Faith and Belief, Multiverse Theory and Beyond

[Dual Destiny]

I didn't know whether or not I could post anything here, but here goes. Since this isn't based on news articles, I eschewed the idea of posting this in the news section.

I figured we could all have intelligent discussions of our beliefs, be they based on Faith or Fact. Not religion, simply things we know, but can't prove, however we believe in them anyway. Feel free to shut this down if you feel there can't be a discussion without argument, but based on my observations over the last few months, I've seen folks that can have a debate or discussion without resorting to bad behavior.

I'll start:

Aliens brought the Pyramids:
Reason: There is no evidence that suggests that people could have actually moved those stones. Not only that, but the stone cutting is too precise for the tools they had in that era. This is not dismissing the slavery of the Jewish or Nubian people, but tI believe they were used for other reasons than simply building things.

Gods from all religions did exist at some point:
Reason: It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to believe that there may have once been humans of great renown, but their deeds may have been exaggerated for the sake of morale within their people. The same with how stories change as they are passed around. It is that or they were a xenomorphic species that displayed great power through advanced technology.

Multiverse Theory and Earth being an intelligent entity and time shifting:
Is it too much of a stretch to think that we exist parallel to other realities? All based on the decisions of those who could change the world? If Hitler got into that art school? If Genghis Khan never took his horde across Asia and Europe? What about if the US never delivered two nuclear warheads to Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I think our imaginations of those events are not just mere imagination. I think we're actually seeing alternate timelines through the thin lens of our subconscious, but we never actually touch it.

Now here's a question worth asking. Have you ever noticed anything from your childhood, but it's different? I remember Mister Rogers as having said, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." However, in this reality, it says, "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood." That's only one example of many things in this timeline I can think of that has shifted.

That leads to these questions as well. Based on that fact, do you think the Earth at some point, could have shifted the timeline to avert a disaster that could have wiped out the planet? Do you think some of us might be dwellers from another timeline mixed into this one?

I chose W.D. Gaster from Undertale for a reason, if you couldn't already tell from my avatar or fascination in multiverse theory. I was in a coma for 3 years and only woke up six months ago. Judging what has happened since then I figured that my mind must have reconstituted in another timeline and I'm fascinated to find out what has happened since I've been gone.

[pochercoaster]

I believe that people who subscribe to conspiracy theories and probably make up stories about being in comas do so because they are insecure and want to feel special. And it's glaringly obvious. Also, you wouldn't be the first person on this forum to make up a story about being in the hospital.

Dude, just be normal. It's gonna get you a lot farther in life.

[Dual Destiny]

Okay, maybe I wasn't in a 'coma' per se, but I was in a very dark depressive state for 3 years where I was nearly catatonic. So I missed quite a bit of history and now I'm actually showing interest in what happened while I wallowed in misery for that time and no, it wasn't a made up story about being in the hospital. I believe mental facilities are also referred to as hospitals, but that's just semantics. Being normal after such a thing is harder than you think. Especially when I could possibly regress back to that state. Writing and socializing also helps reduce the risk.

Believe me or don't. You have every right to disbelieve my words and while we may disagree, I will defend your right to your opinion. Equality is fun, right?

And conspiracy theories? What's wrong with having an imagination? I never stated they were concrete truths. That was the point of this thread topic. "What do you believe that you know has no proof to it?" People often believe things because it helps get them through their days. I don't see anything wrong with it if it doesn't hurt anyone.

As I said above that paragraph, I respect you. I respect your opinion. I respect your assessment and I know you meant no hostility in your words and I know you are a person that means well. I suck at socializing, but it'd be nice to have some help learning how to do it better.

[Overcast]

I dunno about the coma thing it doesn't present a good foot if you are trying to fit into a cultural norm, because you are literally presenting yourself as a dimensional alien. If it is real I'd have kept that to myself for a bit, let it simmer within and present it when it seemed right. Probably a moment when people are talking about their little neuroses, because I could see that being a real difficult thing to deal with and having a much bigger story behind it than I was in a coma.

This thread could have been great for that, but you've kinda mixed together a lot of potential topics that are a little harder to get together on top of the coma thing. Its out now, but just a consideration moving forward.

Meanwhile, as a guy who is garbage at socializing and unempathic to a fault sometimes I'd say step one is to get out of your own head.

I use too many words whenever I try and say something the first time, so I try and go back and edit down anything I type. If I had to narrow down the reason, its because I talk to myself in order to effectively break down whatever I'm thinking about. I've built up a certain way of talking with myself that is difficult to follow or read without considering me some up my own ass ass clown.

You have some hints of that and what I do is write things down, look at it after, and consider re-writing it shorter and more concise if you can.

Brevity is wit as they say, and a bit more focus might have helped you back in the coma department.

Another thing I guess is to make an effort of just trying to learn about people here, try to pull the focus away from you until you feel like people are warm to you. Your every action here so far has been a bit distancing and floaty, you are asking generalized versions of certain deep questions instead of just saying the simple thing.

Like hello. I'm new here, and there is no way I'm going to be able to learn about all of you in a moment but if anyone wants to get to know me I'd appreciate it. I should have done more of this myself, but like I said I'm garbage at all this.

Get out of your own head, break down and focus what you are saying, try to be more directly engaged with people on a simple level.

Then be as weird as you want to be, cause none of us are that great. Except probably Mauve and Tactics. Those people are so great they are suspicious. And Krylo but he isn't around too often anymore, and you have to walk past his sardonic wit. Poch is cool, but she obviously has enough trouble with normal people that this isn't really something she's prepped for. Snake continues to do his best with the second chance he got. Token drops by now and again to remind us how ignorant we are, thats important. Phil is one of my favorite guys around here, but he obviously is struggling sometimes and that upsets me some. Arhra is an alien. Bard is unusually good natured in a similarly suspicious way.

[MasterOfMagic]

Hey, why not:

Aliens brought the Pyramids:
Reason: There is no evidence that suggests that people could have actually moved those stones. Not only that, but the stone cutting is too precise for the tools they had in that era. This is not dismissing the slavery of the Jewish or Nubian people, but tI believe they were used for other reasons than simply building things.
I never really got this objection. Yeah, the stones were heavy, but they didn't have to lift them onto their backs to move them. There are plenty of explanations that involve ramps and sleds, and they had plenty of man-power and time to do it.

What's more plausible:

many creative people with literally their entire lives to think up solutions came up with a way, and then other creative people copied and improved that method (like all the other ways we've progressed)
aliens came and randomly dropped them, then never interacted with us again (why would they hide from us if they were capable of getting here and doing this?)


Now here's a question worth asking. Have you ever noticed anything from your childhood, but it's different? I remember Mister Rogers as having said, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." However, in this reality, it says, "It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood." That's only one example of many things in this timeline I can think of that has shifted.

That leads to these questions as well. Based on that fact, do you think the Earth at some point, could have shifted the timeline to avert a disaster that could have wiped out the planet? Do you think some of us might be dwellers from another timeline mixed into this one?
Seems like a good premise for a book or one of those weird animes that are my guilty pleasure.

Reality is much too boring for that though. Your memories just aren't as exact as you think. You'd be much better off questioning them rather than wondering if the entire world changed around you.


No comment on the rest of it, I'm hardly a good one to give social advice.

[Overcast]

As a sign of how little I know, I've been on this site for only one year less of MoM and somehow we have interacted so little I can't think of any particularly memorable moment between us. In 11 years.

[Token]

Token drops by now and again to remind us how ignorant we are, thats important.

I mean I'd like to not have to all the time, but, y'know,


Aliens brought the Pyramids:
Reason: There is no evidence that suggests that people could have actually moved those stones. Not only that, but the stone cutting is too precise for the tools they had in that era. This is not dismissing the slavery of the Jewish or Nubian people, but tI believe they were used for other reasons than simply building things.

man it's just

Okay, maybe I wasn't in a 'coma' per se, but I was in a very dark depressive state for 3 years where I was nearly catatonic.

so very

I believe mental facilities are also referred to as hospitals, but that's just semantics. Being normal after such a thing is harder than you think.

difficult sometimes

But seriously, y'ever notice how quick people are to dismiss the Pyramids as impossible? Like y'all know a civilization of niggas* couldn't possibly have figured out how to move a bunch of rocks, right? (http://phys.org/news/2014-04-ancient-egyptians-pyramid-stones-sand.html) That'd just be crazy talk.

*also known as a ciggalization

[MasterOfMagic]

That whole timeline shift really does remind me of some weird anime I saw at some point. Thanks for that, its going to bug me all day.

As a sign of how little I know, I've been on this site for only one year less of MoM and somehow we have interacted so little I can't think of any particularly memorable moment between us. In 11 years.
Lets have a social reject fight on an internet. Lay down the rules, I'm rolling up my sleeves.

Also, maybe I'm just boooorrrinnnggg, I mean compare dat rep

[Steel Shadow]

That whole timeline shift really does remind me of some weird anime I saw at some point. Thanks for that, its going to bug me all day.


Man, I used to think about that one all the time. I was always being told things went differently to how I remembered them!

Then I just realized that my mother was usually the one who told me that, and she has a fun combination of bad memory + adamant refusal to believe she could be wrong.

Or maybe I'm the one who does that.

Either way, reality was much less impressive than my theory that every now and then people would slip into an alternate universe that was only slightly different to the previous one, with very minor changes each time. And after slide after slide, the changes would add up, and the world would suddenly be completely different to the one they thought they knew.

[rpgdemon]

That whole timeline shift really does remind me of some weird anime I saw at some point. Thanks for that, its going to bug me all day.

Nah that only existed in the other timeline. This timeline got Homestuck.

[MasterOfMagic]

Either way, reality was much less impressive than my theory that every now and then people would slip into an alternate universe that was only slightly different to the previous one, with very minor changes each time. And after slide after slide, the changes would add up, and the world would suddenly be completely different to the one they thought they knew.
Whew based on how often my memory is wrong, if this was true everday would be like a new episode of Sliders for me.

You needed to post in Fifthfiend topics. 8 of those 9 squares I have? All Fifthfiend.
This made me curious so I went to the CP to check. Only thing i noticed is most of my earlier reps have butt emoji's in them. Not sure what to make of that.

[Dual Destiny]

I dunno about the coma thing it doesn't present a good foot if you are trying to fit into a cultural norm, because you are literally presenting yourself as a dimensional alien. If it is real I'd have kept that to myself for a bit, let it simmer within and present it when it seemed right. Probably a moment when people are talking about their little neuroses, because I could see that being a real difficult thing to deal with and having a much bigger story behind it than I was in a coma.

This thread could have been great for that, but you've kinda mixed together a lot of potential topics that are a little harder to get together on top of the coma thing. Its out now, but just a consideration moving forward.

Meanwhile, as a guy who is garbage at socializing and unempathic to a fault sometimes I'd say step one is to get out of your own head.

I use too many words whenever I try and say something the first time, so I try and go back and edit down anything I type. If I had to narrow down the reason, its because I talk to myself in order to effectively break down whatever I'm thinking about. I've built up a certain way of talking with myself that is difficult to follow or read without considering me some up my own ass ass clown.

You have some hints of that and what I do is write things down, look at it after, and consider re-writing it shorter and more concise if you can.

Brevity is wit as they say, and a bit more focus might have helped you back in the coma department.

Another thing I guess is to make an effort of just trying to learn about people here, try to pull the focus away from you until you feel like people are warm to you. Your every action here so far has been a bit distancing and floaty, you are asking generalized versions of certain deep questions instead of just saying the simple thing.

Like hello. I'm new here, and there is no way I'm going to be able to learn about all of you in a moment but if anyone wants to get to know me I'd appreciate it. I should have done more of this myself, but like I said I'm garbage at all this.

Get out of your own head, break down and focus what you are saying, try to be more directly engaged with people on a simple level.

Then be as weird as you want to be, cause none of us are that great. Except probably Mauve and Tactics. Those people are so great they are suspicious. And Krylo but he isn't around too often anymore, and you have to walk past his sardonic wit. Poch is cool, but she obviously has enough trouble with normal people that this isn't really something she's prepped for. Snake continues to do his best with the second chance he got. Token drops by now and again to remind us how ignorant we are, thats important. Phil is one of my favorite guys around here, but he obviously is struggling sometimes and that upsets me some. Arhra is an alien. Bard is unusually good natured in a similarly suspicious way.

So, before my computer froze, I had a whole list of responses to each point you made and they were lost. Pity that. So I'll just say this:

When I look back on it, the coma thing really did come out of left field. It was a spur of the moment thing. I'll try to proof read my posts from now on and try to be more concise in what I'm trying to say. For the people you mentioned, I definitely thought Tactics to be a good guy and it looks like Snake is pretty smart. As for Token? I can only assume that's short for 'Token Black Guy', a trope commonly used in horror movies. For ignorance, I'd say "ignorance is bliss", but I can imagine this is used in the context of bigotry.

Hey, why not:


I never really got this objection. Yeah, the stones were heavy, but they didn't have to lift them onto their backs to move them. There are plenty of explanations that involve ramps and sleds, and they had plenty of man-power and time to do it.

What's more plausible:

many creative people with literally their entire lives to think up solutions came up with a way, and then other creative people copied and improved that method (like all the other ways we've progressed)
aliens came and randomly dropped them, then never interacted with us again (why would they hide from us if they were capable of getting here and doing this?)



Seems like a good premise for a book or one of those weird animes that are my guilty pleasure.

Reality is much too boring for that though. Your memories just aren't as exact as you think. You'd be much better off questioning them rather than wondering if the entire world changed around you.


No comment on the rest of it, I'm hardly a good one to give social advice.

Maybe the Gods they worshiped were the aliens that brought them. Just a thought.

Hmm, it's not just an idea I share. There are plenty of people who remember the same stuff I do and I know that it wasn't just psychosomatic.

I mean I'd like to not have to all the time, but, y'know,



man it's just



so very



difficult sometimes

But seriously, y'ever notice how quick people are to dismiss the Pyramids as impossible? Like y'all know a civilization of niggas* couldn't possibly have figured out how to move a bunch of rocks, right? (http://phys.org/news/2014-04-ancient-egyptians-pyramid-stones-sand.html) That'd just be crazy talk.

*also known as a ciggalization

I'm starting to wonder just what kind of ignorance is meant here now.

As for your link, I'm skeptical, but not entirely unconvinced. Of course, it didn't help when they used the word 'probably' in the article, but I'll let that one slip. Thanks for the link.

That whole timeline shift really does remind me of some weird anime I saw at some point. Thanks for that, its going to bug me all day.


Lets have a social reject fight on an internet. Lay down the rules, I'm rolling up my sleeves.

Also, maybe I'm just boooorrrinnnggg, I mean compare dat rep

Um, you're welcome? Also, social reject fight?

Man, I used to think about that one all the time. I was always being told things went differently to how I remembered them!

Then I just realized that my mother was usually the one who told me that, and she has a fun combination of bad memory + adamant refusal to believe she could be wrong.

Or maybe I'm the one who does that.

Either way, reality was much less impressive than my theory that every now and then people would slip into an alternate universe that was only slightly different to the previous one, with very minor changes each time. And after slide after slide, the changes would add up, and the world would suddenly be completely different to the one they thought they knew.

You, your mother and I aren't the only ones who have thought of that. Literally hundreds of people believe the same. Maybe I'm just being whimsical, but it's definitely a more exciting thought than reality.

I think I might be crazy when using Occam's Razor, I get the answer, "Just go with it."

[Token]

. As for Token? I can only assume that's short for 'Token Black Guy', a trope commonly used in horror movies. For ignorance, I'd say "ignorance is bliss", but I can imagine this is used in the context of bigotry.

"A trope commonly used in horror movies" is one of my more recent nicknames.

[pochercoaster]

I don't have trouble with normal people. I do, however, have problems with liars. Didn't address the ridiculous conspiracy theories because I don't humour liars.

[mauve]

Except probably Mauve and Tactics. Those people are so great they are suspicious. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hah.

Aliens brought the Pyramids:
Reason: There is no evidence that suggests that people could have actually moved those stones.
Actually, in 2014 archaeologists researched and tested a hypothesis drawn from ancient murals depicting the Egyptians using water to reduce friction on the sand to a point where a group of people could pull the stone blocks using a sled. Article. (http://www.livescience.com/45285-how-egyptians-moved-pyramid-stones.html)

[Bard The 5th LW]

One time I ate a slug from the garden and all my friends were really impressed.

---------- Post added at 02:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:13 AM ----------

That was a lie I'm sorry I could never do something that radical.

[phil_]

All I can say is I haven't repped as many people for a single thread as I have here and I probably never will again. It's a much more positive outcome than I was expecting this morning (last morning?).

The world ain't magic, magic ain't real, sliding is a coping method to distance ourselves from how messed up the world is because "I didn't contribute; I was in a separate time-line." And aliens have probably never bothered us because why would they. Try to enjoy reality, or be drunk on wine, poetry, or virtue, as you wish. (https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/be-drunk) Or get your magecraft levels up to where they actually work.

And I appreciate the concern, OC. I'm pretty good right now. Stacking and pulling heavy stuff to the point where my clothes are streaked with rivers of salt is surprisingly satisfying. Hopefully they don't fire me for working the hours they scheduled me for but don't want me to work six hours of.

[Solid Snake]

If there's truly an infinite number of other universes out there, get me the hell off the universe where the United Kingdom just caved in to right-wing extremists, shot the global economy to hell, gave Vladimir Putin a blowjob and condemned their own fragile union to death because OMG YOU GUYS, BROWN FUCKIN' IMMIGRANTS

[Revising Ocelot]

How's the weather over in Canada?

[Solid Snake]

It's time for me to open this bottle of Italian wine (from the evil European Union!), take some sips and reflect on what we've witnessed today, the final stroke of death for the British Empire that once ruled the known world, an empire that persevered against Napoleon and against the Nazis but could not win a final fight against its own bigoted citizens.

Farewell, United Kingdom. As Scotland and Northern Ireland twist the final knives into your decrepit body, as your economy flounders into oblivion and as your youth (who overwhelmingly supported Remain) are condemned by your aged population, as you forsake your bonds to Europe and strengthen your enemies at the expense of your allies, as you gain utterly nothing and have lost everything...what a way to go.

Don't worry, leave the door open; the United States is sure to follow, like a lost child scrambling to mimic its beloved mother to the grave.

EDIT: How devilishly appropriate! The wine is Palazzo Della Torre from Verona, where Romeo and Juliet decided to kill themselves for no apparent reason. Just like the United Kingdom just killed itself! For no apparent fucking reason!!!

EDIT 2: It's remarkable how the Leave camp is treating a 51.80% to 48.2% margin of victory as a sign of a clear popular mandate, when prior to the election results -- when they thought their lost -- their crazy-ass UKIP right-wing lunatic tried to downplay the meaningfulness of such a loss by noting that they'd only just barely lose, so the Remainers better respect their almost-majority!!

[Steel Shadow]

A win for nationalism, bigotry and just general racism. Hahaaa, there are not enough apologies in the goddamn universe for what happened. Clearly, we should have started purging the elderly when ukip started gaining traction.

Holy fuck.

[MasterOfMagic]

Maybe the Gods they worshiped were the aliens that brought them. Just a thought.
Sure okay, but is that really more plausible than option 1? What purpose does dropping random stone pyramids in one particular spot on the earth serve? Where are these crazy powerful aliens now? Why is there nothing on the moon? Seems like a good place to put stuff if worship is what you want.

Hmm, it's not just an idea I share. There are plenty of people who remember the same stuff I do and I know that it wasn't just psychosomatic.
Our memories are highly suggestable. Its way more likely that multiple people remembered the wrong thing then you phase shifted into another world.

Um, you're welcome? Also, social reject fight?
Really bad attempt at humor, please ignore.



I don't fully understand the implications of the whole EU thing, and wouldn't even know where to start figuring it out. Sounds pretty bad? I wonder how my UK team members feel about it. I'll probably never see them again so I'll never know.

[tacticslion]

Except probably Mauve and Tactics. Those people are so great they are suspicious.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hah.

Yep! I'm honored to be grouped with Mauve, but I'm always terrified of anyone thinking I'm "great" or "nice" because then I'm pretty sure I'll let them down somewhere.

As a sign of how little I know, I've been on this site for only one year less of MoM and somehow we have interacted so little I can't think of any particularly memorable moment between us. In 11 years.

I met one of us once! He was wearing an awesome hat and everything! He was awesome!

(Alas, Nerdapalooza, I miss you.)

(And just to prove how less-awesome I am, at present, I can't remember whether it was Magic Marker or Master of Magic - I'm terribly dyslexic, you see, and they both have "magic" in their name, and one of them might have changed their UserName since then, and blarg, I kind of suck; sorry, both of you. I remember what you look like, though! Mostly!)

[MasterOfMagic]

(And just to prove how less-awesome I am, at present, I can't remember whether it was Magic Marker or Master of Magic - I'm terribly dyslexic, you see, and they both have "magic" in their name, and one of them might have changed their UserName since then, and blarg, I kind of suck; sorry, both of you. I remember what you look like, though! Mostly!)
Not me, I haven't met anyone in real life and haven't changed my forum name ever (though it probably would have been a good idea).

Wouldn't offend me at all though, so hope that helps.

[Tev]

I'm just glad (or sad?) that I've eased off this place enough over the years to be forgettable right up until I post and am not.

[rpgdemon]

What, nah, we totally remember you. You're, uh... Definitely that guy who made the flaming swordchucks. Yeah. That was you.

[Token]

this is 2016
what the fuck is a swords chucks

[rpgdemon]

http://i.imgur.com/KG5AheX.jpg

[Token]

CLEARLY that is a Groundshank
unless
oh shit i must have fallen into the alternate universe where it's called a swordchuck
damn my insistence on sleep rather than staring endlessly into the Bleed to synesthesially see the true hypersound of the omniverse

[Steel Shadow]

CLEARLY that is a Groundshank
unless
oh shit i must have fallen into the alternate universe where it's called a swordchuck
damn my insistence on sleep rather than staring endlessly into the Bleed to synesthesially see the true hypersound of the omniverse

I KNEW IT!!!

[Dual Destiny]

"A trope commonly used in horror movies" is one of my more recent nicknames.

But it's interesting just how common the trope is. Is it racism or just stupidity on behalf of the writers?

I don't have trouble with normal people. I do, however, have problems with liars. Didn't address the ridiculous conspiracy theories because I don't humour liars.

Are coping mechanisms such a bad thing? Religion is typically used as a coping mechanism for alcoholics and drug addicts. I don't see how thinking some things that I stated, "I know don't have any solid evidence," necessarily makes me a liar. I've already recanted the 'coma' thing. I guess it's just hard for other people to actually envision how depression might hit people differently.

To state a quote I hold fondly, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

Which I think holds the basis of most of my 'beliefs'. I'm sorry if you don't like me, Poch. I guess I'm just not, what's the word, neurotypical enough for some people. Also, I apologize if using that quote makes me sound pretentious.

And I'm sorry if I come off like a jackass in that last statement. I'm in and usually always in a neutral state of mind when typing. Again, I'm sorry.

If there's truly an infinite number of other universes out there, get me the hell off the universe where the United Kingdom just caved in to right-wing extremists, shot the global economy to hell, gave Vladimir Putin a blowjob and condemned their own fragile union to death because OMG YOU GUYS, BROWN FUCKIN' IMMIGRANTS

I'm going to have to agree with you there. If there 'was' a way to phase shift into another reality, I'd pick a completely different one myself.

I have to say though, "What is wrong with brown people?"

It's time for me to open this bottle of Italian wine (from the evil European Union!), take some sips and reflect on what we've witnessed today, the final stroke of death for the British Empire that once ruled the known world, an empire that persevered against Napoleon and against the Nazis but could not win a final fight against its own bigoted citizens.

Farewell, United Kingdom. As Scotland and Northern Ireland twist the final knives into your decrepit body, as your economy flounders into oblivion and as your youth (who overwhelmingly supported Remain) are condemned by your aged population, as you forsake your bonds to Europe and strengthen your enemies at the expense of your allies, as you gain utterly nothing and have lost everything...what a way to go.

Don't worry, leave the door open; the United States is sure to follow, like a lost child scrambling to mimic its beloved mother to the grave.

EDIT: How devilishly appropriate! The wine is Palazzo Della Torre from Verona, where Romeo and Juliet decided to kill themselves for no apparent reason. Just like the United Kingdom just killed itself! For no apparent fucking reason!!!

EDIT 2: It's remarkable how the Leave camp is treating a 51.80% to 48.2% margin of victory as a sign of a clear popular mandate, when prior to the election results -- when they thought their lost -- their crazy-ass UKIP right-wing lunatic tried to downplay the meaningfulness of such a loss by noting that they'd only just barely lose, so the Remainers better respect their almost-majority!!

I'll say this much. I've listened and read reasons why they wanted to leave the EU. Some of it amounting to the lack of being able to vote democratically instead of letting other people choose for them as a 'Father Knows Best' entity. I'm not saying this is justifiable reasoning in any way, just a warning.

And yes, that sounds like a rather hypocritical statement by UKIP. I think the irony is lost on them.

For where the world is going, I hope the saying, "It gets worse before it gets better," is true.

---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 PM ----------

I also realized something. I think I created a beast with all the discussion thats been going on in here. I don't know whether to be proud or scared.

---------- Post added at 09:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------

And so I realized there were people I forgot to address.


Actually, in 2014 archaeologists researched and tested a hypothesis drawn from ancient murals depicting the Egyptians using water to reduce friction on the sand to a point where a group of people could pull the stone blocks using a sled. Article. (http://www.livescience.com/45285-how-egyptians-moved-pyramid-stones.html)

I believe Token also posted something similar? Thanks for the link nonetheless, it's appreciated.


The world ain't magic, magic ain't real, sliding is a coping method to distance ourselves from how messed up the world is because "I didn't contribute; I was in a separate time-line." And aliens have probably never bothered us because why would they. Try to enjoy reality, or be drunk on wine, poetry, or virtue, as you wish. (https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/be-drunk) Or get your magecraft levels up to where they actually work.


Ouch. I never suggested 'magic' in any sense. It doesn't take 'magic' to explain something we don't yet understand and may never understand. It may be a function of quantum physics, for all we know. Also, is it not possible to contribute to society and still ponder something that may or may not be real?

About aliens, what makes it so unbelieveable? Aliens wouldn't be from Earth, so how would we understand the minds of species not from our planet? Not from our typical cultures and other social structures? They are obviously far more advanced than us if they can travel through space, unlike us right now.

[MasterOfMagic]

About aliens, what makes it so unbelieveable? Aliens wouldn't be from Earth, so how would we understand the minds of species not from our planet? Not from our typical cultures and other social structures? They are obviously far more advanced than us if they can travel through space, unlike us right now.
Is unbelievable because they are always attributed with doing these amazing things that leave a huge impact on us, then disappearing. Or hiding from us for some reason using amazing technology we can't even begin to comprehend.

It reeks of 'I don't know so it's magic'. The simplest explanation is pretty much always the real answer, and magical alien gods are only simple in their hand-wavy form.

How did the aliens get here and do that? Why?
'I don't know they are fucking aliens man.Too advanced for us to understand '
'it's magic I ain't got to explain shit'

[Bard The 5th LW]

But for real though we have tons of historical evidence to show HOW the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. Attributing it to aliens is fucking asinine and just has a teensy bit of racism to it, because I ain't ever seen someone claim that goddamn elves built the aqueducts.

The short of it is that humans have been capable of amazing feats of architecture and engineering for a long time now, let's try to not detract from one of our few talents with talk of aliens. In fact, contrary to what you said earlier, evidence also points to the builders of the pyramids being paid workers (http://harvardmagazine.com/2003/07/who-built-the-pyramids-html). So like, the pyramids were monumental pieces of architecture that may not even have been built upon the corpses of slaves. Let's just take a moment to give Ancient Egypt -one of early humanity's most grand and impressive civilizations- a round of applause, okay? They earned it.

And besides the 'How', we DEFINITELY know the 'why'. Like, we've been INSIDE the pyramids before you know, right? I know Ben Carson hasn't figured it out, but we sorta pieced it together a long time ago. Ever hear of a dude named 'Tutankhamen'? They put dead people in those big triangles is the short of it. Why would aliens -capable of SPACE TRAVEL OVER FUCKING GALAXIES- come down and use their GRAND AND MIRACULOUS TECHNOLOGY to build some giant fucking coffins for a few rich dudes and then just leave forever? And why would they only do this for Egypt when Egypt clearly had the capability to do it on their own?

[rpgdemon]

But for real though we have tons of historical evidence to show HOW the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. Attributing it to aliens is fucking asinine and just has a teensy bit of racism to it, because I ain't ever seen someone claim that goddamn elves built the aqueducts.

Everyone knows it was the mermaids from Atlantis who built the aquaducts.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Everyone knows it was the mermaids from Atlantis who built the aquaducts.

Stop erasing the contributions of Centaurs from history, RPG.

[phil_]

I don't see how ... some things that I stated [which weren't true] necessarily makes me a liar. I've already recanted the 'coma' thing [which wasn't true]. I guess it's just hard for other people to actually envision how depression might hit people differently.

I guess I'm just not ... neurotypical enough for some people. ... I'm sorry if I come off like a jackass in that last statement.Telling lies, then typing "Shame, shame on you, you not liberal enough person, you liberal!" definitely makes you come off like a jackass. No need to wonder; that is how you came off. You can work on that. As for what's pointed at me:
Ouch. I never suggested 'magic' in any sense. It doesn't take 'magic' to explain something we don't yet understand and may never understand. It may be a function of quantum physics, for all we know. Also, is it not possible to contribute to society and still ponder something that may or may not be real?

About aliens, what makes it so unbelieveable? Aliens wouldn't be from Earth, so how would we understand the minds of species not from our planet? Not from our typical cultures and other social structures? They are obviously far more advanced than us if they can travel through space, unlike us right now.MoM said enough.

Title.The game you're bringing isn't A enough!

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

http://i.imgur.com/hqCsV96.jpg?1

[Dual Destiny]

Is unbelievable because they are always attributed with doing these amazing things that leave a huge impact on us, then disappearing. Or hiding from us for some reason using amazing technology we can't even begin to comprehend.

It reeks of 'I don't know so it's magic'. The simplest explanation is pretty much always the real answer, and magical alien gods are only simple in their hand-wavy form.

How did the aliens get here and do that? Why?
'I don't know they are fucking aliens man.Too advanced for us to understand '
'it's magic I ain't got to explain shit'

Just count me as thinking that some things may be oversimiplified for us plebs that 'aren't' scientists because we wouldn't understand it anyway.

But for real though we have tons of historical evidence to show HOW the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. Attributing it to aliens is fucking asinine and just has a teensy bit of racism to it, because I ain't ever seen someone claim that goddamn elves built the aqueducts.

The short of it is that humans have been capable of amazing feats of architecture and engineering for a long time now, let's try to not detract from one of our few talents with talk of aliens. In fact, contrary to what you said earlier, evidence also points to the builders of the pyramids being paid workers (http://harvardmagazine.com/2003/07/who-built-the-pyramids-html). So like, the pyramids were monumental pieces of architecture that may not even have been built upon the corpses of slaves. Let's just take a moment to give Ancient Egypt -one of early humanity's most grand and impressive civilizations- a round of applause, okay? They earned it.

And besides the 'How', we DEFINITELY know the 'why'. Like, we've been INSIDE the pyramids before you know, right? I know Ben Carson hasn't figured it out, but we sorta pieced it together a long time ago. Ever hear of a dude named 'Tutankhamen'? They put dead people in those big triangles is the short of it. Why would aliens -capable of SPACE TRAVEL OVER FUCKING GALAXIES- come down and use their GRAND AND MIRACULOUS TECHNOLOGY to build some giant fucking coffins for a few rich dudes and then just leave forever? And why would they only do this for Egypt when Egypt clearly had the capability to do it on their own?

Yes, I believe you're the third person to quote an article explaining much the same thing that Token and Mauve did. Thank you, regardless. Though I'm not seeing any racism in it. Unless you mean speciesism? As in the thought that it undermines human achievement like I mentioned in the first post? Unless you're just being sarcastic now.

Telling lies, then typing "Shame, shame on you, you not liberal enough person, you liberal!" definitely makes you come off like a jackass. No need to wonder; that is how you came off. You can work on that. As for what's pointed at me:
MoM said enough.

The game you're bringing isn't A enough!

I never mentioned political affiliation. I just mentioned having a non-typical mindset. However, I do find it hard to get a bead on this forum's inhabitants. Trying to get adjusted to an already established community is going to be way harder than I thought.

http://i.imgur.com/hqCsV96.jpg?1

I'm sorry... are you Spiderman-ing the thread?

[Token]

"Speciesism" ohsweet almighty taint-chafing fuck

The racism comes from that whole ciggalization thing I pointed out earlier. It wasn't just a snappy portmanteau (fantastic though it obviously was), it's the societal inability to accept the fact that a black country can make technological advancements. The fact that people find it easier to accept aliens who have us build tombs and promptly fuck right off than they do to consider the fact that hey, maybe brown people can have good ideas.

[Arcanum]

"Speciesism" ohsweet almighty taint-chafing fuck

The racism comes from that whole ciggalization thing I pointed out earlier. It wasn't just a snappy portmanteau (fantastic though it obviously was), it's the societal inability to accept the fact that a black country can make technological advancements. The fact that people find it easier to accept aliens who have us build tombs and promptly fuck right off than they do to consider the fact that hey, maybe brown people can have good ideas.

I dunno Token, if I learned anything from the historically accurate documentary called Gods of Egypt it's that Egyptians were http://i.imgur.com/4n2weOs.jpg

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

I... I... fuck, this thread guys. I don't even know where to start with it. Is the op seriously entertaining the idea that aliens built the pyramids? Because if so then there are certain things I just simply cannot say because it would get me kicked from the forum.

Like, the level of dumb that my brain would have to stoop to to even entertain the notion of having a serious debate on such a subject is not worth the pain of literally bashing my head against a brick wall in order to kill enough brain cells to get myself in the right mind set for such a conversation.

Do you also believe the world is flat, that there is a hole through the earth, all the worlds leaders are secretly lizardmen, that Elvis isn't dead, that we never went to the moon, evolution is all faked by scientists and that dinosaurs never existed? Because this is a level of crazy I just can't get with.

[Marc v4.0]

Even if Elvis had faked his own death, eventually he'd die for real anyway

[Bard The 5th LW]

"Speciesism" ohsweet almighty taint-chafing fuck

The racism comes from that whole ciggalization thing I pointed out earlier. It wasn't just a snappy portmanteau (fantastic though it obviously was), it's the societal inability to accept the fact that a black country can make technological advancements. The fact that people find it easier to accept aliens who have us build tombs and promptly fuck right off than they do to consider the fact that hey, maybe brown people can have good ideas.

Tried repping you but it wouldn't be let even though the last person I rep'd was Krylo like 4 months ago. I'd give it to someone else and then to you first, but I feel no one has earned it yet.

[rpgdemon]

My posts in this thread have been nothing but gold, [BARD].
.

---------- Post added at 01:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 AM ----------

Also, as much crap as you're getting, this has been the most active and fun thread the forum's had for quite some time. Props for that, at least.

[MasterOfMagic]

Even if Elvis had faked his own death, eventually he'd die for real anyway

Not if he's an alien

[phil_]

Not if he's an alienOr a lobster, or a sponge. It'd be hard to live the Elvis life as a semi-alive sea creature, but that just makes it more impressive.

[Dual Destiny]

"Speciesism" ohsweet almighty taint-chafing fuck

The racism comes from that whole ciggalization thing I pointed out earlier. It wasn't just a snappy portmanteau (fantastic though it obviously was), it's the societal inability to accept the fact that a black country can make technological advancements. The fact that people find it easier to accept aliens who have us build tombs and promptly fuck right off than they do to consider the fact that hey, maybe brown people can have good ideas.

It was meant to be cheeky, but you can't always predict reactions. I do think Brown People can have good ideas. Just look at the Middle East before all of the books and other education got burned. I believe Africans had their own civilization at one point, but I'm wondering where all the remains went.

To be clear, I'm separating the Ancient Egyptian civilization we know from Ancient African civilization we don't know 'as much' about.

I dunno Token, if I learned anything from the historically accurate documentary called Gods of Egypt it's that Egyptians were (image cut)

It's not within the realm of impossibility to believe a movie made in a country where the primary demographic is white, that all of the actors and actresses will be white. Just as a movie made in India will have mostly or all Indian people. Aside from the fact it was a movie made for entertainment purposes and not a historical documentary, it wasn't implying all the Ancient Egyptians were White. A look at the current population in Egypt now will tell you as much.

Ugh, I forgot that I was going to add more to this. Anyway, I know you're being sarcastic, but that doesn't change what I said.

I... I... fuck, this thread guys. I don't even know where to start with it. Is the op seriously entertaining the idea that aliens built the pyramids? Because if so then there are certain things I just simply cannot say because it would get me kicked from the forum.

Like, the level of dumb that my brain would have to stoop to to even entertain the notion of having a serious debate on such a subject is not worth the pain of literally bashing my head against a brick wall in order to kill enough brain cells to get myself in the right mind set for such a conversation.

Do you also believe the world is flat, that there is a hole through the earth, all the worlds leaders are secretly lizardmen, that Elvis isn't dead, that we never went to the moon, evolution is all faked by scientists and that dinosaurs never existed? Because this is a level of crazy I just can't get with.

I posted other topics of discussion, you know. Aliens and the Pyramids were just the subject people got the most irritated about. Though the situation has been rectified, by about three other people. I just really haven't thought with too much rigor about the Eygyptian Pyramids since primary school. Something I clearly should have looked at better.

I'm not sure why you think I would be so intellectually dishonest to believe those theories. You know, the ones about the planet I live on.

Even if Elvis had faked his own death, eventually he'd die for real anyway

Yes.

.

---------- Post added at 01:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 AM ----------

Also, as much crap as you're getting, this has been the most active and fun thread the forum's had for quite some time. Props for that, at least.

I don't know if this is indicating me or Bard, whom you quoted before. Either way, I'm glad something has come out of this.

However, I think I might have gotten a little ahead of myself when I thought the thread tag I used would indicate the lack of seriousness to the potential discussion and I believe I sabotaged myself with the opening.

Not if he's an alien

That explains why they're called 'Elvis Impersonators', because he's trying to cover up his failed cloning experiments.

Or a lobster, or a sponge. It'd be hard to live the Elvis life as a semi-alive sea creature, but that just makes it more impressive.

Hmm, now I'm conflicted. Is he an alien or a sponge? Because if it's the latter, he won't stop budding off more of those so-called Elvis Impersonators.

[MasterOfMagic]

I'm not sure why you think I would be so intellectually dishonest to believe those theories. You know, the ones about the planet I live on.
Well, to be honest with you, the only people that generally argue that aliens might have built the pyramids are either:
1) Trolls, which if you really wanted to do this proper you would have replied to Arcanum with a picture from one of those white-washing egypt movies and said "...They look white to me?". Though your current one is pretty good. And the one to Token is top tier.
2) Conspiricy theory nutjobs. The kind that still believe the earth is flat, and all that nonsense. These people have actually thought about it though, like a crazy amount, and they'd still be arguing with us about it.

[Dual Destiny]

Well, to be honest with you, the only people that generally argue that aliens might have built the pyramids are either:
1) Trolls, which if you really wanted to do this proper you would have replied to Arcanum with a picture from one of those white-washing egypt movies and said "...They look white to me?". Though your current one is pretty good. And the one to Token is top tier.
2) Conspiricy theory nutjobs. The kind that still believe the earth is flat, and all that nonsense. These people have actually thought about it though, like a crazy amount, and they'd still be arguing with us about it.

You're setting a false dichotomy here. There are people, perfectly capable of living their lives normally, but believe in utter nonsense, because they don't actually know the truth and aren't really interested in researching the topic because it doesn't affect their daily lives. It's not a black and white thing. I'm not a troll, this was just a flight of fancy gone awry.

I apologize to anyone I angered or offended. It was meant to be a silly thread from the start, but as I said, I sabotaged my own efforts on accident in the first paragraph. So, the only thing I can ask for is forgiveness for being stupid enough to not make my intentions clear.

On the topic of "Gods/Goddesses were just extraordinary people", just look to their profiles. Goddesses of Fertility could have once been medicine women and midwives. Gods of War could have simply been great Generals. Zeus? Quite possibly was a man that found some way to harness lightning without killing himself. Anubis? Was quite possibly a Judge that literally cut the hearts out of the dead, weighed them on a scale and just threw them to crocs if they weighed too much. Is it too much of a stretch? I'd like to think that Gods and Goddesses were people that were idolized enough to be called that.

[Arcanum]

It's not within the realm of impossibility to believe a movie made in a country where the primary demographic is white, that all of the actors and actresses will be white. Just as a movie made in India will have mostly or all Indian people. Aside from the fact it was a movie made for entertainment purposes and not a historical documentary, it wasn't implying all the Ancient Egyptians were White. A look at the current population in Egypt now will tell you as much.

Ugh, I forgot that I was going to add more to this. Anyway, I know you're being sarcastic, but that doesn't change what I said.


You are putting way, way, way, way too much thought into a shitty joke comment.


1) Trolls, which if you really wanted to do this proper you would have replied to Arcanum with a picture from one of those white-washing egypt movies and said "...They look white to me?".


I mean, I already threw a picture of that movie under the swap tag in my post, so that option was already taken.


On the topic of "Gods/Goddesses were just extraordinary people", just look to their profiles. Goddesses of Fertility could have once been medicine women and midwives. Gods of War could have simply been great Generals. Zeus? Quite possibly was a man that found some way to harness lightning without killing himself. Anubis? Was quite possibly a Judge that literally cut the hearts out of the dead, weighed them on a scale and just threw them to crocs if they weighed too much. Is it too much of a stretch? I'd like to think that Gods and Goddesses were people that were idolized enough to be called that.

Again, thinking about this way too much. Old Gods and Pantheons are explanations for the unexplainable. Big bright orb that travels across the sky? No fucking idea what that might be, clearly someone beyond our knowledge/power put it there. We should make sure we don't piss that person off and worship them. Boom, sun god. The reason old gods are tied to specific themes/elements/aspects is to offer an explanation to the otherwise unexplainable.

The more science explains things, the less reason there is for a magic handwave reason.

The last big unknown out there is death, and surprise, all the remaining religions have a huge focus on the afterlife.

[MasterOfMagic]

You're setting a false dichotomy here. There are people, perfectly capable of living their lives normally, but believe in utter nonsense, because they don't actually know the truth and aren't really interested in researching the topic because it doesn't affect their daily lives. It's not a black and white thing. I'm not a troll, this was just a flight of fancy gone awry.
Yeah, for whatever reason I believe you.

Its not a false dichotomy, I wasn't saying you definately were one or the other. Just...usually that's what it is, so that's why people are in a bit of a state of disbelief.

That plus, it honestly doesn't take a lot of thinking about it. I found lots of explanations of how they might have done it with a quick google search, and they were all plausible and fairly similar to one another. Any one of them was more likely than aliens.

I apologize to anyone I angered or offended. It was meant to be a silly thread from the start, but as I said, I sabotaged my own efforts on accident in the first paragraph. So, the only thing I can ask for is forgiveness for being stupid enough to not make my intentions clear.
It ended up pretty silly so I think you succeeded.


I mean, I already threw a picture of that movie under the swap tag in my post, so that option was already taken.
Oh that's true, what was I thinking...

[Tev]

What, nah, we totally remember you. You're, uh... Definitely that guy who made the flaming swordchucks. Yeah. That was you.
I know I'm like almost four pages late but.....:argh: LEV!

[rpgdemon]

Muahahah

[POS Industries]

This is a good thread.

[Aerozord]

I disliked the "because aliens" thing because it comes from the mindset of "there is no way humans could have done this" which is really underestimating our species. The ancient Egyptians are just as smart as we are today. Our personal bias causes us to forget just what we have accomplished. How many inventions aren't new, just newly rediscovered. These were a people that greatly understood chemistry and biology, math and astronomy.

The idea that this society that understood the processes of decay to the point they could preserve a body for thousands of years wouldn't be able to carve a rectangular stones is absurd.

Its not that we humans cant do things. We could terraform planets if we wanted. Its a matter of time and money that usually restricts us. Not our minds and resources.

[MuMu]

I'm glad that even though NPF has been pretty slow the posters will still come back for a collective "Nah, mate, you're full of shit."

[Sithdarth]

The human brain is pretty much exactly as powerful and versatile as it was thousands of years ago. There really hasn't been any evolution in cognitive power. The only thing that changed is that we created complex language and abstract thought and used those things to accumulate knowledge over time. It turns out that accumulated knowledge grows exponentially so that the rate we are able to create new knowledge has grown very quickly as the total amount of knowledge we have has grown.

Anyway, long story short if you invented a time machine and stole a "cave man" baby (modern human from the stone age) and raised it in today's world it wouldn't be any different than any other child. Assuming you got to it early enough. We're talking like the first couple months or earlier.

I guess another difference is culture/necessity. Ancient people came up with creative solutions because they didn't have the same level of technology and knowledge. Modern life has spoiled us somewhat but really we're just creative in different ways. For example, the computers were a major creative leap. Different than finding a way to build the pyramid but both accomplishments are probably close to parity in terms of creative leaps from the established technology of their respective times.

[Steel Shadow]

And if you want more examples of that creativity in action, just look at all these conspiracy theories! We truly are gifted.

[Tev]

Not to mention that the Egyptians didn't up and decide to make a perfect pyramid right out of the gate. It was lifetimes of trial and error to get to that point.


http://66.media.tumblr.com/d465ab090eb795c369dd2d48da2a682e/tumblr_o0rx2iRIzR1rsrfuio1_500.jpg

This is the Great Pyramid of King Khufu. Everybody knows the Great Pyramid of King Khufu, but you probably don’t know about the Shit Pyramids of his father, King Sneferu. This is a shame, because they are amazing.

When King Sneferu came to the throne of Egypt, the cool thing that all the pharaohs had was a Step Pyramid, like the original one built by King Djoser and designed by Imhotep (not the mummy). King Sneferu could easily have had one one because his predecessor King Huni had died before his could be finished. All Sneferu had to do was step in and put the last few blocks on.

But King Sneferu had a vision. He didn’t want any old Step Pyramid. He was going to build Egypt’s first smooth-sided pyramid, and make King Huni’s pyramid way taller in the bargain. It didn’t work. The core of Huni’s pyramid couldn’t handle the modifications and nowadays the Step Pyramid at Meidum looks like this:

http://66.media.tumblr.com/e5fd130073496136c4668a7991657cd6/tumblr_inline_o0rxq3Cw6k1r9z3oo_540.jpg

It’s not on a hill - that’s the outer layers of the pyramid that have fallen down all around it. The name of the structure in Arabic is Heram el-Kaddaab, which means something like The Sort-Of Pyramid.

Anyway, King Sneferu was understandably disappointed and made his pyramid-builders start over from scratch at a different site. Apparently having learned nothing about the Big Fat Nowhere that hubristic pyramid ambition was going to get him, this pyramid was designed to be even taller and pointier than the last effort! Too tall and pointy, in fact - the bedrock proved to be less stable than he might have hoped, and by the time the pyramid was half-finished stuff was already moving and cracking inside of it. There are ceilings in this pyramid that are to this day partially held up by wooden beams.

The builders seem to have panicked and decided that the only way to finish the pyramid without another disaster was to make the top half lighter than the bottom half. They did this by changing the angle of the slope, ending up with a pyramid that looks like this:

http://67.media.tumblr.com/cf99bcac4a65b7f7fe56f47540e142ba/tumblr_inline_o0rxq4FBTL1r9z3oo_540.jpg

Egyptologists call this one the Bent Pyramid for fairly obvious reasons. Uniquely among Egyptian Pyramids, it has most of its smooth outer blocks intact, rather than having them all stolen to build other stuff (most of medieval Cairo is built from the skin of the Giza pyramids). I’m guessing this is because nobody dared touch the thing for fear the whole structure would come down like a giant limestone game of Jenga.

I’m sure the pyramid-builders were very proud of this solution. Sneferu appears to have been less so. He had them move over about half a mile and start over. Again. Why only half a mile when he had them move 34 miles between the Sort-of Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid is a mystery. I think he wanted to keep them in sight of the Bent Pyramid so they could look at it and feel ashamed every once in a while.

And there they built Sneferu’s third pyramid, which is called the Red Pyramid. As pyramids go, it’s a very cautious one - it’s got the shallowest slope rise of any Egyptian pyramid, and while it’s the same height as the Bent Pyramid it spreads its weight over a much greater base area, making it far more stable. Sneferu seems to have been happy with this one, because he was buried in it. Either that, or after a forty-eight-year reign he just finally died and that was the pyramid they used because it was the nicest of the three.

http://67.media.tumblr.com/1b835e886372ddb52cb45f915a10ca57/tumblr_inline_o0rxq4foTs1r9z3oo_540.jpg

These three pyramids together actually contain substantially more stone than the Great Pyramid of Sneferu’s son Khufu. By the time Sneferu died, his workforce had honed themselves into a lean, mean pyramid-building machine. They had already made every possible pyramid mistake. So when Khufu announced that he didn’t just want a great pyramid, but The Great Pyramid, these guys built him a pyramid so fucking great that we now think aliens must have done it.

http://66.media.tumblr.com/767678029c806e493e12e5323da23580/tumblr_inline_o0rxq45OK21r9z3oo_540.jpg

It was as true in Ancient Egypt as it is now.

[rpgdemon]

Yeah okay but what if those "mummies" are actually the aliens who built the pyramids then your whole story falls apart!!! Wake up, SHEEPLE!!

[Solid Snake]

Tev, your history lesson was mostly superb, except that you've made the classic mistake of believing these were burial sites when they were in fact grain storage sites, (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/05/ben-carson-believes-joseph-built-egypts-pyramids-to-store-grain-and-it-just-may-get-him-some-votes/) constructed by the Bible's own Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat, for the storage of grain.

[Tev]

I assume they just stored bodies in them after all the grain was eaten and everyone was done singing with the narrator?

[Premmy]

RE: Pyramids
Let's ignore the various levels of Racism inherent in "Human minds of the time couldn't have conceived of a way to build the pyramids"

Ya'll do know the pyramids didn't look the way they do now when they were made, right?

Like literally the pyramids were coated in a thick layer of stone and precious minerals for centuries before being slowly broken down, looted, forgotten and then rediscovered so that what we consider to be the pyramids at this moment and our understanding of how they are constructed now is basically like looking at a mirror that happens to have broken in a unique pattern, assuming it was made that way, and then trying to decipher greater meaning from the pattern.

[Tev]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my explanation post pointed out that much if the Giza pyramids were cannibalized to build older parts of Cairo.

[Aerozord]

I guess another difference is culture/necessity. Ancient people came up with creative solutions because they didn't have the same level of technology and knowledge. Modern life has spoiled us somewhat but really we're just creative in different ways. For example, the computers were a major creative leap. Different than finding a way to build the pyramid but both accomplishments are probably close to parity in terms of creative leaps from the established technology of their respective times.

Works the other way around too. There were alot of times where society was advanced enough to make things like steam engines. They even had novelty items that made use of the principles. However they didn't push for it because their near limitless supply of slave labor got the job done.

[Steel Shadow]

And one day, they'll be saying the same about us. "They had space flight technology, but earth spoiled them, they didn't have a need to reach for the stars. Then the atmosphere caught fire."

[Aerozord]

And one day, they'll be saying the same about us. "They had space flight technology, but earth spoiled them, they didn't have a need to reach for the stars. Then the atmosphere caught fire."

Part of me is actually fine with ruining the environment if it means we stop being a one planet species. Keep in mind I will accept just about anything to make that happen including actions that directly hurt myself, friends, and family.

[Solid Snake]

Part of me is actually fine with ruining the environment if it means we stop being a one planet species.

I love SPACE, SPACE, SPACE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVn1oQL9sWg) as much as the next sphere, but there has to be a more reasonable position on space exploration to take than "Hey, let's ruin the environment of the one planet we know is perfect for our species to flourish in, that will force us to be more miserable and suffer elsewhere!"

Because, if there's one thing I understand about space, it's that there may well be billions of worlds out there to explore, but none of them, not one, is going to be anything close to Earth for us. Earth is the best. It's our civilization that's fuckin' it up.

[Aerozord]

I love SPACE, SPACE, SPACE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVn1oQL9sWg) as much as the next sphere, but there has to be a more reasonable position on space exploration to take than "Hey, let's ruin the environment of the one planet we know is perfect for our species to flourish in, that will force us to be more miserable and suffer elsewhere!"

Because, if there's one thing I understand about space, it's that there may well be billions of worlds out there to explore, but none of them, not one, is going to be anything close to Earth for us. Earth is the best. It's our civilization that's fuckin' it up.

there are other ways, hell we could do it right now, but its stupidly expensive and unlike when the space race was going on no nation is willing to dump that much of its economy into it. Its sad but I cant see anything besides pure desperation, I dont see us leaving Earth unless we HAVE to leave Earth.

That or some crazy billionaire creates Space Vegas

Which is actually a very apt analogy since creating Las Vegas at the time also seemed completely insane.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I love SPACE, SPACE, SPACE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVn1oQL9sWg) as much as the next sphere, but there has to be a more reasonable position on space exploration to take than "Hey, let's ruin the environment of the one planet we know is perfect for our species to flourish in, that will force us to be more miserable and suffer elsewhere!"

Because, if there's one thing I understand about space, it's that there may well be billions of worlds out there to explore, but none of them, not one, is going to be anything close to Earth for us. Earth is the best. It's our civilization that's fuckin' it up.

Likely to be true but not necessarily, especially with the word perfect. There are things about Earth that make it very hostile to human life, whole swaths of it that are uninhabitable or require lots of things to work for us in the numbers we have.

There could totally be a better planet out there for us, but it's not a good idea to stake ourselves on that just like it's not a good idea to jump out your window because there might be a pile of a million dollars to catch you.

[Aerozord]

Likely to be true but not necessarily, especially with the word perfect. There are things about Earth that make it very hostile to human life, whole swaths of it that are uninhabitable or require lots of things to work for us in the numbers we have.

There could totally be a better planet out there for us, but it's not a good idea to stake ourselves on that just like it's not a good idea to jump out your window because there might be a pile of a million dollars to catch you.

I disagree only as far as, any area is habitable because we make it habitable. See Las Vegas. Which is still towards your point though. Yes we'd probably have to make another world habitable, but humans evolved to do just that. Look I live in the Great Lakes region. This is considered one of the most hospitable areas on the planet and we still get months of weather that would kill us to go outside and for most humans the sun will fry your skin with radiation on the months that aren't cold.

Building shelters, protection against elements, altering local ecologies, farming land, diverting water, this is normal for us.

[Solid Snake]

There could totally be a better planet out there for us,

The odds of this are infinitesimal even assuming both a near-infinite number of other worlds and sufficient scientific advances to implement large-scale terraforming.

We evolved on this planet; everything about our biology is uniquely suited to thrive on Earth. And even then, as you'e noted, there are parts of this planet that are incredibly challenging for human life.

We're not going to find another Earth in our lifetimes, so we have an obligation to act as faithful stewards of this planet -- and we certainly shouldn't try to pretend there's any upside whatsoever to trashing the one and only place in the cosmos we're remotely suited to live on.

The Earth is special. I don't mean that in some Biblical sense (though the Institute for Creation Research would certainly like you to believe that there's some correlation between the Earth's unique properties and the existence of a higher power, which is hogwash, and I say that as a Christian myself.)

The solar system is not unique, planets are not unique, and the existence of life is not unique; if anything, as David Waltham points out, "We shouldn’t be surprised by Earth’s suitability for life because the physical, chemical, and biological laws of the Universe guarantee the existence of many such worlds." Which means that many worlds are suited for life, but nonetheless, complex lifeforms like those on Earth evolve to fit the planet; "Life [on this planet, as we know it] has adapted to fit Earth."

In other words, I believe life may exist on other planets -- even moons in this very solar system -- but we specifically as a complex species have evolved over hundreds of millions of years in such a way that we're dependent on so much that's unique to Earth. Its gravity, the presence of abundant water in its liquid form, the content of its atmosphere, plate tectonics, the presence of Jupiter to shield us from space debris, our moon's stabilizing effects on our rotation to ensure a stable climate...

Astronauts spend mere months in space and return grievously weakened. Any colonization effort we embark upon would require similarly massive adjustments to make most worlds remotely akin to Earth. Until then, this is all we have; and even assuming multitudes of other planets exist that are suited for life, few will be suitable for human habitation, which is a much more stringent set of criteria.

I want us to explore and colonize space some day too, but we sure as hell better preserve our Home. All the idiots who assume that the complete destruction of our planet is an inevitability -- and that humanity, like a viral contagion, is destined to ultimately destroy every world it inhabits -- have a fundamentally flawed view on our ethical responsibilities to the Earth and any other planet we settle upon. If we are not faithful stewards and instead act like tyrants and simply ruin all that we take, then our ultimate ethical responsibility is to die out before we ruin any planet at all. Humanity must not be a destructive force; we must seek harmony with the universe, not adversarial dominion over it. And that starts with treating our home planet with some fuckin' respect.

[Aerozord]

We wont find another planet in our lifetime because we won't reach another star system in our lifetime.

I'm talking about orbiting colonies like O'Neil Cylinders. Where we can control everything from gravity to temperature.

This is just me being pedantic because its completely impractical but, its not near-infinite it is infinite worlds. Meaning there are infinite other Earths. Yes we will never reach them, just saying, technically they do exist

[Steel Shadow]

... I'm going to need a citation on that 'literally infinite' thing you're pushing there.

[Premmy]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my explanation post pointed out that much if the Giza pyramids were cannibalized to build older parts of Cairo.

Boy I stopped reading your weird Fake Kung-fu Philosophy Poi fire bullshit years ago.

[Aerozord]

... I'm going to need a citation on that 'literally infinite' thing you're pushing there.

Best summed up by this quote from wikipedia
Although it is usually assumed in the literature that a flat or negatively curved universe is infinite, this need not be the case if the topology is not the trivial one.

The exact shape is still a matter of debate in physical cosmology, but experimental data from various, independent sources (WMAP, BOOMERanG and Planck for example) confirm that the observable universe is flat with only a 0.4% margin of error

The wiki article itself (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_universe). If you want more fact checking you can take a look at its citations but I wanted to be succinct.

Of course there is a margin of error, and its assuming our mathematical models are correct. But if you ask your average astrophysicist to say what they think is most likely most would say we live in a flat infinite universe

[Steel Shadow]

Interesting! I hadn't heard that view before! The argument doesn't really convince me, but it's fascinating to consid- Hey, wait a sec.

...One of the presently unanswered questions about the universe is whether it is infinite or finite in extent...

That feels a whole lot less certain than you're saying here. Granted, that page has far more physics on it than I want to wrap my noodly brain around at this hour of the morning. Still, if examined at a close enough angle, if you zoom in enough, doesn't a curve appear straight?

[Aerozord]

Interesting! I hadn't heard that view before! The argument doesn't really convince me, but it's fascinating to consid- Hey, wait a sec.



That feels a whole lot less certain than you're saying here. Granted, that page has far more physics on it than I want to wrap my noodly brain around at this hour of the morning. Still, if examined at a close enough angle, if you zoom in enough, doesn't a curve appear straight?

yes thats the .4% margin of error. This is also why I said "if you had to make an astrophysicist pick one" since we can never be 100% sure. Thats kind of the nature of infinity. But since we can measure it to less than half a percent of certainty and it fits all of our mathematical models and there is so far no reason to believe its wrong, its reasonable to conclude its flat.

Let me put it this way, there is more evidence that the universe is flat than that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs

[rpgdemon]

Of course the universe is flat, otherwise the earth wouldn't be able to sit on top of it.

[MasterOfMagic]

Of course the universe is flat, otherwise the earth wouldn't be able to sit on top of it.

Nah we are just on a plateau, that's why everything looks like it's moving away from us

[Tev]

Boy I stopped reading your weird Fake Kung-fu Philosophy Poi fire bullshit years ago.Again, several days late but.....:mad:

LEV!:argh: