Evolution

The topic & the evidence for both sides is fascinating & I always enjoy the discussion.

Evolution, I believe, wasn't pushed so much as part of a great conspiracy, it's just that the average publicized information & evidence for evolution gets generalized & smoothed over & misconceptions get created & passed on - especially in our textbooks. Students don't let questions fly (or they go unanswered) hoping that it'll make sense some time later down the road. When later comes around they believe evolution but can't tell you why & try to justify with the same ignorant & fraudulent misconceptions. It's a shame - they're told WHAT to think, not HOW to think.

Evolution defies itself, defies logic & defies at least two established laws of science (2nd law of thermodynamics is one). The more we learn & find out, the more exposed it gets. For those not honest enough to accept that, they have every reason to be worried & defensive.

I certainly won't say there is any concrete proof of creation but we do know that evolution didn't happen & that is based on real physical evidence (tho some are still having a hard time letting go).

What I find especially interesting is not so much the evidence against evolution, but the physical evidence that suggests the possibility of Biblical events (layer-transversing animals, trees, dinosaur depictions & tracks, bacterial flagellum, etc). It certainly keeps some questions out there (is there a God? Did the events mentioned in the Bible really happen?) and in some cases the evidence suggests & indicates that it is VERY possible & perhaps even likely.

Atheistic Arrogance

Crown of Thorns

I drew it up & had it tattooed for an armband.

:)

The Perfect Cheer!

That one may not work every time. Here's another -

Quid Est Demonstrandum

....

MTQ

Material, Time, Quality.

Brought to my attention by Kasparov, I've found the balance among these 3 factors is the foundation of every move & decision in chess.

Making a correct evaluation of a position and then a correct decision requires an understanding of the tradeoffs & relative values of these core elements.

Material - describes the tangible assets
Time - how long it takes to achieve a specific objective
Quality - value

Quality = value? Sure. There are some positions in which a bishop may be of more value than a rook or some in which a particular pawn even more valuable than a piece. Anything if it wins the game.

He says "evaluation trumps calculation".

I'm sure there are better examples but here is one instance where this was part of my play.

White to move.My opponent just played his bishop to h7. I immediately took the knight on f6 with my rook on f1. As you can probably calculate, I got a knight & two pawns for my rook. Even tho it adds up to a rook's numerical value, it was the resulting position as the very reason I gave less value to the rook.

I had been losing the game badly & been outplayed up to that point. This gave me an easy draw from a previously losing position.

You can replay the entire game here.

Two Games

I played a couple of games over the weekend. Two wins. I'm still making mistakes, tho.
Click here to replay the games.