[Edit: Many thanks to
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Isn't it the moment of most profound doubt that gives birth to new certainties? Perhaps hopelessness is the very soil that nourishes human hope; perhaps one could never find sense in life without first experiencing its absurdity.

--attributed to Václav Havel

"Think of the Hebrew word for question, she'elah," he [Elie Wiesel] continued. "There is ( Read more... )

Re: King Arthur and the Chocolate Factory

What would Arthur do with a chocolate factory? He often seems so terribly earnest, you have to wonder if he would indeed follow Merlin's instructions and allow everything to remain wacky and fun (and a bit creepy), or if he'd feel compelled to make the chocolate nutritious or something. Would Arthur's ( Read more... )

Have you had a day when you found yourself wandering through some of your more ancient LJ posts and then you suddenly stopped, yelling out "Wait! Wait! How come I still don't know who called that crisis response team?!"

Yeah, it's been like that. Except I'm happy knowing that I don't really need the answers.

So tonight there was this conversation about computers becoming self-aware, taking over the world, and we wondered: what would happen if they made decisions based on emotion? What are the hardware and/or software equivaents of hormones? How do you know if your baby artificial intelligence is a girl or a boy? What happens when an AI enters ( Read more... )

Which of the myriad demons of marketing had to possess someone to create a commercial featuring The Burger King, Spongebob Squarepants, and "Baby Got Back"? Was the world not full of pain enough before this monstrosity was released into the wilds???

Is this video gothic?

My known ancestors include people who came from England, Ireland, and Wales. Is it wrong of me to hope there are Scots in there as well so I can collect a full set?

This week is Lightning Safety Awareness Week. Among other things, we are all advised to stay indoors during a thunderstorm, and to "Wait 30 minutes after you hear the last rumble of ( Read more... )

Rummaging around in my desk looking for something else, I found a bunch of solid wooden cylinders, the diameter of an ordinary pencil and very slightly more than five inches long. What are they?

Edit: Okay, I have dowels! Now, why are there dowels in my desk drawer? How have I not noticed them before? Why are they there? Have they been here ( Read more... )

Do you intend to be something other than a reaction?