Coffeo's Profile

I think it should be Spped of light squared.

Coffeo comments on May 16, 2018:

Wrong ... but clever.

Is it time for a new astronomical yardstick ? [blogs.discovermagazine.com]

Coffeo comments on May 15, 2018:

It isn't going to happen.

My granddaughter Kayli and her best friend.

Coffeo comments on May 15, 2018:

Beautiful! Cats can be great companions.

Some random examples of my work

Coffeo comments on May 15, 2018:

Very striking images!

I want to learn more about controlling my camera settings.

Coffeo comments on May 14, 2018:

Experiment! So much easier now than when I was learning with color film that cost the earth and took days (longer for slides) to get processed.

Hi shutterbugs, happy to be part of this group! wanted to introduce myself with some shots from ...

Coffeo comments on May 14, 2018:

These are superb!

Can you create the ideal deity?

Coffeo comments on May 13, 2018:

A deity that lacked even one of the above would clearly not be ideal.

[en.m.wikipedia.org] This is interesting. Thought I'd share.

Coffeo comments on May 13, 2018:

Yeah, thought so.

Do you consider yourself a Scientist??

Coffeo comments on May 11, 2018:

Yes: PhD in physics but at 74 I've forgotten most of it now.

Truth State something you KNOW is true No opinions please

Coffeo comments on May 11, 2018:

I'm agnostic. Don't know a damn thing.

Testing testing I'm not a member of this group. @Admin @SiteSupport

Coffeo comments on May 11, 2018:

Was the test satisfactory?

Which is more useful, intelligence or wisdom?

Coffeo comments on May 11, 2018:

I think I'm more intelligent than wise. I'm not sure it's a good thing.

Positive Thinking: A New Secular Religion?

Coffeo comments on May 11, 2018:

Best not to idolize anyone, regardless of how much you agree with their views.

Should I get an Atheist sticker for my car?

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

I'd say better not. Even here in Australia, where there are heaps of non-believers, I'd be reluctant. Religion (or lack of it) is something we don't advertise much.

I don't understand why a man can't be a cat guy when it comes to pets, and not be given shit about ...

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

I love cats. Perhaps not quite a "Crazy Cat Man", but not far off. And not ashamed of it, either.

You are God for the day. What commandments would you make?

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

If I am God, I set the rules. I can be God for as long as I like, and I can have as many commandments as I like. So there. 8)

A new Facebook friend got religious on me and here is what I said (correct me where I am wrong).

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

Basically true, although there are still many unanswered questions. Also, I don't see this a being convincing to a religious person. But then, what is?

Saw this quote and thought I would share it.

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

Well said!

Is Trump an atheist?

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

Well he's certainly not a Christian. But he probably thinks he is.

If three men working on a train track had a train heading toward them they couldn’t see and you ...

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

I think this is one of those cases where it's not possible to know for sure in advance what you'd do. @SpikeTalon is still thinking. (Too late!) I might think that there's a better chance for one person to jump aside at the last minute than three. Don't know.

I LOVE THE WORLD When I was a boy, I was told that the world was evil, that the things of the ...

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

Once again let me compliment you on your wonderful writing style. It's a shame you missed out on however many years of loving the world, but you're putting that to rights now! And that view over the lough from Knockagh is superb! (I was last there in 2005).

Atheists are good or bad persons?

Coffeo comments on May 9, 2018:

I think I am a good atheist. I am sure there are bad ones. My mother was a good Christian. I am absolutely sure there are bad ones. I hope the association you founded will grow and prosper.

SpaceX Set to Debut Newest Falcon 9 Rocket: 'Block 5' [space.com]

Coffeo comments on May 8, 2018:

If all this goes according to plan, it will be _very impressive indeed_.

How about some night stuff? My first try at star reflections, got some work to do still...

Coffeo comments on May 8, 2018:

Sword of Orion so vivid!

Religious upbringing

Coffeo comments on May 8, 2018:

_This question comes up in various guises from time to time, but that's OK, you can't be expected to read all that went before! :) Here's a slightly edited version of what I wrote in response to an earlier question on the same subject:_ Between the ages of 3 and 12 I lived in a household that consisted only of me, my parents, and my father's aunt (I have no siblings). My parents were Presbyterian church-goers, but (luckily for me) far from fanatical: they went once or twice a month (taking me with them, of course). Only my great-aunt was insufferably religious, but not in an evangelical way, more in a strict Presbyterian sort of way — no games, whistling or excessive noise allowed on Sundays, for instance. I think it was she who started me thinking this whole religion thing wasn't all that great. Then there was Sunday school, which I utterly disliked. It was on Sunday afternoon, so if it was one of those Sundays that I'd been to church in the morning, I'd lost pretty much the whole day. And it involved learning by heart some bible verses and bits of the shorter catechism, which made even less sense than the bible. My great-aunt died when I was 12, after which it was just me and my parents. I think by that time I was well on the way to being an atheist, and when I found out that Sunday school, unlike day school, wasn't actually compulsory, I simply stopped going. Church itself I didn't mind so much, and I can even remember one sunny, frosty Christmas morning that I practically dragged my parents there. But I was already on what my mother would have seen as the slippery slope away from faith. After a number of months of futile attempts at prayer, following the guide at the back of my hymn-book, and after reading Fred Hoyle's _The Nature of the Universe_, I decided that Christianity was not for me. My mother was very unhappy about it, and always hoped I would 'return to the fold'. My father never expressed an opinion at any stage, as far as I can recall. It wasn't until much later (after his death) that it occurred to me that he might have been a closet atheist or agnostic.

WHO ARE YOU TO WORSHIP GOD?

Coffeo comments on May 8, 2018:

Your writing has immense power. It should be widely read.

Telling children Santa Claus is real? Are you against it or for it?

Coffeo comments on May 7, 2018:

I think Santa is kinda fun. Our two children were brought up with belief in Santa, but they had a bit of churchy stuff, too (not my idea). I'm not sure how learning the truth affected them, but one is now an atheist and the other sort of — well, I dunno — certainly not churchy. I believed in Santa, and told a friend so about four days before my parents let me into the Big Secret. Embarrassing! (I had been told there was only one Santa, and the ones I encountered in department stores etc. were just 'pretend'.) Being told the truth about Santa was the beginning of my doubts about God, so in a way that was Good Thing. My mother believed in God and I went to church with my parents, though we didn't go every Sunday. I was never threatened with anything if I didn't believe in God. Neither of my parents believed in hell, and I later suspected my father was a closet atheist or agnostic. He never talked about religion, and my guess is that he had promised my mother that he wouldn't.

What is your preferred method of accessing this site? Why?

Coffeo comments on May 7, 2018:

Website. I like a big screen. Besides, it's only if I'm home that I have time to browse stuff.

How to coss-eye free view Stereo-photograpic images: Click each image to enlarge it.

Coffeo comments on May 6, 2018:

These are great! The first one took me maybe ten seconds to "get". The others just "snapped in" straight away. I'm guessing you either (1) use a special camera, or (2) move the camera between shots. Option (2) would only work for very static objects.

So while in the bathroom a thought occurred to me, Some of my best thinking happens in the bathroom...

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

Too many non-believers here in Oz. Nothing much will change...

Expressions

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

I often say "My God!" or just "God!". You don't have to believe in him to say it. (He only minds if you _do_ believe in him.) :)

The problem with evolution and Christianity.

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

I was brought up Christian, and it was never once suggested to me that there was anything wrong with the idea of evolution.

What if it became public knowledge that the pope is an atheist?

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

It would only make a difference if he actually came out and said so himself.

New Ham, sometimes pagan, vegetarian, dog lover, cat lover, bookahaulic, map slut, caver, ...

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

Love books, cats, science etc. Do you find being briefly religious gets you out of trouble?

How many people find it difficult to ask for help?

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

I'd walk miles in the wrong direction before asking someone. Silly, isn't it?

Mammatus clouds over my neighborhood, past summer.

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

Ominous but beautiful.

Right here, right now, I'm ok.

Coffeo comments on May 5, 2018:

Lovely!

Please tell me, is it Okay to post a pic I took and then 'dressed up' in Photoshop?

Coffeo comments on May 4, 2018:

Since it's not a photo competition, I wouldn't worry too much. Usually I just make minor tweaks, although my Diamond Head photo was manipulated slightly more, and I mentioned this in the caption.

Multiverse?

Coffeo comments on May 2, 2018:

I prefer to avoid the term 'proof' outside of mathematics, even for such things as black holes, for which there is a wealth of observational evidence. The multiverse is less well-established and by no means universally accepted among cosmologists, although it may by now be out in front in terms of acceptance.

A few shots from Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

Coffeo comments on May 1, 2018:

Old cemeteries are often very photogenic (the more neglected the better!)

Walk with my son around Allamuchy past Waterloo Village.