Ironik

Ironically, and a little sadly, only CoH has really done F2P right.

Denial is the first stage.

I'm on the atheist side of the argument in that I don't think there's a god. However, believing that and knowing that are two different things. Which is why I officially call myself an agnostic.

Some respected physicists say that Time Travel is impossible. (Einstein.) Other equally-respected physicists say that it is theoretically possible. (Goedel, Hawking.) I'm agnostic on these and I view them the same way I view the notion of a god. Maybe, maybe not; we don't know for sure either way, so I can't say. If I had to bet money, I'd bet on "no." But I don't, so I won't.




As I recall, Hawking says that "theoretically possible" does not equate with "probable."

That's the reason the saying, "There are no atheists in foxholes" is a truism.

Supposedly they do.

Religion evolves. (Yes, I see the irony of that statement for Born Agains.) Like a virus, it decreases its virulence over time. The most dangerous strains of a virus kill their hosts too quickly to propagate successfully, so they become milder and milder. Syphilis used to eat people's faces off and destroy their brains the way Mad Cow does today, but it's become less and less destructive over the generations. The common cold was probably once a scourge like ebola or hanta.

Buddhism wasn't always sweetness and light. Heck, virtually every martial art can be traced to Buddhism, and the self-defensive ones came long after the "kill the other guy efficiently" versions. Islam is still in its virulent stage, being half as old as Christianity, which is evolving into the Hippie Jesus version despite a couple still-dangerous strains like the one found among the military. (One of our generals once said -- out loud! -- that the reason we won in Desert Storm was because our god was bigger than their god.)

But what evidence do you offer for God's non-existence?

That he *doesn't* answer prayers? That's what I said: God is the OG *****. he probably *caused* Sandy and the Indian tsunami and Japanese earthquake and everything else. According to the book these folks believe in, that's what he does. That's all he does. And he will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

Some do.

If you're serious about what you just wrote and aren't just yanking our chains for the childish lulz, you should seek out a psychiatrist.

Having witnessed my neighbor suffer from schizophrenia, I only wish his parents had gotten him help sooner. (In their defense they had no idea what was happening.) Once he got help and understood what was happening to him and they got his meds sorted out, he began to enjoy life again and got back on track. I'm not saying you're schizophrenic, but you might need someone to get you through whatever it is you're dealing with. there's no shame in it -- just like you can break a leg or get gallstones, you can have a slight chemical imbalance in your brain that causes you to be miserable. It's just something that needs medical attention to make it better.

If, on the other hand, you're just making **** up, whatever floats your boat.

Starring Marky Mark without his shirt.

Too close to call.

I think Tim is correct in this instance. There's no reason to believe God exists, but there's likewise no proof God *doesn't* exist, either. So the only reasonable response is to say, "I don't know." That's why I think agnosticism is the only acceptable scientific position to take on this subject.

I know a lot of atheists who scoff at Christians claiming there is an all-loving God out there, and they point at things like avalanches wiping out nursery schools as evidence that God doesn't exist. But it's a false argument. Christians who believe in an all-loving God have clearly never read the Bible. (I have 16 years of Bible study under my, well, belt.) God is a dick. He's the universe's first and biggest ***hole. He practiced classic entrapment on Adam & Eve, wiped out humanity except for a couple people (forget about 6 Sigma, the flood wiped people out to 24th Sigma) and would personally f*** with his most devout followers just to prove a point (sorry for all the feels, Job). By that measure, an avalanche erasing a bunch of toddlers is *exactly* God's MO and I would put that forth as strong evidence he's still around.

Me, I'm a "plan for the worst, hope for the best" kind of guy. I'm an agnostic who lives like an atheist. If I'm wrong, God will forgive me and maybe help me out from time to time. If I'm right, I still have my Sunday mornings free.

Actually, I think it's possible it might be a very bad thing for the fans.

George Lucas, for all of the "lost his way" talk about Star Wars, is unique among creators/owners of big-time franchises: he still has a little bit of his hippie, "everybody share the love" mentality from his formative years in the late '60s and early '70s. Disney has been known to litigate the hell out of people who use their characters. Among others, they've sued a day care, artists, a Girl Scout troop and even a grandmother who painted a giant-sized Goofy for her grandson's birthday. George Lucas, on the other hand, lets people have fun with Star Wars. Many have pointed to this attitude as instrumental to keeping the franchise alive between movies and have used it as an example of how letting go of a little bit of control can reap huge dividends in return. Disney isn't like that. They are a draconian corporation in every dark sense. They aren't Paramount Studios-level stupid (but then few are), but it's possible their ownership will have a chilling effect on Star Wars fandom.

I want to change my answer to this.

Totally. In my mind's eye the movie plays out like a Keith Morrison story on Dateline where we have reveals about survivors as we go along, with a bit of the style of Contagion for flavor.

Not this travesty.

Seriously, if you've never seen a Keith Morrison report, you should find one. The twists and turns and his smooth storyteller's voice make me want to hire him to read me bedtime stories. Also, he looks like a zombie or Elric. Bonus!

I mean, watch this and tell me it's not 100 times more intriguing than that Brad Pitt trailer: http://youtu.be/zcdtmBM1-_g

Answer: yes.

Looks like Vindictus is a prequel to Mabinogi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindictus

Just a bunch of different names for essentially the same game that I'll never play.

Pot is the only thing that would make CO any fun.

I think in the movies Juggernaut *is* a mutant. I don't think that takes away from his character, since the end result is the same. It's not like he was out Dr. Strangin' it up.

I want to be Hugh Jackman but he was by far the least physically like the comic book character. Wolverine is supposed to be the same height as Seth Green's 5'4". Elijah Wood and Michael J. Fox would tower over him. Fortunately he can act, unlike Halle Berry.

What I *really* want to know is if the guys got together during X-Men 3 and did some Mutant barbershop Quartet. Jackman, Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart and James Marsden can all sing (Jackman and Marsden, especially)... can you imagine how cool that would be? X-Men: The Musical!