"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen Henry Roberts
"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice." - Albert Einstein
"All models are wrong but some are useful." - George Box
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." - Epictetus
Note that there is also a great Zen story about this idea.
"I am rarely happier than when spending entire day programming my computer to perform automatically a task that it would otherwise take me a good ten seconds to do by hand." - Douglas Adams
Rowdy Santas
Last night Helen and I heard some hullabaloo coming from Oxford Street. We went out onto our balcony to be greeted by the sight of a huge crowd of rowdy Santas milling on the corner of Oxford Street and Wardour Street.
My own pet theory is that they were a group of dyslexics devil worshippers (who had sold their souls to Santa). They were probably supposed to meet up at Oxdorf Street or something and sacrifice an elf.
Alternatively they could be the famous Santa A cappella band "Santana".
Helen says that they all piled on a bus, so maybe there was a reindeer strike. I guess we'll never know.
The Pope in Turkey...
I know I've been posting on religious issues fairly frequently recently. Been watching Richard Dawkins of The God Delusion fame, talking at Lynchburg. Want to test the consistancy of your beliefs? Try Battleground God. But maybe you're too stupid to be an athiest?. Dilbert's creator Scott Adams has a blog entry talking about the Pope in Turkey. Funny.