Profile for Thuryl
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Thuryl |
| Member number | 869 |
| Title | ...b10010b... |
| Postcount | 9973 |
| Homepage | http://thuryl.desperance.net/blades.html |
| Registered | Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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| member #'s in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, August 10 2003 04:17
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Silly. If you get a custom title, you don't get to choose what it is. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Intelligence in General | |
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...b10010b...
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written Sunday, August 10 2003 00:29
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Keep in mind that as these forums are not necessarily representative of the wider community, it is actually possible that most of us are of above average intelligence. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Leaders of the Empire? in Blades of Avernum | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Friday, August 8 2003 01:30
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TM is a little off. Doston was actually part of Aixo before the fall of the Empire. Aixo used to be much larger and somewhat more mountainous. At some point during or after the fall of the Empire, the continent split in half. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Tuesday, August 5 2003 04:03
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Very well, then. I had steak for breakfast today; any assumptions you may make about my lifestyle and personality based on this fact are up to you. None of the other information he asked for is secret either; anyone sufficiently observant should be able to find it for themselves by now, possibly by asking around a little. They could even find out what I look like and several places where I live or used to live. I'd imagine they could probably guess a lot about me just from my location and the times at which I post. Does this mean publicly-displayed posting times are a privacy risk? I do see your point about it being unwise to place too much trust in a government's ability to regulate itself -- all the more reason why I'd much rather any privacy-compromising information were accessible to the general public rather than in the hands of the government or of whoever happens to stumble upon them. It's impossible to blackmail someone with what's already public knowledge. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Tuesday, August 5 2003 03:38
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Not your fault - the boards are acting up lately. It's hardly fair of you to ask me those questions if you'd have no intention of providing answers if I asked the same of you, now is it? If you really want to know, feel free to send me a PM or email and we'll come to some agreement. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, August 4 2003 22:05
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Privacy has only been considered important relatively recently, you know. Centuries ago, everyone in a small town or neighbourhood knew everything that everyone else was doing and unless there was something particularly wrong with it, nobody really cared. I think I prefer things that way. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Evil Companies in General | |
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...b10010b...
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written Monday, August 4 2003 16:57
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I was actually talking about MS-DOS in my post, not Windows. And even if he stopped working today, he could still retire on more than a thousand people could expect to earn in their lifetimes. You see nothing wrong with that? [ Monday, August 04, 2003 16:58: Message edited by: Thuryl ] Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Evil Companies in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, August 4 2003 15:16
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Works? Don't make me laugh. Bill Gates stole the business idea and most of the code for the original OS from a friend, who didn't see a cent from any of it. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Leaders of the Empire? in Blades of Avernum | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, August 4 2003 13:52
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I'd say the arena's more like 2000-3000 years in the future; the Empire still existed at the start of its continuity. Still, your point stands. :P -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| SMoE's ban in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, August 4 2003 13:24
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http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0057012 Search for "merkin" on that page. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Leaders of the Empire? in Blades of Avernum | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, August 3 2003 23:49
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http://arena.desperance.net/board/index.php The arena is a BoE-based RP with a difference. Take a look around; we'll be happy to answer all your questions. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, August 3 2003 23:42
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I don't deny that the government's likely to abuse its power. If and when it does, then there's nothing to do but accept it. Isn't surveillance worth any constraints on our freedom, even unreasonable ones, if it prevents crime? The world would be a better place if more people would learn to just shut up and do as they're told anyway. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, August 3 2003 22:57
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quote:What on earth would be wrong with that? If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| The FCC in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Friday, August 1 2003 04:57
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quote:While we're discussing constitutional law, it's worth mentioning that the constitutional right to freedom of assembly is interpreted (among other things) as allowing people to choose who to assemble with. Thus, since Jeff Vogel owns the forum, he gets to choose how it's run. That would be the case whether this were an internet forum, a private club or whatever. (This is the same right which allows the Boy Scouts to exclude atheists and homosexuals, for example.) -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Iraqi aftermath in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Thursday, July 31 2003 19:41
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quote:Corollary to Godwin's Law: Intentionally attempting to invoke Godwin's Law is doomed to failure. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| POLL:An Insane board in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Wednesday, July 30 2003 14:48
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There was an insane board before. It got shut down for being too insane. (Well, that and taking up too much bandwidth. Supposedly.) -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Pointlessly Curious in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Monday, July 28 2003 15:51
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Postmaster General is the title for 5000 posts. -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Undead Topics Need Loving Too (aka "Give Me Your First-Born") in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Friday, July 25 2003 19:27
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The Russian phrase was, unless my memory fails me, Kpachar Nahnka. You also went by Domo Borigato for a while. And oh yeah, you changed your name to Bob teh Impaler once. [ Friday, July 25, 2003 19:27: Message edited by: Les Revenants ] -------------------- My BoE Page Bandwagons are fun! Roots Hunted! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Philosophies in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, July 20 2003 03:00
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I have only one issue with your post, and that is your assumption that if there were a God, there could also be an absolute morality. What gives any one being, even an omnipotent one, the right to dictate what is moral? Morality is a matter of one's definition of what is right, and not even God can force us to accept a definition without compromising our existence as independent minds. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Philosophies in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Tuesday, July 15 2003 05:47
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Heh. I managed to split your double post. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Philosophies in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Tuesday, July 15 2003 05:45
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Some people here have had an interesting discussion of freedom, but I fear that they are trying to twist the meaning of an everyday word so as to ensure that it is given a morally positive definition. Surely it would be better to look at what we actually mean when we use the word in common English and set about determining whether it is a good or bad thing from there. Traditionally, two sorts of freedom have been defined. There is an abstract sort of freedom, sometimes known as "free will", which stated rather broadly would appear to mean that we do in fact choose to do what it seems to us that we choose to do. It is hard for me to see any moral value, positive or negative, in this sort of freedom, as its presence or absence has no observable consequences. A second form of freedom, which may be known as "liberty", could be roughly defined as a lack of external restraints imposed by one person or group of people on the choices available to others. (I add that these restraints must be imposed by people because I regard it as rather silly to describe one's inability to fly by flapping one's arms as a restriction upon one's liberty.) This second sense of freedom, that of liberty, is the sense in which, for example, a slave or prisoner is deprived of freedom. The issue of how much liberty one should have in various areas of one's life is one on which there has been much discussion but little consensus. On the whole, I tend to regard allowing people to do what they want as long as there is no overriding reason not to do so as a rather good principle. Now, let us move on to the discussion of solipsism. While I do not believe that solipsism is the only reasonable view of the world, I do believe that it is one that deserves more than a dismissive handwave in response. As I find Descartes' take on the issue unsatisfying in parts, here's my effort: The sun will rise tomorrow. What is the sun? Is it a seething mass of plasma 93 million miles from Earth, or a ball of burning coal hung from the sky, or a flaming chariot drawn by the gods, or even simply a figment of your imagination? Don't bother answering that question. It's not important. What's important is that the sun will rise tomorrow. You will surely have observed that if you look up into a cloudless sky during the day, you will see a patch of bright light. If you had done the same on any previous clear day (as you indubitably have on many occasions), you would have noticed that the sun was there then as well, and thus by the sheer weight of evidence you can reasonably conclude that if you do the same tomorrow you will see the same thing. Every time you looked into the sky on a clear day, the sun was up there somewhere. Note that we still not said anything as to what the sun actually is, or how and why you perceive it. We shall have no need to do so in this discussion. We have simply observed that once in every one of the periods of time we perceive as a day, we perceive an object which we perceive as having certain properties (circular shape, a certain size, strong brightness). These properties are essentially consistent every time we see the sun; if we were to look up at the sky one day and find that the sun had turned green or shrunk to a pinpoint of light, we should surely be surprised, and if we were of an inquisitive disposition we should surely look for some reason why this sudden change in our perceptions had taken place. In other words, for the sake of this discussion, all you need accept is that the sun will rise tomorrow. You are, of course, at liberty to doubt this; the proof I have here provided is an inductive one, and much has been said about the shaky ground upon which any inductive theory of truth rests. Sometimes inductive hypotheses have indeed proven to be wrong, the classic example being the fact that the hypothesis "All swans are white" was disproven when black swans were first discovered in Australia. Please do not for now debate the existence of swans or of Australia, or we shall wander far beyond the scope of this argument. Should you wish to doubt the existence of blackness or whiteness, I ask you to please look at the nearest black or white object you see, as I shall for the sake of this discussion assume that you believe sensory perceptions can in some sense (even if in a somewhat imprecise sense) be said to "exist". In any case, the hypothesis that the sun will rise tomorrow is as good a working hypothesis as any which you may find, and we shall not get far at all in the world if we doubt such basic things. Whether you like it or not, you are not likely to function for very long as a human being unless you make certain assumptions, such as that prolonged dehydration impairs health and that the regular consumption of certain things perceived as fluids or moist substances is a suitable way to prevent such impairment. Now that I have hopefully presented a convincing case that the sun will rise tomorrow, let us get on with the somewhat grander task of presenting an equally convincing case that you, my dear reader, are not alone in the universe. In our discussion of the sun, we have already touched on the fact that we ascribe certain properties to an object; of the sun, we say that it is bright, that it is round and that it seems to us to rise and set in the sky every day. (You will note, at least if you find modern physics convincing, that the sun does not in fact "rise" and "set" as such; this is immaterial to our discussion, which after all centres on the way in which we perceive things.) You surely also ascribe certain expected properties to other objects than the sun. Consider, for example, your computer. Never mind whether a computer is made of matter, or whether the electrical principles upon which it supposedly operates are accurate; what is important is that you know what a computer looks like and what it does. You can by certain visual cues quickly determine whether any given object is one of those which is referred to as a computer. If you determine that it is in fact a computer, this will lead you to make assumptions about its other properties. If you plug a computer into a power socket and then press its power switch, the computer will be turned on, and an image will become visible on the monitor if there is one connected. It may, of course, not do so; the computer may be defective, or there may be a power outage. Nonetheless, its normal operation is a property we may regard as typical of a computer. We can consider any set of an object's properties in this way, such that if we know that it has most of them it can be expected to have most or all of the rest; thus, when we see a monitor displaying an image, we conclude that the image is produced by a computer to which it is connected. We may be incorrect in this assumption; the image may through some trickery have been projected onto the screen from elsewhere. Nonetheless, we can determine from our experience and from Occam's razor that this is much less likely than the simple alternative that the image is being produced by the computer. Of course, should we find that there is no obvious connection between the monitor and any computer, we may have to resort to more convoluted explanations for the appearance of the image, but there seems no reason to do so as long as the simplest explanation is open to us. As it is with a computer and the image on a monitor, so it is with a mind and a body. I trust that you do not doubt that you have a mind (or perhaps that you are a mind, which boils down to the same thing). You perceive that you have a body; once again, whether this body consists of matter or energy or merely an extension of the mind is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. You perceive that your body has certain properties or attributes which you can perceive: hands, feet and so on. You also perceive that by the operation of your mind, you are capable of causing parts of your body to function, and that these parts generally fail to function in the same manner unless they are operated by your mind. Thus, if you see another functioning body before you which is fundamentally similar to your own and which your mind does not operate, the simplest (and therefore most reasonable) conclusion is that this body is operated by a mind other than your own. In short, we can say that other minds exist with exactly the same degree of certainty as we can say that the sun will rise tomorrow, and we can do so without resorting either to metaphysical chicanery or to unproven assumptions about the nature of the world in which we live. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Yet Another Self-Indulgent Goodbye Topic in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Saturday, June 21 2003 23:53
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Hi, everyone. It's me, Thuryl. Don't know me? Don't care that I'm leaving? Sorry to have wasted ten seconds of your life, then. To everyone who actually bothers to read this topic, apologies in advance for wasting two minutes of your life. I left for a few days, and now I come back to see half a dozen topics locked and the rest degenerating into petty bickering. Nobody seems to be able to muster the energy to make thoughtful, interesting posts any more. Furthermore, personal issues right now mean that I'm rethinking my priorities in life. Overall, these boards are taking up too much of my time for too little gain. Obligatory Personal Goodbyes: Djur: Looking back on all that's happened, I'm amazed you've stayed this long. Alec: You're really not such a bad person, once people get to know you. It's a pity you don't seem to want that to happen. TM: Ditto. tGM: You've got potential. Please, don't let the idiots drag you down to their level. Certain people (you know who you are): My departure isn't entirely your fault. On the other hand, you have bigger things to be ashamed of than the loss of one moderately active member. RB, Nye, and other intelligent newbies: We need more people like you. Good on you for tolerating the state of the boards right now. Things aren't always this bad. Anyone else: Most of you are good, productive members. It's just a pity that a few people have ruined the boards lately. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Maybe I'll be back in a month or two, once things are a little different. We'll see. Regards, Thuryl -------------------- I believe there are 15 747 724 136 275 002 577 105 653 961 181 555 468 044 717 914 527 116 709 366 231 425 076 185 631 031 296 protons in the universe, and the same number of electrons. -- Sir Arthur Eddington Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| 6 and a half hours later... in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Saturday, June 21 2003 22:31
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In case you somehow missed the media hype, a main character dies in this one. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Grad 2003!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Wednesday, June 18 2003 00:49
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No, that is not Alorael. Alorael is not 54 years old. Alorael does not live in Alaska. And Alorael is not, as far as I know, bald. Now please get a sense of humour. Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
| Drakefyre in General | |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Tuesday, June 17 2003 17:46
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He probably did save it in a text file. HD crash, remember? The one that set Rhapsody in Blue back another ten years? Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |