Qryos

~ Congrats! & to all of you that also quit :wub: Strength & best wishes to ya all!!!

~ Relationships change all the time... it's getting through those changes with patience that strengthens them. & yeah, sometimes relationships don't withstand those changes so well All I can suggest is listening { ya don't have to actually 'hear', like with a 3-yr old, ya nod & say "Uh-huh" a lot.They feel validated & you don't go crazy }. Let this 'enthusiasm' as our Christian friends here called it, perhaps calm as you quietly remind them you're not interested in that belief system, but thanx for for the offer, etc. It is concern for you that causes the such, but constant nagging for whatever reason will make ya testy, yes. Hope you all get through this OK

~ grateful, ya write that book & put Gorgo in it & I'll find a way to get a copy of that old photo of him wearing a t-shirt { What a grin! }

~ Gorgo, { Mom a pure English bulldog, big darn dog! & dad a humongous rottweiller, made a big beautiful scary-lookin' brindle baby } just loved wearing t-shirts! He was a goof-ball. Put a shirt on him & he just laughed all day. Seriously, he giggled like a little girl! "Brrff brrf brrf! " Strutted in front of the mirror Miss that big silly dog... Sweetest thing ever with people, anyone. But any dog messed with him? It was on. My friend had a small terrier that attacked Gorgo, broke skin. Gorgo didn't break skin, just nibbled that dog down to whimpers... The vet was surprised no broken bones, just everything bruised. Gorgo was chained to a 20-ft motor home at the time & moved it 4 ft. A pack of feral dogs once surrounded our car in a canyon { ya can Google Topanga Canyon if ya want, it's a problem there} & he leapt out the window; That dog took on 8 dogs & won with a "I'm a kick-ass dog!" strut back to the car. He enjoyed a fight. & drooling on babies My husband wouldn't let me get a costume for our little Tooy, but now our Grandbabe knows they have them, the nag is on! { Tooy's the size of a cat, if. He was made to be a costume character! }

~ So very glad your darlings are doing so much better! Your solution... time, effort & material to ensure the safety of others... That's one of the reasons you're so loved Thank You!!!

~ I'm so sorry Hon :wub: My mother once told me, "The reason they have such short lives is so we can love more of them." It didn't help at the time I lost my dear friend... But it made sense later. You have my sympathies for all of you! :friends:

~ Isn't that just silly tho'? Yes, certain people are known for brilliance in theories & have been proven correct in some, but so many are still simply theories to diddle with. They are just thoughts that may have validity! The earth revolves around the sun & rotates on it's axis so we have sunrise every morning not because of science, science just explains how. I know. I'm being a doofus once again & questioning the 'whys' that can never be answered because humans are fun that way, huh?

~ Etherman Nice to see you again How ya doin'? ~ I may just be being silly again, but how can someone 'worship' science? Science is a questioning method isn't it? Have a question about why or how & try to prove how & why & either yeah or nay... If nay ya ask a different question about it & see if that works, if yeah it's still up to challenge 'just because...' Or am I completely more stupid than I thought?

~ In a forest... is a tree skeptical about the perceivable audio repercussions experienced by any homio sapiens when it succumbs to gravitational forces? Perhaps. Y'know, humans are creative & there are always going to be multiple choices on every menu from every mind Choice... The 'Hunt & Peck" we've been gifted with that makes us all a weee bit off of center

~ I know what you mean Angie... It is sometimes sooo hard to find yourself amidst the demands & expectations & needs of others. "What do I need to be, to become, to change into, to satisfy _____" t's like breaking out of a chrysalis, changing from a caterpillar into a winged creature that can fly without fearful restraints I did & still find enjoyment in making other people happy. I really enjoy helping people at work with whatever. It's just the moth I am ~ Deborahjean, Thrilled for you that you've found the path that gives you contentment Sincerly hope it also gives you the strength to know yourself well & the wisdom to use the greatness you have within!

~ I'm sorry to bring this up, I know it's silly... I just found that reply funny... { People find God comforting & all & it just gave me a giggle } I personally don't mind being considered a joke { I'm really not very practical unless ya need chores done } & elaborate, well, no one's ever said that about me, so coool! < Automaton... Come on! No automaton could be nearly as annoying as I am, right? > Yes Dear, I apologise if I annoy too badly. It just seems that perhaps a bit of playful may assist, that's all.

~ Thank you for your patience with my misspelling Sorry for the confusion! Clarification IS important when tippity-typing & no personal interaction.

... Now I gotta... Thank you Hyperreal can birds see the air can the fish see the water can a soul see god

~ I do wonder what difference extra senses would have upon a mind, organic or inorganic.

~ Darlin' he was quoting mysanthropic beliefs, not his own

May you all have joy and that shiny new toy And let us have cheer for the coming New Year!

~ Of course you retain all rights to everything you post Songster... No need to worry! moonlight carves the night sharp echoes shatter away wind dancing shadows

~ Ummm... Oh! It's freakin' miraculous when a child is born, that's for sure!!! When you're involved with it. When my children took their first breaths, yep, the World held it's for that moment. I felt Life become there. Billions of humans. Trillions of other mammals. Uncountable amounts of Life upon this planet... & deaths. { The turn-over, that's the key! } As beings it's our job to procreate just like every other animal on this planet. Raise them safely so they can too. Teaching them to seek & explore & expand their own & other's understanding & comprehension of this existence is a plus of being human.

~ Thank you everyone for being so patient with me Old Nick, you posted, "as the MI would have better access to its own subconscious"... Now I need a definition of subconscious I'm sorry! I thought I knew what a subconscious was, but if a being was created with those nano-seconds involved & such, why would it have a subconscious? Like an under-lying program? A secondary back-up? I apologise for being annoying! { My step-father took classes to be a therapist & kept arguing with me that there is no subconscious, only conscious & unconscious. Yes, I know. He lasted 2 weeks as a therapist & thankfully realised he was not able to do that job! } { Why does that word look odder & odder? No matter what's added to it, 'conscious' is odd.}

~ I know, I repeat myself... Humans are creative! They are crafted as they are. They are capable of the most vile & the most magnificent & most wobble about in the middle.

~ I am enjoying the discussion Could I please get better working definitions on the difference between sentience & conciousness? { Y'know me... I need clarification } Thank you!

~ Really Songster? You truly believe that people have desired to be ostrasized and abused & even killed simply because they wanted to be defiant? Music choices, clothing & make-up & language & attitude generally can be quite annoying enough... Our son-in-law's parents raised 3 sons beautifully. They divorced. They each found another person they love very much. Each of the same gender. { Yeah, odds are... } Our Granddaughters are blessed with 3 Grandfathers & 3 Grandmothers & we all really do have a wonderful time together My husband & I go out to dinner sometimes just with the in-law parents... So lovely to find friends in surprising ways! Love, it's the most marvelous attachment. To be enriched & enrich another, to support & encourage & enable each other... Gender really doesn't enter that equation

~ I'm sorry, I don't agree with arguments. Yes, I know you could say my disagreeing with argumentation is an argument... I won't argue with it. You could probably call me a rather seaweed-type of person, I go with the flow & avoid confrontation. Not just because it makes me uncomfortable but also I've found that it doesn't do any good... Personalities get bumped & bruises cause escalation & it just seems like a silly waste of energy and time. Could be wrong of course, often am!

~ I apologise old_nick. Evidently I wasn't clear in my phrasing I wasn't debating with you, I was talking to you. I did not intend any straw man argument or any argument of any kind. I was just attempting to talk friend-to-friend... Please forgive me for not being clear

~ Thank you old-nick { I was beginning to think you didn't have a sense of humor } Machines developing emotion... Yes, programming can mimic reactions to situations, but from what I've personally observed of life forms, that may be difficult to translate into reality. Insects for instance, born generally quite functional, reacting to programming and adapting to the parameters their programming allows. Very efficient obviously. Humans... born unfinished, seemingly 'peeved', anger & pain aparently first emotions... first emotions may be significant. Frustration soon follows. Lots of that. A programmed sentience, would it need the repetition a human does to learn in order to comprehend over-coming frustration and failure? We learn as much from our mistakes as our accomplishments { or are supposed to, such as taking defeat gracefully, being grateful for assistance given, etc. } If a computerized sentience could develop all of a human's anger, pain, embarassment, thanks & such within what... OK, new sentience, give it 3,4 minutes... Why they heck would it want to be around dopey critters like us? ... Seriously, the speed at which these machines process now, by then we'd be dust beneath their wings.