Same-sex marriage

This seems to be quite a controversial subject currently. Abortion is probably a bit bigger of an issue, but I think that argument's also been going on longer, so I'm not as interested in it right now.

It's funny how strongly people can feel about the issue of same-sex marriage, even if they are not themselves homosexual. Especially conservatives. Personally, I think that most conservatives are against same-sex marriage for all the wrong reasons. Most of these conservatives are religious, and they want their belief and moral system to be forced on everyone else. Allow me to summarize the perspective of a typical conservative that is against same-sex marriage:

Marriage is defined in the Bible as the union between a man and a woman. Therefore, two men or two women can't get married. Marriage is a Christian ceremony, so why should non-believing gays be allowed to take part in it?

The huge problem with this perspective is that these conservatives are trying to suppress the rights of a minority just because of semantics. Just because they have a prefabricated guess at the real definition of marriage, they would deny homosexuals the governmental and financial benefits of the union. The fact is that marriage did not originate with Christianity. I agree that homosexuals should not be getting traditional Christian ceremonies in real churches, but that's not what defines marriage. Marriage existed in many secular cultures all over the world, even before Christianity was made prevalent. To the ancient Greeks, same-sex marriages were perfectly acceptable and valid. Who really is the authority on whether the definition includes only male-female relationships? How far back does the root word go? Latin maritare, meaning "to give a husband to", certainly doesn't exclude homosexual relationships. Therefore, I completely disagree with anyone who is against same-sex marriage just because marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman.

Also, there is quite a bit of debate about whether homosexuality is genetic or a learned behavior. It really doesn't matter, though, what the cause is. Homosexuals have never been and never will be able to reproduce without adoption or artificial insemination; and there have always been and always be homosexuals, regardless of official recognition as a married couple. The human population is not declining, even in countries where same-sex marriage is legal and accepted.

If you don't know me, I guess you'd suppose I'm a strong proponent of same-sex marriage at this point. I'll be easy on you and let you know this time that I love to play the devil's advocate. In reality, I am simply uncertain whether gay marriage is right or wrong. To me, the real issue is whether or not children raised with a male father and female mother grow up happier, in better emotional and spiritual condition. It has nothing to do with religion. It has nothing to do with the couple themselves. I've heard people say that children without a mother and father are less happy, more likely to be abused, and/or less likely to find a job after school, but I've also seen studies that say that children raised by homosexual parents turn out just as healthy as children raised by traditional parents.

Allowing gay marriage increases the chance that a child will be adopted by gay parents or created through artificial insemination, depriving them of a chance to be adopted by a heterosexual couple. If statistically, the child would be better of with the heterosexual couple, I would be against gay marriage. However, I see no problem with a homosexual person having the right to visit his or her significant other in a hospital. The fact is that none of the studies are conclusive, so I'm neither for nor against it. There simply needs to be more study done on this subject. Without this, I cannot take an informed stance on same-sex marriage. I guess you can call me utilitarian on this issue.

One strange cookie

And now for something completely different!

Most processed food products are imitations of real, genuine recipes. They are never as good, but the dish usually has some history behind it. The foods are made up of imitations of other existing foods. Chips Ahoy! comes from chocolate chip cookies, which are very cookable. Chicken McNuggets are supposed to taste like chicken. Processed lunchmeat is still meat, I think. Campbell's soup, Sara Lee, all just mass-produced versions of real food.

Oreos, though, are a mystery to me. Where did the Oreo come from? They are tasty, but they are fake, fake, fake. Honestly, cream-flavored sugar holding together two chocolate crackers? Not a real food. Nothing resembles it! I mean, this cookie reeks of engineering. And who came up with the bright idea to dip it into milk? I'm not being sarcastic, here, either. It really was a bright idea.

I have come to the conclusion that Oreos represent a sizable portion of what is wrong with society today. So yummy and irresistable, yet so fake and BAD FOR YOU!

Enough randomness for now...

My life in (the majority of) 2008.

Well, I guess it's time for another life summarizing entry. Actually this year has probably seen the biggest change in my lifestyle and state of mind than any other thus far. Back before Christmas Break I had applied to a couple of courses at Virginia Tech I wanted to take just because I was really interested in the subject matter, but I didn't get into both of them. I decided that without both of them, it wasn't worth attending Virginia Tech anymore at all. Instead, I decided I would begin my journey into the "real world".

Now, I wasn't in such a hurry. I had planned on celebrating by spending the summer with Thien in Vietnam. However, my dad disapproved, and my plans fell through. Instead, I did immediately begin looking for a job. It was quite an experience, living off of my leftover money from last summer's internship; I had to be quite conservative. Thien was quite the lifesaver (as she always is), as she had plenty of leftover funds on her dining plan. Finding interviews in a failing economy was quite an experience, but I did find an interesting position in March. I was to begin as an application developer for ICF International in Fairfax starting on April 7.

Thien and I made a trip to Northern Virginia to look for apartments, found a very nice one. Rather hurriedly, I moved to Falls Church from Blacksburg, and I started working. Since then, time just sort of flies. Thien is still in Blacksburg, and I miss her every minute.

My car did break down a few weeks ago as I was traveling to West Point to see my close friend Steve. Him, another old coworker named Josh, and I worked on it for a week before I headed back home, still carless. At first we thought it would just be a water pump. Quickly the problem turned into a blown head gasket. Along with a radiator. And, oh yeah, the entire block. Kyle, my old friend and roommate from freshman year at VT, somehow made an engine appear out of nowhere and dedicated a weekend to help us all put it into my car. He brought the cherry picker and everything. Still looks like we have another weekend of work, but I'm optimistic for the most part. There are still a few things that could go wrong...

This year, I feel like I've learned so much. I have obviously learned a thing or two about how automobiles work. I have dived into politics and voted for the first black PotUS (I really do hope he brings change!). I have significantly improved my development skills, and I've even contributed a little bit to a couple of open source projects. I have learned how to live and think independently. I don't know if other people go through the same transition, but it was quite a leap for me when my life was no longer being planned for my by my parents. They always encouraged me to go to college, and I got to choose to go to Virginia Tech, but it was always expected. After graduating, it was up to me to find a job. It was up to me to find a place to live. It was up to me to find food. It was up to me to take care of my insurance and car and retirement plan. I don't know, it just felt like a really big step.

This weekend, my parents are visiting Thien and me. I am looking forward to it; I think we'll have fun. I miss them.

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Thien,

I know you are having a rough time dealing with your family's bad health. I really do wish that your family would come into better health. I hope that your mom will get well soon, whatever it is that is wrong, and I am very sorry about your dad and will be here for you whenever you need a shoulder to cry on.

However, despite the fact that your family is in bad health at the moment, I want to assure you that you are not "cursed". God has not set his sights on your family as victims He intends to torture. I know I am going to sound strange talking like this to you because your beliefs are not firm, but if you suspect that God is behind this then I must explain to you a little bit of theology. Why do bad things happen to good people such as your family? Bad things happen because there is evil already present in the world.

First, if you believe in creation, you know that God created the world and Adam and Eve. At first, everything was utopia. There was nothing wrong with anything. There was no sin, disease, or death. I believe that if creationism is true, God created mankind for company. We would not be a very interesting race if we all mindlessly followed what he said because we have no choices or decisions to make, no alternatives to take.

God put in the garden a certain tree and told Adam and Eve that they were not to eat from it. This way, if Adam and Eve chose to follow Him, it would be because they actually love Him instead of just a lack of options.

Satan was able to convince Adam and Eve to bite into that fruit, and was therefore successful in his attempt to become an influential force in this world.

Second, if you believe in evolution rather than creation and still believe in God, you should believe that the diversity of creatures is randomly created by evolution. We humans exist not because we live in a perfect world, but because we're good enough to survive as a species. Unfortunately, the human body isn't perfect. Viruses also still exist, and our stem cells can develop into cancer.

Either way, God did not put you into this world just to torture your family. God loves you and put you into a world that is full of beauty despite all of the evil and imperfection that fills it.

You ask why do you suffer from the consequences of the wrongdoings of Adam and Eve? Why does your family, in particular, suffer from sickness when they don't deserve it? Whether creationism is true or not, evil and imperfection already exists in the world. It's like an avalanche that's already started falling, and there's no bottom to its mountain. There's just no stopping it. You were born after it started, and it's nobody's fault. It's just there, terrible as it may be.

You ask why God doesn't just make the world perfect. Is He not powerful enough? Why doesn't he fix what's broken? I believe that if He were to remove all of the evil that already exists in this world, it would be the same as killing us all. We really wouldn't be living anymore. We'd all already be in heaven. He'd have defeated the whole purpose of creating us at all or for our little link in the chain of evolution. We'd just be pawns, and life on earth wouldn't have any meaning. I'm not saying that your life only has meaning because your family is sick. What is happening to you is terrible and shouldn't happen to anyone. It's more evil and bad fortune than your fair share. I know that.

Satan does enjoy spreading pain and suffering. If you believe that you are being intentionally put through these hard times, and you believe some higher power is causing it, I believe that is the one towards which you should point your finger.

Thien, I realize that you must be going through a really tough time. I also realize that I probably cannot comprehend exactly how sad you must feel, since I have not gone through the same situation. I want you to that despite that, I would do anything reasonably within my power to make you feel better. I am here for you. I am praying for your mom's health. I am praying for a miracle for your dad. The world really sucks for you right now, but I'm here for you. Know that I love you. I wish there was more I could do.

Holiday Happiness?

Christmastime. People seem to either love it or hate it. I'm one of those people that has always been generally joyful around the time of Christmas and New Years. It's a time for me to see my family, give and receive gifts, relax, and wallow in my nostalgia.

It hurts me, though, to see so many other people that can't stand the holidays. They either feel completely stressed out because of traffic on the road and in the stores, grumpy and Scrooge-like because giving of gifts is nothing but needlessly throwing money away, lonely because no one is (seemingly?) there with which to share the joy of the season, or something like that.

Whether their reasons are justified or just a baseless by-product of the seasonal atmosphere, I wish I could infect them with my own happiness.

I am in Texas with my family. I have graduated from Virginia Tech after way too many long, hard semesters. I will be spending time with my girlfriend in less than a week. I don't have school to go back to. I have freedom. For the time being, I can sleep in. I have coffee. I have beer. I have good food. I have people that love me. I have happiness.

My girlfriend is feeling gloomy for no reason that she can figure out. I want her to feel the same happiness that I do. I want her to be comforted. I want to see her smile.

Speculation on Life and Artificial Intelligence

Around a year ago (before The Prestige was released), I was studying for my Artificial Intelligence class when some strange ideas wandered through my head. In order to preserve them, I wrote them down on a sheet of notebook paper. I was just going through my notebooks when I stumbled upon these notes again.

Life
What constitutes a soul or an awareness? I can be certain that I exist presently because I am currently thinking and aware. I believe even Descartes can agree with that.

When I go to sleep, I lose consciousness. I am no longer aware. Am I the same person when I wake up? Does the same consciousness pick up where it left of, or does the old one end and a new one take its place? I have read that when we sleep, the section of our brain that is used for long-term memory is shut off. Perhaps when we sleep, we are still conscious, but we simply can't remember much of it when we awaken. I once heard that a person might consider his life just a collection of his memories. That definitely puts sleep and dreams in a strange classification. Is a life defined by a combination of a person's stream of consciousness and his collection of memories?

The same question gets stronger in circumstances such as a brain transplant. Or teleportation. If all of the molecules in my body are disassembled and then reassembled in a new place, does the same consciousness get transferred, or does one person die while a new, identical one is reborn, completely oblivious to the fact that his old consciousness has "died".

AI
A being has a thought cycle. What occupies that thought cycle at a given time is determined by things such as the being's interests and "interrupts" (as in computing) from its senses. I wonder how it breaks its thought cycle to remember something it needs to do.

A being might be given a set of instincts, which is behavior the being is urged to do in a given circumstance. Whether or not the being follows the instinct is up to its decision-making process. After repetitive behavior, that behavior should become more and more instinctive. I wonder how.

I wonder if a being that is given a strong desire to learn and a given set of instincts might be able to find its own instincts strange. I wonder if a being modeled in a human image might find a modified set of instincts foreign.

A being could be created to dislike boredom as a method to gain a desire to learn and gain interests. I wonder how it could discern from a topic that is interesting and one that is not.

Boredom could be a state of mind where there are no current interests or activities to occupy its thought cycle.

Semester's End

Wow, I can't believe the semester is almost over. I can't wait until graduation. I'll be finished with school in 2 more days.

Originally I planned on staying here in the spring to take a computer security course and Internet programming, but the Internet programming one is major restricted, so I might just end up not going to school.

All in all, it's been a pretty enjoyable semester. Not much time to get bored. Had a ton of projects that were difficult to get through, and I felt miserable when I was in the middle of them, but I made it through.

I made time for some fun, too. I went to Busch Gardens for a weekend, spent a couple of weekends at Thien's family's place, and I spent the most of Thanksgiving break at Ralphy's.

Wow, I can't wait to get home and see my family. I can't wait until Christmas and the smell of pine and sugar cookies and egg nog. I can't wait until New Year, when Thien will visit me and I will be able to relax and not have to do any schoolwork, and I will know in my mind that I will not have another semester in January.

I'm pretty happy. I think I am going to take a nap in a minute.