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Author Topic: Random thoughts  (Read 603423 times)

Lines

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #200 on: 02 Aug 2012, 17:16 »

Lols.
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Zingoleb

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #201 on: 03 Aug 2012, 11:11 »

I really know nothing about Vermont.

The capital (Burlington) has three colleges in it, and the population of Montreal is larger than the population of all of Vermont.

I almost moved up there. Still wondering if it would have been a better choice.
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Patrick

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #202 on: 07 Aug 2012, 02:36 »

When I meet famous people in my dreams, d'ya think they're meeting some strange skinny blonde dude in theirs?
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Welu

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #203 on: 07 Aug 2012, 17:28 »

Has anyone ever converted because of a person coming to the door preaching?

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #204 on: 08 Aug 2012, 00:00 »

Like spammers, they wouldn't do it if there no return at all, however small.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #205 on: 10 Aug 2012, 07:39 »

We made a bloody apron for a show that had a butcher character.  The actor kept it afterward, and left it on a hook by his front door with a large carving knife so that, when the proselytizers came by, he could greet them in it, wielding the knife, and yelling "WHAT?  I'M BUSY!!"
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LTK

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #206 on: 10 Aug 2012, 11:44 »

Are children's games - the ones they play on a playground or on a bus - all invented by children?
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Quote from: snalin
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #207 on: 10 Aug 2012, 11:54 »

I would also love to know how it is that all children know the same ones, even though I've never seen almost any of them on television or anything.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #208 on: 10 Aug 2012, 14:03 »

Every kid goes to school, and learns the games from the older kids, who in turn learned them from kids older than them, but no adult or teacher ever goes up to a kid and tells them how to play. It's just none of their business.

Tag? Hide and seek? Rope skipping too, maybe? Those games must have been around for centuries at least. Are there even cultures that don't play these games? Other than the Baining? The only reason I can think of that these games exist is that a group of kids thought them up one day while sitting around and trying to figure out what to do today.
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

Welu

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #209 on: 10 Aug 2012, 14:31 »

I've wondered about the songs we sang on the bus. Especially the ones that were based on the town or local people.

Edit: Thinking about games played in the playground, I've remembered one of the blokes in my primary school who has always been and still is quite camp. From the first day of school he only played with the girls and didn't like sports.
I remember the school got remade completely and with it, we got a load of things like jump-ropes, footballs and frisbees to play with if the teachers opened the bunkers. It seemed completely random when they would do it, not just very nice days or once a week, just when they remembered we had them.
The same thing always happened, girls were given jump-ropes and boys were given footballs. The first few times said Bloke from earlier grabbed a jump-rope and happily went off with his female friends. I remember one time, this would have been around age 8/9, they opened the bunker of toys and when he went to get a jump-rope and they told him, "No, grab a football and play with the boys." This went on for, I think, a couple of weeks. I even remember over-hearing some teachers talking about how "queer" it was he wanted to do girly games. Two teachers came out and made sure he was playing with the boys and not just hanging out, he was being made to play football or wrestle in the dirt or whatever they thought young boys did. If he went over to the girls he got told off for doing girly things.
I think after a while they noticed forcing him to hang out with the boys just led to the boys ignoring him or at worse, taking the mick out of him and Bloke was miserable and missed his friends. So the teachers just stopped coming outside or if they did, they didn't get involved.
Yes, this was a rather Catholic school.

Actually looking back on this now it'd have been nice if they put their misguided efforts into helping the children who weren't included into any playground activities at all, rather than what they were trying to do with Bloke.
« Last Edit: 10 Aug 2012, 15:13 by Welu »
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Papersatan

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #210 on: 10 Aug 2012, 14:45 »

I was at a party last month and we sang some songs from the clapping games little girls in particular play. We found there were differences in the lyrics we knew by age, and also I was different than even others my age, presumably because I was from a different region.  Several of the songs I knew were much dirtier.  I wondered if it was because I grew up in a lower income area.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #211 on: 10 Aug 2012, 14:56 »

The classic study on this matter:
The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, by Iona and Peter Opie
Highly recommended.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #212 on: 22 Aug 2012, 17:45 »

Not sure where to file this. Under F for Forum, I suppose:
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/23/passing_gas_is_an_art_and_science/
It considers the possibility of speaking from our anuses, but seems to dismiss the idea. Wonder if Jeph will see it. Some laugh out loud material here.
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Patrick

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #213 on: 26 Aug 2012, 12:30 »

Oh my god that article just made my day

It wasn't even the fart talk, it was the "Le Petomane" part. Now I get the joke behind the Governor's name in Blazing Saddles oh my god <3333333
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Zingoleb

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #214 on: 26 Aug 2012, 15:13 »

also that dude is entirely wrong. I remember learning about Le Petomane a few years back and found a super poor quality audio clip of him on youtube. It...it was terrifyingly impressive.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #215 on: 29 Aug 2012, 22:19 »

Vicodin is stamped with "M357". 


It is the 357 Magnum of pain relief. 
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Welu

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #216 on: 03 Sep 2012, 15:00 »

I've seen a lot of people wearing these Saints Bracelets. The quick Google for the photo told me Taylor Swift and Britney Spears are wearing them but I doubt that has much influence on the people I know.
Point is, of all the people I know the personal beliefs of or asked, my sample is about twenty, two considered themselves dedicated Christians. I knew them well enough I knew that about them any way. The rest were "Catholic/Protestant, I guess. I was raised it." or just said they were wearing them because they're fashionable. Most of the ones who know me well enough to know my beliefs asked, "You're an atheist. Why do you care?"

I'm not really sure, I hardly need to defend any religions. I guess it's just wearing something spiritual/religious when you don't believe in it bugs me. I wanted to say something about wearing headscarves but plenty of people do that for fashion and unrelated to their beliefs. That used to bug me a little but my friend who converted to Islam said her perspective was as long as the people wearing them weren't saying they believed in something they didn't, then it didn't matter, which makes sense. I guess the fact it's actually pictures of actual Saints are more blatant symbols of a belief that bothers me.

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #217 on: 03 Sep 2012, 15:07 »

Well, in the case of Christianity, it's done exactly what they intended. It's been marketed to such an extent in the US that unless you are a fairly ardent Atheist, it's just a part of your life, dogma, politics, symoblism and all.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #218 on: 03 Sep 2012, 15:17 »

I never thought of those bracelets as actually being about religion... I'm not sure why, maybe because I've only seen them at Spanish shops/sections, near the saint candles, and I can count the hardcore Catholics I know on one hand. I've never actually seen anyone wearing one except my sister, who has a small random collection of those kind of things, including a candle of a saint with a blonde fauxhawk who we call Hipster Jesus but I think is really St. Jude. I gave her a Virgin of Guadalupe air freshener last Christmas. And Amanda is the least religious person I can think of.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #219 on: 06 Sep 2012, 11:20 »

I just assumed that when I had a tonsillectomy, my voice would stop sounding like I had football sized tonsils in my throat. But I realize that I have no idea how I sound now and this bothers me?
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Lines

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #220 on: 06 Sep 2012, 11:55 »

Record yourself! If you have a laptop, there's a high chance that there's a microphone built into it. Also some earbud headphones have them built in, too, I've discovered.

Also people wear all sorts of symbols because of fashion that they either don't believe in or don't know what they really mean. Like when those Che Guevara shirts were popular - half the people who wore them didn't even know what he actually did. Yeah, it was annoying, but most fads surrounding symbols are. People grasp on to the dumbest things just because they're popular.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #221 on: 06 Sep 2012, 14:01 »

People always seem to forget that their is a microphone in every phone, and a record-and-playback option in all but the most ancient ones.

In my head my voice still sounds like it did when I was prepubescent, with no hint of ever going to approximate what I actually sound like. It makes hearing my own voice on record slightly strange.
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

nekowafer

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #222 on: 06 Sep 2012, 19:26 »

I was thinking that I have no way to compare it to my old voice, but then realized that I recorded some language stuff for this forum. I must find it.
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nekowafer

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #223 on: 07 Sep 2012, 05:58 »

Why the hell was some guy masturbating in the grocery store parking lot at 7 AM this morning?
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nekowafer

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #224 on: 07 Sep 2012, 05:59 »

He wasn't even in a car! He was hiding between a van and a car.
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Carl-E

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #225 on: 07 Sep 2012, 13:31 »

Not hiding well enough, I guess! 
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Patrick

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #226 on: 09 Sep 2012, 15:07 »

Guns were invented because of people who don't think the Sun is a star
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #227 on: 09 Sep 2012, 15:27 »

Or because of people who don't think humans are animals.
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #228 on: 09 Sep 2012, 15:44 »

Or because of people who think humans are no different than animals?
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #229 on: 09 Sep 2012, 16:42 »

It's been marketed to such an extent in the US that unless you are a fairly ardent Atheist, it's just a part of your life, dogma, politics, symoblism and all.
Although overt religiosity is perhaps more common in the USA than Australia, for example, that's pretty much true in all countries dominated by cultures originating in Europe, through sheer historical inertia. Even atheists, and adherents of non-Abrahamic religions for that matter, frequently use symbolism and metaphors drawn from Christian, or at least biblical tradition. If nothing else, the influence of the Authorised Version of the Bible on the English language makes it pretty much unavoidable.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #230 on: 10 Sep 2012, 04:19 »

If life is what makes you happy, and you become happy? does that mean youve won at life?
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #231 on: 10 Sep 2012, 07:42 »

Happiness is a hypothetical state of mind that can only be approximated, never attained. Like a hyperbolic function approaching the limit. Given that we are averse to death, we always want more out of life than we currently have. Therefore, happiness is antithetical to the human condition, because if one were to find true happiness, they would need to die immediately afterwards.

So the only way to win at life is to lose at life.
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

nekowafer

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #232 on: 10 Sep 2012, 08:10 »

I just emailed my gynecologist. This feels weird, somehow.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #233 on: 10 Sep 2012, 09:55 »

Nothing is better than true happiness, and a turkey sandwich is better than nothing. Therefore a turkey sandwich is better than true happiness.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #234 on: 10 Sep 2012, 15:32 »

Happiness is a hypothetical state of mind that can only be approximated, never attained. Like a hyperbolic function approaching the limit. Given that we are averse to death, we always want more out of life than we currently have. Therefore, happiness is antithetical to the human condition, because if one were to find true happiness, they would need to die immediately afterwards.

So the only way to win at life is to lose at life.

You philosophized the crap out of me, Back to the depressive slog it is.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #235 on: 11 Sep 2012, 02:02 »

"I'm never happy. Happy is such a cheap word" - B. Dylan.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #236 on: 11 Sep 2012, 02:04 »

Happiness is a hypothetical state of mind that can only be approximated, never attained. Like a hyperbolic function approaching the limit. Given that we are averse to death, we always want more out of life than we currently have. Therefore, happiness is antithetical to the human condition, because if one were to find true happiness, they would need to die immediately afterwards.

So the only way to win at life is to lose at life.

The only winning move is not to play?
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #237 on: 11 Sep 2012, 02:07 »

Dear Apple haters (also sometimes known as, but not restricted to, Droids),

You are ten times more fucking annoying than any rabid Apple fanboy could ever hope to be.
Droid users: You have an awesome platform - stop obsessing so much over what people who don't have the same opinion as you are buying. It comes across as incredibly insecure.

Thanks.

I now return you to your previous random thoughts.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #238 on: 11 Sep 2012, 05:41 »

I just emailed my gynecologist. This feels weird, somehow.

How did you manage to attach them to the email? Most email programs only allow attachments up to 10-20 mb, far to little for an entire person. You must have compressed them pretty thoroughly  :angel:
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #239 on: 11 Sep 2012, 06:09 »

&lt;3
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LTK

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #240 on: 11 Sep 2012, 07:22 »

Dear Apple haters (also sometimes known as, but not restricted to, Droids),

You are ten times more fucking annoying than any rabid Apple fanboy could ever hope to be.
Droid users: You have an awesome platform - stop obsessing so much over what people who don't have the same opinion as you are buying. It comes across as incredibly insecure.

Thanks.

I now return you to your previous random thoughts.
I think you're looking for this thread.

Also random: A couple of weeks ago I regularly passed a local Apple reseller. I was contemplating walking in and asking them how to get internet access on my phone, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that my Samsung Galaxy Nexus is not an Apple product. Wonder how they'd take it. *trollface*
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Quote from: snalin
I just got the image of a midwife and a woman giving birth swinging towards each other on a trapeze - when they meet, the midwife pulls the baby out. The knife juggler is standing on the floor and cuts the umbilical cord with a a knifethrow.

Is it cold in here?

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #241 on: 11 Sep 2012, 09:46 »

Happiness is a hypothetical state of mind that can only be approximated, never attained. Like a hyperbolic function approaching the limit. Given that we are averse to death, we always want more out of life than we currently have. Therefore, happiness is antithetical to the human condition, because if one were to find true happiness, they would need to die immediately afterwards.

So the only way to win at life is to lose at life.

The only winning move is not to play?

I wish I understood Buddhism so that I could compare and contrast this idea with Buddhist philosophy. Is Buddhism more like "Be in the game, but not of the game"? I should find a teacher. The only Buddhist I know here is quite up front that she doesn't feel qualified to teach.
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Random thoughts
« Reply #242 on: 11 Sep 2012, 17:47 »

Happiness is a relative state rather than absolute. I tend to think of it as an overt expression of contentment. I am generally content or happy, but there is still room for further improvement in this regard.
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"Being human, having your health; that's what's important."  (from: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi )
"As long as we're all living, and as long as we're all having fun, that should do it, right?"  (from: The Eccentric Family )

Is it cold in here?

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #243 on: 11 Sep 2012, 20:36 »

Quote from: Caliph Abd Er-Rahman III
I have now reigned about 50 years in both victory and peace, beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have readily answered my call; nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting for my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot. They amount to fourteen.

I'm not sure about that quote: I've seen something quite similar attributed to a ruler in India, who enumerated his wealth including jewels, elephants, and musical instruments.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #244 on: 12 Sep 2012, 13:44 »

If one of the defining characteristics of a living organism is the ability to reproduce, is a sterile creature no longer alive? Is human sterilisation a form of homicide?

I'd probably say no, but...
« Last Edit: 12 Sep 2012, 13:51 by Pilchard123 »
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #245 on: 12 Sep 2012, 13:48 »

A sterile person can still go through the motions, and still has that urge...
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Papersatan

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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #246 on: 12 Sep 2012, 14:13 »

I argued this one in 8th grade biology.  I was shown a picture of a picked flower and asked it was alive.  I said yes, and the teacher said no.  My argument was that an individual need not, in an isolated moment, meet all the requirements of life to be alive. If they once had or will have the capacity, then they are alive until all indicators cease.  We don't class women on the other side of menopause or babies as dead. In the case of the flower, if put in water it may have struggled on for week, or, depending on the variety, even sprouted roots and made it years.  In the case of those who are naturally sterile, they were presumably on track to have a working reproductive system at some point. 

I am not sure where mules fit in though. 
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #247 on: 12 Sep 2012, 14:32 »

Here's a way it could go horribly wrong. Research claims to show a correlation between some personality traits and political orientation. What if those personality traits are even partly heritable?
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #248 on: 12 Sep 2012, 23:18 »

My argument was that an individual need not, in an isolated moment, meet all the requirements of life to be alive. If they once had or will have the capacity, then they are alive until all indicators cease. 
I like that! It's a much better argument than the one I had about there being a difference between 'life' and 'living'. Yours is best because it describes life independently of time.
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Re: Random thoughts
« Reply #249 on: 13 Sep 2012, 09:51 »

[...]

I am not sure where mules fit in though.
They ... don't?
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