“The Big Numbers argument notes that our galaxy, the Milky Way, has something like 400 billion stars, and it’s just one of untold billions of galaxies in a universe that might be infinite…. With so much turf out there, even the most frowny-faced skeptic must admit it’s hard to run the numbers in a 13.8
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"What would life beyond Earth mean for Christians?"
By Ann Althouse
A question explored by BioLogos President Deb Haarsma.There are 5 subquestions, but let me focus on one: “Would meeting aliens change our understanding of the cross?” (“At the core of Christianity is the death of the incarnate Christ on a Roman cross, bringing redemption for humans. Is redemption unique to Earth?”)Haarsma identifies 4 theories:…
Before sunrise, I had the honor of making the first footprints in the snow.
By Ann Althouse
"We love what we take care of, and we take care of what we love. Instead of groaning at the task of treating my cast-iron skillet…"
By Ann Althouse
“… I now treat it as a fulfilling act of service; I know that my time seasoning it with salt and oil will affect its life span and the palate of future generations. I scrub away at the hand-me-down dinnerware from my father-in-law, and I’m connected to him. In an unexpected way, pride has seeped…
"Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity."
By Ann Althouse
“… two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.”Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup’s search for what’s known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks…. Though only performing…
"I mean, do you know for a fact that [Trump] lost? I'm just curious," said Oliver Stone. "I just don't know all of the facts."
By Ann Althouse
“I’m just asking you, I’m not an expert on the election…. I’m not a political junkie. You are…. Well, I don’t know the facts…. I can’t take Biden’s word for it on anything…. Joe [Biden] got so many got so many votes. You know, that was what was shocking, that he did so well compared…
"In October he performed a cover of 'Kansas City,' the Leiber and Stoller song, while performing in the Missouri city of that name."
By Ann Althouse
“Days later he performed ‘Johnny B Goode’ in St Louis in an apparent tribute to Chuck Berry, one of the city’s best-known sons. And in Chicago Dylan opened with ‘Born in Chicago’ by Mike Bloomfield. … Will Sloan, a Toronto-based writer who first saw Dylan live as a teenager in 2008, said part of the…
The Thanksgiving sunrise (at 7:01).
By Ann Althouse
"After college, [Eboni] Thompson started annotating because she missed the feeling of analyzing texts and taking notes."
By Ann Althouse
“One day, she went to the bookstore and bought ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ by Jane Austen, and as she started reading, she realized how much she wanted to remember about the book after she was finished. ‘It wasn’t as intense or as thorough as I do now,’ she said of her early annotations. ‘It was mostly…
"He told me that his whole philosophy was to make sure that nobody ever noticed you. Don’t stand out, don’t do anything, or anybody will be able to criticize you."
By Ann Althouse
Said Alison Holt, the sister of Geoffrey Holt, the subject of “He lived a quiet life — then donated $3.8 million to his small N.H. town” (WaPo).[Geoffrey] Holt worked as a social studies and driver’s education teacher and in a grain mill before retiring and moving to the trailer park, where [he worked] as a…