At 4/25/10 12:07 PM, Johnny wrote: Poker

Anyone play seriously? I try to get in at least 200 hands a day online, compete in live 9 player 'sit and go' tournament once a week, and play live tournaments once a month in Atlantic City. (and soon Philly raceway)

I go through phases of playing poker a shit ton. Probably will start going to atlantic city once I turn 21. What stakes are you playing online / what site / how many tables / short hand or full ring?

At 4/25/10 04:16 PM, Coaly wrote: What stakes are you playing online / what site / how many tables / short hand or full ring?

Online: (UltimateBet.com)

For cash, anywhere between .01/.02, to $1/$2 0 depending on my mood and bankroll.
For sit and go, generally the $5 or $10 tables. Full ring.
For tournements, up to $10.00 buy-ins. Anywhere from 100-1000 players.

For live sit and go, tournaments and cash games multiply my buy-ins by 10. Generally I'll do $1/$2-$10/$20 cash, or $50-$200 sit and go and tournaments.

Online is too convenient and there are too many idiots for me to drop the kind of bling on I do in live games.

At 4/25/10 01:03 PM, Archon68 wrote: Stuff

Oh you'd love Britain. Basically an atheist/agnostic country. I'm a christian myself and to tell people that makes them kind of like take me stupidly, it doesn't sound that bad though. I think that intolerance is one of the most annoying things there is, and Atheism compared to Communism... that's stupid. I like Socialism, not so much the corruption of socialism into communism but you know.

At 4/25/10 03:28 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: write the essay though, that's the correct place to bitch about it.

I know you don't care the slightest, but I have just lost all respect for you.

For the past fourteen years I've had to deal with insane amounts of religious bullshit and I am fucking done with it.

Every time I even hint at the fact that there is indeed no God, I receive dirty looks and an awkward silence ensues. Nobody is even willing to argue their cause--instead, they just decide that they are right and won't hear any more of my blasphemies. But, for some reason they are all allowed to speak of their religious beliefs openly and publicly. So I'm the douche?

No, I'm a free thinker. I'm the one who wants to change this fucked up world we live in.

Give me ONE reasonable plausible argument against Atheism or any kind of reasoning for the naturally irrational belief in God and I'll shut up. Go on, try me. I'm open to some argument.

At 4/25/10 04:48 PM, Johnny wrote: Online is too convenient and there are too many idiots for me to drop the kind of bling on I do in live games.

All sounds pretty legit, dunno anything about UB, I've only played on pokerstars and fulltilt. It makes sense to go up in buyin for live games, because reads come into play, online play is mostly about doing the best thing, usually the same thing for every situation based on what information you have. That's why most serious online players will play thousands of hands in a sitting, and 12+ tables. My main problem is that I get angry about the random shit people do.

Now I'm really looking forward to playing some live tournaments.

Wow, I'm watching a documentary about kids on medication by Louis Theroux because someone in General recommended it. I know the documentary might be a bit one-sided, still I'm dumbfounded. Something, somewhere went very wrong. I would like to punch some of these people in the testicles.

I don't think it's about religion specifically but more about how people react towards or against it.

At 4/25/10 05:04 PM, Archon68 wrote: Every time I even hint at the fact that there is indeed no God,

I think I see where the problem is. You speak of it as if it was a universally proven fact, in a room full of religious people. I'm pretty sure the same thing would happen if someone came into a community full of Atheists and told everyone to bow down to God.

Give me ONE reasonable plausible argument against Atheism or any kind of reasoning for the naturally irrational belief in God and I'll shut up. Go on, try me. I'm open to some argument.

Better men that our generation have debated this topic. I think Pascal even once said that it was impossible to both prove and disprove God. He even had a whole philosophy which he called "Pascal's Wager"

At 4/25/10 05:34 PM, 4urentertainment wrote: Better men that our generation have debated this topic. I think Pascal even once said that it was impossible to both prove and disprove God.

I never asked for anyone to prove or disprove Creationism. I simply asked for someone who disagrees with me to provide a reason for which he does so.

Ehm, accidentally pressed post. As I was saying:

Better men that our generation have debated this topic. I think Pascal even once said that it was impossible to both prove and disprove God. He even had a whole philosophy which he called "Pascal's Wager". And Einstein also held a similar position.

On completely unrelated note of Newgrounds Sponsorship

I recently received a bid on my game on FGL by non other than Newgrounds themselves. It was a starting bid, so it was pretty low, but I was excited nonetheless.

3 weeks and lots of counter bids later, I arrived at a price I'm pretty happy with. But Newgrounds haven't logged into their account after they bid, so they never saw the updated game or the counter bids. I'm going to be accepting a bid soon, but I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of getting sponsored by Newgrounds. And I believe Tom is very hard to reach with the thousands of Emails he gets. I just want to be sure that Newgrounds isn't interested before going with someone else.

Any suggestions?

At 4/25/10 05:39 PM, Archon68 wrote: I never asked for anyone to prove or disprove Creationism. I simply asked for someone who disagrees with me to provide a reason for which he does so.

I must have misunderstood you then.

Also, Pascal's Wager's link which I forgot. It's an interesting read.

On completely unrelated note of Newgrounds Sponsorship

I recently received a bid on my game on FGL by non other than Newgrounds themselves. It was a starting bid, so it was pretty low, but I was excited nonetheless.

3 weeks and lots of counter bids later, I arrived at a price I'm pretty happy with. But Newgrounds haven't logged into their account after they bid, so they never saw the updated game or the counter bids. I'm going to be accepting a bid soon, but I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of getting sponsored by Newgrounds. And I believe Tom is very hard to reach with the thousands of Emails he gets. I just want to be sure that Newgrounds isn't interested before going with someone else.

Any suggestions?

Damnit, my internet is fucking with me.

What was that, like an overlapping duo of double-posts? Haha.

At 4/25/10 05:41 PM, 4urentertainment wrote: Also, Pascal's Wager's link which I forgot. It's an interesting read.

I see quite a few flaws in Pascal's Wager.

1) His theory relies on the assumption that Christianity is the only religion. As stated in the "Arguments" paragraph,

"Since there have been many religions throughout history, and therefore many potential gods, some assert that all of them need to be factored into the wager, in an argument known as the argument from inconsistent revelations. This would lead to a high probability of believing in the wrong god, which destroys the mathematical advantage Pascal claimed with his Wager."

2) His assertion that "a person should wager as though God exists, because living life accordingly has everything to gain, and nothing to lose." does not take into account modern knowledge and modern problems. If God was somehow disproven, scientific advancements would happen much more often and limits on scientific discoveries, enforced by Christian-dominated governments such as ours, would be lifted, leading to even more advancements in medicine and science.

At 4/25/10 05:52 PM, Archon68 wrote: advancements in medicine.

Why medicine?

At 4/25/10 05:57 PM, Deadclever23 wrote:

At 4/25/10 05:52 PM, Archon68 wrote: advancements in medicine.

Why medicine?

Stem cell research at the very least:

All the Atheists I know - For it
Most of the Creationists I know - Against it

GCSE Art

I'm currently going through my GCSE's, and my art exam is on Tuesday and Wednesday (two 5 hour days).

Now, I chose the starting point of Masks, and used Dan Paladin and Castle Crashers art as an artist to refer back to.

My final piece, is going to be an animation, but as of now I have no idea what of.

What it has to be is, my starting point, combined with influences from the artist I chose.

So I'm thinking maybe a scene similar to Castle Crashers with a little battle happening, or maybe just even a character running through scenes.

Anyone have any fun ideas I could do in 10 hours or so?

At 4/25/10 06:01 PM, Archon68 wrote: Stem cell research at the very least:

All the Atheists I know - For it
Most of the Creationists I know - Against it

What makes researching medicine 'right' though?

At 4/25/10 06:11 PM, Deadclever23 wrote: What makes researching medicine 'right' though?

Things such as stem cell research could, in the future, cure paralysis or replace faulty organs. What most people don't understand is that it doesn't require you to kill babies. These ideas are mainly held by religious individuals who are ignorant to the process of obtaining stem cells. Sure, there are a few exceptions where educated people are against this research, but I am talking about these anti-stem-cell-research-people in general.

At 4/25/10 05:39 PM, Archon68 wrote:

At 4/25/10 05:34 PM, 4urentertainment wrote: Better men that our generation have debated this topic. I think Pascal even once said that it was impossible to both prove and disprove God.

I never asked for anyone to prove or disprove Creationism. I simply asked for someone who disagrees with me to provide a reason for which he does so.

I don't disagree with your beliefs, and I do disagree with pretty much every religion.

I HATE it when people try to force their beliefs on others. That goes two ways. Don't force religion on people, don't force atheism on people, don't demean people for what they believe in. Its a dick move to hate on others for what they believe in, and "snide comments" make people think of you as a douche.

You can't prove god exists, you can't disprove god exists.
Therefore, it's retarded to say with any certainty that there is a god.
And it's ALSO retarded to say with any certainty that there is no god.

Just let people believe what they want to believe, it's none of your business. I'm pretty sure your school is full of atheists like everywhere else is, people just usually don't talk about it or make a point to express it at every chance they get.

You're 14, you don't know how the universe works. And you won't in the future. And nobody will.

I'm a proponent of "don't let religion control your life". By constantly bashing it, you're letting it control your life just as much as people who believe in it.

At 4/25/10 06:51 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: I'm a proponent of "don't let religion control your life". By constantly bashing it, you're letting it control your life just as much as people who believe in it.

If I am just silent, I am letting religion control my life as well. Not specifically mine, but I am letting it control the world around me, which is indirectly controlling my life.

And I am not a complete dick about it. I have Christian friends and I don't laugh at them whenever they hint at their beliefs. I just cannot stay silent if they ask about it or if they speak in a way that assumes everyone is religious.

e.g. My History book

At 4/25/10 06:56 PM, Archon68 wrote: And I am not a complete dick about it. I have Christian friends and I don't laugh at them whenever they hint at their beliefs. I just cannot stay silent if they ask about it or if they speak in a way that assumes everyone is religious.

so you get back at them by doing the same thing to them as what pisses you off?

At 4/25/10 07:01 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: so you get back at them by doing the same thing to them as what pisses you off?

So I should silently suffer? I should allow them to oppress me and my beliefs? I have no right to speak my mind? What is this, North Korea?

Religion

If you just look at facts and evidence, the concept of ancient aliens makes more sense scientifically than the invisible omnipotent man in the sky, and ties into all of the major books, archeological finds and modern beliefs without many issues or loopholes.

I'd be okay with that being true. The typical concept of God makes absolutely no sense to me, but I'll never call a religious person a moron strictly for their beliefs. Everyone is entitled to look at the evidence and come up with the conclusion that makes the most sense to them.

Poker

Yeah, once you hit 21, Atlantic City is a good time. I'm fortunate enough to live in Jersey if for only that reason. Pennsylvania casinos begin doing table games in July, so that's an even shorter drive for me.

You can't beat live games for competition. Online, you have to rely on people's betting patterns to determine possible outcomes, and you have to play tight-aggressive against the morons.

In the meantime, why not try and get 5-8 friends, a set of chips and do something silly like a $5.00 buy-in just to get a regular feel for the game. We have a group of 9-10 (from a pool of 15-20 people) that gather once a week for a $50.00 buy-in.

If not to play poker, its a nice way to gather together and get some socialization/competition in with friends.

I'm surprise none of you other math dorks have tried to make bank with poker.

At 4/25/10 07:03 PM, Archon68 wrote:

At 4/25/10 07:01 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: so you get back at them by doing the same thing to them as what pisses you off?

So I should silently suffer? I should allow them to oppress me and my beliefs? I have no right to speak my mind? What is this, North Korea?

if by "silently suffer" you mean "accept the fact that some people have different beliefs as you, and deal with the fact that you couldn't change their opinions anyway" then yes you should.

They should too.

you should try it sometime. Maybe it'll stop pissing you off if you just learn to ignore it

At 4/25/10 07:10 PM, Glaiel-Gamer wrote: accept the fact that some people have different beliefs as you, and deal with the fact that you couldn't change their opinions anyway

Not if those beliefs are constantly pushed on me and those same beliefs put a halt to possible medical and scientific advancements.

Its mainly just the Christians that are the problem (fucking spell checker on this picks up christian if it ain't capitalised!)
I lived in Japan for a year and not once did I have a buddist or shinto loving hippy try push their views on me. Even being in a non Christian country I still found Korean Christians posting bibles through my letter box. Heck, Christians imposing themselves was part fo the reason Japan closed them self off for so long!

Agnosticism is the way to go in my opinion. I could argue about Religion for hours, and probably have done, but I think I've come to realise that arguing about it in person with someone is more rewarding than via the internet where any kinds of conclusion are seldom met.

But in general the thought process is:

Is there a god? --> I don't know, no one does

Do you want to believe in a god? --> Yes, to be honest that would be nice. --> This doesn't change anything.

Why not follow one of the many Religions available now? --> Because they all assume some kind of omnipotent deity that for some reason cares about how we carry out our day to day lives.

Fine, I guess atheism is the way, no? --> No, that would be hypocritical, neither side can be proven as of yet.

Final Conclusion: If there is a god, he's not interested in us worshipping him and he's most likely something we cannot fathom or has not yet graced us with his presence... But that's unlikely.

Okay, I'm stopping there, must resist argument.

ImpendingRiot pretty much summed up my view completely.

At 4/25/10 07:23 PM, citricsquid wrote: pro-tip: their are religious scientists.

Yeah, like 3% of scientists.

At 4/25/10 07:25 PM, ImpendingRiot wrote: Poker
I'm a huge poker buff, Johnny.

Let's petition the Fulps to have a NG poker get-together.

*I intended to describe my explanation using neutral statements, but it came out particularly harsh. Uh.

You need to make a distinction between religion and theism. Theism is reasonable, and indeed many really smart people are theist. Einstein, and his friend Godel (whose work is really more impressive, but who is not as noted in popular culture so you likely don't know him, you kids).

But religion is undesirable. (Christianity in particular, of course.) It is societal control enforced with memes and dogmas and other arbitrary rules declared in 'holy books', written (designed) by (of course) people in the dark ages to force subjects into a particular lifestyle (marriage, servitude).

Theism is a view or belief you arrive at by contemplation, religion is forced on you by your environment (family). It promotes ignorance.

Money has taken over the function of controlling society, so enforcement of religion is no longer necessary, it's just ingrained. Now it leads to people opposing things like the theory of evolution and medical research based on their arbitrary fairy tale writings, which is why it's undesirable.

So I oppose religion as in the meme, and I do not recognize anyone's right to defend its contents as truth, and certainly not to promote it.

There's no longer much point in arguing about the contents themselves; things said in the Bible can usually be simply discredited, but it won't convince any Christians. So you just remove the religion.

As for atheism, you should be careful to not let the word come to mean "dipshit indulging in the religion of arguing with other religious people".

^Why is researching medicine right? We just research everything we can think of and evaluate whether and what for we can use things. Investigating regeneration is an obvious subject. If there is danger of a discovery that society isn't ready for, it will be taken care of from the shadows.

every time I get on here I see 6 pages of teenage angst