Science and Religion

"...what can be more important than science and religion? Science gives us knowledge, and religion gives us meaning. Both are prerequisites of the decent existence.”

Congratulations, Professor Heller! I'm really glad to see someone working to reconcile science and religion for once, rather than trying to drive them deeper apart. It's like that moment at the end of "Inherit the Wind" when Henry Drummond picks up a copy of "Origin of Species" in one hand, a Bible in the other, weighs them thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugs, snaps them together, and puts them both in his briefcase. (If you haven't read or seen the play, I highly recommend it. Reading it was the catalyst for my own reflection on the relationship between science and religion.)

Anthropic Principle

This article made me really happy. Because few things annoy me as much as the anthropic principle. In the first X-Men movie, Prof. X tells his students to write the difference between the weak and strong anthropic principles for homework, then explains to Logan that he's teaching physics. I wanted to throw something at the movie screen.

I think this sums it up nicely:

“However, we shouldn't assume that no explanation exists just because we don't yet know one, and, consequently, we should keep looking for an explanation at least until we have a convincing scientific theory that explains many other things and within which one can show that it is impossible to provide an explanation. The most interesting thing is that – unless we do discover a theory of everything – we will not know what is left to discover, which makes the search exciting.”

Being Girlie, part 2

Here's another article on the same topic as before. Two points I found interesting:

1. Being attractive is detrimental. "Beautiful applicants received lower ratings, apparently because they were subconsciously pegged as stereotypically female and therefore unsuited for a job as a boss." Well that sucks. On the one hand society is telling women, "If you're not physically ideal, you're doomed to loneliness your entire life." And now there's a study saying if you are attractive, you're doomed to an unsuccessful career. I would argue the point a bit; I think it's possible to be both pretty and successful, but it does take more work to prove that you're more than just pretty. I was told in engineering school that while it might be easier to get a job as a woman engineer, it would be much harder to prove to my coworkers/superiors that I deserved the job due to the assumption that I only got the job to boost the equal opportunities numbers.
On the other hand, I think it would be great if more bosses thought like Dr. House:

Dr. House: Would that upset you, really? To think that you were hired because of some genetic gift of beauty, not some genetic gift of intelligence?

Dr. Cameron: I worked very hard to get where I am.

Dr. House: But you didn't have to. People choose the paths that grant them the greatest rewards for the least amount of effort. That's the law of nature, and you defied it. That's why I hired you. You could have married rich, could have been a model, you could have just shown up and people would have given you stuff. Lots of stuff, but you didn't, you worked your stunning little ass off.

2. Can't have it both ways. "A woman can be perceived as competent or as likable, but not both." I've heard this before, and I've also seen it in action. When a man expresses emotion in the workplace, he's being "forceful" or "assertive" or "passionate." When a woman expresses emotion in the workplace, she's being "emotional." On the flip side, if she shows no emotion, she's "cold." Again, I do have to pick a bone a bit and say that I don't think it's impossible for a woman leader to be perceived as both competent and likable, but it's certainly difficult. That's why, when I meet a woman who has risen through the ranks, and who I think manages to walk that very fine line, I try to analyze exactly how she does it. How does she manage to be firm but not bitchy, polite but still assertive, encouraging but not naive?

This is why I like to watch "Voyager" (yes, I'm a Trekkie, I'm not ashamed.) Capt. Janeway has to look after her crew almost like a family, but no one would ever claim she's not tough enough. I'm always fascinated how the writers managed to make this character both competent and likable...and then try to figure out if how she acts would work when applied to the real world.

Comments welcome =)

"Screw that nonsense: I want a warp drive."

I thought this article was interesting but also hilarious. My personal favorite is the floating city; ever since I was a kid I thought it was be really fun to live in the ocean. But I'd definitely take a trip to a space hotel or moonbase. Basically I'd just love to explore new places. =)

Vegetarianism

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Best food advice I've heard in a while. Here's an article with more reasons to eat mostly plants.

Best of Craigslist

This is the best thing I've read in a while. (Again courtesy slashdot.)

I was complaining about Microsoft to a friend one day, and he said, "You know what? You don't like GUI's." I immediately began to protest, but then I stopped and thought about it, and realized he was right. I prefer a nice, simple console to a bunch of images you point and click and hope they do the right thing.

So, here's to Unix.

The Science of Love

This article's kinda long, but I enjoyed it. I'm enough of a Vulcan to be tickled pink that love has a perfectly logical, scientific explanation.

After all, as Richard Feynman said, "Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars — mere globs of gas atoms. Nothing is "mere". I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more?"