LucidDreamer

I took a second look at your question and I'm afraid I gave you a very long-winded answer that didn't even answer your question. This particular question is a bit more complicated. In all honesty if you have to defend the pre-biotic soup by explaining how it occurred you’re going to have a very tough time because no one knows. We only know what early life was like from fossil records and fossil records of the pre-biotic soup area are nonexistent so we have to make a lot of assumptions based on what life is like today. Any thoughts about how homochirality or why DNA was chosen or how RNA reproduction started is all speculation. There are no overwhelming arguments for the creation of life on Earth from pre-biotic soup. There is no evidence. For this reason s creationist will try to get you to defend the pre-biotic soup theory and can make very convincing arguments. Your strength lies in the evidence, which starts with from the earliest fossils. You will slaughter someone on argument about the age of the earth. You will most likely win a big-band argument. You can definitely win an evolution argument, starting from the fossil records. You will most likely loose an argument about the pre-biotic soup theory. They will reduce to trying to defend a bunch of baseless theories. First of all, the fact that every living creature has DNA with the same bases, RNA with the same bases, amino acids that are all left-handed, and sugar molecules that are all right-handed is as much an argument for evolution as against it. After all, if a creator made things outright he would not be limited to building on what came before and could use any combination of right and left-handed molecules. However, an organism that has evolved from another would be likely to inherit its predecessor’s characteristics, especially the very basic chemistry. The reason you don't find deviations on the fundamental chemistry like DNA or left-handed amino acids is because so many enzymes, structures, functions, and chemistry depend on them that you would have to change numerous things all at once. Evolution doesn't work this way. It relies upon single mutations. The building blocks are now set in stone for complex organisms and can't be changed. When you test the stability of amino acids you find that the L-handed molecules are more stable, due to weak forces, than the right-handed. In all likelihood this is original reason that all of our amino acids are left-handed now. This explains why they are all left-handed and not right-handed but it doesn't explain why there is homochirality. We don't fully understand this yet but there are several good reasons for homochirality. Several are listed here: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v409/n6822/full/409777a0_fs.html I have my own theory for homochirality. During early life, before even the earliest photobacteria, proteins were probably made from only a few amino acids. Perhaps at one time early proto-life only catalyzed the formation of a peptide bond between a few particular amino acids that were formed naturally. Eventually the proto-life developed the ability to synthesize its own amino acids. If this first enzyme that catalyzed the formation of a particular amino-acid formed the L-amino acid than in all likelihood all subsequent enzymes that are formed afterwards by mutations would be forms L-amino acids because enzymes are usually steriospecific (they make only left or right-handed molecules). After all, while there would be a lot of benefit for early life to synthesize three amino acids instead of two there would be disastrous consequences to producing right-handed forms of a particular amino acid because the introduction of right-handed amino acids can cause the protein to be dysfunctional. Another probable cause of homochirality is the machinery that makes the proteins. The units in the cells that make protein are ribosomes. They are RNA and protein conglomerates. The core of the ribosome is a section of RNA that is essential to making proteins. While present RNA molecules are not steriospecific towards making left-handed proteins the early version of RNA that constructed proteins was probably steriospecific towards making L-handed proteins. After much evolution the proteins composed of left-handed amino acids becomes an essential part of the organism. Once the proto-life has reached a certain stage it becomes very difficult to change because so much of the life functions are built around it, sort of like Legos that are built around a certain size of peg. However the RNA molecules are in fact steriospecific towards left-handed molecules when constrained on a monolayer, which is a likely condition of early proto-life. http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/12/6/503

The only way I can think of to solve your disk problem is to use someone else’s computer with a CD writer so you can copy the files from your diskette to a blank CD that you can use on your computer. There is no other way unless you want to install a diskette drive on the old computer. The only way I can think of to solve your disk problem is to use someone else’s computer with a CD writer so you can copy the files from your diskette to a blank CD that you can use on your computer. There is no other way unless you want to install a diskette drive on the old computer. The fact that you don't have a CD with a full copy of windows probably has much to do with the fact that Microsoft is an evil corporation as it does to with the fact that you bought a cheap computer. To try to prevent piracy they limit the amount of CDs with a copy of windows on it and substitute it with some supplementary windows CD that is almost always useless. Only Microsoft can get away with selling software to individuals and not giving them a CD with the software on it. Your partitioning problem might be related to this as well because of their attempt to make any non-Microsoft operating systems or application software incompatible. I would suggest going to the tech department of the company that you bought XP at and seeing if they will reinstall XP for you. If you go to college you can go to the computer help department and probably find someone willing to reinstall XP for you. If you know anyone living in a college dorm I can almost guarantee they can get a copy of XP for you off the network or from a friend. Or you might be able to find a copy net. Of course I don't recommend any of this because its illegal even if you already own a copy of XP. Maybe someone else with more XP knowledge knows another way.

Almost all of the energy of life comes from the sun. This energy originates in plants where the energy in light is transformed to chemical energy. The reason this occurs is because light photons excite the electrons of certain molecules in the plants. The plants then pass the electron through various carriers until it creates an electrical potential where ATP is made. So all the energy of life ultimately comes from a simple physical phenomenon where light excites the electrons of atoms into higher energy orbitals. It occurs all the time and not just in life. It occurs in many metals where if a light is shined on them some of the electrons of the individual metal atoms become excited. To see a common example of this just look at your fluorescent light bulb. In this case the electricity is the stimulator instead of the sun. The electricity stimulates the electrons of the atoms in the light bulb and the electrons are excited into a higher energy orbital. Instead of just releasing this energy in the form of heat they release some energy in the form of light. Another example is a meteor. When you see the flash of a meteor its because some of the electrons in the air molecules have become excited and they are releasing energy in the form of light. If the energy that life uses somehow violated the second law of thermodynamics then many other natural physical occurrences must be thrown out as well. The energy that sustains life ultimately results from photoexcitation that occurs all the time in life and in inorganic molecules. The second law of thermodynamics does not state that all forms of energy must immediately go to heat but that it will end up as heat eventually. In fact physics predicts that some energy can and will be transformed into other forms of energy before ending up as heat. One of these forms is the chemical energy of life. That's the first part. The second part of this argument deals with the complex molecules of life being formed. The molecules of life are high energy. This is easy to see when you light a log on fire. All of the heat and light result from the combustion of the log because the log is full of high-energy molecules that release a lot of heat when burned. So why don’t these high-energy molecules violate the second law of thermodynamics? First, when these molecules were created from light energy not all of the energy was turned into the chemical energy of the plant; some was lost as heat. If the plant would have somehow ended up with more energy than the sun gave it then it would violate the first law of thermodynamics. Now, in order to determine whether a reaction is favorable we have an equation called Gibbs free energy. The equation is:G=H-TS or deltaG=delta H-deltaTS. H is energy, S is entropy (second law), T is temperature and not relevant to the discussion and G determines whether the reaction will occur. So whether any given reaction occurs depends upon both energy and entropy. The reactions that produce the complex molecules of life reduce the amount of entropy, which is unfavorable but they make it up by putting in lots of energy. You can produce an endless amount of complex, high-energy molecules in the lab by simply putting in energy in the form of heat or light, etc. These molecules that you make are going against the increase in entropy like the molecules of life but they are still favorable because you put in energy. If the complex molecules of life must somehow violate the laws of entropy then the many reactions that chemist do every day in their laboratory must be declared impossible by the second law of entropy. The ability to produce the molecules of life by combining the atoms that make them up and introducing energy has been demonstrated countless times. Amino acids, urea, and RNA have all been produces with this method. To say that life violates the second law of thermodynamics is the same as saying that you don’t understand the second law of thermodynamics. The simple analogy that entropy is like your room that tends to get messy and unorganized is just a simple way to describe something very complex for early students or laymen. The reaction that is actually used by biochemist and has been proven to be accurate by many experiments is Gibes free energy, which is G= H-TS. By claiming that the high-energy molecules of life should not occur because the entropy is reduced is just simply ignoring one-half of the equation. You cannot just pretend that H is not there and claim that life violates the second law of thermodynamics.

Hopefully Kerry will be elected and both the UK and the US can work on stem cells together.

That's a strange question, but interesting. I would say that if you’re under the influence and acting differently then you normally do then you could be considered a different person. However, if you just forgot somehow and you were acting as you always do then I say you were the same person. I think in a way that you are defined by all of the seconds in your life. Though you could also be totally different at one point in your life then you were for most or some of the rest of it. For instance, you could be an alcoholic for 30 years and then decide to go sober. After that your behavior might be totally different and you could be considered a new person. But I don't think it matters whether you don't remember or you somehow lost time when considering who you are.

I don't want to get into the argument about whether God evolved, but I do know that man describes God as all knowing, all powerful, and omnipresent. These are three things that man is always seeking to become.

I think there are more possible views then just these two. Why does the universe have to be some kind of virtual reality for there to be a God. Also, I'm not sure I would describe the universe as spontaneous. I think there are causes for all effects even if we don't know them all, but whether there is a God behind them is up to each individual to decide.

I know, I know. I read that article when you posted it before. Very interesting btw. What I'm saying is that that technology is a long way away from being used in computers or telephones. Also, just because they can do it does not mean they fully understand why. I know there are super fast supercomputers out there but if you hooked that supercomputer to your super fast fiber optics network and then hired the best programmers in the world you could not get one creative thought out of that computer.

The amount of computing power has grown a hundred thousand fold since they were created but the area of artificial intelligence has barely moved an inch. The size of transistors, price of components, and the speed of the electronics increase the overall power and speed of the computer. However, the computing power is only one small facet of the problem with creating AI programs. If you brought back 1000 supercomputers from the year 2020 and gave them to the AI guys they still wouldn't know where to start. The sophistication of the software has increased over the years as well, but designing a program that can beat a man at chess is light-years away from designing a program that can create a game like chess. As incredible as the visuals of the graphics and the usefulness of the applications are, computer still do basically the same thing that they did when they were invented. They calculate numbers and select which numbers to calculate based on the input and then give a certain output based on the results. They can beat a man at chess because there is a limit on the amount of choices within a very limited environment. They calculate the best move based on the specific programming from the design team, which includes chess masters. The software is still limited to calculating numbers. They make all of their choices based on what is programmed in and never deviate. I don’t believe its possible to create a program capable of reproducing the human intelligence using a set of yes/no instructions and a few Boolean operators. The technology and knowledge that will enable us to make AI isn’t here yet and we are not even sure what it will look like. Things like quantum computers and entanglement sound promising but they are just sci-fi for now. The understanding of what intelligence is and how it works is the limiting factor. The knowledge that lays the groundwork for AI is likely to be found in a biology lab instead of a computer lab.

You might take a look at your diet. Diet plays a role in some forms of arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. You should definitely find a local support group for your problem because there is a lot of evidence supporting a direct correlation between a persons ability to cope with a disease and their attitude, level of support, and the amount of information they have. You might also want to check out a book called Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil. Chronic disease is not very well understood today and they often have little to treat it, depending on what you have. I would definitely become informed about complementary medicine if I was in your situation. Complementary medicine is much better grounded than traditional alternative medicine and is practiced by a lot of MDs and DOs. I would seek out a good doctor who has some ideas about how to actually help you instead of telling you your up a creek without a paddle but don't worry when your symptoms get severe enough we can better diagnose you. You may have a long tough road ahead of you and you need to keep a positive attitude. You should also look into some form of stress management like yoga or meditation because stress plays a role in most chronic disease. I wish you all the luck in the world and hope you start feeling better.

That's a good idea Al. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened some day. Still, I doubt we will make it there by 2010. He didn't get weapons of mass destruction right and he didn't get this one right either. I think he is just trying to change his image about being anti-science from the stem cells. I think he could care less about going to Mars. He wouldn't understand any of the science anyway.

Let's consider what we know about these so-called aliens. One, they are short. Two, they are bald. Three, they have slender limbs. Four, they have grayish skin. I don't know about you guys but this pretty much describes my grandpa. These small, bald creatures that people report as aliens are actually the ancient Egyptians who are still alive because of their cryogenic preservation chambers and botox, but they still have aged greatly over the centuries. The flying saucers are nothing more than modified chariots that they created to impress the chicks. The saucers aren't even capable of interplanetary travel; they just use them to fly around earth and pick up random girls to practice their debauchery on. After all, what do all the supposed "alien abductions" have in common? That’s right, anal probes. Why would an advanced alien civilization be so obsessed with our anuses? Think about it. We must come together to stop the Egyptians now. The aliens are nothing but a ruse to distract us from their evil designs. The Egyptians are mad; they are all hoped up on botox, poppers, and viagra. They won't stop until they have spoiled every virgin, put a resort on every planet in the solar system, and probed every anus. If you are interested in joining the fight, you may visit the official ICAHP (Informed Citizens Against Homicidal Pharos) website located at http://www.flamjam.com/spank/. Or you can send a donation directly to: PO Box 776749-47784 Roswell New Mexico

Yes. I've never seen any video of aliens making a pyramid but I can pretty much say without a shadow of a doubt that it's a fake. How do I know this, well I'll tell you. Every year you find more and more video's of aliens popping up. Aliens at baseball games, aliens performing surgery, aliens shopping at Walmart, Aliens in drag, and aliens getting it on with Britney Spears. These videos are everywhere now because of one reason. It's all a bunch of hype to promote their new line of Yoga videos and exercise equiment.

Pyramidology is a phrase used to describe very outlandish ideas about the creation of the pyramids. It’s really just a nice way to describe nutso beliefs. Some of the other beliefs about the creation of the pyramids include: God built it, the devil built it, and an ancient race of super-intelligent pygmies built it. (Ok so I made that one up) Scientist use observation and mathematics to examine the world. Pseudo-science likes to pretend that its scientific as well so it invented its own kind of mathematics; it's called numerology. Numerology manipulates numbers and comes up with amazing secret discoveries and codes. It's actually quite easy to come up with all these numbers when you figure in all the possible numbers that you can multiply, add, divide, or subtract. For example If you were to take a combination of the days of the week, the number of days in a year, months in a year, and all the different distances to other planets or stars and then factor in the length of my little toe I'm pretty sure you would have to conclude that aliens built my toe because of all the amazing coincidental numbers you came up with. One scientist proved this by taking the length of his house, multiplying times 10,000 and then dividing by the number of days in a month and getting almost the exact distance from the Earth to the sun. That’s totally amazing. That must mean that aliens or the devil built his house right? Another method that pseudo-science connoisseurs love to use is flawed observational methods. They love to pull out blurry, hazy, out of focus, and outdated photos, or videos and wave it around like it is the Holy Grail of proof that big foot exists or that aliens built the pyramids. Some of these pictures are pure hoaxes but some are just irregularities that sort of look like a human hand, a glowing angel, a face on Mars, or a pyramid on Mars. But these things can rarely be repeated and if they can they almost always turn out to be just some pile of rock that looks kind of like a pyramid if you squint your eyes just right

Come on Schrodngr's_cat, that’s just silly. Everyone knows that Multiverse Transfer Closed Time-like Curves Technology time machines don't come out until next Christmas. And if you knew anything you would know that intergalactic toilet paper has a half-life of 200 years. Therefore if the sphinx was made out of it then it would have crumbled into toilet paper dust centuries ago.

I think part of the problem is that there are multiple definitions of the same word. I think the main problem is that words cannot sufficiently describe the many complex thoughts that go through our minds. You will notice that most of the words that people argue over are abstract, like intelligence or evolution that represent many things that don't have an exact concrete representation. No one ever argues over the word doorknob. A lot of the arguments people get into are because of the ambiguity of abstract words and the lack of ability to adequately express themselves with them. These words rarely have solid definitions to the general public because of their lack of specific knowledge. If this AI argument was among AI experts they would use more specific technical terms like complex behavior patterns or Genetic Algorithms that would cause less confusion

I believe a lot of what people perceive as extra-sensory perception is really just extra-consciousness perception. What I mean is that sometimes our subconscious picks up clues from our senses that are not consciously acknowledged. I remember one summer where I use to go to the door all the time and open it before people knocked or rang the doorbell. I did not believe in ESP but I had to admit it was pretty odd how I would often know people were there before they knocked on the door. I didn't hear a car door, or voices, or see them through the windows but somehow I knew. I realized that it was nest of birds in my tree that would stop chirping whenever someone approached that alerted me.

You are clearly a pawn of the Egyptian moguls. Antar spelled backwards is Ratna which clearly has the word Ra in it, which we all know is the Egyptian sun god. However much the Egyptians are paying you it is not worth selling out on your planet.

This is all propaganda spread by rich ancient Egyptians. They have already colonized both the moon and mars and are building vacation resorts as we speak. They know that if we think that aliens inhabit the solar system we will be too afraid to explore it until they are finished getting all of the real estate of the solar system. If we don't act now just imagine how much a Mai tai is going to cost on Mars from the Egyptian Mafia ran resorts.

There are no pyramids on mars or the moon. Some people insist on using some of the first pictures taken decades ago, which are grainy and hazy, and trying to turn some shadow into a pyramid. But recent high-quality pictures and probes prove there are no pyramids on the moon or mars. Some evidence points to the fact that the Egyptians had basic knowledge of the stars, but most ancient civilizations did. They only needed to look up at the stars to get that knowledge. Besides how do you know they did not fly, I have seen pictures that clearly show winged Egyptian chariots both on Mars and the moon.

An automatic transmission is similar to a manual transmission because both of them have clutches. In a manual transmission you can slowly release the clutch while applying the gas and if you hold the clutch halfway down it will only be partially engaged. When the clutch is only partially engaged the gears can actually slip some like when you apply the brakes on a car the wheels are still moving but it is still applying some pressure against the wheels. If you were on a hill with a manual transmission you could actually find some point at which you were had the clutch halfway released and only using a little gas and the car would be stationary. This is the same method, which keeps automatic cars from slipping on hills. The problem with manual transmissions on steep hills is that they tend to slid backwards before you can get the gear sufficiently engaged while trying to switch from the brake to the gas. To fix this in automatics they always have the clutch and gas partially active so that on hill you don't slid back so fast that you hit the person behind you before you can hit the gas. Also, some manuals have automatic clutch/brake initiation system where the brake is be applied until you release the clutch so you can take your foot off of the brake and you will not slip back. Only once you release the clutch and hit the gas does the brake release. Automatics use to slip backwards only really steep hills but maybe some have applied this system to the automatics as well. I'm not sure because where I live there are no really steep hills for me to test this out.