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Simon, here is a great read from a previous Sunday School….Life is Simple…

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Occam’s Razor is not dead. It has been demoted. It is no longer the supreme judge of scientific truth as Nature may not owe us humans a simple explanation.

I would say that Nature is elegant but not necessarily simple.  I don’t believe the most simple explanation is the right one.

I was surprised to read that Ireland is to consider decriminalizing the possession of all drugs for personal use. I have smoked weed throughout my adult life (a few times a year) and nobody cares about it. But I suspect the religious objectors will be out in force again even though they keep losing (marriage equality, abortion, divorce). It will…[Read more]

Thanks Reg!

Thanks Jake.

Enco  –

The key line in the WHO article is “There is no form of alcohol consumption that is risk-free” and that even low levels carry some risk and can cause harm. I would contend that there is no safe amount of alcohol. There are only lower-risk amounts. For health, the optimal amount is none. That does not mean one drink will ruin…[Read more]

looks like a great many interesting articles in School….gonna read some when i get a shot.

Nick Fish, President of American Atheists; So, today, in celebration of the Fourth and in honor of the “confirmed infidel” and “howling atheist” who penned our Declaration, let’s consider Thomas Jefferson’s actual words:

“It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

<…[Read more]

Yes, Pope, you are correct. Your memory has not betrayed you YET. Given time our bodies break down and betray us all! Or at least the ones lucky enough to have the honor of a failing body.

AI as you point out is and will continue to be utilized in a way that serves nefarious ends and is imbued with all of the ‘bad stuff’ of human endeavor and…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
How about waiting for AI to be sophisticated enough that it can be divorced from ideological capture?

TheEncogitationer wrote:
So an AI free of illogic or ideological capture is fantasy […]

I think what AI “will become” will be more of an issue someday, but not before “what AI will be used for” is more apparent. AI evolution…[Read more]

Yeah Enco i don’t say AI is ready for the task. How it will progress i have no way of knowing. I have not seen anything that leads me to believe it is prepared to replace us in important political roles. What i do know is humans are almost universally incapable and venal.

Individual basis we see the time honored Lord Acton playing out. And…[Read more]

Interesting “Wordle Entropy” strategy. I would work more will the Viterbi model where – “Given the observations I already have, what is the single most likely hidden sequence?” It is a more abductive approach. Beam Search is another you look for the most promising candidates (tokens) to continue exploring. I guess they are cousins of Bayesian approaches.

Squirtle squirt. Wordle wort. Eye of newt. Molecule of zinc. When you play wordle you ought to think thusly…

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260619020508.htm

Pope,

Problem with democracy and SCOTUS is obviously a critical element is people. We fuck up everything. Increasing numbers is not a solution.

How about waiting for AI to be sophisticated enough that it can be divorced from ideological capture? We have a referendum on the objectives when interpreting the constitution including precedent. Then…[Read more]

Overall I find the NYT news reporting to be reliable. Sometimes though, the accuracy in op-eds can be questionable. It also has some journalists that can get annoyingly silly with their religious views.

jakelafort wrote:
Never mind Pope. After reading your line again i think you are indicating that the meaning has been watered down so that ambiguity is read into it rather than questioning its plain meaning and efficacy.

I wasn’t implying that, although that may not be inaccurate. SCOTUS itself has been watering down and resetting precedents on…[Read more]

i aint played wordle. Am aware it is popular. My game is called Word Blitz. Ya gotta think a little quicka first a lambent then a flicker. I have gotten to the highest level but am far from the best player. If ya ain’t ya ought’r. First few times you’r fodder. Soon enough you’ll slaughter.

I like the NYT because it has articles that I like and agree with and some I totally disagree with. And Wordle too 🙂

Denmark fights back against Islam.

Will other European nations do it as rationally and without personal blame?