Alan McDougall

You are welcome !

In my question , I said you fire the bullet down a spirit level flat plane, You are right it is more complicated than it seems , but relative to the enormity to the earth,in the scenario, I depicted the difference in time would be infinitesimal, not the large difference it time to reach the ground as you suggest.. The point of the question, was to show that the force of gravity effects objects equally, from the same height above the surface of the earth, regardless of velocity .

HELL EXPLAINED BY CHEMISTRY STUDENT http://cognitive-edge.com/blog/entry/3655/hell-explained-by-a-chemistry-student/ The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well: Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, and then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until 'all Hell breaks loose'. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until 'Hell freezes over'. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God." This student received the only "A".

A warning from Planet Earth to Humanity Aug 7th, 2010 at 9:11am I will brush off that, which hurts and irritates me mere mortal man! My lungs, veins and blood are dirty and I have fever because of you, mere mortal man!. I am ill and my warnings go unheeded, listen no before it is too late mere mortal man!. Listen humanity! it is a privilege to live on my skin, not a right, mere mortal man! You do nor own me and have no right to abuse me like you are doing, mere mortal man! Heed my warnings or it will be too late and I move my plates causing unimaginable disaster mere mortal man! If you refuse to listen I will crack open my skin and spill out my inner contents onto the fields above, mere mortal man! Stop running ahead you are too immature to try and manipulate me, mere mortal man! An end of an age is at hand, choose life or heed this warning and live, mere mortal man! You are giving life to the inanimate and it will rule you very soon if you refuse to heed this warning, mere mortal man!. I am watching and debating your end, mere mortal man! You are not in isolated, I know your every move mere mortal man! Stop killing the object that gave you life, mere mortal man! Or I will bring forward the last day of reason, eliminate you soon, if you don't change your ways mere mortal man! I will bring forward the "Omega Moment" the end of you, not me, mere mortal man! ©Copyright Alan Grant McDougall 2007

I find this one very funny. ~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891 I can't sleep.

You state that "anything is possible if you put your mind to it" Really, then turn yourself into an elephant! Or is your ability restricted to the human species?

http://www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/ http://www.phrases.org.uk/quotes/last-words/ Famous last words, death bed statements Thomas Jefferson--still survives... ~~ John Adams, US President, d. July 4, 1826 (Actually, Jefferson had died earlier that same day.) This is the last of earth! I am content. ~~ John Quincy Adams, US President, d. February 21, 1848 See in what peace a Christian can die. ~~ Joseph Addison, writer, d. June 17, 1719 is it not meningitis? ~~ Louisa M. Alcott, writer, d. 1888 Waiting are they? Waiting are they? Well--let 'em wait. In response to an attending doctor who attempted to comfort him by saying, " General, I fear the angels are waiting for you." ~~ Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary general, d. 1789 Am I dying or is this my birthday? When she woke briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her bedside. ~~ Lady Nancy Astor, d. 1964 Nothing, but death. When asked by her sister, Cassandra, if there was anything she wanted. ~~ Jane Austen, writer, d. July 18, 1817 Codeine . . . bourbon. ~~ Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d. December 12, 1968 how were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden? ~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891 I can't sleep. ~~ James M. Barrie, author, d. 1937 is everybody happy? I want everybody to be happy. I know I'm happy. ~~ Ethel Barrymore, actress, d. June 18, 1959 Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him. ~~ John Barrymore, actor, d. May 29, 1942 I am ready to die for my Lord, which in my blood the Church may obtain liberty and peace. ~~ Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, d.1170 now comes the mystery. ~~ Henry Ward Beecher, evangelist, d. March 8, 1887 In her new book The Most Famous Man in America, author Debby Applegate writes on page 466 that Beecher's last words in fact were, "You were saying that I could not recover." Ms. Applegate has not been able to confirm the traditional version of Beecher's last words. Friends applaud, the comedy is finished. ~~ Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, d. March 26, 1827 I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis. ~~ Humphrey Bogart, actor, d. January 14, 1957 Josephine... ~~ Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor, May 5, 1821 I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct. ~~ Dominique Bouhours, French grammarian, d. 1702 Ah, that tastes nice. Thank you. ~~ Johannes Brahms, composer, d. April 3, 1897 Oh, I am not going to die, am I? He will not separate us, we have been so happy. Spoken to her husband of 9 months, Rev. Arthur Nicholls. ~~ Charlotte Bronte, writer, d. March 31, 1855 Beautiful. In reply to her husband who had asked how she felt. ~~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning, writer, d. June 28, 1861 Now I shall go to sleep. Goodnight. ~~ Lord George Byron, writer, d. 1824 Et tu, Brute? Assassinated. ~~ Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman Emperor, d. 44 BC I am still alive! Stabbed to death by his own guards - (as reported by Roman historian Tacitus) ~~ Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor, d.41 AD Don't let poor Nelly (his mistress, Nell Gwynne) starve. ~~ Charles II, King of England and Scotland, d. 1685 Ay Jesus. ~~ Charles V, King of France, and d. 1380 I am dying. I haven't drunk champagne for a long time. ~~ Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, writer, d. July 1, 1904 The earth is suffocating . . . Swear to make them cut me open, so that I won't be buried alive. Dying of tuberculosis. ~~ Frederic Chopin, composer, d. October 16, 1849 I'm bored with it all. Before slipping into a coma. He died 9 days later. ~~ Winston Churchill, statesman, d. January 24, 1965 This time it will be a long one. ~~ Georges Clemenceau, French premier, d. 1929 I have tried so hard to do the right. ~~ Grover Cleveland, US President, d. 1908 That was the best ice-cream soda I ever tasted. ~~ Lou Costello, comedian, d. March 3, 1959 Goodnight my darlings, I'll see you tomorrow. ~~ Noel Coward, writer, d. 1973 Damn it . . . Don't you dare ask God to help me. To her housekeeper, who had begun to pray aloud? ~~ Joan Crawford, actress, d. May 10, 1977 That was a great game of golf, fellers. ~~ Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby, singer / actor, d. October 14, 1977 I am not the least afraid to die. ~~ Charles Darwin, d. April 19, 1882 My God. What's happened? ~~ Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales, d. August 31, 1997 I must go in, the fog is rising. ~~ Emily Dickinson, poet, d. 1886 Do you hear the rain? Do you hear the rain? Minutes before her plane crashed. ~~ Jessica Dubroff, ten-year-old pilot, d. 1996 Adieu, mes amis. Je vais la gloire. (Farewell, my friends! I go to glory!) ~~ Isadora Duncan, dancer, d. 1927 Please know that I am quite aware of the hazards. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. Last letter to her husband before her last flight. KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you, but cannot see you. Gas is running low. Last radio communiqué before her disappearance. ~~ Amelia Earhart, d. 1937 It is very beautiful over there. ~~ Thomas Alva Edison, inventor, d. October 18, 1931 No, I shall not give in. I shall go on. I shall work to the end. ~~ Edward VII, King of Britain, d. 1910 All my possessions for a moment of time. ~~ Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and d. 1603 I've never felt better. ~~ Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., actor, d. December 12, 1939 I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring. ~~ Richard Feynman, physicist, d. 1988 I've had a hell of a lot of fun and I've enjoyed every minute of it. ~~ Errol Flynn, actor, d. October 14, 1959 A dying man can do nothing easy. ~~ Benjamin Franklin, statesman, d. April 17, 1790 Come my little one, and give me your hand. Spoken to his daughter, Ottilie. ~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer, d. March 22, 1832 I know you have come to kill me. Shoot coward, you are only going to kill a man. Facing his assassin, Mario Teran, a Bolivian soldier. ~~ Ernesto "Che" Guevara, d. October 9, 1967 Yes, it's tough, but not as tough as doing comedy. When asked if he thought dying was tough. ~~ Edmund Gwenn, actor, d. September 6, 1959 God will pardon me, that's his line of work. ~~ Heinrich Heine, poet, d. February 15, 1856 urn up the lights, I don't want to go home in the dark. ~~ O. Henry (William Sidney Porter), writer, d. June 4, 1910 All is lost. Monks, monks, monks! ~~ Henry VIII, King of England, d. 1547 I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. ~~ Thomas Hobbes, writer, d. 1679 I see black light. ~~ Victor Hugo, writer, d. May 22, 1885 Oh, do not cry - be good children and we will all meet in heaven. ~~ Andrew Jackson, US President, d. 1845 Let us cross over the river and sit in the shade of the trees. Killed in error by his own troops at the battle of Chancellorsville during the US Civil War. ~~ General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, d. 1863 Is it the Fourth? ~~ Thomas Jefferson, US President, d. July 4, 1826 Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. From Luke 23:46 ~~ Jesus Christ Does nobody understand? ~~ James Joyce, writer, d. 1941 Why not? Yeah. ~~ Timothy Leary, d. May 31, 1996 Now I have finished with all earthly business and high time too. Yes, yes, my dear child now comes death. ~~ Franz Leher, composer, d. October 24, 1948 A King should die standing. ~~ Louis XVIII, King of France, d. 1824 Why do you weep. Did you think I was immortal? ~~ Louis XIV, King of France, d. 1715 I am a Queen, but I have not the power to move my arms. ~~ Louise, Queen of Prussia, d. 1820 Too late for fruit, too soon for flowers. ~~ Walter De La Mare, writer, d. 1956 Let's cool it brothers . . . Spoken to his assassins, 3 men who shot him 16 times. ~~ Malcolm X, Black leader, d. 1966 Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven't said enough. To his housekeeper, who urged him to tell her his last words so she could write them down for posterity? ~~ Karl Marx, revolutionary, d. 1883 I forgive everybody. I pray that everybody may also forgive me, and my blood which is about to be shed will bring peace to Mexico. Long live Mexico! Long Live Independence! ~~ Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, (Archduke Maximilian of Austria), d. June 11, 1867 Nothing matters. Nothing matters. ~~ Louis B. Mayer, film producer, d. October 29, 1957 It's all been very interesting. ~~ Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, writer, d. 1762 I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room - and God damn it - died in a hotel room. ~~ Eugene O'Neill, writer, d. November 27, 1953 Good-bye . . . why am I haemorrhaging? ~~ Boris Pasternak, writer, d. 1959 Get my swan costume ready. ~~ Anna Pavlova, ballerina, d. 1931 I am curious to see what happens in the next world to one who dies unshriven. Giving his reasons for refusing to see a priest as he lay dying. ~~ Pietro Perugino, Italian painter, d. 1523 Lord help my poor soul. ~~ Edgar Allan Poe, writer, and d. October 7, 1849 I love you Sarah. For all eternity, I love you. Spoken to his wife. ~~ James K. Polk, US President, d. 1849 Here am I, dying of a hundred good symptoms. ~~ Alexander Pope, writer, and d. May 30, 1744 I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor. ~~ François Rabelais, writer, d. 1553 I have a terrific headache. He died of a cerebral haemorrhage. ~~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President, d. 1945 Put out the light. ~~ Theodore Roosevelt, US President, d. 1919 They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist. . . . Killed in battle during US Civil War. ~~ General John Sedgwick, Union Commander, d. 1864 Sister, you're trying to keep me alive as an old curiosity, but I'm done, I'm finished, I'm going to die. Spoken to his nurse. ~~ George Bernard Shaw, playwright, d. November 2, 1950 I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record . . . ~~ Dylan Thomas, poet, d. 1953 Moose . . . Indian . . . ~~ Henry David Thoreau, writer, d. May 6, 1862 God bless... God damn. ~~ James Thurber, humorist, d. 1961 I feel here that this time they have succeeded. ~~ Leon Trobotsky, Russian revolutionary, d. 1940 Don't worry chief, it will be alright. ~~ Rudolph Valentino, actor, d. August 23, 1926 Woe is me. Me thinks I'm turning into a god. ~~ Vespasian, Roman Emperor, d. 79 AD Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something. ~~ Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary, d. 1923 I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have. ~~ Leonardo da Vinci, artist, d. 1519 I die hard but am not afraid to go. ~~ George Washington, US President, d. December 14, 1799 Go away. I'm all right. ~~ H. G. Wells, novelist, d. 1946 Either that wallpaper goes, or I do. ~~ Oscar Wilde, writer, d. November 30, 1900 I am ready. ~~ Woodrow Wilson, US President, d. 1924 Curtain! Fast music! Light! Ready for the last finale! Great! The show looks good, the show looks good! ~~ Florins Seinfeld, showman, d. July 22, 1932 A grave stone read "I told you I was sick" Take care Alan McDougall

Give us a link to your video and then we can decide if you are wacko or not?

I agree institutions, would have been the right word in the title instead of what I used "Churches"

All people at one stage of their life will have to deal with the reality of the dying process of a beloved family member or close friend and everyone will have to cope with their own dying process, when the time comes. Please add your thoughts and personal experiences? Regards Alan http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/000617 How to help a dying person Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Kubler-Ross theorized that people often go through predictable stages when they are coping with inevitable death: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Not everyone goes through every stage, and certainly not always in order, but most dying people will experience a stage of anger and resentment. Anger is a normal reaction to severe loss. A dying person stands to lose everything and everybody that is important to him. He feels robbed by his illness. If he believes in a higher power, he may blame his God for causing his illness or not curing it. He might even resent his family and friends for continuing to live their lives while he slowly loses his own. He may feel that the doctor isn’t being straight with him, his nurses don’t respond to his demands quickly enough, and that the world has already started to forget him. Anger is easily projected onto those around us, so it’s only natural if your loved one’s anger has befallen you. If you find yourself dealing with an angry dying person, here are five tips to help you help them. 1. Maintain Adult-Adult relationship. It’s often easy to treat a sick person like a child; it’s in our nature to care for and dote over the sick. When we fall into this pattern, what was once an adult-adult relationship becomes one of adult-child? Treating a dying adult as we would a child is likely to backfire and increase the anger a dying person is already feeling. You may have fallen into this pattern without even realizing it and you will likely see anger directed at you for doing so. It is frustrating and humiliating enough to lose your independence and privacy without being treated like a child. A dying person typically wants to remain in control of themselves, their life, and their decisions for as long as possible. Empowering a dying person to make their own decisions, express their feelings, and remain as independent as possible is an important way to help them move through their anger. 2. Don’t take it Personally Angry people typically look for someone to blame. When the anger is directed at you, it’s difficult not to take it personally and wonder, “What did I do wrong?” It’s important to remember that the dying person is not angry at you, but at the illness and his situation in general. Although his anger might be directed towards you, it is not by any fault of your own. 3. See It from Their Point of View While it’s impossible to know exactly how another person is feeling; trying to see things from their point of view can help you understand why they are acting a certain way. Think about the dying person’s life -- everyone he loves, the activities he enjoys, the work he did, the dreams he has for the future -- and imagine how being told he is dying would affect those aspects of his life. Looking at it from this way, it’s no wonder that he is angry! He stands to lose everyone and everything that has ever meant anything to him. 4. Go Ahead and Get Mad... At the Illness Itself Understanding where a dying person's anger is coming from helps us realize that his anger is justified. Redirecting anger towards the illness can help the dying person cope with their feelings. It might be helpful to be angry WITH the dying person. After all, you stand to lose something as well. Go ahead and get mad... at the illness. 5. Understand “Righteous Anger” A dying person may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or shocked after an emotional outburst. He may say something like, “I can’t believe I just did/said that. That’s not like me at all!” Truth is told, you might be thinking the same thing. Realizing and accepting that anger is normal and okay can help a dying person embrace and move through the anger stage of the dying process. Talking about righteous anger together and sharing

Again you are right I did not take the time to read Lightmeow's answer thoroughly, maybe I am entering dementia, I am extremely old and frail. I went back and edited out my mistake and made the expected apology to him.

Well here you are years later on a great scientific forum, where you can freely share your passion for science with like minded people! You need to express yourself, get your frustrations in life off your shoulder, your life story is sad and full of abuse , lack of understanding and love from those you most expected to get it from. It is obvious to me that your childhood had much to do with your battle with depression over the years, keep up good work I am prepared to help you privately , if you so desire, use the private message facilty of the forum to get in touch with me

Space which is not matter can expand faster than the speed of light, nothing consisting of matter (an object) can travel through space faster than C.

It is not a crime to be wacko luckily for you!

I know that, that is why I used "Churches" in the title of the thread, maybe I should have used organizations or something like that, but that would not alter the debate.

Correct but I assumed there must be some correlation between celibacy and abuse because the guilty priest were sexually frustrated, I will do a little more research if that supposition holds any water! http://www.irishcentral.com/news/rebel-catholic-priest-says-celibacy-at-root-of-sexual-abuse-pandemic-in-church-223103081-237775321.html Father Tony Flannery, the 66 year old Irish priest and founding member of the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland (ACP) who has been threatened with excommunication from the Catholic Church for his outspokenness, has claimed this week that there is a link between clerical sex abuse and clerical celibacy. Flannery said that the celibate lifestyles which priests were forced to live led to struggles over sexuality and could have resulted in children being sexually abused. Priests faced an inevitable struggle with their sexuality, Flannery said. 'The Catholic Church in Ireland seems to believe that it has dealt with the problems of clerical sexual abuse by putting structures in place to protect children,' he said. 'Nobody within the official church has looked at the deeper issues and seriously asked the question why so many priests did these things because it raises fundamental questions about the lifestyle of priests. 'Can they say with any degree of definiteness that the fact that so many priests abused children is not connected to celibacy and clericalism and the whole style of life that a priest is forced to live? 'I don't think they can and until such time as the church authorities face up to that and seriously discuss it and investigate it, the problem will not go away.' Priests were forced to live in isolation and lacked real human interaction, Flannery said. The loneliness and frustration led some to 'turn to children for sexual outlets,' he maintained. Flannery made his comments before launching his book A Question of Conscience which questions the Vatican watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), in the methods it uses to stamp out any challenge it regards as a dissent. According to the International Business Times Flannery encountered official pushback in February 2012, when the CDF became concerned about some of his writings relating to the Church and summoned him to Rome, where he was ordered to step down as ACP leader. Months later Flannery was ordered by the CDF to issue a statement saying that he believed women could never be ordained as priests and that he accepted all the moral teachings of the Church. He was then reportedly suspended from ministry and threatened with excommunication. In his new book, to underscore how destabilizing the CDF found his statements, Flannery has published all the documentation from the CDF regarding his case.

Question 1 correct the horizontal speed of the bullet has no effect on the pull of gravity, thus the bullet fired out of the gun and the one dropped at the same moment reach the ground at the exact some time. Question 2 correct 1 hour is the right answer my apologies for not reading you post correctly! You are right I will go back and correct my mistake, I should be more careful in future, sorry guys! 1 hour Your answer above is correct the flow of the river does effect the time it takes to reach and fetch your hat, because the rate of your rowing was constant

That is correct the flow of the river has nothing to do with it, you have rowed for one hour upstream then you turn around and row for one hour to get your hat .

I can also see the abuse on a much wider level, I know about sexual abuse of adult football players by a trusted coach in America who is now in prison, but can you name one Catholic priest that has suffered the same fate. The Catholic Church protect their own, even if they were known dangerous sexual abusers of small children.

Below are my exact words to you. Correct good thinking! How on earth can you say I said it was wrong?

I agree, but these priest are supposed to represent all that is good and moral in society, their flock often consider them as some sort of direct agent of a loving caring god, and the abuse is an ultimate betrayal to the community. I did not point directly at the Catholic Church because this type of abuse by pastors and priest occur in many other denominations as well. The Methodist Church in Australia is one example, the Church of England another, it happens in the Jehovah Witnesses community also, it is wide spread in many religious organizations, because these people misuse of the trust invested in them by their followers. One way to best sum them up is "Depraved Hypocrites. Your picture says a lot "A picture paints a thousand words"does it not?

Are you on any medication, please don't specify as we are not permitted to dispense medical advice on the forum, a yes or no will do, thank you.?

I don't think said ape will understand your comment, but let us wait and see.

"Churches" Depravity The reason why I used the word 'Churches" is that abuse is not confined to one Church denomination but happens in many , thus it is a generalizing phrase The 2600-page report by Ireland's Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse found Rape was endemic in more than 250 Irish-"Churches" care institutions from the 1930s to the 1990s, and the "Churches" protected paedophiles from prosecution. Victims groups say the culture of abuse and cruelty in "Churches"" institutions in Australia last century could have been as shocking as that revealed in a nine-year Irish commission's report. This adds to the sorry saga of the "Churches" in America where over a billion dollars was paid out to American victims of paedophilia. At the same time Irish Bishop Pat Buckley has confessed that some 500 of his priest’s to-day are having regular sex, wilfully exploiting their power, their status and their position over women. Surely with all this evidence it is time for the "Churches" to end its insistence on celibacy and readmit married priests into the "Churches". There is nothing in the Bible that one has to be celibate to do religious work. There are Christian organizations where their priests and Christian Ministers are allowed to get married. There has to be more attention given to the human needs of the clergy. In the meantime, you have thousands of priests around the world abusing their position to satisfy their physical needs exploiting, girls, women and children. Unaddressed this whole issue will continue to create disharmony within the "Churches" and divert energy, resources and attention away from the critical issues that face humanity Surely these "Churches" must budge from the stone walls of silly traditions?

Consciousness and the unimaginable progress of computing technology Sourced and consolidated by me, from more than one internet article My comment are in italic font The debate really is about our brains, does that strange entity we call the mind exist separate from the physical brain? If that is the case a computer will never have a mind it would remain a colossal calculator given us the illusion of intelligence Present computers are in reality as intelligent as a door knob, they add in binary at the speed of light and very smart software programmers have manipulated this to give the impression of intelligent consciousness. Cary Kasporov the grand master chess world champion has been consistently out played by a supercomputer. I have played chess against an easy computer program and it nearly always defeated me. That is until found a weakness in its game, after that it fell into my trap time and time again, it could not learn from its mistakes. Of course I did not play against a supercomputer like Big Blue, but can Big Blue learn from its mistakes? Consciousness defines our existence and reality, but the mechanism by which the brain generates thoughts and feelings remain unknown. At the moment, computers show no sign of intelligence. This is not surprising, because our present computers are less complex than the brain of an earthworm. But it seems to me that if very complicated chemical molecules can operate in humans to make them intelligent, then equally complicated electronic circuits can also make computers act in an intelligent way. -- Stephen W. Hawking, physicist, 1998. Intelligent computers are now considered as inevitable, there is supposed idea that there is/will be an geometric growth of semiconductor power. Will computer intelligence evolve to the point where it'll get hard to tell computers from human beings. If we think of the Industrial Revolution, up until now, it was the use of simple tools making more complex tools and so on until we finally create the ultimate product, a lifeless machine smarter, faster and more powerful than us, with a common consciousness of unimaginable brain power that will transcend all living things , sadly including humans . And the advantages of this virtual silicon , will be its immortality and unimaginable brainpower Some researchers fear super-brainy machines will be a science-fiction nightmare come true, some are even convinced that machines will overpower humanity by 2050. Because such chips of the future won't need wires, which now occupy most of the space on silicon, it won't take long to duplicate a human brain fully, not only its 100 billion neurons but also its trillions of synapses, or interconnections. A billion human brains could soon be crammed into a cubic inch of quantum circuitry, Kurzweil says. And the size of artificial brains won't be constrained by the human skull. They could grow as big as trucks. De Garis of ATR even sees brains the size of satellites orbiting the earth. Critics contend that no matter how big or powerful computers get, they can't become intelligent until we know how to emulate the brain's functions in software. Not so, retorts Inman Harvey, a mathematician turned robotics at Britain's University of Sussex. By mimicking evolution, ''it's possible to create artificial brains without really understanding how they work,'' he says. In other words, they could evolve their own internal programming, just as human brains have. Even the nature of human life itself will be changing by mid-century. Neural implants will expand human knowledge and thinking powers--and begin a transition to composite man-machine relationships that will gradually phase out the need for biological bodies. Swarms of microscopic robots will take up positions in the brain's sensory areas and create virtual-reality simulations that are impossible to distinguish from real reality. Will humans transfer their minds into electronic circuits, and by this attained immortality as a result ?. However computation alone cannot explain why we have feelings and awareness, an inner life unique to ourselves and no one else Well we will just have to wait and I will be long gone before the above most un/likely events take place, however, I would like to know the outcome, maybe I can look down from another dimension beyond this moral plane of existence? Alan McDougall