The problem I have with that notion is, by logical extension, it's unreasonably difficult for anyone to comment on any social structure, because no social structure exists in a vacuum by definition. There are of course any number of influences on any given system, but no one person is really capable of calculating all…

Since we're on the fantasy topic here
In the last few months I've begun to really dig the work of K. J. Parker. Trilogies seem to be the perfect format for a fantasy series, and he (/she, maybe) has done 3 really excellent examples. Anyone else read them?

Maybe Sanderson just really likes the name "Matrim".

So at what point is someone qualified to criticize religion? Why should the new atheists extend the courtesy of doing in-depth study of a topic that makes no sense to them, and that they generally find actively offensive? Does it make a difference that there's only a very, very small percentage of the pious that…

We've accidentally raised an interesting point here- how is evolution going to change humanity as it stands today?

AGREED!

I don't think Dawkins is quite as simplistic as all that. In The God Delusion he does say that there are some good moral messages in Christianity, but they're packaged in with a great many negative aspects as well.

There's a section all about that very topic in The God Delusion, including the point (which I particularly like) that it's questionable to call a child of [insert religion here] parents "a [insert religious adjective here] child." Children aren't well-informed or mature enough to make their own decision about what…

See what I mean? The fact that Christmas was originally a pagan celebration (with Roman origins, if I recall correctly) is available to anyone willing to spend 15 or 20 minutes with Google. But, see, the church totally says that Christmas is all about Jesus and always has been, therefore the facts are no longer…

Why does anyone bother trying to engage him in debate? Do you really think he's sitting around somewhere saying "Hm, these fellows have a point. I will consider their arguments in a level-headed fashion, and perhaps I will be able to learn something from them," seriously?

The only way bees could be more terrifying is if they were six-dimensional quantum bees.

Paranormal Activity
wasn't really terrifying in and of itself, but it did leave me with an unnerving dread of every random noise in the house.

Dead Space is pretty damn good, but it pulls the "see that corpse? actually a MONSTER RARGH" trick far too many times. After the second time I just shot every corpse I didn't recognize on general principles.

I've read all of the comments precisely because I have a job. A boring job, that is.

The first time is always special.

I found both of them intensely scary. My roommate found neither of them scary in the least.

You'll float too.

@ the OP: Not to sound rude or nothin', but you may be nuts. Elephant bored the living shit out of me and the friend I watched it with. Holding on a shot of clouds moving across the sky is interesting for about 10 seconds. After 2 minutes, you're ready to turn the movie off. The random shower scene between the two…

Karp- no, indeed you are not alone. Lot of great tension up through the first encounter with the crawlers (the nightvision jump scene specifically), then you see/hear them every few seconds thereafter and the girls are blasting the crawlers (imaginary or no) and each other with sweet pickax moves. It was a very weird…

Karp has made the best observation about TBWP I think I've ever heard. It's viciously underrated because everybody in the world thinks it's overrated.