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London
When visiting "The very large Array" in New Mexico, we passed through a town called "Truth or Consequences"
It was originally called Hot Springs but a popular radio show promised to broadcast it's 10th anniversary show from any town that changed it's name to the name of the show. :wacko:
If true, what a pathetic town. I really like those simple american place names. ***Gulch is a particular favourite form.
 
I like Normal, Illinois.
(which I suspect mr Bryson introduced me to.)
 

Mr Celine

Discordian
My fave is Boring, Oregon. Now twinned with Dull in Perthshire.

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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
I like Normal, Illinois.
(which I suspect mr Bryson introduced me to.)
Named after a normal school, or teacher training college. There was also a not-bad flick called Leaving Normal – Wyoming, as it happens not one of the five states with a town called that.


View: https://youtu.be/6Bqny1k_KC8

When visiting "The very large Array" in New Mexico, we passed through a town called "Truth or Consequences”. It was originally called Hot Springs but a popular radio show promised to broadcast it's 10th anniversary show from any town that changed it's name to the name of the show. :wacko:
The wireless show made the leap to television, an early example of reality TV. Look what just popped out of the time capsule:


View: https://youtu.be/VSofD8arLr0

Both intentionally funny and unintentionally hilarious (“I didn’t look up – I didn’t look that direction too much” - a fine example of both), if more than a little triggering for, well, anyone who’s moved on from casual sexism.

My fave is Boring, Oregon. Now twinned with Dull in Perthshire.

View attachment 519143

Also twinned with my hometown, or so I thought while growing up there. It was named after a politician, a not uncommon way of blighting the cartological landscape.

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A friendly place
 
Why does everyone seem to think that Benjamin Franklin was president?

How do you feel about the irony* of the US being brought down by a Eurasian virus?

* I know it's a concept your continental bedfellows struggle with

 
Why does everyone seem to think that Benjamin Franklin was president?

How do you feel about the irony* of the US being brought down by a Eurasian virus?

* I know it's a concept your continental bedfellows struggle with



Isn't it ironic that "Ironic" was not really about irony, but more about coincidence and bad luck?
 
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anothersam

anothersam

SMIDSMe
Location
Far East Sussex
Must we have evidence to know the truth?
Granted you’re asking me and not Quora, but as a labour saving device: Must we have evidence to know the truth?

I promise to look into the matter further. Oh wait, I have.


View: https://youtu.be/wJFxkpIh5fU

Also worthy of thought:
Well, let me tell you a secret about science; scientists don’t prove anything. What we do is collect evidence that supports or does not support our predictions. Sometimes we do things over and over again, in meaningfully different ways, and we get the same results, and then we call these findings facts. And, when we have lots and lots of replications and variations that all say the same thing, then we talk about theories or laws. Like evolution. Or gravity. But at no point have we proved anything.
Worms, meet can.

Why does everyone seem to think that Benjamin Franklin was president?
Because he was so awesome. It helps that he’s legal tender.

aEQgyuj.jpg

Another autobiography I'd like to see

How do you feel about the irony* of the US being brought down by a Eurasian virus?
* I know it's a concept your continental bedfellows struggle with



I think that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
s91cs5V.png

Isn't it ironic that "Ironic" was not really about irony, but more about coincidence and bad luck?

Once more, with feeling:


View: https://youtu.be/WFLcce77BF4

* We all know where Alanis is headed.
 
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Rocky

Hello decadence
Thanks ..... another one, then

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? If so, why? If not, why?
 
Thanks ..... another one, then

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? If so, why? If not, why?
Yes, it is.

Firstly, there is no concrete basis for belief in a shared objective reality, whatsoever. Operating on the assumption that what we perceive is an approximation of reality allows us to arrive at consensus, but it's only an approximation.

Assuming that neuroscience is reasonably accurate, everything you have ever been told, seen, heard, experienced, smelled, tasted, felt or sensed has been filtered through an extremely complicated web of neurons and synapses that is riddled with biases and shortcuts, and hardwired biological processes.

There is no way to know that what you perceive as the colour red is how I perceive the colour red, the only consensus is that we can both distinguish it. Conversely, a colourblind person has an abstract understanding that the concept of "red" exists based upon their own colour perception, but they have no actual concept of red.

The concept of beauty is a lot more complicated than colour perception.

Edit to add: one thing I've noticed of late on the social medias is a number of interesting discussions about inner lives; some people don't have an inner monologue at all, some people cannot close their eyes and "see" things, or visually imagine something. Like if I said "the setting sun glinted on the spears atop the castle battlements as the lord looked across his lands towards the sea", some people would be able to construct a mental image from that, others would not.
 
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Rocky

Hello decadence
Yes, it is.

Firstly, there is no concrete basis for belief in a shared objective reality, whatsoever. Operating on the assumption that what we perceive is an approximation of reality allows us to arrive at consensus, but it's only an approximation.

Assuming that neuroscience is reasonably accurate, everything you have ever been told, seen, heard, experienced, smelled, tasted, felt or sensed has been filtered through an extremely complicated web of neurons and synapses that is riddled with biases and shortcuts, and hardwired biological processes.

There is no way to know that what you perceive as the colour red is how I perceive the colour red, the only consensus is that we can both distinguish it. Conversely, a colourblind person has an abstract understanding that the concept of "red" exists based upon their own colour perception, but they have no actual concept of red.

The concept of beauty is a lot more complicated than colour perception.

Edit to add: one thing I've noticed of late on the social medias is a number of interesting discussions about inner lives; some people don't have an inner monologue at all, some people cannot close their eyes and "see" things, or visually imagine something. Like if I said "the setting sun glinted on the spears atop the castle battlements as the lord looked across his lands towards the sea", some people would be able to construct a mental image from that, others would not.
Ah yes....qualia
 
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