Druvius's Profile

What would you say your biggest accomplishment in life has been so far?

Druvius comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I'm in print in physical books and magazines. So thousands of years from now the occaisional person might wonder about me and who I was. It's as close to immortality that I know of.

Druvius replies on Aug 4, 2018:

@BeccaVa Thanks. Yeah, I long ago realised I'm not going to get famous or change the world with my writing. But I've touched some lives and will do so long after I'm dead. Works for me. :)

Would you run a background check on a potential boyfriend or girlfriend?

Druvius comments on Aug 4, 2018:

No. No. My last gf did in fact have a check made on me ... by a psychic. Yeah, knew then it wouldn't last. Fun while it did though.

Druvius replies on Aug 4, 2018:

@LadyAlyxandrea Used to be when one met a potential mate, good chance there were mutual friends, co-workers, etc. So they were pre-vetted so to speak. Nowadays with people being more mobile and especially meeting peeps online, it's a really good idea to do some background research. Especially if they seem perfect. :(

A bit of anti-science, with laughs! Some Americans are ignorant and proud 139 Meet The Flat Earth ...

Sirena comments on Aug 3, 2018:

I made it to 3:36.... I can't ??????

Druvius replies on Aug 3, 2018:

You're made of sterner stuff than me, couldn't even make it to the 2 minute mark.

Knock Knock !!!

Druvius comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Yerp, kitty knows how to deal with that .... ;)

Druvius replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@Sheannutt Makes me laugh way too much. I probably need help.

I see this magazine is still around.

p-nullifidian comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Biblical Archeology? Never read it. Sounds like it might be similar to Biblical History or Biblical Astronomy. In other words, oxymoronic.

Druvius replies on Jul 27, 2018:

No, but they have fun skewering people who think that way. :)

Oh yesssss ... indeed. Sad?

Druvius comments on Jul 26, 2018:

The imperial presidency has been growing in power since Nixon, Obama was a genius at normalizing many of the most horrible aspects of it. Trump is a symptom, not a cause.

Druvius replies on Jul 26, 2018:

@evidentialist Then we're in agreement. :)

Antepenultimate - the third-from-last in a series.

Druvius comments on Jul 23, 2018:

Preantipenultimate is even better. :)

Druvius replies on Jul 24, 2018:

@FrayedBear Well, you need to write to any number of dictionaries and correct their mistake then.

Antepenultimate - the third-from-last in a series.

Druvius comments on Jul 23, 2018:

Preantipenultimate is even better. :)

Druvius replies on Jul 24, 2018:

@FrayedBear Nope, fourth from last. :)

What If You Detonated a Nuclear Bomb In The Marianas Trench?

Druvius comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Not surprised, it's basically the equivalent of an underground test. Unless you are too close, no big deal.

Druvius replies on Jul 23, 2018:

@NJSnarky I didn't say it was a good idea, just not surprised it wouldn't be a global catastrophe.

I see this magazine is still around.

weeman comments on Jul 21, 2018:

So is it a religious magazine or just unfortunately named

Druvius replies on Jul 21, 2018:

Only in the loosest sense. It's about archeological findings and digs in the Biblical Middle East.

This likely would have avoided the shit storm we're in.

Druvius comments on Jul 20, 2018:

The reasonable argument against this is that it's prima facie unconstitutional.

Druvius replies on Jul 20, 2018:

@Condor5 Yes, the consitution lays out the three requirements a candidate must have to be qualified for the presidency. And on top of that, if one could simply pass a law laying out the requirements to run, then what would there be to stop congress from simply passing a law that only qualified the one candidate they preferred?

This is very interesting.

Druvius comments on Jul 16, 2018:

This guy isn't an archeologist. He's just another Von Danikan clone laughing all the way to the bank.

Druvius replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@Etre Enough to discern he was a pseudo archeologist peddling woo.

49 years ago today Apollo 11 was launched.

escapetypist comments on Jul 16, 2018:

The moon landing was a political statement, in my opinion. Yes, it was quite an achievement. But science has not stopped. No one has yet gone to Mars, but the rovers do an awful lot of science. Several spacecraft have sent back pictures and other data from the outer planets. ESA landed a ...

Druvius replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Yes, the Moon missions were primarily driven by Cold War politics. What science they did was basically tacked on. That's why we haven't been back, no need for humans to take the risk. Amazing acheivements for their age and level of technology though.

Egyptologist, Anthropologist, Acheologist, Historians, did Egypt and South America have contact?

Etre comments on Jul 15, 2018:

What if the Mayan and Egyptians are a diaspora, or the same group or tribe.... we are supposed to believe pyramid building just happened on several continents at the same time. They actually have evidence on both continents of both civilizations. There is a commonality of megalithic sites ...

Druvius replies on Jul 16, 2018:

If you're gonna build a hill, a pyramid is a pretty obvious solution.

PART 1 ISLAM: THE STRAIGHT DOPE A Self-styled Expert Explains Everything Are Arab ...

KKGator comments on Jul 12, 2018:

So what? Islam is just as messed up and pointless as every other religion. They ALL suck.

Druvius replies on Jul 14, 2018:

@goldenvalleyguy Islam and Christianity are the same religion. Anyone who thinks Islam is worse is just buying into a thousand years of Christian propaganda. They are both drenched in blood.

Archaeologist please form analysis and argument. [youtube.com]

Druvius comments on Jul 14, 2018:

Well, the problem is that there is nothing about the pyramid's construction that archeologists see any need to ascribe to anything other than human ingenuity and engineering. There's other logical problems with the ancient aliens hypothesis too. They managed to do all this without leaving a single ...

Druvius replies on Jul 14, 2018:

@Etre A lot of ancient societies claimed to have been created by sky beings or whatever. Basically claiming they were created by Gods. It's been a tried and true way to rule societies since civilization began. Like how the Incas claimed that Pumapinku was created by the Gods. Perfectly prosaic reason to claim that ... the Incas claimed they were the first people, so ruins that clearly predated Inca civilization needed to be explained away.

I only know of Dawkins' work, but by interacting here I notice there seems to be a missionary zeal ...

Matias comments on Jul 11, 2018:

As an evolutionary biologist, he is one of my favorites. When it comes to religion it is not even his style I take offense at (all his books are paragons of wit), but that his "theory" of religion is lacking in scientific (!) rigor. I know a couple of (atheist) scholars who have done research ...

Druvius replies on Jul 11, 2018:

I can only but agree. Worse, him and his fellow New Athiests have been great propagandists for America's wars in the Middle East through their simplistic demonization of Islam.

N Korea now showing it's true color's regarding negoiations./

Marine comments on Jul 8, 2018:

Trumpie touted that he had accomplished what no other president had with N Korea when instead he has given away the farm. N Korea has no intension of giving up it'd nukes.

Druvius replies on Jul 8, 2018:

Why should they? Their only purpose is to prevent the US from attacking them. And we're spending a trillion dollars modernising our nuclrar arsenal, the one we are supposed to be getting rid of under the NPT. Peace with North Korea is a good thing.

Why would an eye evolve in a creature as, assumedly, if it didn't have an eye it wouldn't know it ...

FatherOfNyx comments on Jul 6, 2018:

Not sure if this is a serious question, but a serious answer would be that the precursor of the eye began before fish even evolved. Photosensitive cells were and are used by bacteria for simple actions, such as guiding it to light. Useful for simple multicellular life as it began to leave the depths...

Druvius replies on Jul 7, 2018:

@Geoffrey51 Even Darwin was troubled by the evolution of the eye, but yes, now understood.

David Lynch: Trump Could Be ‘One Of The Greatest Presidents In History’ ...

Trajan61 comments on Jun 25, 2018:

He’ll definitely be better than that idiot Obama was or than Hillary would have been!

Druvius replies on Jun 25, 2018:

What, exactly, did Obama do that was idiotic? Take your time.

Space Force Is A Con!

DenoPenno comments on Jun 24, 2018:

If you have a space force you can be up there knocking out the other guy's satellites and cripple him before he does a lot of damage. Too much money to be made, but if we all get tired of this someday they can knock out all satellite communications. Control that ability and you control the world.

Druvius replies on Jun 24, 2018:

@DenoPenno Oh yeah, agreed, it's all about his ego.

Space Force Is A Con!

DenoPenno comments on Jun 24, 2018:

If you have a space force you can be up there knocking out the other guy's satellites and cripple him before he does a lot of damage. Too much money to be made, but if we all get tired of this someday they can knock out all satellite communications. Control that ability and you control the world.

Druvius replies on Jun 24, 2018:

You don't need to create a whole new layer of bureacracy to accomplish this.

Koko the gorilla that used sign language has died, she was 46 and died in her sleep.

Druvius comments on Jun 23, 2018:

A little, but not much. 35-40 in wild, 50 or more in captivity. And while she was great for gorilla publicity, the idea that she "mastered" sign language is misleading at best. She knew a lot of symbols and was adept at communicating with them, but she, nor any animal has ever shown any ability to ...

Druvius replies on Jun 23, 2018:

@Lauren No animal, including Koko, has ever scored better than chance when tested for grammar comprehension. They literally cannot tell the difference between "man bites dog" and "dog bites man." It's obvious to even a 3 year old human, but animals can't grasp it. They can understand hundreds, even thousands of words, and use and understand them in groups within context, but stringing them together into sentences, no can do.

A Child In Idaho Has Contracted The First Local Case Of Bubonic Plague In Nearly 30 Years | ...

DenoPenno comments on Jun 23, 2018:

Scary, but I take it as something that likely happened because of the current fad of not getting vaccinations. We are leaving ourselves wide open for many diseases today because of this. It's like refusing to put air in your automobile tires. Eventually there is a problem.

Druvius replies on Jun 23, 2018:

People in the US are not vaccinated against bubonic plague, so no, anti-vaxxers had nothing to do with this.

Rules guys wish girls knew 1.

HippieChick58 comments on Jun 23, 2018:

1. Nunya business what is in my closet. Not your place to even have an opinion. 2. Meet me half way, let me know you need quiet time. 3. ?? Why bother with a relationship, you'd rather be alone.

Druvius replies on Jun 23, 2018:

Well put, lol.

Otzi update! I have found his story fascinating, have followed it for years.

CraeftSmith comments on Jun 23, 2018:

Stone axes are useful for more than a few minutes. Why would people have transitioned to copper if it was less durable? I must be missing something here

Druvius replies on Jun 23, 2018:

@CraeftSmith The one youtube video I found of one in use, yeah, very quickly deforms. Maybe they used them slowly and had to hammer them back into shape regularly.

Otzi update! I have found his story fascinating, have followed it for years.

CraeftSmith comments on Jun 23, 2018:

Stone axes are useful for more than a few minutes. Why would people have transitioned to copper if it was less durable? I must be missing something here

Druvius replies on Jun 23, 2018:

It's a good question, no one knows. At least according to the one documentary I saw on the topic.

An old favourite, the Makapanset Pebble: [patreon.com]

dede18 comments on Jun 22, 2018:

How come it is called Makapanset Pebble but it was found in Makapansgat ? Being an ex-South African, I know where Makapansgat is, thus the place name is correct ... do you think the word “MakapanSET” was a misprint? Of course I can go Google this, but not in the mood right now (did a LOT of ...

Druvius replies on Jun 22, 2018:

@dede18 I appreciate the head's up. My proofreader will be horsewhipped. ;)

An old favourite, the Makapanset Pebble: [patreon.com]

dede18 comments on Jun 22, 2018:

How come it is called Makapanset Pebble but it was found in Makapansgat ? Being an ex-South African, I know where Makapansgat is, thus the place name is correct ... do you think the word “MakapanSET” was a misprint? Of course I can go Google this, but not in the mood right now (did a LOT of ...

Druvius replies on Jun 22, 2018:

Because I'm an idiot?

I keep hearing things like, all these women couldn't have possibly dealt with sexual harassment.

Druvius comments on Jun 22, 2018:

Most men think of women as less than human. We have a long way to go still.

Druvius replies on Jun 22, 2018:

You've already proved my point dude.

I keep hearing things like, all these women couldn't have possibly dealt with sexual harassment.

Druvius comments on Jun 22, 2018:

Most men think of women as less than human. We have a long way to go still.

Druvius replies on Jun 22, 2018:

@irascible Talking to men all my life.

Koko is dead, RIP Koko.

slydr68 comments on Jun 21, 2018:

She didn't master all of the rules of "proper English" but she was able to communicate. As far as it being read into by her handlers, I don't feel that dismissed her ability. Toddlers can't communicate very effectively, but the people who care for them know what they mean. She also learned to play ...

Druvius replies on Jun 21, 2018:

Yes, animals can have very sophisticated communication skills. More is learned about them all the time. The idea they are just machines is long discarded, many of them have some degree of self-awareness, emotions, and remarkable cognitive abilities. As yet though, if you want to have an actual conversation, a human is your only option.

Koko is dead, RIP Koko.

CraeftSmith comments on Jun 21, 2018:

Wait, so she didn't know sign language? What was the deal?

Druvius replies on Jun 21, 2018:

Well, first of all, interpreting her signs was very subjective. Her handlers read into them stuff that wasn't there. And while there is no doubt she could use symbols to communicate, what she couldn't do was string symbls together into sentences. She could not tell the difference between "dog bites man" and "man bites dog." Chimps and gorillas can learn the meanings of thousands of symbols, but never string them together to form sentences. Three year old humans quickly and easily start stringing words together, no ape has taken that leap. It's still a mystery why humans can do this and apes can't.

When is it OK for white people to use the n-word? [patreon.com]

Ellatynemouth comments on Jun 17, 2018:

Black people have been burned alive and hung from trees in the United States. And here is a thread, comprised mostly of white people, asking the question: 'when is it OK for white people to use the 'N' word'. Typical white privilege noise. No. It should never be used. It's hate speech. It's ...

Druvius replies on Jun 17, 2018:

Did you read my post? We are in agreement, white people should never use the word.

Does anyone feel better now that Trump claims to have "solved the problem" of North Korea?

Druvius comments on Jun 15, 2018:

He didn't block progress on the issue, which is what every president since Truman has done. Let's hope he keeps it up, this is a situation which has festered too long. The Koreans and the Chinese get the lion's share of the credit, but if the war is ended Trump prancing around with a Nobel Prize is ...

Druvius replies on Jun 16, 2018:

@whiskywoman The threatening and destabilizing war games we performed on their borders were deliberate provocation, we don't need them, ending them was a positive gesture of good intentions. We are allied with plenty of dictatorships, he is their legal government whether we like it or not. And getting them reintegrated into the world community is a far better path than sanctions and isolation, which strengthen dictatorships. And even if Kim keeps his bombs, so what, he only got them to deter a US attack. If the war is ended and the process of reunification begins, we can take all the time we need to denuclearize. And when is the US going to live up to its treaty obligation to eliminate nuclear wrapons under the NPT? Oh, right, we are spending a trillion dollars upgrading our already mind numbing nuclear arsenal ...

Noah's ark

Druvius comments on Jun 11, 2018:

Yeah, it's a story that requires multiple layers of special pleading to take literally. A wooden ship that size would break up in normal waters, so God had to have strengthened it somehow. And no one else had a boat? And no evidence of a global flood, they'd figured that one out by 1830. Biblical ...

Druvius replies on Jun 12, 2018:

@LadyAlyxandrea No evidence of the continents being covered with water as described in the Bible. The sea level rise at the end of the last ice age was about 2.5 metres per century at most. There certainly have been enormous regional floods though, likely referred to one of those.

NASA is sending Helicopter to Mars!! Smart or Silly? Thunderf00t [youtube.com]

Druvius comments on Jun 11, 2018:

Why would it be silly? Being able to explore local terrain via helicopter will make directing rovers to promising locations much more efficient.

Druvius replies on Jun 12, 2018:

@phxbillcee Pretty safe bet that whatever rover/lander deploys it, it will be able to do plenty of meaningful science even if the helicopter drone fails.

Bad Dreams on Doug's Darkworld: [patreon.com]

Krypto-Knight comments on Jun 5, 2018:

As a guy in Hawaii living next to the volcanic activity I must say WTF. Only dangerous to the careless? Trust me from 4 miles away the SO2 is still deadly.

Druvius replies on Jun 5, 2018:

Mea culpa, could have phrased it better. My point still stands though, the volcanic erruption in Guatemala is far more dangerous than the one in Hawaii.

Missed this at the time.

Theskeptic comments on May 27, 2018:

Man occupied the Americas a lot longer than previously thought, hummm! Wonder what other conclusions have been less than actual? ?

Druvius replies on May 27, 2018:

The conclusions were based on the evidence they had at the time. When new evidence emerges, scientific understanding changes. Doesn't mean they were invalid conclusions.

A BBC human interest bit on the Terra Cotta warriors.

CraeftSmith comments on May 26, 2018:

Alas. A lot of us really identify with Indiana Jones.

Druvius replies on May 26, 2018:

Well yes, but he was a looter, not an archeologist.

This has probably been discussed before but I am quite new here, so please excuse me.

Druvius comments on May 23, 2018:

This was the case thst really made it clear just wht a gun crazy lot Americand are: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Yoshihiro_Hattori

Druvius replies on May 24, 2018:

@Kojaksmom Yes, well, for 8 years the editorial stance of the "The American Rifleman" was "OMG, the N***** in the White House is coming for your guns, stock up now!" I was in a big sporting good store in Nevada right after his first election and the ammo was literally flying off the shelves. One of the nuttiest things I ever saw.

'Impossible' EmDrive Space Thruster May Really Be Impossible [space.com]

Druvius comments on May 23, 2018:

Well, it never did make any sense.

Druvius replies on May 24, 2018:

@phxbillcee Yes, almost said the same thing. Something for nothing, so far the Universe doesn't seem to ever work that way.

"Civilization? No thanks." The Sentinelese Go It Alone: [patreon.com]

Coffeo comments on May 21, 2018:

Fascinating! As the blogger also writes fiction, I wasn't sure how much to believe, but Wikipedia confirms at least the gist of it.

Druvius replies on May 21, 2018:

Thanks. I try to be as accurate as possible, but I certainly am telling a story, so details may be exaggerated or omitted to facilitate that. My goal is to entertain, inform, and inspire people to learn more.

Mississippi "In God We Trust" License Plate Design Unconstitutional - American Humanist Association

Ellatynemouth comments on May 21, 2018:

Why do they need to have that on their license plate? Is their faith so shaky they need to be reminded of it everywhere they look?... The fridge door, the garage door, the bathroom cabinet, the house keys etc etc...

Druvius replies on May 21, 2018:

Yerp. The louder someone proclaims their faith, the weaker it is I suspect. And really, what kind of God would want shaved apes endlessly praising him, pretty sure he or she would want us to find more productive use of our talents.

Did the city of Atlantis exist?

Druvius comments on May 20, 2018:

The Greek city of Helike, submerged by an earthquake and tsunami in Plato's youth was likely the inspiration for the Atlantis story. Since no reference to Atlantis that doesn't trace back to Plato has ever been found, we can safely assume he made it up.

Druvius replies on May 20, 2018:

@KashFigueroa Pretty sure if a pre-Plato reference to Atlantis had been found, it would have been huge news both in history and archeology. Please cite your source.

I swear, I can't stand it when people try to tell me that this country (USA) was founded upon ...

Presley1209 comments on May 20, 2018:

Good for you! I was talking to my 84 year old aunt who is agnostic and she thinks that religion is more rampant now than ever before and she would know! She has some great stories!

Druvius replies on May 20, 2018:

Yerp. When I was a kid the Evangelicals were a fringe group referred to as holy rollers by many. Now they run the country. Jesus wept.

Jupiter and Venus Squeeze Earth's Orbit - Scientific American

Druvius comments on May 18, 2018:

Huh? An utterly completely wildly insignificant contributor to climate change over the short term. I'm sure there are people ignorant enough of the science to think this somehow has any relevance to AGW, hell, many of them are in Congress.

Druvius replies on May 19, 2018:

@NotConvinced There's nothing to research, and overwhelming evidence for AGW which can easily be found if you bothered to look. By the way, the Earth is round, Evolution is a fact, and the Twin Towers were brought down by aircraft. I've wasted too juch time on this nonsense already.

Jupiter and Venus Squeeze Earth's Orbit - Scientific American

Druvius comments on May 18, 2018:

Huh? An utterly completely wildly insignificant contributor to climate change over the short term. I'm sure there are people ignorant enough of the science to think this somehow has any relevance to AGW, hell, many of them are in Congress.

Druvius replies on May 19, 2018:

@NotConvinced I read thearticle and I am scientifically literate. It is a change that takes place over hundreds of thousands of years, not decades. The debate about AGW was over a decade ago. Because the Koch brothers and the energy industry have funded a massive disinformation campaign and purchased numerous politicians has no bearing on tne science.

Santa Fe High School Gunman Identified As Dimitrios Pagourtzis | MSNBC [youtube.com]

Seeker55 comments on May 18, 2018:

No Assault weapons used this time. While the type of gun can make a different in the toll, as we see here, it is not just the gun. There are a lot of people filled with rage walking around out there, people who have been harassed, bullied, bullied, neglected, who have emotional issues. How do you ...

Druvius replies on May 18, 2018:

Oh, really? So if that gun had to be locked up at a gun range it wouln't have stopped it? Seems to have worked in other countries. Thanks for your pathetic "There's nothing that can be done NRA shill BS."

It's referred to as the largest open air prison on the planet.

DinnerandaMovie comments on May 16, 2018:

There are a multitude of problems in that area. One that’s not often mentioned is the fact that Hamas pays cash money in perpetuity to families of martyrs. Children are encourage to place themselves in situations where they are likely to be killed so the family can be paid. I wish the US ...

Druvius replies on May 17, 2018:

@DinnerandaMovie Thank you for regurgitating Israeli propaganda. It's only believable if you already think Palestinians are sub humans who will have their children killed for money. So thanks for letting us know your stance.

There are a lot of articles claiming that the FDA holds back on cures for cancer.

Druvius comments on May 15, 2018:

There are many countries, not to mention people, who would instantly use such a cure if it was available. It's a secret that literally could not be kept. So no, just another conspiracy theory.

Druvius replies on May 16, 2018:

@criztoferlee1 Exactly, it's a conspiracy that would require silencing hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Each one of whom would have enormous incentive to spill the beans. Wouldn't be a secret very long.

There are a lot of articles claiming that the FDA holds back on cures for cancer.

Wangobango3 comments on May 15, 2018:

It was discovered in1974 that cannabis killed cancer cells in a pétri dish.Spain and Israel are researching that discovery.The farther from the reaches of Big Pharma,the purer the research.

Druvius replies on May 15, 2018:

So does gasoline.

Mission accomplished.

doug6352 comments on May 9, 2018:

Makes no sense to me. All the Obama/Kerry deal did was delay the Iranian nuke for some years at high cost. What Trump said makes sense.

Druvius replies on May 9, 2018:

There is zero evidence Iran is trying to obtain nuclear weapons. So your premise is, well, garbage. Or Israeli propganda if you prefer, they have been screaming since the 80s that Iran is just a few years away from nuclear weapons.

Mission accomplished.

gater comments on May 9, 2018:

Wrong

Druvius replies on May 9, 2018:

Thanks for reinforcing my view of Trump supporters. :)

I want to hear a consensus on this, please If the founding fathers had meant for people to have ...

MikeFlora comments on May 8, 2018:

To me, there is no arguing this point. You can't get anymore straight foreword than that. The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, I don't see anyway that you can argue adding anything to that, doesn't mean they had some type of limitations in mind.

Druvius replies on May 9, 2018:

@Captain_Feelgood Dramatically reducing the number of them in circulation. Was that a trick question?

I want to hear a consensus on this, please If the founding fathers had meant for people to have ...

MikeFlora comments on May 8, 2018:

To me, there is no arguing this point. You can't get anymore straight foreword than that. The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, I don't see anyway that you can argue adding anything to that, doesn't mean they had some type of limitations in mind.

Druvius replies on May 8, 2018:

@Captain_Feelgood And that would be gun control. We can apply the same limits to all magazine fed semi automatic weapons.

I want to hear a consensus on this, please If the founding fathers had meant for people to have ...

MikeFlora comments on May 8, 2018:

To me, there is no arguing this point. You can't get anymore straight foreword than that. The right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, I don't see anyway that you can argue adding anything to that, doesn't mean they had some type of limitations in mind.

Druvius replies on May 8, 2018:

The Scotus has already ruled that limitations can be applied. You can't own grenades, machine guns, etc. Nothing in the Constitution prevents gun control measures.

Should we have intelligence thresholds for voting?

Druvius comments on Apr 12, 2018:

No, voting requires good judgement, not intelligence.

Druvius replies on May 2, 2018:

@triumph56 Not in my experience, but haven't looked into research on the topic.

Peace in Korea?! Americans freak out! [patreon.com]

phxbillcee comments on Apr 28, 2018:

I'd love to see some sort of actual peace come about. Tho I don't trust the North, I don't trust our government, either!

Druvius replies on Apr 29, 2018:

There's good reason to believe Kim aims to be North Korea's Deng Xiao-ping, bringing the North into the modern world community. China and South Korea would build a million factories in North Korea tomorrow if they could.

If you could travel back in time and alter any one historical event, what would it be?

Druvius comments on Apr 27, 2018:

Anyone who really is a student of history knows this is a trick question. Any event in history if altered could just as easily have made things worse. No one has a crystal ball. That being said, my entry would be as follows. When the Praetorian Guard rioted against Pertinax in 193ad, and he chose to...

Druvius replies on Apr 28, 2018:

@TaraMarshall It's assumed in the way the question is phrased. In classical Rome, Latin was the language used in imperial matters, so presumably Pertinax was speaking Latin. In any event, the guardsman who got bored with his speech and stabbed him didn't understand Latin, he spoke a Germanic tongue. And since the problem is preventing one impatient guardsman from stabbing the Emperor, presumably more direct methods would have sufficed. :)

Korea Unites? [patreon.com]

JimG comments on Apr 23, 2018:

I dont know what to think. Who wrote this? Do they have any credibility? I am sure China and maybe even North Korea will manipulate Trump, but I don't think South Korea will be willing to fall under Kim Jung-Un's control just to reunite Korea.

Druvius replies on Apr 23, 2018:

I wrote it. I certainly did not mean to imply South Korea will fall under Kim's control, I can't imagine that happening.

What does everyone think about that new study that make pose the question of whether or not there ...

jlynn37 comments on Apr 18, 2018:

I dismiss it as just speculative nonsense. It is easy and doesn't take any intelligence to make a claim for anything you can possibly imagine in a human brain and people do it all the time. That is how religion started.

Druvius replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@JimG So you didn't read the study, got it.

Suicide machine that could be controlled by the blink of an eye sparks euthanasia debate | The ...

josh23452 comments on Apr 18, 2018:

Do you really need a machine? Kinda over complicating things aren't we?

Druvius replies on Apr 18, 2018:

If your only voluntary movement is blinking your eyes, yes.

What does everyone think about that new study that make pose the question of whether or not there ...

jlynn37 comments on Apr 18, 2018:

I dismiss it as just speculative nonsense. It is easy and doesn't take any intelligence to make a claim for anything you can possibly imagine in a human brain and people do it all the time. That is how religion started.

Druvius replies on Apr 18, 2018:

No, it's science. This is how it works.

What does everyone think about that new study that make pose the question of whether or not there ...

TheAstroChuck comments on Apr 18, 2018:

It's strange conjecture, given that humanoids have only been around for ~1 million years and humans for ~300,000 years. The word "study" is probably inappropriate as the concept lacks all academically credibility.

Druvius replies on Apr 18, 2018:

Huh? No it doesn't. It's just conjecture on what to look for in the geologic record if such existed. It's how science works, hypothesis, prediction, see what you find.

Is there intelligent life out there in the universe?

Novelty comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Statistically there is no possibility that intelligent life does not exist elsewhere in the universe. It may have come here, but I tend to doubt it considering the technical hurtles involved in traveling the vastness of space. The nature of that intelligence may make it almost impossible to ...

Druvius replies on Apr 18, 2018:

Huh? Depends on how likely it is. If it's the same as the odds of a monkey typing Hamlet purely by chance, we are alone.

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans? - The Atlantic.

Amisja comments on Apr 14, 2018:

I think its probably not that simple. I think there have probably been lots of ages of sophisticated beings who have developed civilisations which have probably been wiped out. Its likely they failed to record their history because they believed they would last forever, we all do. Bottle necks in ...

Druvius replies on Apr 15, 2018:

@Amisja Well, yes, the Antikythera mechanism proved that there is lost human knowledge. The question is were there any prehuman beings that developed technology and civilization. Maybe, it can't be ruled out, there just isn't evidence for them.

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans? - The Atlantic.

Amisja comments on Apr 14, 2018:

I think its probably not that simple. I think there have probably been lots of ages of sophisticated beings who have developed civilisations which have probably been wiped out. Its likely they failed to record their history because they believed they would last forever, we all do. Bottle necks in ...

Druvius replies on Apr 15, 2018:

It's certainly possible, humans and human civilization appeared in the blink of an eye geologically speaking. There just hasn't any evidence found for it yet.

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans? - The Atlantic.

jlynn37 comments on Apr 14, 2018:

I don't think any evidence, facts or data has ever been found to support this.

Druvius replies on Apr 15, 2018:

Not yet, and seems unlikely it will. But an interesting exercise and speculation about what sort of geological evidence we could expect to find if such did ever exist.

Was There a Civilization On Earth Before Humans? - The Atlantic.

AncientNight comments on Apr 14, 2018:

This is interesting, but there's other evidence that the article didn't mention. I'll just give one example. Things like ornate gold cups, jewelry and mundane household items like flatware have been found embedded in veins of coal. That means that those items were dropped, placed or lost in the ...

Druvius replies on Apr 15, 2018:

There are no well documented OOPA's, and the few that have been seen by scientists have been exposed as frauds or misidentifications.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla.

Seeker55 comments on Apr 13, 2018:

Not sure how someone forgets something like a loaded gun? This could have gone much worse than it did. Seems like he should lose his carry permit for a while and go through some more training, or something...

Druvius replies on Apr 13, 2018:

Pretty easy to do actually. You set the gun down to do your business, start thinking about something else, forget to pick up the gun. It's like parents who leave kids in cars, sometimes it's just an accident. And another argument against more guns in schools, increases the incidents like this, with little to no effect on the school shooter problem.

Some hot guy near me at the gym didn't even hear my loud fart, because he had his headphones in.

Druvius comments on Apr 10, 2018:

"Damn barking spiders!"

Druvius replies on Apr 10, 2018:

@kmdskit3 I heard it from a fellow in Ca in the 70s, no idea where he was from.

45 opened elephants and lions to trophy kill by Americans again.

Druvius comments on Apr 10, 2018:

I don't think westerners have any business telling African countries what they should outlaw.

Druvius replies on Apr 10, 2018:

@BettyColeman Excuse me? I expressed no support for trophy hunting. I think it should only be allowed if the only weapon they get to use is a spear. I am just pointing out thst it is up to African countries to regulate hunting in their lands.

A cosmology question.

Druvius comments on Apr 10, 2018:

OK, a little off as to the size of the two galaxies in the night sky, they would each be about twice the size of this, that's what Andromeda would look like if Earth wasn't stuck in a dusty arm of the Milky Way. There would still be countless other nearby galaxies and intergalactic stars visible in ...

Druvius replies on Apr 10, 2018:

@Mortal Take it up with Phil Plait. http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/01/moon_and_andromeda_relative_size_in_the_sky.html

I want to explore a touchy topic.

Slartibartfast comments on Apr 9, 2018:

I honestly have no idea.

Druvius replies on Apr 9, 2018:

No one does. The few times an academic has tried to study it, the massive flak they get shuts them down pretty quick.

"If Jews had guns there wouldn't have been a holocaust" you're now victim blaming.

sassygirl3869 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Thank you. The resisistance had a few guns but the non-Jews let it happen. Don't tell me they didn't see the Jews - their neighbors being dragged away and most did nothing, absolutely nothing.

Druvius replies on Apr 8, 2018:

Most of their friends and neighbour did nothing or actively helped. On the plus side, all over Europe, there were people who said, "No, this is wrong," and did what they could to shelter and protect their Jewish neighbors. Gives me hope for the species. I recommend this book recounting their stories: https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Unsung-Heroes-Holocaust/dp/0805062610

Some years ago a friend who is married to an Episcopalian minister asked me if I was a church goer.

Druvius comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Where is the hypocrisy? What am I missing?

Druvius replies on Apr 7, 2018:

@ValerieB Really? Maybe she was saying heathens were welcome innher congregation.

Hitler, Gun Control, and Shark Jumping: [patreon.com]

AntaresRose comments on Apr 6, 2018:

I agree. I love history. I will watch documentaries, read history, took college courses. The first thing as such a man as Hitler does is to erode at the people's minds in a subtle way. Then Hitler gains control of the media. From there, only propaganda Hitler wants seen is shown or written. Sound ...

Druvius replies on Apr 6, 2018:

Hitler was an ideologue and a malignant narcisist. Trump definitely isn't an ideologue, and while he's a narcisist, he doesn't seem to rise to the standard of malignant narcisism. I've never found comparisons between the two particularly compelling.

Admitting when you’re wrong..

WileEQuixote comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Lawsuit society, legal entanglements, even #MeToo have made everyone paranoid of admitting fault. Add in a strong subtext that being wrong is a failure, especially in the workplace, and it's no longer a matter of making an "honest mistake".

Druvius replies on Apr 5, 2018:

@AMGT This is why California passed a law specifically stating that an apology is not an admission of guilt. We need a national law like that.

Racism goes both ways

Druvius comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Anyone can be prejudiced, by racism is an institutional system that privileges one group and discriminates against minorities in virtually all walks of life. So no, racism only goes one way.

Druvius replies on Apr 4, 2018:

@Melbates So you're a racist, got it.

Soooo what do you feel about AIs?

Druvius comments on Apr 3, 2018:

At this point AIs definitively are not conscious in the sense a person is concious. None can pass the Turing Test under real world conditions. At some point they may be, but right now there seems little likelihood that will happen anytime soon. I just read a book that covers this topic in depth, ...

Druvius replies on Apr 4, 2018:

@Wyldxflower Well, ultimately, one can't. Ultimately we are each alone and have no possibility of communicating or determining if anyone else is real. Still, we have yet to build an AI that can openly mimic a human. Or one that chooses to do so. Still, at this point, I don't thini humans have succeded in building a consious AI. I could be wrong.

Racism goes both ways

Druvius comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Anyone can be prejudiced, by racism is an institutional system that privileges one group and discriminates against minorities in virtually all walks of life. So no, racism only goes one way.

Druvius replies on Apr 4, 2018:

@Melbates Semantics. Call it what you will but America is a white man's world, and blacks are still screwed at almost every level.

One possible solution...

LJ49 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

The problem with this, is that criminals do not obey the law. You could ban guns alltogether. The criminal will still get his firearm.

Druvius replies on Apr 4, 2018:

@LJ49 Even so, a huge number of shootings are implusive shootings by non criminals. My point stands. So tired of people who think that nothing can be done about the worst gun violence in the developed world.

One possible solution...

LJ49 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

The problem with this, is that criminals do not obey the law. You could ban guns alltogether. The criminal will still get his firearm.

Druvius replies on Apr 3, 2018:

@Michael64 Straw man argument. Most gun violence isn't committed by criminals who planned a crime and then went out and got a gun. Most of it is stupid disputes betwen friends, families, and neighbors where the presence of a gun led to impulsive gun violence. Fewer guns in circulation results in less gun violence, false arguments by the gun lobby notwithstanding.

What's a phrase you vehemently despise?

LadyAlyxandrea comments on Apr 3, 2018:

"Boys will be boys" I find it an excuse that perpetuates gender stereotypes and bad behavior

Druvius replies on Apr 3, 2018:

Yeah, that one has been used to excuse gang rape, SMH.

What's a phrase you vehemently despise?

Emme comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Rule of thumb

Druvius replies on Apr 3, 2018:

I like the Viet Cong version: If an airplane or helicopter is the size of your thumb at arm's length, it means it can be hit with small arms fire. :)

What movie trope is the worst?

Emme comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Oh no...im gonna catch a lot of flack. "American" tv & film is too XTRA imo. In other words, I can't choose just 1 thing.

Druvius replies on Apr 3, 2018:

Absolutely. It's flak, not flack. ;) I agree with your argument though.

What movie trope is the worst?

zappaisfrank comments on Apr 3, 2018:

The plotline to any rom-com.

Druvius replies on Apr 3, 2018:

Yes, or as I call it, "The asshole gets the girl trope."

If you could have stopped Trump from being elected president...

shoemakerb comments on Mar 31, 2018:

He's a buffoon who had a reality TV show. He's not important enough to hate. As for preventing him from getting into office, I think his presidency is no more damaging than Hillary's would have been, and it's going to be a lot more fun to watch him crash and burn than her.