Replies to post #5416 on Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)

[Elmer Phud]

sgolds -

While we're on this subject I would like to state that I believe UFOs are real. I believe UFOs are intelligently guided technology probably from a non human source. My belief is based, in part, on my own observations as well as testimony by others who claim to have had a similar experience. I realize that although sincere I would not be able to present a convincing case to an intelligent person who did not have the benefit of my experience. I am careful in how I relate my story to others because I realize that without credible proof I would sound like a idiot to those who possess critical thinking skills. I don't expect to be believed and I'm not offended. I just don't push it. Best to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

That brings us to the point. Those who make irresponsible claims expecting to be believed in the absence of credible evidence make themselves look foolish because they are asking others to suspend critical thinking and accept their outrageous claims without any proof. In short they expect others to join their belief system, being just as foolish as they are. They are insulting the intelligence of their audience.

One might ask "Should I be offended by a fool who thinks I should be just as foolish as he is"?

[blauboad]

OT Sgolds--

Both Columbus and his crew were in agreement that world is round, but the crew did not understand that gravity pulls toward the center of the Earth, and thus feared that at a certain point, the downward gradient would become increasingly steep until they all simply fell off.

Interestingly, in Dante's Inferno (a bit after year 1300), the idea that gravity pulls things toward the Earth's center is clearly understood and illustrated. Upon descending to the center of the Earth and seeing Satan who inhabits it, Dante climbs uphis legs to begin his ascent to the side of the world opposite from where he started.

And Columbus's calculation of the Earth's circumference--based upon classical sources and Columbus' own theories--underestimated the size of the Earth by so much that Asia would have been exactly where Columbus found America--which, of course, was exactly what he was looking for.

[UpNDown]

sgolds, OT on Columbus

Your American mythology notwithstanding, Columbus did not discover North America. Columbus never got any further than some distant outlying islands. Had great PR though. Like saying if he discovered Hawaii, he found Australia.

Assuming that we are going to ignore the Vikings and other explorers, the nearest rediscovery of part of the North American continental mass by Europeans appears to have been by John Cabot. 1497.

Is this revelant to the AMD thread? In a way, it can be twisted to be. The general public will never be convinced that Columbus didn't discover North America. There is too much mythology involved, including songs, holidays, school books, city names, etc. The big lie does work. Just look at the effectiveness of pervasive propaganda in North Korea and parts of the former Soviet Union.

Intel has this momentum working for it. (Not saying "big lie" here, just well entrenched opinions/prejudices throughout the consumer and business worlds.) With AMD-64, AMD has a chance to rewrite the book. "Me too" products would never have such a chance, diversity at a more radical scale is required.