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Damn dragons and their damn eating habits...
General | Posted 9 years agoAm I the ONLY dragon in the world who doesn't have a desire to devour other sentient beings? An interest in vore seems to be as prevalent among dragons as an interest in dick is among gays. Normally I wouldn't care, but that causes people to act like I'm some kind of aberration when they find that I don't share this particular interest. I'm not any less of a derg just because I don't have the compulsion to murder thinking beings when I feel peckish, so stop threatening to revoke my D-card.
#notalldragons
#smallerlivesmatter
#nofoodfights
#notalldragons
#smallerlivesmatter
#nofoodfights
Quick poll I'm running
General | Posted 9 years agoI'm trying to gauge interest in my stones and I want to know what kind of rough I should procure. The options are synthetic or natural. Synthetic stones are chemically identical to the natural material, not to be confused with simulated stones, which just look like the material in question. I'll go over the pros and cons of each below, then link to a twitter poll asking your opinion.
Pros:
-It's unique. Every natural gemstone has its own chemical makeup, altering the color and clarity slightly, making every stone one-of-a-kind.
-History. When you get a natural gemstone, you know that you might well be wearing something that's over a billion years old.
-It's an investment. Natural gemstones are a finite resource, and as they become more rare, their value increases.
Cons:
-It's expensive. Natural gemstones are rare and require a lot of time and labor to excavate, meaning they're very expensive compared to synthetic.
-They have flaws/inclusions. Internally flawless stones are extraordinarily rare, and by the same token, unbelievably expensive. Most natural gems have flaws and inclusions in them that affect their brilliance. Some stones, like emeralds, are almost impossible to find without these flaws.
-Size and shape. Natural stones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most common by far is inconvenient and small, in that order. With natural stones, you cut the best shape to give you the greatest yield, and the size is incredibly variable. This means that any jewelry you plan to put it into often has to be custom-made, since pre-made jewelry is usually made with regular, pre-determined size slots for gems, something that many natural stones don't cooperate with
Pros:
-Easy to commission. Synthetic rough comes in large, cylindrical boules that is then sawed/faceted into a finished stone. This means you can make very specific requests for a size/shape/type stone that would be all but impossible to fulfill with natural stones.
-Flawless. Natural stones grow in the earth, and are almost guaranteed to be flawed and included in the process. Synthetic stones are grown in labs and rarely have any such flaws. As such, their clarity and color are usually perfect.
-CHEAP! Synthetic stones are orders of magnitude less expensive than natural stones, especially at large sizes. A dark red, internally flawless natural ruby would probably run for $1000 per carat MINIMUM. More likely than not, for a 5 carat stone like that, you'd be looking at an excess of $10,000. For a synthetic ruby, it's $30-80/carat, depending largely upon the skill of the cut. Either way, for a 5 carat stone, it'll run you $400 absolute maximum, probably half that in most cases.
Cons:
-Variety. There are hundreds of types of natural stones, not so with synthetics. Most natural stones have to be simulated. For example, if you want something like peridot, which is a pleasant grass-green color, you'll usually have to go with a synthetic garnet or corundum that matches its color. While emerald and aquamarine (beryl species) can be grown synthetically, they are much, much more expensive than a garnet, corundum, or quartz of similar color.
-Lack of individuality. As I said above, natural stones are unique due to the imperfections in each stone. For example, both rubies and sapphires are the mineral corundum. Rubies are red because of chromium throughout the crystaline structure, while sapphires are blue because they have iron and/or titanium impurities. In synthetic stones, these impurities are homogeneous. In nature, you can get a mix of various minerals, causing a variety of colors that make more of a spectrum than the dozen or so commercially available colors.
-Value. Lower price means lower value, and since synthetic stones are manufactured and, therefore, have limitless supply, they will not appreciate in value over time like natural stones can.
Anyways, those are the pros and cons. I want to know which one most people would prefer. I may do jewelry commissions in the future, and I want to make sure I have the appropriate materials on hand. I already have some natural and synthetic stones, but I want to know if I should keep grabbing up all the nice natural stones I see, or save my money for bulk orders of synthetic rough.
Here's the link to the survey. If you read this after it closes, feel free to leave me a comment. https://twitter.com/Albeon_Draken/s.....35372395982848
NaturalPros:
-It's unique. Every natural gemstone has its own chemical makeup, altering the color and clarity slightly, making every stone one-of-a-kind.
-History. When you get a natural gemstone, you know that you might well be wearing something that's over a billion years old.
-It's an investment. Natural gemstones are a finite resource, and as they become more rare, their value increases.
Cons:
-It's expensive. Natural gemstones are rare and require a lot of time and labor to excavate, meaning they're very expensive compared to synthetic.
-They have flaws/inclusions. Internally flawless stones are extraordinarily rare, and by the same token, unbelievably expensive. Most natural gems have flaws and inclusions in them that affect their brilliance. Some stones, like emeralds, are almost impossible to find without these flaws.
-Size and shape. Natural stones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the most common by far is inconvenient and small, in that order. With natural stones, you cut the best shape to give you the greatest yield, and the size is incredibly variable. This means that any jewelry you plan to put it into often has to be custom-made, since pre-made jewelry is usually made with regular, pre-determined size slots for gems, something that many natural stones don't cooperate with
SyntheticPros:
-Easy to commission. Synthetic rough comes in large, cylindrical boules that is then sawed/faceted into a finished stone. This means you can make very specific requests for a size/shape/type stone that would be all but impossible to fulfill with natural stones.
-Flawless. Natural stones grow in the earth, and are almost guaranteed to be flawed and included in the process. Synthetic stones are grown in labs and rarely have any such flaws. As such, their clarity and color are usually perfect.
-CHEAP! Synthetic stones are orders of magnitude less expensive than natural stones, especially at large sizes. A dark red, internally flawless natural ruby would probably run for $1000 per carat MINIMUM. More likely than not, for a 5 carat stone like that, you'd be looking at an excess of $10,000. For a synthetic ruby, it's $30-80/carat, depending largely upon the skill of the cut. Either way, for a 5 carat stone, it'll run you $400 absolute maximum, probably half that in most cases.
Cons:
-Variety. There are hundreds of types of natural stones, not so with synthetics. Most natural stones have to be simulated. For example, if you want something like peridot, which is a pleasant grass-green color, you'll usually have to go with a synthetic garnet or corundum that matches its color. While emerald and aquamarine (beryl species) can be grown synthetically, they are much, much more expensive than a garnet, corundum, or quartz of similar color.
-Lack of individuality. As I said above, natural stones are unique due to the imperfections in each stone. For example, both rubies and sapphires are the mineral corundum. Rubies are red because of chromium throughout the crystaline structure, while sapphires are blue because they have iron and/or titanium impurities. In synthetic stones, these impurities are homogeneous. In nature, you can get a mix of various minerals, causing a variety of colors that make more of a spectrum than the dozen or so commercially available colors.
-Value. Lower price means lower value, and since synthetic stones are manufactured and, therefore, have limitless supply, they will not appreciate in value over time like natural stones can.
Anyways, those are the pros and cons. I want to know which one most people would prefer. I may do jewelry commissions in the future, and I want to make sure I have the appropriate materials on hand. I already have some natural and synthetic stones, but I want to know if I should keep grabbing up all the nice natural stones I see, or save my money for bulk orders of synthetic rough.
Here's the link to the survey. If you read this after it closes, feel free to leave me a comment. https://twitter.com/Albeon_Draken/s.....35372395982848
I may have stumbled onto something profound.
General | Posted 9 years agoI was doing a simple forum assignment for my evolution class regarding what sets humans apart from other animals. What makes us uniquely capable of doing what we do? What, to put it simply, makes us sentient. It's something I've thought about before, but not in any great detail. In the process of doing this assignment, I think I may have stumbled across the answer. It's a bit wordy, but if you can stand to read through it, I think you'll find it worthwhile.
Is it language that sets us apart? We're in no way the only animals that can communicate to other members of their own species. Many use vocal communication like we do. Some use scent, or touch, or body language. Some even use all of the above. Gorillas can be taught sign language. Certain birds can be taught not only to repeat our own words, but can come to learn the meaning of some words and use them in the correct context, albeit in a disjointed way. Can it be said, then, that our language gives us our sentience? The answer is only a partial yes. Other animals can communicate rough concepts like "food" or "danger," but we've yet to see evidence that any other species can communicate ideas as complex and detailed as what we're capable of. A parrot that found food somewhere might go back to its flock and indicate that it found food and entice the others to follow it. A human, on the other hand, can go to a group of humans and say: "There's food a few blocks over. Go down the street, take the second right, then the first left, and go to the red house and knock twice on the door." and other humans will be able to comprehend and follow the instructions. This is not enough on its own, however, to explain sentience. If it was that simple, why wouldn't some other animal capable of relatively complex communication have evolved sentience as well?
Is it our ability to use tools? Again, we're nowhere near the only animals to do so, and again, the answer is only a partial yes. Our ability to use tools far outstrips any other animal on the planet. Most other animals that use tools are only capable of going so far as simplistic uses. A rock to smash open a nut, a stick to dip into a termite nest for termites, a wedge to pry something open. Humans, on the other hand, have given themselves the ability to fly, even so far as space, to communicate around the world at nearly light-speed, and to record all of our thoughts and ideas. However, if this was the source of our sentience, why wouldn't some other tool-using creature have evolved their ability further to gain sentience themselves?
The answer is that it is a combination of the two things. Almost all animals are forced to start from scratch at birth. Memories are not genetic. You can come from a long line of mathematicians and physicists and you wouldn't be able to do long division without being taught first. What humans have that all other species lack is a language that is capable of communicating highly detailed and complex information AS WELL AS the ability to record that language. Everything that humans learn can be recorded and saved for future generations, allowing us to build a body of knowledge far above and beyond what can be learned in one lifetime, even if the entire species was focused on nothing but learning. This has, in turn, allowed humans to become a sort of super-organism with individuals carrying out highly specific roles that would otherwise be impossible. With other animals (excluding colonial insects), every individual needs to be able to get its own food, look after its own safety, heal its own wounds, etc. Humans have farmers to provide the food, police to keep them (relatively) safe, and doctors to heal their wounds only because the specific knowledge necessary to perform each of these roles is already available. Thus far, we're the only animals in the world where complex language evolved concurrently with the ability to use tools, thus giving us a means to record and store our knowledge. While these things are not necessary for sentience at its most basic form, which is just self-awareness, they were necessary for humans to bring our sentience as far as we have today. Our ability to communicate evolved along with us, but we didn't evolve past the lifestyle of a simple family group with rudimentary clothing and shelter, until our ability to record and save our knowledge came about.
I hope everybody found this interesting. I'm not sure if anyone else has ever put it down quite like I have, but I came up with this idea independently either way. This shows just how dangerous the current climate of anti-fact, anti-intellectual thought is. We owe who and what we are as a species to our ability to learn new things and record them for posterity. That is science in a nutshell. I will be joining the March for Science on April 22nd. I hope others will too.
Is it language that sets us apart? We're in no way the only animals that can communicate to other members of their own species. Many use vocal communication like we do. Some use scent, or touch, or body language. Some even use all of the above. Gorillas can be taught sign language. Certain birds can be taught not only to repeat our own words, but can come to learn the meaning of some words and use them in the correct context, albeit in a disjointed way. Can it be said, then, that our language gives us our sentience? The answer is only a partial yes. Other animals can communicate rough concepts like "food" or "danger," but we've yet to see evidence that any other species can communicate ideas as complex and detailed as what we're capable of. A parrot that found food somewhere might go back to its flock and indicate that it found food and entice the others to follow it. A human, on the other hand, can go to a group of humans and say: "There's food a few blocks over. Go down the street, take the second right, then the first left, and go to the red house and knock twice on the door." and other humans will be able to comprehend and follow the instructions. This is not enough on its own, however, to explain sentience. If it was that simple, why wouldn't some other animal capable of relatively complex communication have evolved sentience as well?
Is it our ability to use tools? Again, we're nowhere near the only animals to do so, and again, the answer is only a partial yes. Our ability to use tools far outstrips any other animal on the planet. Most other animals that use tools are only capable of going so far as simplistic uses. A rock to smash open a nut, a stick to dip into a termite nest for termites, a wedge to pry something open. Humans, on the other hand, have given themselves the ability to fly, even so far as space, to communicate around the world at nearly light-speed, and to record all of our thoughts and ideas. However, if this was the source of our sentience, why wouldn't some other tool-using creature have evolved their ability further to gain sentience themselves?
The answer is that it is a combination of the two things. Almost all animals are forced to start from scratch at birth. Memories are not genetic. You can come from a long line of mathematicians and physicists and you wouldn't be able to do long division without being taught first. What humans have that all other species lack is a language that is capable of communicating highly detailed and complex information AS WELL AS the ability to record that language. Everything that humans learn can be recorded and saved for future generations, allowing us to build a body of knowledge far above and beyond what can be learned in one lifetime, even if the entire species was focused on nothing but learning. This has, in turn, allowed humans to become a sort of super-organism with individuals carrying out highly specific roles that would otherwise be impossible. With other animals (excluding colonial insects), every individual needs to be able to get its own food, look after its own safety, heal its own wounds, etc. Humans have farmers to provide the food, police to keep them (relatively) safe, and doctors to heal their wounds only because the specific knowledge necessary to perform each of these roles is already available. Thus far, we're the only animals in the world where complex language evolved concurrently with the ability to use tools, thus giving us a means to record and store our knowledge. While these things are not necessary for sentience at its most basic form, which is just self-awareness, they were necessary for humans to bring our sentience as far as we have today. Our ability to communicate evolved along with us, but we didn't evolve past the lifestyle of a simple family group with rudimentary clothing and shelter, until our ability to record and save our knowledge came about.
I hope everybody found this interesting. I'm not sure if anyone else has ever put it down quite like I have, but I came up with this idea independently either way. This shows just how dangerous the current climate of anti-fact, anti-intellectual thought is. We owe who and what we are as a species to our ability to learn new things and record them for posterity. That is science in a nutshell. I will be joining the March for Science on April 22nd. I hope others will too.
Faceting Machine Got
General | Posted 9 years agoI ordered my faceting machine yesterday, it shipped today, and the estimated arrival date is...Feb 20th...to get from Florida to Massachusetts. The good news is that I'm getting it. The bad news is that they're apparently sending it by way of mule.
I have a telegram now
General | Posted 9 years agoIt's AlbeonX if you want to talk
Many things happening
General | Posted 9 years agoThing #1: I just finished moving into a bigger place. I'm living with my roommate, 
OssuaryPariah but getting out of the closet I was in before is soo good, for me and my cat.
Thing #2: I will be going to visit my mate,
cty_lover in Arizona from January 4th to the 18th. I'm also hoping to meet up with some friends while there like 
Narse and 
Ryken_Aaelgrin
Thing #3: I'm setting aside funds from my spring semester tuition disbursement and tax returns to buy myself a faceting machine. Once I get it and begin using it, I'll probably start selling faceted gemstones on FA fairly inexpensively. Keep an eye out for them.
Thing #4: As many people know, I've had a lot of health problems over the past few years. Finally, FINALLY, we may be zeroing in on a cause. It appears that I have some form of dysautonomia, which is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. I'm working with my neurologist to figure out the specifics and hopefully begin a course of treatment. This explains almost all of my medical issues, and it feels good to finally have an answer to what the hell is wrong with me. Over the next few weeks, I'll be going through a series of tests to pin down exactly what form(s) of dysautonomia I have and figuring out a course of treatment.
Thing#5: I will be preparing to take my MCAT and GRE exams soon, which will be the deciding factor on whether I go on to graduate school or medical school. I eventually intend to get a Ph.D regardless of whether I become an MD, but the results of these tests will determine which I do first.
So yeah, lots of things going on, all of which are good. 2016 sucked all the ass, but 2017 is already starting off pretty great.
OssuaryPariah but getting out of the closet I was in before is soo good, for me and my cat.Thing #2: I will be going to visit my mate,
cty_lover in Arizona from January 4th to the 18th. I'm also hoping to meet up with some friends while there like 
Narse and 
Ryken_AaelgrinThing #3: I'm setting aside funds from my spring semester tuition disbursement and tax returns to buy myself a faceting machine. Once I get it and begin using it, I'll probably start selling faceted gemstones on FA fairly inexpensively. Keep an eye out for them.
Thing #4: As many people know, I've had a lot of health problems over the past few years. Finally, FINALLY, we may be zeroing in on a cause. It appears that I have some form of dysautonomia, which is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. I'm working with my neurologist to figure out the specifics and hopefully begin a course of treatment. This explains almost all of my medical issues, and it feels good to finally have an answer to what the hell is wrong with me. Over the next few weeks, I'll be going through a series of tests to pin down exactly what form(s) of dysautonomia I have and figuring out a course of treatment.
Thing#5: I will be preparing to take my MCAT and GRE exams soon, which will be the deciding factor on whether I go on to graduate school or medical school. I eventually intend to get a Ph.D regardless of whether I become an MD, but the results of these tests will determine which I do first.
So yeah, lots of things going on, all of which are good. 2016 sucked all the ass, but 2017 is already starting off pretty great.
Good news and bad news...
General | Posted 9 years agoThe good news is that I might finally have an answer to what the hell is wrong with me. The bad news is what that is. My neurologist believes that my autonomic nervous system is failing for reasons unknown. I'm going to be getting batteries of tests to confirm the diagnosis and see if we can figure out the cause. I'll post updates as I know more.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
General | Posted 9 years agoThere is currently a petition to get the electoral college to respect the wishes of the American people and get them to vote for the person who won the popular vote of this country: Hillary Clinton. I humbly request that everybody who cares for the environment, science, and healthcare to SIGN THIS PETITION!
https://www.change.org/p/electoral-.....on-december-19
https://www.change.org/p/electoral-.....on-december-19
Why I am upset...
General | Posted 9 years agoI have a lot of medical problems, as many people may know. My back is a mess, with literally every vertebrae from my ass to the base of my skull fucked up. My GI tract is paralyzed, meaning I can only eat about 1/3 of a meal a day. I have neurological issues that cause me substantial trouble. I pass a kidney stone every 6 weeks. That's just the tip of the iceberg...there are other things too. The first order of business for Supreme Overlord Trump and his stooges in Congress will be the repeal of Obamacare, including its protections for those with pre-existing conditions...like me. Once the repeal is complete, I'll lose my insurance and no longer be able to afford my substantial amounts of medical care. My life will devolve into constant misery every minute of every day. I don't want to have to live with that. I'm kind of in a panic right now. It feels like I'm counting down my life.
The coming election
General | Posted 9 years agoI will not be voting for Trump OR Hillary. I will be voting for Jill Stein. Let's face it, Hillary is leading Fuckface von Clownstick by 12 points. I am not worried about a possible Trump presidency any more. What I AM worried about is the fact that we have the choice between two less-than-desirable candidates. We need more choices, and current law states that if a political party gets 5% or more of the popular vote, it is federally recognized and funded. This is what we need: options. The more parties we have, the easier it will be to vote for someone who aligns with your views. Most people are not aware of the law regarding third parties. Please spread the word so we can work on having a more diverse government that actually represents us. No more of this "lesser of two evils" bullshit.
New responsibilities with an important question
General | Posted 9 years agoI'm now the events coordinator for my school's Secular Student Alliance...which has a current total membership of 5. That is unacceptable. I'm planning on inviting certain people to speak to the school to generate interest. The current list is as follows:
AronRa
Adam Savage
James Hyneman
Bill Nye
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Richard Dawkins
Lawrence Krauss
Elon Musk
Bill Maher
Can anyone think of others who I should try to get? I know that most of the people on that list are busy, and I'll be lucky if one (outside AronRa who's already said he'll come) actually follows up with me. I want to increase our membership at least twenty-fold, and the best way to do that is to hold events that will put us in the spotlight. The trouble comes from the fact that most people who I could think of are too obscure or too busy/popular to be able to attend. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
AronRa
Adam Savage
James Hyneman
Bill Nye
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Richard Dawkins
Lawrence Krauss
Elon Musk
Bill Maher
Can anyone think of others who I should try to get? I know that most of the people on that list are busy, and I'll be lucky if one (outside AronRa who's already said he'll come) actually follows up with me. I want to increase our membership at least twenty-fold, and the best way to do that is to hold events that will put us in the spotlight. The trouble comes from the fact that most people who I could think of are too obscure or too busy/popular to be able to attend. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Need some help/advice
General | Posted 9 years agoHow does one make the left brain shut the fuck up? I'm a very detail and fact oriented person. My left brain is so overactive that I think I might have two left brains. That is now causing me problems for several reasons.
1. It gives me anxiety. I dwell on things. A lot. If there's a problem in my life, I tend to beat it to death in my mind, giving me no peace and causing me to have insomnia at night and distraction in the day.
2. It stunts my creativity. My left brain is like a noisy room. I'm now getting well enough where I feel I can get back to the requests for stories I've gotten, but all this medical shit on top of my financial issues on top of school starting again on top of getting a new roommate on top of a million other little things gives me no room to be creative. It's just endless thoughts about endless issues, most of which are out of my ability to control anyways, so why bother stressing? I just can't stop it.
3. It makes me sound whiny. The fact that my brain is constantly chewing all this mental cud means that all my issues tend to come up in conversation because they're literally the only thing on my mind. It's a bit of a mood killer to have someone talk about nothing but their problems, and it's very off-putting to most people.
I see a therapist weekly, but he's trying to help me work through this problem logically. Being a logical person, you'd think that would be the best approach, but it isn't. It's fighting fire with fire, and as much as that phrase is interesting, throwing fire on fire just makes a bigger damn fire. I need to attack this from a new angle, but there's no real angle I can think of. FA is a site that's full of artists, and art comes fro the right brain, the part I want to have a bit more of a voice. I figure that if anyone knows how to get their mental nags to shut up, it's people who are artistically inclined. So I now leave it to anyone who reads this to give me some advice. I'm open to all suggestions...except heroin. Heroin bad.
*Note* I did try googling, but most of what I saw either did what my therapist is doing or came from a standpoint of the left brain being a bad thing. It's not a bad thing, it's what lets me science. Science is good, and true, and good. I just want to make lefty quiet down and go to sleep, not kill him.
1. It gives me anxiety. I dwell on things. A lot. If there's a problem in my life, I tend to beat it to death in my mind, giving me no peace and causing me to have insomnia at night and distraction in the day.
2. It stunts my creativity. My left brain is like a noisy room. I'm now getting well enough where I feel I can get back to the requests for stories I've gotten, but all this medical shit on top of my financial issues on top of school starting again on top of getting a new roommate on top of a million other little things gives me no room to be creative. It's just endless thoughts about endless issues, most of which are out of my ability to control anyways, so why bother stressing? I just can't stop it.
3. It makes me sound whiny. The fact that my brain is constantly chewing all this mental cud means that all my issues tend to come up in conversation because they're literally the only thing on my mind. It's a bit of a mood killer to have someone talk about nothing but their problems, and it's very off-putting to most people.
I see a therapist weekly, but he's trying to help me work through this problem logically. Being a logical person, you'd think that would be the best approach, but it isn't. It's fighting fire with fire, and as much as that phrase is interesting, throwing fire on fire just makes a bigger damn fire. I need to attack this from a new angle, but there's no real angle I can think of. FA is a site that's full of artists, and art comes fro the right brain, the part I want to have a bit more of a voice. I figure that if anyone knows how to get their mental nags to shut up, it's people who are artistically inclined. So I now leave it to anyone who reads this to give me some advice. I'm open to all suggestions...except heroin. Heroin bad.
*Note* I did try googling, but most of what I saw either did what my therapist is doing or came from a standpoint of the left brain being a bad thing. It's not a bad thing, it's what lets me science. Science is good, and true, and good. I just want to make lefty quiet down and go to sleep, not kill him.
Am I an asshole for defending science?
General | Posted 9 years agoOne of my few hobbies is to roam around the youtubes and attack people who attack science. Generally, the tone of the comment to which I'm responding dictates the tone of my response. If the comment is condescending, rude, dismissive, or belligerent, I'll usually respond in kind. On the flip side, if the comment seems to be made in good faith and brings up legitimate questions or concerns, then I try to be polite and informative with my response. The one thing that I need to make clear is that I do not go to creationist/flat-earther/conspiracy theorist videos and attack them. I go to videos on evolution, cosmology, atheism, etc. and respond to comments there...and I do this a LOT. I wouldn't be surprised if I've logged over 10,000 comments on youtube in the past 12 months.
Now, on to my question. Something that's been coming up more and more recently is that I'm the bad guy for attacking religion. If I want to attack the arguments being made by the person, fine, but the fact that I'm then going past that and targeting the commentor's religion makes me into a villain who is attacking something that is a central part of many peoples' lives.
For the reference of those who may not know me well, here is my opinion on religion. I feel that, while it can be used for good and has positive aspects, I feel it is an overall negative influence. Religion offers a medium for good people to do good things, and for bad people to do bad things just like any other group that has influence and power. Religion, though, is unique in my experience because it alone has the power to make good people do bad things. People who are otherwise nice, caring, and open-minded can be duped into opposing equal rights for various groups, voting for politicians who are regressive, neglecting medical care for themselves and others in favor of "faith healing," and opposing the scientific consensus on important topics such as evolution, climate change, stem cell research, and cosmology.
My question is this: by attacking religion as a whole rather than just the anti-science arguments being forwarded, am I making myself the bad guy? If yes, am i justified in doing so anyways?
Now, on to my question. Something that's been coming up more and more recently is that I'm the bad guy for attacking religion. If I want to attack the arguments being made by the person, fine, but the fact that I'm then going past that and targeting the commentor's religion makes me into a villain who is attacking something that is a central part of many peoples' lives.
For the reference of those who may not know me well, here is my opinion on religion. I feel that, while it can be used for good and has positive aspects, I feel it is an overall negative influence. Religion offers a medium for good people to do good things, and for bad people to do bad things just like any other group that has influence and power. Religion, though, is unique in my experience because it alone has the power to make good people do bad things. People who are otherwise nice, caring, and open-minded can be duped into opposing equal rights for various groups, voting for politicians who are regressive, neglecting medical care for themselves and others in favor of "faith healing," and opposing the scientific consensus on important topics such as evolution, climate change, stem cell research, and cosmology.
My question is this: by attacking religion as a whole rather than just the anti-science arguments being forwarded, am I making myself the bad guy? If yes, am i justified in doing so anyways?
Owowowowow
General | Posted 9 years agoHad surgery today. The pain is unbelievable. Going to be down and out for a bit.
Update: 5:00AM EST 7/26 - Misery misery misery. It's getting worse, no matter what I do.
Update: 7:00AM EST 7/28 - Well it peaked yesterday and is now getting a bit better. Rather than feeling like I'm being actively sodomized by a cactus, it feels like I have a second-degree burn as well as a terrible bruise. Sadly, the LAST place you want that feeling is your anus, so the suffering continues.
Update: 11:30PM EST 7/28 - Not much change. Playing games and distracting myself seems to help take my mind off it if nothing else. Finally reducing my drug load enough to be able to concentrate a bit.
Update 1:25PM EST 7/29 - Just ran out of pain meds and things are bad bad bad. I'm going to talk to my doctor about a new script
Update: 6:00AM EST 7/30 - Welp, I'm calling for a refill of my pain meds. 2000mg of tylenol, 650mg of naproxen, and 1200mg of ibuprofen and no change. I'm seriously testing both my liver AND my stomach with those dosages, and I'd really rather not have to deal with something else immediately.
Update: 2:40PM EST 7/30 - I got a refill on my pain meds, just need to wait until midnight to fill it for insurance reasons. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and understanding while I deal with this bullshit.
Update: 5:00AM EST 8/2 - I think it might be infected. It's oozing this disgusting greyish-green goo that doesn't seem right. I'm seeing my doctor this morning to figure it out
Update: 7:10PM EST 8/2 - Well it's not infected, but the flesh is splitting and tearing for reasons we can't explain. I'm getting some new medication to hopefully reverse that. If it doesn't work, I might need to get some repairs done. All I know is that it hurts like fucking hell.
Update: 1:10AM EST 8/6 - Just had my first normal bowel movement since the surgery. Oh the pain was indescribable. I very nearly lost consciousness. It still feels like a baby moose just crawled out of my ass. Kinda want to curl up and die right now.
Update: 5:00AM EST 7/26 - Misery misery misery. It's getting worse, no matter what I do.
Update: 7:00AM EST 7/28 - Well it peaked yesterday and is now getting a bit better. Rather than feeling like I'm being actively sodomized by a cactus, it feels like I have a second-degree burn as well as a terrible bruise. Sadly, the LAST place you want that feeling is your anus, so the suffering continues.
Update: 11:30PM EST 7/28 - Not much change. Playing games and distracting myself seems to help take my mind off it if nothing else. Finally reducing my drug load enough to be able to concentrate a bit.
Update 1:25PM EST 7/29 - Just ran out of pain meds and things are bad bad bad. I'm going to talk to my doctor about a new script
Update: 6:00AM EST 7/30 - Welp, I'm calling for a refill of my pain meds. 2000mg of tylenol, 650mg of naproxen, and 1200mg of ibuprofen and no change. I'm seriously testing both my liver AND my stomach with those dosages, and I'd really rather not have to deal with something else immediately.
Update: 2:40PM EST 7/30 - I got a refill on my pain meds, just need to wait until midnight to fill it for insurance reasons. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and understanding while I deal with this bullshit.
Update: 5:00AM EST 8/2 - I think it might be infected. It's oozing this disgusting greyish-green goo that doesn't seem right. I'm seeing my doctor this morning to figure it out
Update: 7:10PM EST 8/2 - Well it's not infected, but the flesh is splitting and tearing for reasons we can't explain. I'm getting some new medication to hopefully reverse that. If it doesn't work, I might need to get some repairs done. All I know is that it hurts like fucking hell.
Update: 1:10AM EST 8/6 - Just had my first normal bowel movement since the surgery. Oh the pain was indescribable. I very nearly lost consciousness. It still feels like a baby moose just crawled out of my ass. Kinda want to curl up and die right now.
Finally made a Twitter
General | Posted 9 years agoI still fucking hate twitter, but I need a better platform to vent my spleen at all the things that piss me off. I also intend to heckle The Donald when he does something asinine...so every day pretty much. Follow me if you like. My handle is Albeon_Draken
Going to be writing a lot more in the near future
General | Posted 9 years agoWell, due to shenanigans at work, including but not limited to pulled PIC lines, pulled catheters, falls, and a patient climbing into the drop ceiling and falling out of it onto his roommate (don't ask because I have no fucking clue) patient observers such as myself are no longer allowed to use devices on the job. That means portable DVD players, laptops, or the one most relevant to me, E-readers. Let me clarify that none of these things happened on my watch, but it's a case of a few dumbasses ruining things for everyone else. That leaves me with two options. Start buying/borrowing physical books to read or start writing in a notebook. I've chosen to go with the latter. The story I just posted was written yesterday in about 3 hours' time and is over 2000 words. I'll probably be able to write at least one story per shift. More once my wrist gets stronger and I regrow the pen calluses on my fingers. Some will be clean, some will be vanilla, some will be fetishy kink-fests.
How does this pertain to my watchers or pretty much anybody else? I'm not creative enough to come up with stories several times a week for months. That means that I'll be taking requests for a while. If I become prolific enough, I may start doing commissions, so I'd suggest grabbing the opportunity while it's free. If you're worried about others seeing your request and/or want to remain anonymous, send me a note. Otherwise notes or replies to this journal will be fine. My one request is that you don't use the shout feature to make requests. The school year starts in September, so my ability to write between the beginning and the end of the Fall semester may be reduced somewhat. That leaves a roughly 3 month window where I'll be writing pretty regularly as long as I have ideas to write about. So let them fly!
How does this pertain to my watchers or pretty much anybody else? I'm not creative enough to come up with stories several times a week for months. That means that I'll be taking requests for a while. If I become prolific enough, I may start doing commissions, so I'd suggest grabbing the opportunity while it's free. If you're worried about others seeing your request and/or want to remain anonymous, send me a note. Otherwise notes or replies to this journal will be fine. My one request is that you don't use the shout feature to make requests. The school year starts in September, so my ability to write between the beginning and the end of the Fall semester may be reduced somewhat. That leaves a roughly 3 month window where I'll be writing pretty regularly as long as I have ideas to write about. So let them fly!
I win spitroasting forever.
General | Posted 10 years agoJust saw my GI doctor and he ordered a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, both to be done at once. That will mean 3 feet of deep-throat and 6 feet in the tailpipe. Unless someone can beat that, I claim my title as Spitroasting King
Anyone else feel like the rest of their family is brain-dead
General | Posted 10 years agoEvery single week, I have to remind my family why I can't get a full-time job. I'm about to get a major back surgery that will have me in physical therapy for up to a year. I plan to go back to school as soon as possible so I can get on with my life. I'm about to start on pain management, which will have me taking narcotic painkillers on a regular basis. I explain this to them constantly. They seem to understand, yet without fail the following week, they come at me with the whole "you need to get a full-time job" shit and then have the gall to act offended when I snap at them. I'll admit that I'm struggling, but I'm still managing to pay my bills and keep myself fed all by myself. Is my family seriously that stupid or do they just have some pathological need to nag me and put me down over something?
Another year already gone
General | Posted 10 years ago28th hatchday today. It feels like time is speeding up.
Hooray, pain management
General | Posted 10 years agoWell, we've had a breakthrough with my kidney issues...and that breakthrough was that they were permafucked. My kidneys will never stop pulling calcium from my blood and will never stop producing stones, but that's not the bad part. The bad part is that there are always calcium crystals in my urine. It looks like a yellow snowglobe under a microscope. These crystals are having an effect similar to sandblasting on my urinary tract. I have degenerative scarring and degradation of all the tubing in there, and as time goes on, it and the pain will only get worse. As a result, I've been referred to pain management and will probably be on pain meds for the foreseeable future.
Merry Christmas
General | Posted 10 years agoThis will be a blanket well-wishing journal for everybody. I'm spending Christmas in the South Carolina swamps with relatives, so the internet is tenuous and the cell service is absent altogether. That means that I won't be able to respond to any individual texts or emails. I'm not even sure how long it will take this journal to upload. I'm scheduled to return to civilization on the 29th, so I will probably receive half the texts then. Until comms can be restored, everybody enjoy whatever it is you're doing.
Welp
General | Posted 10 years agoFuck my damn life. 3 new kidney stones in 4 months. I'll be talking to my urologist Monday (I haven't slept yet, so it feels like tomorrow, but it's today), but based on my last appointment with him, I'm going to be getting another surgery. I already had one where he completely cleaned me the fuck out in the beginning of July. It's now the beginning of November and the rock factories are in full production...still. So I guess I have that to look forward to. Happy freaking holiday season to me.
**UPDATE**
There are not 3 stones as the radiologist said, there are 5, and I am having the surgery, probably in the next 2-3 weeks.
**UPDATE**
There are not 3 stones as the radiologist said, there are 5, and I am having the surgery, probably in the next 2-3 weeks.
So...Pixels
General | Posted 10 years agoAnyone else think Adam Sandler saw the episode of Futurama where Fry used the What-If machine and decided to rip it off into a movie? Because that's my take.
I just came very close to homicide
General | Posted 10 years agoI spent over half an hour arguing with the infamous Sye Ten Bruggencate. He's a presuppositional apologist who visited my college campus today. Many things were said, including God hates fags. Many posters were displayed, including aborted fetus images. I spent the entire time trying to get a word in edgewise. He interrupted me constantly, he put words in my mouth, he accused me of logical fallacies that he himself was committing, and he called me intolerant because I'm an atheist. The last time I wanted to kill someone so badly, they were physically attacking my mother. It's a good thing I'm not really a Jedi, because I totally would have gone all Dark Side on his ass.
Dangerous quack alert
General | Posted 10 years agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu4X6OJt-EY
Some of you may know of the infamous Kent Hovind. Aside from Ken Ham, he is probably the most prolific and well-known denier of all things science. He just outdid himself this time. He made a video plugging a product sold by his son. "Vitamin" B17 (not really a vitamin) is the product in question. This chemical is sold as an all-natural cancer cure, and is also called laetrile and amygdalin. The claim is that amygdalin attacks cancer cells only. Not only is this not true according to several studies, but amygdalin is also quite dangerous...so much so that the FDA has made it illegal to sell across state lines.
**Warning: science ahead**
I decided to run the numbers myself just to see if it was overblown, or if there was an actual risk to taking this stuff. These were my results.
-Amygdalin has an atomic weight of 457 g/mol. Hydrogen cyanide has an atomic weight of 27g/mol. That means hydrogen cyanide makes up approximately 5% of the compound, coming out to 25mg of hydrogen cyanide for every 500mg pill.
-The LD50 (dose that is lethal for 50% of the people who ingest it) for hydrogen cyanide is 1-3mg/kg. Assuming a 200lb (91kg) person, that's between 91mg and 273mg. Translated into amygdalin, that means taking between 2g and 5.5g is enough to give a toxic dose.
-That means 4-11 pills would carry a dose strong enough to kill 50% of the people who took it.
-The body eliminates roughly 1µg of cyanide per kg of body weight every minute, so a 91kg person would eliminate 1 pill of amygdalin worth of cyanide every 5 hours or so. Basically, if you take more than 4 pills at once, or are taking the pills at a rate of more than one every 5 hours, you're in very real danger of lethal cyanide poisoning.
-It is extremely important to note that the calculations I did were all based on a 200lb or 91kg individual. If the person taking the pills weighs less, their LD50 will be lower and they will eliminate the cyanide more slowly. Also, cyanide is almost entirely processed by the liver. Anyone who has a liver that is less functional than normal for any reason will be at much greater risk by taking this as well.
If you are a US citizen, please go report this charlatan at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaPr...../ucm059315.htm before he gets people killed. To fill out the form, you will need the url of the offending website. That is http://creationtoday.org/product/b17-package-2/
Some of you may know of the infamous Kent Hovind. Aside from Ken Ham, he is probably the most prolific and well-known denier of all things science. He just outdid himself this time. He made a video plugging a product sold by his son. "Vitamin" B17 (not really a vitamin) is the product in question. This chemical is sold as an all-natural cancer cure, and is also called laetrile and amygdalin. The claim is that amygdalin attacks cancer cells only. Not only is this not true according to several studies, but amygdalin is also quite dangerous...so much so that the FDA has made it illegal to sell across state lines.
**Warning: science ahead**
I decided to run the numbers myself just to see if it was overblown, or if there was an actual risk to taking this stuff. These were my results.
-Amygdalin has an atomic weight of 457 g/mol. Hydrogen cyanide has an atomic weight of 27g/mol. That means hydrogen cyanide makes up approximately 5% of the compound, coming out to 25mg of hydrogen cyanide for every 500mg pill.
-The LD50 (dose that is lethal for 50% of the people who ingest it) for hydrogen cyanide is 1-3mg/kg. Assuming a 200lb (91kg) person, that's between 91mg and 273mg. Translated into amygdalin, that means taking between 2g and 5.5g is enough to give a toxic dose.
-That means 4-11 pills would carry a dose strong enough to kill 50% of the people who took it.
-The body eliminates roughly 1µg of cyanide per kg of body weight every minute, so a 91kg person would eliminate 1 pill of amygdalin worth of cyanide every 5 hours or so. Basically, if you take more than 4 pills at once, or are taking the pills at a rate of more than one every 5 hours, you're in very real danger of lethal cyanide poisoning.
-It is extremely important to note that the calculations I did were all based on a 200lb or 91kg individual. If the person taking the pills weighs less, their LD50 will be lower and they will eliminate the cyanide more slowly. Also, cyanide is almost entirely processed by the liver. Anyone who has a liver that is less functional than normal for any reason will be at much greater risk by taking this as well.
If you are a US citizen, please go report this charlatan at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaPr...../ucm059315.htm before he gets people killed. To fill out the form, you will need the url of the offending website. That is http://creationtoday.org/product/b17-package-2/
