Posts made by bunyonb

@davitchen What's up Barry Allen!!!!

@jmilitzer To share knowledge,have great discussions on any topic(preferrably IT but anything else is fine too) and in turn learn from others with diverse backgrounds,culture etc.

@Ara lol and this is why I said faith is not a bad thing in itself. Context is important. People trust science because we understand that the role of science is not about accepting beliefs without evidence, the evidence that science finds is scrutinized. Everything in science is scrutinized for their validity. We can have faith that the methods of science and the painstaking research that goes into a scientific endeavor would lead to people having some level of faith in the credibility of anything that the science community puts out versus a religious institution that will come up with many illustrations,stories,legends they might even try to blend science in somehow but as long as they cant provide irrefutable objective proof of their claims, then their arguments are more likely to be held in question and heavy scrutiny than secular works. Science does not have an agenda in proposing a belief,it is simply discovering and seeks to provide a plausible explanation. When it cannot explain a phenomena using scienitfic principles it has the honesty to say it does not know.On the other hand, religious dogma in general, are of the intellectual arrogance that not only are they right but they are right with full certainty and unwillingness to change when contrary evidence is right in their faces. Science is merely a formal process in observation and experimentation of the natural world and our interpretation of the evidence from scientific discoveries. It is from these scientific discoveries,the interpretation of their findings forms the basis for our beliefs and at the same time is a human weakness. It could be argued that scientific data can be deliberately manipulated to serve heinous agendas. We already saw this with the Tobacco Industry and concerns about the environment. But that is not the fault of science,that is the fault of people. When we say that we believe in gravity or the theory of gravity it is because we have falsifying evidence that there is a fundamental force called "gravity" as we have labeled it and its act on a falling body. It is no longer a belief or a theory in the purest sense because we can demonstrate it for ourselves. We can believe in scientific data because of its reputation in providing objective evidence with as much unbiased factors as possible and that which can be falsified. That is why when you quote scientific research form peer-reviewed journals,articles,clinical tests any argument you put forth that is supported by these bodies of research, it will add credibility to whatever you argue for or against. Science aims to explain and understand,not to indoctrinate and any "scientist" that indoctrinates violates scientific principles. Science as a collective institution aims to produce more and more accurate natural explanations of how the natural world works,what it is composed of and why it is the way it is now. Science is open to criticism and revision. What could be held as right today could be wrong tomorrow if someone discovered that a popular axiom or conjecture was based on something faulty or misunderstood then you will see a change. Finally,science does not know everything. There are things yet to be discovered and if somebody knows something to work they still have to somehow participate in scientific acts such as making sure that there is a link between the cause and effect,that it is falsifiable to establish some certainty that Y happens if you take X.

@Emily Yes. It is Secondlife. That's nice. What's your name? lol

@Tina The question was to simplify the boolean expression, F=A’B’C’+A’B’C+AB’C’+AB’C

then draw a logic gate diagram for F=A’B’C’+A’B’C+AB’C’+AB’C

@Ara LOL there is nothing wrong with holding two contradictory ideas in your head. In fact that is one of the textbook signs of a critical thinker.

@Ara I respect people's views and beliefs to a certain extent as long as they do not infringe on the rights and opinions of others. Everyone is entitled to an opinion/belief. The problem comes when they try to force it on others. I come from a household where my father was a deist at first and then became a full blown atheist. My mother was a protestant christian and she still is. You can imagine the many arguments about the bible and christianity lol but they are still getting along fine. My position is this. I need evidence to confirm these claims. Evidence makes all the difference,not faith. Faith is nice,it can be useful but it is not facts. I do not know if there is a god or if he exists. If he/she does exist, great! And i would have some questions for him/her. If not, oh well.

@Ara Understood, I know it's a complex issue. I have heard of that nonsense a lot. The dishonesty of the religious. I am more agnostic and atheist leaning to be honest the more I learn about the world,history especially religious history and logic. It does not mean i hate the religious,but i hate what they do resulting from religious dogma and indoctrination.

@Ara Right. Is it because of lack of education or information why people continue to push these anti-vaccine hoaxes? I am of the assumption that countries like France and others in Europe should have a fairly well educated population based on their education system. It's the US system that is always demonized and the leader in conspiracy theories of this kind.

@Ara Exactly. It is not like these dissenters actually have reasonable arguments and evidence against vaccination. They are seeing the effects of unvaccinated children through the number of deaths rising in measles infections and they still deny it. Why is this? Their arguments are superficial or based on political feelings or religious dogma. What would it take for these hard-headed people to act in the name of public safety and children's lives to do the right thing regardless of what they feel or believe?

@Ara Thank you. It is because I wrestle with the same problems you might be having yourself for years. I still have a lot of work to do but the point is that you shouldn't give up and keep working. For example I have some weaknesses in mathematics that im working on. That's what makes life so challenging and interesting at the same time.

Defined as F=A’B’C’+A’B’C+AB’C’+AB’C

According to Boolean Identitities and laws:

Using the rules A+A’=1 and A+A=A we get

F=A’B’(C’+C)+AB’(C’+C)

F=A’B’(1)+AB’(1) using the rule A(1)=A

F=A’B’+AB’

Using the distributive rule A(B+C)= AB+BC

B’(A’+A) Using the A+A’=1 rule

B’(1) Using the rule A(1)=A

Final simplified expression is B’

The logic gate diagram for this function would be:

LOL I know this picture. Good find.

@sarah This is about parents who refuse vaccinations for their children and end up posing a threat to others in public spaces.

There are a lot of conspiracy theorists claiming that vaccinations cause autism and other harmful factors despite the accumulating evidence such as this and this,that vaccination is an effective method to prevent diseases and there is no link between vaccinations and autism. Some reasons from dissenters ranged from religious reasons, "Because it is against God's will" to political,"Violation policies violate personal liberties". Much of the opposition stems from a great distrust in their government. This is not an American problem alone. It is quite a shame to see reports like these from countries like France where the government is complaining that children are dying from preventable diseases like measles because of these hard-headed people.. They now have to make vaccinations of children from 2018 mandatory,where non-vaccinated children cannot attend state schools. The asinine ideas of the conspiracy theorists despite evidence that contradict their opposing claims about vaccination,proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy when they complain about the infringement of their rights. Their stubbornness and unwillingness to examine the evidence that contradicts their theories, have brought others in harm's way because of their unvaccinated children become a public health hazard to others. Their rights to go unvaccinated ends up violating the rights of others who do not share their views.

What do you think should be done in bringing about understanding to these people about the facts and the possible flaws of vaccination if there is any?

@Ara This is also another thing you have to watch out for. You have another obstacle which is ironically yourself. Self-doubt and fear are things that you have to wrestle with on a daily basis. Fear isn't isn't all bad,just misdirected when it comes to achieving your goals. Fear wants to protect you from uncertainty and danger but life is a stochastic process. There is nothing anyone can do no matter how much money,resources,associations he/she has from preventing a disaster when it occurs. You can only prepare for what you know and what can be preventable. Fear appears overwhelming at first but fear doesn't stay with you if you wait it out. You have to learn to wrestle with it when it becomes a hindrance,acknowledge it and let it dissipate on its own. Meanwhile, keep working despite your fears,doubts and naysayers. It is a painful necessity to work alongside your fear,to do what needs to be done despite the perceived negative feelings. I learn much of this from studying eastern philosophy such as Buddhism,Taoism and Zen two years ago. After all of that inquiry with a half-assed practice of meditation and contemplation, I noticed an overall reduction in habits of worrying,procrastination,greater self-control and a more rational mind. It's like I grew up but with the awareness of what I lack and still lack. Everyday I am working and time is precious. I understand the role of feelings,its influence on the human mind and behavior, and how it can be deceiving and lead us to make stupid decisions and say stupid things if we do not analyze them.

@W--a--v--e--y Great contribution. I agree with some of the points here especially where it concerns third wave feminism(also called neo-liberal feminism). It has played a major role in the eroding relationships between men and women. The society and government accomodates the extremist propaganda as well. You can see it in the advertisements,in the institutions of learning especially college campuses. I was shocked to see an article titled "How to Raise a Feminist Son" from the NYtimes and the article reads like pure neo-liberal feminist propaganda terror. feminism suffers from trying to make one sex like the other. Why not raise girls to be the best, most empowered women possible, and teach what it means to be a man to boys? I don't think we should downplay what it is to be a man or a woman but rather embrace our differences and just be the best individuals we can be. But feminism wants more than just equality,hell they stopped caring about equality when people can write batshit insane articles like that one. Feminism is not female superiority and that's what these extremists refuse to acknowledge. I also agree that we have become solitary beings in general,there is less social interaction anywhere i go,not just on this platform but even in MMOs designed for social interaction. Not all tradition is bad. The traditional way of socializing;that is to go out and meet people at an event and speak with them face to face is an irreplacable experience of human social interaction which no amount of sophisticated advances in technology could ever best or should.... Apart from the MGTOW movements or Men's Right's Activists, there have been more moderate groups that are not as batshit insane as you have pointed out.They have a more moderate or balanced approach. No anger,no lashing out,just straight facts,with solutions, such as this community on reddit

@Miranda21 Ok I will send you a message.

Yes . Not yet but hopefully,I just need to stay determined. There are no substitutes for hard work and good strategies. Inspiration is good but hard work with a strategy is what gets things done. I feel there is much more to do.