Darth Fluffy

 
To deny that Western culture and Christianity are deeply intertwined is to ignore over 1600 years of European history, to say nothing of the post-Columbian western hemisphere.

At the same time, saying Western culture is "largely based" on Christian thought is, in my opinion, an overstatement or an oversimplification. I'm not sure which.

The roots of Western culture go back much further than the existence of Christianity. The two have greatly influenced each other, and they grew and changed together for hundreds of years, to the point that for a time they might have been considered one and the same, but to say something is "based on" something it fundamentally  predates doesn't really work.

I thought it wasn't until he saw poop. Dog poop.
The atheistic stance that rings closest to true for me is actually from Babylon Five. Marcus Cole.
"Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."

Atheist tend to make a lot of sense, they aren't caught up in a religious framework that they feel compelled to defend, and in turn they don't have one that they use to rationalize their behavior.
 

Hilariously easy in exactly his case. Normally I despise the trolley problem because it is so contrived. But in exactly Superman's case, he could just step out and brake the trolley with his own body.
In this case, the challenge would be if Superman had lost his powers, as he so frequently does. If he had, the real Superman would step out and block the trolley anyway, damn the consequences. Much better way to show the price of his morals.

I think I am very tired. I read that as 'immorality.' I guess in the case of Zeus it wouldn't be too far off.

Number one on the list of things that make me sad.
I don't think God can be wrong, but I would be far less sure of the assertion than I would have been twenty years ago. Religion aside, does he actually claim he's never wrong? Like in the Bible, for instance? I can think of things that are sort of in the ball park, but not a direct statement.
In any case, he doesn't need to be wrong. He has people to do that for him, and we do it very well, thank you.
 
 

That's all right, they have God on their side. And God says that Trump is the Savior and that Putin really means us all well. And that pedophilia is the mark of a good man who deserves a mulligan. Or five. And God can't be wrong, can He?

Yup. It comes from the short story Waldo. I know my Heinlein, thank you.
I had not considered that. It fits all too well with Colonel Grossman's work, though. I can well believe it.
(On an unrelated note: Once, when I was really tired, I got my abbreviations mixed up on a game sheet I was writing and came up with IAV and UED. I discovered the error the next day. I decided that I was really impressed with the improvised aerial vehicle and that I hoped that as a rule, explosive devices remained unmanned. At least to the point where they do not require an actual term to distinguish them from suicide bombers.)
No. Santanator?

Yes, there are niches where they make sense. Hkmaly was contrasting robots with grunts. I took that to mean, "replace soldiers in general, particularly infantry."
Also, a lot of current "robots" are not autonomous, or at least not fully, beyond locomotion. He seemed to mean autonomous as well, otherwise you aren't replacing grunts. Although in the example you cite, you are keeping them out of harm's way.
Do you know where the term waldo comes from? Its not quite as colorful as Thagomizer.
A problem with remotely piloted drones that can shoot is that the young people that fly them, that grew up on video games, are very good at it, but are desensitized to video game violence. Making it too easy to take the questionable shot, since they are trained by experience that there are no consequences to taking the shot, but there may be some if you fail to take out the enemy.
 
At least replace one of the red eyes with a green one and make them blink, right?
Have you seen Santa on Futurama?
 
 

But the Lynda Carter-Wonder Woman spin was more impressive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6VouxNKcpg

No, bears do their business in the woods, so that is the working address. The home address is "The House on Poo Corner."

Although, 'd rather be mailed by a bear than mauled by a bear.

The InterWebs! Powered by Snarks!

It is of course encouraging when your historical material at least get the names and the dates mostly right, but just a bit more precision and research than that is in my opinion to be encouraged.

Speaking of typos. Once the bear mails you, you had best start to exercise some thought about what you are doing. Superintelligent bears which can manage envelopes, paper, writing utensils and stamps are bound to be more dangerous than the common kind. Or even if they are just using a computer and an e-mail system.

That reminds me of a time when I was on a chat with some friends. This was during one of the polar vortices, I think, and one of my friends who lived in Texas complained about them having deep snow there, and they weren't used to snow.
I replied that 'Texas Snow' sounded like a brand of beer to me and on the spot improvised a slogan for it. "Texas Snow. Burns hot. Ice cold." And another friend of mine, who worked in marketing, told me I ought to be writing ad copy.

Most of the US breweries that I can think of off the top of my head were founded by Germans. Might be a regional thing, though.

I had to do some research to answer this. If I understand right, single malts are always light, so then, yes. There's only a few actual ginger beers worldwide, beer brewed with ginger, and I've sampled a couple, and they were light, blond and cloudy.
Royal Jamaican Ginger Beer
Crabbies Ginger Beer
 
 

"I'd say it was too early in the day for puns... but that would presuppose that there was ever a right time for them."
-- Doc, "The Whiteboard"

/me The List is getting a work out today.  Adding a star and a single underline.

/me adds your name to the List
 

I think I'm going to gallumph off to bed.

"Come, listen, my men, while I tell you again
     The five unmistakable marks
By which you may know, wheresoever you go,
     The warranted genuine Snarks.
"Let us take them in order. The first is the taste,
     Which is meager and hollow, but crisp:
Like a coat that is rather too tight in the waist,
     With a flavor of Will-o-the-wisp.
"Its habit of getting up late you'll agree
     That it carries too far, when I say
That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,
     And dines on the following day.
"The third is its slowness in taking a jest.
     Should you happen to venture on one,
It will sigh like a thing that is deeply distressed:
     And it always looks grave at a pun.
"The fourth is its fondness for bathing-machines,
     Which is constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes--
     A sentiment open to doubt.
"The fifth is ambition. It next will be right
     To describe each particular batch:
Distinguishing those that have feathers, and bite,
     And those that have whiskers, and scratch.

Yes, the imports are not cheap.
Anyway, I blame Prohibition for the low quality of American beer. During Prohibition, the piss beer was the only kind that was legal (beers and ciders below IIRC about 5 proof, i.e. 2.5% alcohol by weight were allowed). This resulted in a whole generation growing up believing that this was the way that beer was supposed to be, and so they just kept it that way afterward.

My ability to talk with fish is of no help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8d5688NiAo