Chelvendra Sathieaanandha
‘Exercise pill’ switches on gene that tells cells to burn fat « Biosingularity
This is hilarious (and exciting). No doubt chunky people like me are waiting for stuff like this to hit the market, no, arrive in our mailboxes (because we’re lazy right) so that we can just sit on our bottoms and lose weight. I wonder what side effects this could produce… and if they can simply “switch on” and hopefully “switch off” (when you’re done losing weight). Permanently changing the genetic makeup of a newly born is cool, I’m curious how it could work as a tablet.
From GrinningPlannet.com
maxxworld » Blog Archive » moral philosophy
Interesting blog post referring to the Virginia Tech Massacre. It covers topics such as morality and religion and it criticises ideas about an absolute system of morality, and the validity of religion therein, referring to biblical morality as “superfluous.” It’s hard to tell if the author believes in God or not, but that isn’t important.
I just find it hard to believe that we, humans, are it – the ultimate beings. Morality must relate to some sort of idea of truth. I’d like to believe in a spherical kind of truth which is represented by the many religions and also by their scriptures. By this, I mean a “truth” that has many sides and many faces that allow us to focus in our lives and live with good intentions; and in the end, have decent values. One massive problem is that all these terms – values, good intentions, good, bad, etc – become very ambiguous. What are good values? How does one judge good intentions anyway? What are good and bad? Everyone has their own ideas on such things – they are conditioned differently, their lives are different, their religions, their attitudes and so on. I guess, that’s why things like the bible exist, and why they are accepted by so many – because many, need to be told what these ambiguous values and terms “really” mean. So then, we have a struggle between religions and views, which then spread into every crevice of society. (more…)
Evangelicals hope to convert Dalai Lama & Buddhists « Blaze Talks
The link above is evidence of multiple aproaches to Christianity and how Christian leaders may interact with leaders from other religions such as the Dalai Lama. While some want to learn and teach and literally interact, others seem to just want to preach since they have all the answers.
From the article (Chicago Sun Times): “Most Buddhists would not have a problem with what is written in the gospel,” said Nakai, who does not follow the particular practices of the Dalai Lama’s sect. “It’s what evangelical Christians say — the idea that you have to be saved in a certain way or you’re doomed to eternal damnation, that’s what we have a problem with.”
I don’t mean to give certain types of Christians a hard time here, but my experience has been largely to do with Christians when it comes to religion, and I am trying to increase my knowledge and understanding in that area. I have done a decent amount of reading, but please educate me if you think I’m missing something.
Most my friends are Christians, and some of them are very strong Christians, and at times I am concerned by their behaviour, but at the same time, I don’t feel I have any right to say what they are doing is wrong. Their values can fit in with mine in every way, apart from the view that the path to God is to Christians alone. I can’t remotely accept it in my present spiritual evolution. I have asked Christians, “even though I’m not Christian, what if I felt God? What if I know of others who feel they know God?” I received two different answers: the first being that God is trying to speak to me and pull me in the direction of the “true” faith; and the second, that I’m being tricked by “the enemy.” So, I guess, from a Christian fundamentalist few, every other religion that is not Christianity can be looked at in this very same light – that either the true God or that the “enemy” is reaching out. Maybe they’re right – how do I know? The first answer is a little strange, since, in the given logic, I shouldn’t be able to speak with God since I haven’t accepted Jesus as the one true way to God; the second answer is a scary, and perhaps its scary so that people do the right thing in fear.
I find it truly hard to think that everyone who believes in another faith is going somewhere far worse than Christians. I can’t accept it. I find it especially hard to accept, when these people have lead lives of selfless service, and if they believe in a God or some sort of greater force. For a Christian (or another religion that shares similar views) with such beliefs about the afterlife, death becomes something quite difficult to deal with if they have non-Christian friends. But, as a close friend once said to me, “What are life and love and all this in the midst of eternity.”
Really interesting (if you have a fascination for religion). I found this blog on technorati whilst searching up about blogs talking about religious differences and other related topics. I read through most of the comments, and everyone here seemed very eager to share their views, but what I found really cool was that, although the beliefs where hugely diverse, everyone had reasons why they individually related to aspects of their religion or their particular belief, but at the same time, they did not really promote or preach about their religion - only one comment stated that their religion was better because it had no strings attached. The majority of comments were about love, values, teachings and the culture of their various beliefs. I also came across a new term for me – seems like I should have come across it but I haven’t before – Unitarian Universalism - which seemingly refers to a spirituality search related to the type of confusion I’m in with regards to the whole religion and spirituality “thing.” Nevertheless, I definitely do not want to align myself to any particular way of thinking or term, especially one I only came across a couple of days ago. (more…)
What exactly is religions place in life, in society? I see it as a bunch of guidelines that help create values – a way to live a good life. I’d like to think in religion (and/or outside religion – simply, in life), grace exists to make us feel like helping others, so that they can have the time, freedom, comfort to feel some of grace too. I also feel, at present that organised religion is a little unhealthy unless its accepting and there is some sort of understanding that we are all trying to head in the same direction.
Personally, I’m confused with and in life. Cliched as it is, stuff regarding the meaning of life pops into my head and I have no answers. I have feelings – call it intuition – that certain things are right, and other things are wrong, but the only things I can do that help me with all this are to listen, read and question. I’m fascinated with religion because people seem to have answers, but at the same time I find a lot of such people do not seem to question anything – I guess it’s faith. “It’s just the way things are.” I’ve recently had a strange experience where someone’s actions really surprised me because their actions were purely based on faith and scripture. No reasoning as such, just that life must be lived in a certain God pleasing way, and any “reasoning,” followed this seemingly certain assumption about God and life.
I’m also concerned however that people are not questioning things – they aren’t even taught to question. They are told a few things, these things make enough sense, and then that’s what they follow for the rest of their lives. Worse, some people even think that everyone else is now wrong. Maybe my concern stems from my own inability to accept these supposed “absolute truths” but the people who are so certain in these matters that I come across also tell me that God hasn’t in fact come to them and assured them of they correctness.
I’m sure there are people who are confused about the same things I’m confused about. The blogs I’ve found are often of two extremes – one condemning religion, especially fundamentalism, and others stating the total opposite. However, I have found many interesting blogs talking about interpretations and the imaginary communities based on such interpretations. Life’s Goal (the Meaning of Life) – SpiritSeeker’s blog is a nice example of such a blog that is searching. It’s an accepting blog that is a hub of many different views.
So I’m searching to interact with a community of confused people who are in search for meaning but don’t condemn or rule out religion – people who question, and people who question why others aren’t questioning. I’d like to make people question.
A lot of factual information regarding World of Warcraft…
“Some players try to misuse the game – In one case, a transgender player formed a transgender guild and Blizzard Entertainment banned this. People for and against the action voiced their protest and the game got into a needless controversy. In another case, around June 2005, a child died because of WOW-addiction. According to a leading psychologist, around 40% of WOW players are addicted to it. Well, whatever the criticism, World of Warcraft is growing stronger by the day.”
The transgender guild being created is interesting evidence of communities created within the larger WoW community, which can in turn replace communities in reality… It’s almost as interesting that the guild got banned, bringing attention to the governing body of the game, its GMs and some constitution-like code of World of Warcraft ethics and rules.
Behind the sorcery: Allow myself to introduce, myself…
It’s kind of interesting to see the various character names employed by one person, and how they take up the alias of their more successful character. I remember in the game, if you happen to bump into someone’s “alt” - another of their characters – they say, “hey its me Bob” or whatever character name you are familiar with in reference to that person. One of a person’s many characters becomes the one they primarily identify with… and thus the achievements of this character are inscribed accordingly onto various character names. His blog is not, it seems, written under his own name, but rather his character name from World of Warcraft. I guess I’m doing the same thing on this blog – sathfilms – not my actual name, but I guess that can easily found by clicking on the honours student link on my blogroll. Nonetheless, the character/person handle or alias thing is quite fascinating since the communities are built up on this – calling somoene “starfire” or “boobdust” over a voice communications program or even in chat is not even considered that strange.
I don’t know how or why I never noticed this website… it’s SO useful and cool… I’m just wondering if they use the shooting scripts or the actual final draft of the script from the writer… because Lost in Translation has a lot of camera directions and edits written into the script. And, the Lost in Translation script was just put up there recently… it’s like a sign or something.
