frank

General relativity is about gravity and acceleration. Special relativity starts with a thought experiment that shows that in a void, with one object s...

I think if there's nothing there, there's no time.

Special relativity is from a thought experiment that starts with a void. Then we put two people in it. One is you. You see another person who is appar...

Zero came from the Babylonians. They used something like an abacus to do inventories and then would record the abacus layout on clay tablets. That's t...

Does any of that impact an Iranian's ability to take care of a toddler?

:up:

You're on the verge of sounding racist, dude. I'm sure that's not what you intended.

@"Hanover" Have you morphed into a Democrat? Just curious.

Hamas just recently killed some toddlers: https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2023/10/F8J-_fwXQAAaL8C.jpg?_gl=1*12m23xc*_ga*MTE2Mjg0MTY0NS4xN...

It sounded like, "We don't have any common decency, but since we need American support, we'll let some water in to the southern side." Netanyahu is su...

It's better than nothing. If I were a Palestinian in northern Gaza, I think I'd be moving my butt south on foot if necessary. Those who decide to stay...

Hopefully it will get there soon.

It's not over till the fat lady sings

UN update on available humanitarian aid waiting to go in :pray:

True.

Biden's coming. Maybe they're waiting for that? Why couldn't they get a whole new crew to run Gaza? Have an election? I see @"ssu" was thinking the sa...

He's some kind of Shiite. They have the most bizarre beliefs ever. But there are Christian groups who also think the end of the world has something to...

Negation is a logical operation. The void is no-thing, so we understand the void as the negative or opposite of things. When we say "things" here, we ...

People who attack so as to annihilate their enemies don't wait for permission. They just do it.

If you would change it up so you're saying we wouldn't be able to conceive of the void without contrasting it to something, then I'd agree. Everything...

There's a lot of techno-pessimism, as in The Lord of the Rings, which is along the lines of a contemporary epic. Contrast that with Bladerunner, the p...

I don't really understand why there's no speaker of the house. wtf?

I think they'll have to do that soon.

Wow!

I wonder what they have in mind. Haven't seen any preemptive action yet.

I don't think so. They're going to squash the hell out of Gaza. Hamas will be gone. They have nuclear weapons. They don't care about Iran's bullshit.

:up:

I agree. I think this question is more about the journey to your answer than the answer itself. That's exactly what I concluded. Judgment works better...

This is CNN's humanitarian aid link if you want to donate some cash

But that's not what the treaties say.

I see what you're saying.

Are you conflating irrational with inscrutable? It's fairly easy to understand people once you know what they fear and desire, for me, anyway. Well yo...

What famous American author was a POW held in Dresden when it was bombed?

Because they're just trying to make a living?

:up:

I think it's absolute in the sense that there's never a time when bombing civilians is the righteous thing to do. Even if it's part of an ethical dile...

I like my quip: "Morality 101: bombing civilians is bad." I have sure footing there, but notice how that statement is like something God might have za...

All we can do is speculate about consequences. We have to act with the information we have. We don't act from a transcendent position with omniscience...

Yes. Playing with statements is the shallow end of the pool. Trying to understand your fellow humans is the deep end. I already knew your preference. ...

I'm not jeering. I was thinking about being in one of those hospitals realizing the Israelis could supply fuel for the generators and knowing they won...

If you become really hungry, you're likely to go kill a chicken and eat it. Was that moral? If so, what's the logic that dictates that it is? I don't ...

I didn't know about that essay. Cool stuff. Yes, I agree, mass murderer.

Interesting read as always, thanks! @"Banno" :up:

I can definitely respect your viewpoint. Do you think those who made the choice: a) believed it was wrong b) believed it was right c) believed it was ...

The idea of bombing civilians with any kind of bomb would strike most sensitive people as immoral. We could stop to consider what we mean by that (or ...

This was a giant question for me back in the day. I had a philosophical epiphany over it. Probably off topic though?

There needs to be a protected humanitarian corridor. I'm sure Israel will put effort into creating that. Unless they just want to do a massive fuckup.

Morality 101, don't bomb civilians. If you're fighting for survival, you're beyond good and evil. That's why people want to picture themselves as faci...

You really think Hamas was an existential threat that requires allowing the power to go off in Gazan hospitals? I'm not seeing that.

Any conqueror can say this, including Nazis. Germans had seen Jewish cultural independence as an existential threat for generations before the Holocau...