MSNBC recently published an article about the schism between science and God. Many scientists believe there needs to be a change to the concept of God for it to cope with science, but I have no idea why. Nothing about my belief in God contradicts anything in science whatsoever, but this article makes it sound like science and God contradict each other. The bigger problem is that many scientists(about 60% according to the article) don't believe in God, believing instead that science disproves His existence.

Proving that a process can recreate itself does not disprove the existence of an original cause to the process. Saying science disproves God is like saying the fact that a tree can drop a seed and birth another tree means there is no such thing as a gardner. God is a lot like that gardner. Fully capable of planting new seed, ripping out plants by the roots, and nurturing growing plants so that they are healthier. Just because nature can take care of itself doesn't mean there aren't intelligent external influences.

Science has never, nor ever will have any law or rule that says God doesn't exist. It's simply not possible.

In case you guys have missed the news, it is pretty much assured that Blu-Ray will win the HD format war. Sony currently has 70% support for it, and Toshiba is feeling the pain. I feel really bad for all the HD-DVD player owners, apparently December was their biggest selling month so far. I heard rumor that Microsoft has cancelled their Xbox360 Ultimate because of this news, it would have had an HD-DVD player built-in. Looks like PS3 owners will be rejoicing, and sales should start to climb now. It is, afterall, the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market.

Just today I recieved Kung Fu Hustle on Blu-Ray. Blu-Ray really is great, I love it. HD movies are just so much better, you have no idea. I think Shooter has so far been the best HD movie I have seen, the explosions and scenery just looked amazing. I also own the Spiderman trilogy on Blu-Ray, great buy.

The only bad thing about this news is it came one day after I purchased Transformers. Originally I wasn't going to buy it, because it was one of the few HD-DVD exclusive titles. This not only upset me, but it also upset the director Michael Bay who threatened to not make a sequel if they didn't put it out on Blu-Ray. Well now that this latest news is in, he has said that it <i>will</i> come out on Blu-Ray eventually. I think I might wait to see if there is a trilogy or boxed set to purchase down the road though.

Just got back from LV, what an experience. I was staying at Planet Hollywood which just opened a little over a month ago. If you are heading that way, PH isn't a bad spot. Whether you want to throw the dice, shop, or see a show... you can do it all at PH. I will say that other spots are noticeably classier, but that's just my taste talking. I prefered the skirt suits at MGM to the boobs hanging out at PH. Anyway... what did I learn...

1. Poker is only fun if you keep relaxed. It's a game, not a trial.
2. Asians LOVE poker. And they tend to be aggressive.
3. Black people always seem tired at the poker table.
4. Despite being the largest minority in America, at least half of the hispanics I saw where outside handing out flyers to tittie bars.
5. Slots are a scam. You cannot win with anything less than a jackpot, and you won't ever hit.
6. Everything is huge in Vegas. You can see the MGM from the steps outside PH, and it looks close... but it's not. It's a long walk.
7. Traffic is awful and the roads are confusing, but pedestrians are crazy! If the light says don't walk, that van comin at ya isn't stopping!


I left with one question and I almost feel stupid asking it. Some players were calling me Independant. I don't know why, and I don't really think it was derogatory. Surprisingly, most people at the tables were extremely friendly. One guy even offered to buy me some chips to sit back down after I lost a bill. I sat down later next to an owner of an insurance company and an owner of a telecom, both great company. In fact the other side of the table was pretty quiet while we were chatting and laughing it up, which seemed to intimidate the others a bit. That table was cursed though, lost all my winnings in one seat!

Overall it was great. I have a feeling if I go back next fall I'll see some familiar faces. In fact, the owner of the telecom asked when I'd be back and he'd look forward to it. Even if I didn't come home with my money, I paid for some great entertainment and some of the best food I've ever had. It was worth it.

I have a friend who has been having a hard time dealing with her boyfriend passing away. A couple of nights ago, she attempted suicide by swallowing a lot of pills. After she took the pills, she wondered why she was doing it and called 911. She was rushed to the hospital where she quickly fell into a coma.

Normal levels of tylenol are around 40. Dangerous levels are around 100. She was nearing 600. The doctors were prepping everything to fly her to Seattle where she would receive an emergency liver transplant. The high amount of drugs in her system were off the charts and the doctors didn't think anything except liver failure. Well, she never made it to Seattle.

Luckily for her, she has a loving family and wonderful friends. Within hours people around the nation were praying for her. Her blood pressure came down and here drug levels dropped off. All checks on the liver were normal and she was checked out of the hospital within 40 hours. This is not normal at all and the doctors said it was a miracle. They would have a hard time reporting on the incident without people questioning the details of the event.

She does not want to die, but she doesn't know how to get past her boyfriend dying. So if you plan on praying over your Christmas meal, pray for my friend. She knows how much she is loved, more so now than ever. She needs more than a healed liver though, she needs a healed heart.

Ok I've been sucked in. Sudoku is a fun puzzle to me, but I absolutely must play the hardest out there, anything less is too easy for me. I play level 4 Sudoku puzzles at websudoku.com, and they seem to be as hard as it gets, or at least that last one I did was. It passes the time real well when I'm bored at work too, and I'm not the only one that does it. Anyone else enjoy it?

After hours of trying to fix my Xbox360, I have given up. While enjoying many hours of play on the Xbox I started hearing more and more stories of Xbox's dying. I had hoped this wouldn't happen, but eventually it did. My Xbox was out of commission for the last couple of months as I prepared to attempt the only fix I know of that might get it going again.

I have since buried the Xbox in the box my new PS3 came in. Sony doesn't come out and say it, but stress tests have shown that the PS3 could be renamed the Cockroach. Simple fact is, Microsoft made a design error when everyone thought it was Sony making errors. Now Microsoft sales are down and Sony's sales are up. There might be millions of xbox's sold, but there are probably tens of thousands already in the grave, if not hundreds of thousands. The problem is pointed out in every gaming magazine and every fansite, even ones devoted to the xbox.

After a couple hours on the PS3, I can already see that it is far superior in many ways to the 360. Both my controllers are wireless. It natively supports a high-def video format. The storage media has a higher capacity. One thing I always wished I could do on the Xbox was to turn it off with my controller, and I can do that with the PS3. I can still play all my favorite Xbox games on the PS3, so I don't see myself missing anything.

I am stoked for the @home service, what I've seen of it so far looks awesome. I see a lot of games coming out soon that I'm also stroked about. I will probably re-activate my Netflix account again and start renting some Blu-Ray movies, something else I'm excited to have access to. I knew I should have just waited for the PS3 instead of jumping on the Xbox bandwagon...

The greatest power in the universe is the ability to change something. Each one of us has this power, the power to influence everything. I'm not talking about the sphere of influence that some people talk about, I'm talking about everything. You may only directly impact the environment within reach, but that influence passes on. It continues because your impact gives birth to other impacts. This is cause and effect, a basic principle. I want to apply this principle to society, to mankind.

Anything we say, do, or think can influence another person. Belief is the strongest purpose people have in their lives, we all have it. That belief directly influences our actions and words. Impacting a person's belief creates a hesitation, a moment of doubt because their world was just shaken. For that moment they look inside and the only thing that matters, the only thing that exists is themself. They feel vulnerable. This can be a critical point in someone's life, and you never know how long this moment will last nor if a person is at this moment. That is why influence is so important to understand.

A man said the usual cliche atheist comment, that God is just a crutch that people use to explain things. When we die, that's it... we are just dust. I told him that it was untrue. He told me to disprove. Right there I had the power to influence him towards many branches of his future. I could have said that if there was no eternity, then he might as well go home and shoot his kids and himself... afterall, why would it matter? There is no consequence to life. I could have said that... but my power of influence could have actually tipped him over to the idea of actually doing that. It was important that I not take that risk, for if I were the right one, then it would have certainly proved me right, but at what cost? Instead I told him that he would certainly find out the truth soon enough.

Moments like that can occur at any time for any reason. It can be a chain, a comment or a wink. It might start 20 years ago and through a series of events it could lead up to a question that you need to answer. It might not even sound important at all, and you might blow it off with a joke... but you could inadvertantly alter a person's life drastically. There is nothing subtle in life. What you might find subtle could simply be the edge of something bigger that you can't see.

This power of influence is made equal to all mankind. In poverty or in riches, in America or Iraq, we all have this ability to change the world. Just one word could destroy an empire 100 years from now. A script, a paper filled with beliefs... could have created that vast empire 200 years ago. We might only see the immediate consequences, but these are just the tip of what will happen. God knew this when he made us in his image, for free will is that power of influence. We got a little piece of what God has, and he judges us all with how we use it.

Man is forced into a life of consequence. If he were able, he would sit on a mountain and contemplate the movements of the wind. But he cannot. In time he would grow hungry and die, for even though he does nothing to influence, other things might influence him. So he is forced to act, he must eat.

Eating requires food. Food requires money. To gain money, you must work. To work, you must eat and be healthy. Thus society is formed, constantly serving others in order to live. We feed others in order to feed ourselves, and are a community in so doing. However, not everyone feels giving is as necessary as taking, and thus down the road more consequence is handed to us without our influence. You may lose your job for no reason other than being the last hired and cutbacks being made.

Once again, you are put in a situation of desperation. While your options are limitless, each has their own consequence. An honest job is not the only means to wealth, but other options may gain increased risk to your life. So we see that negative action can consequently affect our lifespan, but does that mean positive action may do the same? If we were to believe in balance we would think so, but balance is simply abstract thought. It may or may not be true and we would require evidence to suppose either way.

Perhaps there is evidence, and perhaps there is reason to make positive choices for the sake of positive consequences in all aspects of our life. Perhaps even positively influencing our environment may return positive consequence to us. But in the end, do we not do this simply to positively influence ourselves and not others? Selfish acts would be negative, so how can we be entirely selfless? Then again, is being selfless completely positive? Shouldn't we think of ourselves as well? So maybe there is a balance here too, where we must be both selfish and selfless, being positive to ourselves and others.

Self, "Can you teach a dog wisdom?"
Other self, "Can you teach a man wisdom?"
Self, "A man can only learn wisdom if he wants to."
Other self, "Does a dog want to learn?"
Self, "The dog simply wants a reward."
Other self, "Doesn't man wish a reward?"
Self, "Yes... so does he simply feint wisdom?"
Other self, "Perhaps you aren't was wise as you thought."
Self, "Perhaps not."

A hot story lately is the find of a tomb which some believe to be the final resting place of Jesus the Christ. I find myself both curious and skeptical, but I may be bias. This being such a hot topic, I decided to do a little research on this. I had the idea that this is nothing new and such claims had already existed, and I was correct.

The first site I checked out was appropriately named tombofjesus.com. It was a certainly interesting read of the documents they have available, although none of their evidence seems to indicate their tomb is that of Jesus. The story of the saintly prince reminds me of the rich man that asked Jesus how to get to heaven, perhaps he took the answer that the Messiah told him to heart?

Typing on the old keyboard at night can be frustrating sometimes. I like to compute in the dark sometimes, but I do not have a backlit keyboard. So I went cruising the web checking out some keyboards, and came across a crazy contraption from <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=080">Microsoft</a>. It's like the keyboard I want... but doesn't look like I can get it anytime soon. Designed for Vista, it has every feature I'd want and some I didn't know I wanted. The odd thing is that they'd go to the trouble of designing such a wonderful keyboard and I don't even know if they plan on continuing with the keyboard/mouse duo after Vista. The mouse revolutionized the way we interfaced with the computer, but Scottie from Star Trek reminded us a couple decades ago that it is not the last step.

Anywho... anyone got any ideas on a good keyboard? I like the Logitech G15 but I think it's too big. I'm using a slim laptop style keyboard now, but I wouldn't mind media f-keys again. Backlit is what is really important.

I've made my last trip to Wendy's. At my last burrito at Taco Bell. Ordered my last pizza from Pizza Hut. I'm done.

I've had this feeling come over me that can only be described as supernatural. All my cravings and lusts are gone. I just don't want it anymore. I uninstalled all my computer games. I'm drinking my last Mt Dew. I'm tired of it all.

"Holy cow I'm white and nerdy"- Weird Al

I'm not overweight, but I'm not healthy. I'm anti-social "in real life" and too social on the internet. I don't speak when I should and speak when I shouldn't. I don't work with people, I work against them. I don't hate you, but I'm not loving you either. I hold no grudges but can't forgive you.

I've posted probably 30,000 posts in forums, blogs, and news sites in the past 10 years, and I've learned one thing. It takes 30,000 posts before you finally say something worth saying. I responded to a thread in an obscure forum the other day that just... clicked. I wasn't thinking(as usual) when I posted it but what I said hit me after the fact. That plus some things that happened at work and another quote I read, I've put it all together for a new truth.

"Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading."

I tested on the MTBI personality test shortly after starting here at Multiply and came out INTJ. I just tested again and now I am ENFJ, which is only 3% of the population. It proves that I am changing, progressing into what I need to be. In fact the description for ENFJ is exactly who I am.

I'm starting a website that I've got big plans for. I'm looking at going back to college. I'm helping start a young adult group at my church that is simply non-existant, and it's showing an affect on the community.

It's been a few months since my last post but here is me now. By the end of the year, I'm going to be a whole new person.

Well, Multiply has time and time again dodged my issues with their website, to the point I'm thinking of ditching this place. My entry box for this post is 1/2" X 2.5", very difficult to post in, but they won't do anything for me. This is just yet another issue that has popped up randomly over the course of time I've been here. I've never really liked any other blog out there like I've liked Multiply, but their customer service department won't even consider my issues, so I won't be posting anymore unless this issue is resolved.

There is a new Adidas commercial on tv with the slogan, Impossible is Nothing, featuring Kevin Garnett. It shows Kevin in various roles from super hero to gladiator to comedian. The premise is, he can do anything. But can a great basketball player like Kevin really be a gladiator? Or a super hero?

In the Chronicles of Narnia, the very first king of Narnia was a london coach driver. His horse became a great talking pegasus, the only one in all of Narnia. A simple working man, and a work horse, become the beginning of a wonderful world. Can anyone do this? The man responsible for getting those two to Narnia couldn't. He was a bad man with a weak constitution. He even fell in love with the first villain of Narnia.

Just because a man plays a sport well, does that mean he can do anything? Fortitude is not found in how much money a man makes, nor in the position he has in the work force. Never underestimate the bum on the side of the road, nor expect more from the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

5. The Matrix

The Matrix was very influential on many people. The movie trilogy seems to have been driven by a question. Although many writers attempt to answer these questions in their work, the Wachowski brothers did not. In the end, the fans had more questions. I thought it a very fresh approach to entertainment. There are some obvious religious themes throughout the movie without actually talking about God even once. By doing this the movie was exciting for both theist non-theist alike.

4. Bedazzled

In this movie a young man trades his soul to the devil for 7 wishes. The reason? A woman he wants to impress. He burns through 5 wishes quickly in various fantasies where he wishes for changes in himself in hopes that he can attract her. Obviously he fails in his attempts. In the end he learns something about his soul, and about himself. The soul isn't his to trade away, and he can't change himself. He is who he is, and he wishes for something else. The wish is a deal-breaker, one that makes him happy, and he didn't even wish for anything for himself.

3. Jerry Maguire

This one might be a surprise to most, it probably doesn't hit anyone else's list. I'm actually watching it right now as I write this post. The movie is about a sports agent who writes an amazing mission statement to his colleagues about how he feels the culture has changed negatively and his thoughts on an approach to improve this. Unfortunately for him, this costs him his job. He not so quickly learns that he is forced now to stick to what he said or he will be completely out of the game forever. It's very easy for people to point out what people are doing wrong, and then do it themselves. In the end he is a better person for what happened, despite most of his colleagues feeling otherwise.

2. Bruce Almighty

This is a funny, emotional, and inspiring movie. I've never been a big fan of Jim Carrey really, but this was a good movie despite that. A man is given all the powers of God and finds tons of wisdom in the experience. He learns that God's job is not nearly as easy as it sounds. He finds that his experience with trying to win the love of a woman is just as difficult and very similar to that of God trying to get our attention. In the end he finds himself in front of God after getting hit by a truck. I won't say what happens next, but it's a great movie that you should see if you haven't already.

1. Holy Man

Possibly the best role Eddie Murphy has ever done, in my opinion. The reason I enjoy this movie is not on what is said, but what isn't said. The way he impacts the lives of everyone around him is amazing. It is a very good movie that I would recommend to anyone.

I'm always trying to help people, but maybe too much. I know it may sound strange, but helping can turn to hurting pretty quickly. Good intentions are not enough in those circumstances.

I find myself often wanting to speak up when I probably shouldn't. Or helping someone when I really don't know what I'm doing. This can lead to that person getting hurt at the worst, or at best I look like a fool.

Many proverbs have said that the fool is always quick to speak, while the wise just listen and only speak when necessary. Silence can be very difficult for me. I need to realize though, that even Jesus commanded to put the sword down when his disciple wanted to protect him. While good intentioned, it would do more harm than help.

The differences between buddhism and christianity have always interested me. Often times the non-religious become interested in buddhism. Not necessarily because of the teachings, but because of how buddhists are, how they live their lives, etc. The non-religious are often discourages from becoming Christians for the same reason, because of how Christians are. The teachings are similar in some respects, but the people are very different.

Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another. When asked by Jews what the most important commandment was, he replied it was love. Love your God and your neighbors. Jesus could have burned down every last sinner on earth, but instead he went out and healed the sick and other miraculous works. When the christian movement first started, it was described as a very loving community.

The idea of a proper christian movement is still possible. The only thing you need is love. In every action, in every thought. You have to want it, you have to need it.

I know I don't have enough love in my life, and I want more. I need it. I'm going to push myself to avoid hate.

Catholicism irks me. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it disgusts me.

Catholicism is what most other Christian churches aren't: A religion based on tradition, not what God has said. That is what seperates it from any Christian church and why it's more and more being called a cult. I guess the whole protestant movement kind of lost some ground a while back when it was decided they were still a part of the Christian family, but it's time they were seperated for good.

You see, everything they do... they've just made up. All the dresses and pointy hats, the beads, the prayers, the thousands of rules... it's not in the bible. It's made up. Now, the bad part of all this tradition is that some of it in fact goes against teachings Jesus himself had.

There are several cults disguised as denominations today. Few people even know they are cults because few people ever care to study cults. Most churches will call them another denomination because they just don't know nor care to find out whether they are acceptable(another problem with denominations). However, catholicism is considered wholly seperated from the church, not just a denomination. Everybody knows their history and what they do, yet some still call them Christian. That just bothers me.

The pope. He is called the leader of the church. Collossians 1:18 and Ephesians 5:23 both say in fact Jesus is the head of the church. The pope is called the holy father. I don't think I need to point any verses to tell you who the holy father is, but I will point one out. Mathew 23:9 is very explicit in it's meaning. Despite this entire passage, catholics took it upon themselves to ignore what Jesus said, and all their priests are called father.

Now how about Mary? This one I just can't understand. Why would you pray to a dead woman? SHE HAS NO POWER. It's just ridiculous! They idolize her, pray to her, even have a special prayer named after her, and they see nothing wrong with it! I can tell you right now, God is probably pissed about that. I guess they missed the whole thing about not having any gods before Him. In fact, they missed the entire Old Testament, with every idol and 40 days in the desert story in there. It happened, again and again, yet they think it makes for a good religion. What do you suppose is going to happen?

Whenever confronted, there are 2 things a catholic responds with. The most common is quotes from some random catholic document or saying the pope is infallible. That's mighty cultish of you! The other response, less common, is that they are the only true church and nobody else is Christian. I've heard that before, by many cults. Not a single catholic that I've ever met has even once checked the bible to see if their religion is wrong(since it is supposedly based on the bible). That right there is blind faith.

My favorite headline on a website has always been, "The bible is the least read best seller of all time."

When an officer of the law arrests someone, he or she is required to explain the rights that every citizen has prior to their interrogation. These rights must be explained due to a court case in 1966, Miranda vs Arizona. A man named Miranda was arrested for various charges and confessed to them during interrogation. However, his conviction was overturned when the lawyers argued that he was coerced into confessing. He was later convicted again since his confession was of course not their only evidence.

These days, you don't even need to tell a guilty man his rights. The first thing they will say is "I want my lawyer." Why? The precedence set in 1966 wasn't that everyone has the right to protection from self-incrimination. The precedence set was that lawyers can get you out of any crime, no matter how big(Miranda was convicted for rape, among other things), even if you confess to the crimes.

What's worse is that you can even confess to other people and those people are bound by law not to talk to the police. What kind of justice system is this? Even worse, if they do talk, the guilty person's lawyer can have the evidence removed from the case. The guilty man confesses and a judge thinks it's a good idea to not allow the evidence proving it?!

If a lawyer knows his client did it, is it really justice to defend him? How can that lawyer sleep at night, knowing they just overturned a conviction on a guy that would rape their daughters if given the chance?

Did our founding fathers want this? I don't think the constitution says anything about this.

Just watched an interesting episode of Law & Order. A druglord from Afghanistan was on trial for ordering a hit on an opposing drug dealer in New York.

This druglord, however, had been hired by the US Govt to help take out any remaining Taliban in Afghanistan. He gladly did it of course because the Taliban banned drugs while they were in control. In fact, the reason they crashed those planes on 9/11 was because they were against the USA society. We go in, take out these guys, and now Afghanistan and America are worse for it because the drugs exploded and overfilled into neighboring countries and into one of the biggest drug markets in the world, the USA(United Smokers of America).

Now, the Taliban were bad people, no doubt about it. What they did was wrong, for sure. But what was interesting in this show was how the US military ignored one evil to take out another, even if it has the potential of killing many more americans than war does. The total soldiers dead between Afghanistan and Iraq in all the years of us being there combined are dwarfed by the number of people that die in America to drugs every month.

A couple hundred people die in a terrorist attack, and we invade a country. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year to just tobacco alone, and we impose a tax. What the hell is wrong with this country?