Sophomoric Atheism

This is the most ignorant tweet from an otherwise intelligent person I've ever read. It's so bad, I can't help but think this isn't the real Dawkins, but it was regarded as his by others.

And I like Dawkins. I just don't understand how someone as smart as him can be so juvenile. Certainly, a human lifetime devoted to elevated themes can't be considered a waste, even if you disagree with the person's motivations. And the sex thing I just don't get at all. That remark sounds like it came out of a 6th grade locker room.

It's comments like this that reinforce intractable belligerence on both sides of any divisive issue, religious or otherwise. Dawkins seems especially good at it and he has a cheering section that probably validates a need for attention that exists apart from his opinions on the Pope.[1]

[2013-02-20]

c0

"On March 5, 2013 Twitter will turn off its RSS and atom support"

Story >

Probably means nothing to you, but I use that feature to follow some Twitter accounts in Outlook and Thunderbird. I really like seeing Twitter updates in my email inbox; of course, the API is used in a gabillion places, not just my inbox, but that's where it'll affect me first.

For example, if you wanted to see my tweets in an RSS reader (Outlook or anything else,), it's just this URL with my Twitter ID at the end...

http://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/user_timeline.rss?screen_name=clarenceoddbody

If I understand the change, that will come to an end. But I will be able to add an RSS feed from Topsy that gets close the same result.

[2012-02-11]

c0

[1]
The story is told (forgive me if I'm repeating myself) of Barbara Streisand meeting Queen Elizabeth and she's told she should kiss the Queen's hand when it's extended. She asks in the Queen's presence why in the world she should do that? And the Queen responds simply, "I believe it is the customary practice" (or something to that effect).

Point being, some behavior is simply poor form. There's no right or wrong about it, just the way most people expect most people to behave most of the time. It's how naked apes like us managed to colonize the planet without blowing ourselves up (yet). Mr Dawkins ably demonstrates we haven't entirely escaped that possibility.

It is about manners (which are how shared values are expressed), always has been and always will be. And it's why we shoot each other in gang-infested neighborhoods or lob missiles across borders.

Religion - if nothing else, and for good or for bad - codifies this behavior so it can be taught consistently and successively.

c0