let me know when you get one of those!

I can remember 15 passwords, 5 or 10 phone numbers, addresses I lived at years ago and piles if ...

jerry99 comments on Mar 3, 2018:

Forgetfulness Billy Collins The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of, as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain, to a little fishing village where there are no phones. Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag, and even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps, the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay. Whatever it is you are struggling to remember it is not poised on the tip of your tongue, not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen. It has floated away down a dark mythological river whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall, well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle. No wonder you rise in the middle of the night to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war. No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted out of a love poem that you used to know by heart. “Forgetfulness” from Questions About Angels, by Billy Collins, © 1999.

I like collecting programming languages. What is your favorite programming language? Why?

jerry99 comments on Mar 3, 2018:

LISP, Forth, SNOBOL4 They were ground-breaking and under-appreciated at the time.

Review of More Than 130 Studies Provides Powerful Evidence That Gun Control Saves Lives

jerry99 comments on Mar 2, 2018:

We live in a country where are elected represntatives have decided that our health organizations are not allowed to even research gun safety! we wouldn't want any facts to interfere with their campaign donations.

Social classes

jerry99 comments on Feb 28, 2018:

Classless!

Any Doctor Who fans?

jerry99 comments on Feb 28, 2018:

I never liked it until the 2005 reboot. For me, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were the best. I'm curious (and hopeful) to see how Jodie Whittaker does.

Has anyone else attempted university in their 30's+ (after years out of school)?

jerry99 comments on Feb 28, 2018:

I went back for a second Masters at 62. It was a wonderful experience!

I was asked this question about morality as being an Atheist.

jerry99 comments on Feb 26, 2018:

You don’t need religion to know right from wrong.

Why We May Soon Be Living in Alexa’s World - The New York Times

jerry99 comments on Feb 26, 2018:

I have them scattered in various rooms around the house. I mainly use them for music, but I’ve come to rely on them for numerous everyday services: timer, news, weather, recipes, todo and shopping lists, simple orders from Amazon. I sent my daughter one of the Echo Shows so we can have occasional video chats. It’s just another appliance I’ve come to depend on and use often. If you’re worried about being spied on then I guess you have a much more interesting life than me! :)

Which religion in your opinion is the worst? Islam or Christianity?

jerry99 comments on Feb 25, 2018:

All of the fundamentalist religions are awful. The non-fundamentalist versions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are silly but generally innocuous.

Why do premonitions happen from a scientific point of view?

jerry99 comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I suppose there’s a chance people have valid premonitions, but I think it’s likely that they’re subconsciously integrating a lot of data that leads to a good guess. It’s probably more likely that people just remember the times their premonitions came true and forget all the other times when noting happened.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

jerry99 comments on Feb 25, 2018:

At the moment, I’d say it’s The Expanse or Altered Carbon!

Which streaming service should I pay for??

jerry99 comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I have Amazon Prime and periodically add Netflix, Netflix DVD, Hulu, Starz, HBO, etc. for a few weeks or months to pick up any special programs I want to see. I also purchase specific series from time to time (The Expanse, Lucifer, The Good Place, ...) since I'm in a broadcast TV dead zone and since it's still a lot cheaper than signing up for cable. I prefer not to add a regular cable service since I tend to watch any crap that's on and since life's too short to waste!

Do you think everything happen for a reason? how can we know its reason?

jerry99 comments on Feb 24, 2018:

No, I think that's pretty silly. The universe is pretty random and our place in it is nearly infinitesimally small.The only plan it has for any of us is to see that our atoms get disbursed back into the cosmos! Sorry. Of course, that's just my opinion - I could be wrong!

Alternate religions or life philosophies?

jerry99 comments on Feb 23, 2018:

Works for Trump (so far)!

ANNIHILATION opens tonight. Is anyone here planning to see it tonight? Has anyone read the novel?

jerry99 comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I just got the book. Looking forward to it and the film.

After Mass Shooting, FL House Votes to Put “In God We Trust” Signs in Schools – Friendly ...

jerry99 comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I guess that means people no longer need their assault weapons, right?

American Gods? Read it...watch it? Enjoy it?

jerry99 comments on Feb 20, 2018:

Read it, watched it, loved it! I’m just pissed that season 2 seems to be messed up with budget cuts and people leaving. Altered Carbon is my new favorite show.

Atheist Bingo: Can You Refute All 25 Of These? – Friendly Atheist

jerry99 comments on Feb 20, 2018:

I looked at the list and think they mostly arise out of faulty assumptions.

The Dalai Lama said, and I paraphrase, it is not necessarily helpful to believe in god to be a ...

jerry99 comments on Feb 17, 2018:

My best understanding is that Buddhists do not believe in a creator god, that the universe is everlasting. When the Dalai Lama was asked about the Big Bang, he said “yes, but bang, bang, bang!” That said, many Buddhist cultures have a variety of deities and most western Buddhist communities are okay with members maintaining their family/childhood religious practices.

Ever used Craigslist personals?

jerry99 comments on Feb 16, 2018:

Unfortunately, a tiny, tiny fraction of the population is nuts. And you can meet them online or in person. I know it’s riskier for women, but in any case we’re all taking a chance when we meet up with a relative stranger. I’ve been on a couple of online matches with women who were certifiable, but I’ve also met women who were perfectly nice just not a good fit. I think the best approach is to get to know someone with phone chats before any sort of in-person meeting, and even then it’s good to be cautious.

Excellent cartoon

jerry99 comments on Feb 13, 2018:

Our priorities are upside-down!