dagblog - Comments for ""If someone took your home away, how would you feel?" (Signed) Mike, Age 13"

I think the use of the word

jollyroger — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:09:17 +0000

In reply to As Einstein would say, you

I think the use of the word "explains" assumes a lot...

As Einstein would say, you

Atheist — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:59:24 +0000

In reply to And I really do like that you

As Einstein would say, you want the simplest explanation that explains the phenomenon, but no simpler!

And I really do like that you

jollyroger — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:30:19 +0000

In reply to we join that state in its

And I really do like that you call that "the simplest explanation".

also

we join that state in its

jollyroger — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:27:10 +0000

In reply to The editors of the

we join that state in its quantum superposition, with one of us in the universe where state A exists and one of us in the universe where state B exists

Oh man!...That is so much worse than anything I could have proposed, and you'll have to excuse me, I'm going to go and have my head explode!

Ahhh, that feels better....

The editors of the

Atheist — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:05:41 +0000

In reply to I agree with the editors.The

The editors of the journal?

Exactly. If the study followed the rules and there were no obvious problems other than it appearing to violate the laws of physics, it should be published.

As for the collapse of the quantum wave packets caused by sentient observance, that was one of the things I was hoping to explain. The simplest explanation I have is that it is not the particles' wave packets that are being collapsed but ours that are being split. I.e., it's not that of the two states one manifests itself upon being observed, but that when we observe quantum superposed states that "force" one state to exist, we join that state in its quantum superposition, with one of us in the universe where state A exists and one of us in the universe where state B exists. If you want to find a way to connect this to psychic phenomenon, I won't rule it out completely, but as Sagan would say, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I thought better safe than

EmmaZahn — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:24:20 +0000

In reply to Confession: when we moved

I thought better safe than sorry

A wise decision. :

live chickensI'm gonna assume

jollyroger — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:06:39 +0000

In reply to Confession: when we moved

live chickens

I'm gonna assume that the chicken's live state does not necessarily outlast the ritual...I don't suppose they eat it later, but I am put in recollection of when Fidel visited the Hotel Teresa on his trip to the UN, and insisted that only a live chicken was a fresh chicken. causing some commotion to occur on the hotel balcony involving a hibachi, a cleaver, and a loudly protesting, if only temporarily, chicken.

Confession: when we moved

artappraiser — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:02:47 +0000

In reply to My personal preference in

Confession: when we moved into our townhouse, as renters, on the little porch was hanging a small Puerto Rican flag and a red plastic rosary. I threw away the flag, however I still have the rosary beads, now without their crucifix and having lost a couple of other chunks or two, hanging on the door latch where I found them. Since the neighborhood is known to still have some rituals with live chickens going on in the nearby park and has some kind of shop which advertises among other things, "voudon potions." a couple of blocks away, I thought better safe than sorry.

My personal preference in

EmmaZahn — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:50:14 +0000

In reply to Would you settle for a

My personal preference in pentagrams is the 16th stellation of icosidodecahedron

but as long as it points up ;-) one point is fine.

Would you settle for a

jollyroger — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:40:47 +0000

In reply to I forgot. After cleansing,

Would you settle for a pentacle, for the wiccans? Short one point, but we'll point it up....