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editorial posted by
braincrave
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OK, many of you know I don't support the military, though I know there are many here who do (and I also know we have at least one person who's in the military). I told you I that I don't like soldier...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We are social beings. As a result, depending on how much you value the opinions of others, what someone says about you can matter. Often, you've likely heard people negatively labeled as fringe cons...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Noam Chomsky said Ayn Rand was "... one of the most evil figures of modern intellectual history." Yet I find Atlas Shrugged an amazing book (and so do many others, like the man who recently drove aro...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Attention US government. You're not very bright. By having a high corporate tax rate, you are pushing jobs, profits, patents, executives, research, and operations of US companies overseas. (And, as a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Advert for 'reliable workers' banned as discrimination by Jobcentre Plus
The boss of a recruitment firm said she was told she could not place an advert for "reliable workers" because it discrimina...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Meet the fast-growing "patriot" group that's recruiting soldiers to resist the Obama administration."
"But beyond the predictable stereotypes, "the reality is a lot of them are fairly intelligent...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception (ESP). I've read about many examples of purported psychics who tur...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The so-called rule of law in the US is a big joke. You really need more proof? Dick Cheney, former vice president to George Bush, went on TV on Feb 14 to assert he is "a big supporter of waterboardin...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I haven't been in Second Life that long (about 8 months). During that time, I've had multiple people comment to me that the way an avatar looks is important (e.g., animation overrides (AO), skin, clo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is it ironic that this is published in a UK newspaper? Not so long ago, police used to be called "peace officers." Keeping the peace and initiating violence are contradictions. Wasn't police abuse in...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Monty Python famously sang "life's a piece of shit when you look at it." There's also the adage that, if everyone threw all their problems on the table, most would reach back down and pick up their...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Morality is about determining which choices and actions are good or bad, which always leads to the question - what is the good? There are some who consider the good as those choices and actions which...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You have never seen a bigger pain in the ass than the father who wants to get involved; he can be repulsive. He wants to meet the kid at three o'clock, take the kid out to dinner during the week, hav...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned from "America's worst mom" that the earliest episodes of Sesame Street are "for adult viewing only" for fear they will give kids dangerous ideas (Sesame Street just couldn't bring its...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The US government has recently passed a healthcare law that REQUIRES Americans to purchase health insurance. The US government also nationalized and now owns the car company General Motors. If the go...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People who practice BDSM are mostly educated, successful people coming from emotional stable families according to a large professional survey (BDSM/Fetish Demographics Survey). Even students at an a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti stated "It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Speaking of health, the "perfect storm" appears to be coming in a very sick...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It is claimed that women fake orgasms because of insecurities. But as women have a tremendous capacity for pleasure, perhaps men just aren't stimulating the right places. As scary as it might sound t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In politics, it seems that everything is an issue. Why? Because everything that politicians do is based on wealth redistribution - taking from one person and giving to another. As a result, politics...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Einstein once wrote that "our conscious acts spring from our desires and our fears." Many agree. For example, David Hume suggested in A Treatise of Human Nature that humans are prone to letting emoti...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
H.L. Mencken is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century. Among other interesting facts, he was against World War II and democ...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What is the best advice you've ever received in life?
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Mar 11, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=135
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The cover-up of the Iraq war is significant. Whereas many of us suspected it, WikiLeaks has provided the facts to support the truth. And the truth is - the US government has been lying to everyone (a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Come down to Nouvelle's today, bring your love or find your love there as DJ Derrick Stewart spins those seductive jazz tunes for lovers. Join Sienna and Taff for an afternoon of sweet love music and...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's an old Russian political joke where an American and a Soviet car salesmen are arguing about who makes better cars. The American asks: "How many decades does an average Soviet man need to work...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
On a cold January morning in 2007, a man played six Bach pieces on his violin for 43 minutes as about 1,000 people passed by. He started with one of the most difficult violin pieces in the world to m...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 2007, John Kanzius accidentally found a way to release and burn hydrogen from salt water with 13.56 MHz radio waves. Many people initially thought it was a hoax. Penn State professor Rustum Roy ve...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The boss will never know...
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Dec 10, 2009 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=50
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
She opens her heart. He opens his fly. That might be the immediate, superficial reaction to a Friends With Benefits (FWB) relationship. But is there more under the covers?
FWB relationships (aka s...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Throughout most of human civilization, centuries of men have starved, died from the elements (for lack of proper housing), suffered terrible health, and barely lived. Even today, starvation kills mil...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned Albert Einstein supported a one-world government and was a Socialist.
Einstein's passionate commitment to the cause of global peace led him to support the creation of a single, u...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What a completely ridiculous statement, right? Calling Ron Paul a progressive? So why are some prominent progressives suggesting that Ron Paul is more progressive than Obama?
Liberals and progress...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
OK everyone... try to look surprised. FTA: "After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence eve...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Facts don't necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite."
Before you read this article to determine where that conclusion came from, ponder that quote for a moment...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Milton Friedman, the originator of the withholding tax, once said "we're all Keynesians now" (referring to the disastrous economic policies promoted by John Maynard Keynes). More recently, Newsweek (...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Everyone's familiar with the expression "love at first sight." But is that really the way love works? According to a recent scientific study, the answer is yes. But what about romance? What about val...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Don't even get me started on the vicious "family" laws and their completely immoral courts, but I couldn't pass up providing this particular continued proof of government stupidity:
"France to int...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
During the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Church authorized massive torture and violence against so-called "heretics" (non-conformists/non-believers). Although this history has been mocked by the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In his famous statement "First they came," Pastor Martin Niemöller once blasted the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power as they purged group after group:
THEY CAME...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Voltaire once said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." In England, a Christian street preacher was arrested and locked in a cell for telling a passer-...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
First, they teleported photons, then atoms and ions. Now one physicist has worked out how to do it with energy, a technique that has profound implications for the future of physics.
Physicist Disc...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that AT&T will send you a free microcell/femtocell (and maybe even a free phone) for use in your home if you can't get a good signal for your mobile phone. Submitted by one of our...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
A Guantanamo Bay sergeant is blowing the whistle on US government torture and murder and the US Department of Justice is blatantly covering it up. This amazing Harper's article is a chilling account...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Alan Greenspan. Economic wonderboy. Market maestro. Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman. Past disciple of Ayn Rand. Someone who once thought gold was the only proper standard for money and a protec...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The US government consists of a bunch of hypocrites. I know, tell you something you don't know, right?
Recently, Hillary Clinton and her lackeys at the US State Department released the Country Re...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As a soft science, sociology is the study of the social behavior of humans in the pursuit of social welfare. Dr. Sam Richards suggests that the sociological analysis of the various aspects in your ow...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Don't expect gas prices to "tank" anytime soon. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.) Today I learned that Americans live in a distorted world when it comes to gas prices. The average price of gas across...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned how to increase the wireless signal of my router. Say goodbye to your wireless signal dropping!
FTA:
8. Make a Reflector with Tinfoil. Note that a tinfoil router may boost you...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It is said that bad habits die hard. How many times have you read in someone's dating profile: "I'm a positive person?" How often have you told someone to "think positive?" Psychology suggests this m...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I Learned the etymology of the word "fuck." And I can't stop laughing.
the word fuck (2.5-minute video)
What did you learn today?
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Secon...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
If you could trick your brain into perceiving an activity as pleasurable, thus activating dopamine receptors, could you enhance learning capacity? Do virtual simulations of people engaging in sex hav...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a new 5-day "morning-after" pill that's been tested for US approval (New 5-Day 'Morning-After' Pill Tested For U.S. Approval).
Some people say the choice to abort is moral and use various...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 1996, Dolly the sheep made headlines around the world as the first mammal to be successfully cloned. As a result of the experiment, President Clinton ordered research into the legal and ethical is...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Sometimes it seems that the worse things get, the more we tolerate. It's not that we become impartial to a particular wrong, but it does seem that we often "sit on the fence" when we see wrongdoing....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ron Paul just came out with a plan to cut $1 trillion from the US's federal budget and severely curtail entitlement programs. According to the "Plan to Restore America," it cuts $1 trillion in spendi...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I recently read "Conservatives Freak Out Over MTV's "Skins" -- Teenagers Have Sex. Get Over It." posted at the liberal blog AlterNet. If you have any question as to why kids, especially teenagers, ha...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How to reboot your corpse
FTA: THE GIST:
* The idea is to freeze legally dead people in liquid nitrogen in the hope of regenerating them at some future date.
* Nanorobots that can repair the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
MESS TEST
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.
TOY TEST
Obtain a 55-gallon box of LEGOs (or you may substitute roo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I won't repeat the statistics, as there are too many. Bring a strong stomach when you read these. Politicians are not your friends. Unless you are in the top 1%, government is hurting you and your ch...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Socrates, the philosopher who claimed the contradiction "I know that I know nothing," provided us with a method to help us question what we think we know and to demonstrate otherwise: the Socratic me...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Praxeology is a general theory of human action or, more specifically, purposeful behavior. Unlike unconscious behavior such as breathing or reflexes, we act in conscious, chosen ways to achieve vario...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Many of you here have often made the claim that you consent to the "social compact" by living where you live, or receiving the benefits from the state that you do. How can you call it consent if ther...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Life is a constant struggle, especially because the lessons we learn are oftentimes knowledge gained after we really needed it. It's one of the reasons mentors are so important - they've "been there,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In the movie Extreme Measures, a brilliant doctor attempts experimental surgeries on live patients (who eventually die), trying to find a way to help spinal cord victims walk again. I think most agre...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Obama has a car czar, a food czar, a bank bailout czar, a poverty czar, bird flu czar, a czar czar... he has 37 czars in all. Interestingly enough, he doesn't have a philosophy czar. Perhaps you thin...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Believe it or not, the federal government operated for about 150 years without an income tax. Go figure.
FTA: "Imagine opening your newspaper or Web browser and seeing the following headline: "Su...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Recently, I found myself talking to several friends about why they were in Second Life (SL) and whether or not they also get romantically involved with others in-world. The single largest factor I fo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
(Meanwhile, as the Italian cabinet approves a tough austerity plan, and as Nero feasts while Rome burns...)
According to the AP, "France, Italy, Spain and Belgium are banning short-selling on sele...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
If you have children in school, or if you are a teacher, you MUST watch this video. Pass it on to anyone who has children. It is THAT important. Why are so many children not learning in America's sch...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Sigmund Freud famously said that "...we men... find reality generally quite unsatisfactory." Over the years, we have become less polite and more sloppy. Now-a-days, we say reality's a bitch. Regardle...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a button that some wear on election day. It says "I voted." It's as if voting makes them feel powerful.
But the vote they cast typically isn't for a specific law - it's usually for a polit...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned about Pale Moon - an optimized version of Firefox that is much faster than Firefox and optimized specifically for Windows.
Not only is it much faster than Firefox (perhaps even by...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
FTA: "People prefer to be lied to ably, than be told the truth, boldly. We prefer a colorful and clever story to a documentary filled with sharp and damning evidence; we prefer gossip to investigatio...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand once wrote that "Definitions are the guardians of rationality, the first line of defense against the chaos of mental disintegration." Perhaps that's one of the reasons politics always appear...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As Thanksgiving rolls around to the US, children will be taught the false story of the first Thanksgiving (just one of many myths children are taught). The real story is a case study that teaches a v...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People continue to be laid-off from their jobs. Automation is increasing. Things made by hand are decreasing. The costs to produce (copy) some items is very close to zero (e.g., music and books)....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Previously, Anna Victoria, who lives under the terror of socialist Hugo Chavez, facilitated a great discussion on demagoguery back on Nov 30 (http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=17). Look now w...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Richard Palmer is "sorry" for the way he voted in the infamous eminent domain Kelo v. New London case.
In that case, the US Supreme Court aff...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I believe that Adult Education is best described as a continuous learning process through which adults acquire desired knowledge to satisfy their needs at that time. Adult Education is not restricted...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 1991, John Taylor Gatto, New York City Teacher of the Year (1989, 1990, and 1991), New York State Teacher of the Year (1991), and author of The Underground History of American Education, wrote the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Many women like having big breasts. They also like looking good. According to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons, of the 13 million cosmetic plastic surgeries performed annually, women seek 9...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read." - Mark Twain
What are your favorite books and why? Which would you refer to others? What kinds of people would...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Braincrave.com has been highlighted as one of the top 10 Cool Things to Do in Second Life for intellectual discussions!
Of course, we're very honored and want to thank all of you who help us make...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Putting aside the debates as to whether or not social psychology is less rigorous because it is a soft science, or whether or not it is really science at all, how closely do our political choices mir...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
US soldier holds flag protest sign: "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." Well put. Controversial?
US Soldier Holds American Flag Protest Sign
DISCUSS!...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned that Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, for 400 Francs (about US$1,600). It is now considered to be one of the most valuable paintings in the w...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Politics destroys all things, it's latest casualty being scientific truth. When the global warming science fraud didn't work out, the propoganda artists changed the name to climate change. Here's a s...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Many artists are concerned about copying, especially in the online world. It's a significant problem in Second Life where copybots can copy an artist's/owner's content without their permission. This...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Talk about a circlejerk... The federal government tells poorly performing schools that, if they fire their principals, they will get additional money. So what do these schools do? They fire the princ...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Our members think INTELLIGENCE IS HOT! That's one of the primary reasons they're here - to seek it out. Our members want their minds stimulated. But of what use is your copious thought if you're not...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is feminism doomed to fail? Is there even one accepted definition of feminism? Are there any benefits of feminism?
FTA: "Although it is not Susan Pinker's intention in writing it, reading her exce...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore aren't going to be happy. Scientists are messing up their politics.
So it turns out that the only thing man-made about global warming is t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a process of stimulating the brain with magnetic fields that changes/disrupts the way the neurons work. Is it possible to use TMS to unlock "hidden" cogniti...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The oil catastrophe could have been averted were it not for the US government rejecting the help of people who know what to do in an oil spill and have the equipment for dealing with it. Why didn't t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Forgetting to Live for Myself (http://www.mybiggestregretever.com/)
My biggest regret ever is forgetting to live for myself. I've been selling myself out for the people I want to love me. My whole...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Though I understand that www.braincrave.com and The Atlasphere are technically competitors, at a higher level of abstraction, their goals overlap. This is a brilliant video that discusses some of the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In honor of Obama's state of the union address, I bring you Tim Hawkins VERY VERY FUNNY 3-minute video The Government Can which summarizes hundreds of hours of hard economic study:
https://w...