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Posts Made By: Daryl Crowley

August 10, 2004 06:41 PM Forum: Religion

Where are you at on this one.

Posted By Daryl Crowley

So far everyone agrees with me. That's got to be a first!

Daryl

August 12, 2004 12:34 PM Forum: Religion

This will test your faith

Posted By Daryl Crowley

After offering an "aniti" book selection above, I got to thinking I should suggest something for the opposite side of the debate so I went through my fairly extensive library and strongly suggest:

A Cast Against Accident and Self-Organization by Dean Overman.

This books brings together that collected thoughts of some of today's top molecular biologists and mathematicians in examining the odds against life forming by accident. This is NOT a book promoting God but rather an examination of the astronomical difficulties in creating self replicators by pure chance. This is the crux of what I was trying to get folks to debate a couple weeks ago; not God, but how can life get started. Mathematicians describe chance greater than 10^50 as impossible and the odds against life can run much much greater than that. So what's the deal?

It is a good read for both sides of the debate. It is non-technical and fairly easy to read. It doesn't attempt to offer an explanation but is a solid scientific examination of just how miraculous life is and just how improbable.

For the believers, this is some powerful argument for your case, for non-believers this will demonstrate how difficult it is to accept life as an easy product of chance. You will also be amazed at how many prominent scientists, while not suggesting an solution, agree that the odds are far greater than the number of subatomic particles in the universe, and they offer good logic and math to back it up in easy to understand language.

Whatever your position, you can't deny the odds against life.

As the ultimate fence sitter, I think it's important that people explore both sides of this issue. The two books I have recommended here are not books by sensationalists, but thoughtful academic researchers. I think anyone one reading these books would have a much better grasp of the issues on both sides. One to test your faith and another to test your lack of it.

Daryl

August 12, 2004 12:45 PM Forum: Religion

How about this one?

Posted By Daryl Crowley

I guess what I was trying to tease out here is if we had anyone with a conflict of beliefs. So far this is pretty staunch crowd.

Daryl

August 30, 2004 08:11 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Good deep sky stuff now up?

Posted By Daryl Crowley

Try NGC 7789 in Cassiopia.

7789 is a open cluster but an 8 inch scope should should show you a real treat when it comes to OC. I like that one a lot. Not as exciting as galaxies or PN but it is a dandy. One of my favorites.

Daryl

November 3, 2004 01:25 PM Forum: Politics

Reasons to take heart if your guy loses

Posted By Daryl Crowley

Of course Kerry doesn't want to inherit the Clinton legacy, that destroyed the Reagen economics, or the terrorist issues because he lacks the guts to deal with it. I think it's refreshing to know that the majority of Americans have not become fatass non-thinkers like Michael Moore. It's a great day to be an American and a real bummer if you're a terrorist bastard.

November 3, 2004 04:54 PM Forum: Politics

Congratulations

Posted By Daryl Crowley

I never vote for candidates, I always support the Republican party. I will say that we too do not have the best candidate possible, Bush is certainly not Regan. But any honest evaluation of Bush or any candidate is certainly camouflaged by the events of 911. No president of any party could look good in that situation and it certainly effects every thing you do when your whole focus is diverted to dealing with anarchists rather than progress. I would not envy anyone who was at the helm for those 4 years.

But I don't think I will regret it. I am a conservative (although I was a hippie in the sixties) and I have always fared better under Republican administration's.

However if Kerry had won, I would have supported him as it seems there is no respect for the office anymore, which is too bad because since the USA is closely half Republican and Democrat, any president is going to be loved by half the nation and constantly under attack by the remainder. How can we ever have a unified nation that way? That's what they do in the middle east, if you loose, you start a war and take over by force. We all need to support our leaders, we're all Americans here.

I will gloat about the defeat of Tom Daschle though and I hope he is out of politics for good.

Daryl

November 4, 2004 01:15 PM Forum: Politics

Re: Strike up the Band!!!

Posted By Daryl Crowley

I think it is very naive to think that the US is not hunting Bin Laden. You can bet satellites and spys are working overtime hunting down that SOB and they would love to parade his sorry butt out in chains. Make no mistake about it, he is still in our sights, but he's holed up deep with a lot of fanatics to run camouflage for him.

His not off the hook by any means, he's a prisoner of his own device, and he will slip up and one of our satellites or one of our guys will see him. It's ludicrous to even suggest that we are not actively hunting him just because you can't see mushroom clouds sprouting all over the middle east.

Daryl

November 9, 2004 01:12 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Binocular Treats

Posted By Daryl Crowley

I use my 15x70's more than my telescope anymore. I can see a good number of galaxies and globulars. Open clusters are the best in binos. It is much easier to find things in binos too, and they are such a joy to look through.

My thoughts have turned from the scope of my future to the binos of my future. I think as I head into old age I will enjoy the binos more and they are much easier to set up and carry around.

You will find that even targets like M51 and its companion can be seen in your 15x70s. I can see M1 in binoculars and like M33 and M102 it's far easier to see in the binos.

Daryl

November 11, 2004 07:42 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Triangulum Galaxy (M33)

Posted By Daryl Crowley

It's better in binoculars, so is M102, so is M31 for that matter.

Daryl

January 13, 2005 01:42 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

flocking sct's

Posted By Daryl Crowley

I've said it before and I will say it again...

I've got to wonder what newbies think when they get into a thread where folks are discussing the merits of "flocking their tubes". Can you go blind from that? wink

Daryl