2021 LC Thread: - Page 5 - Politics and Society -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

Two Plus Two Forums Other Topics Politics and Society

2021 LC Thread:

Post Reply Subscribe

...

Page 5 of 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Page 5 of 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

07-09-2021 , 12:57 PM

#101

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

How many would divert the bodyslam into a trolley?

and how does that correlate with political leanings

Quote

07-09-2021 , 02:47 PM

#102

Trolly McTrollson

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 36,796

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

I memba.

It’s like getting dunked on by Mr Rogers. Who picks a fight with Ken Jennings?

Quote

07-09-2021 , 04:41 PM

#103

tame_deuces

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 17,817

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Do I get a little badge that says "trolled by the mod"?

We can cherish the memories.

But I should probably stop shitposting at this point, since I'm supposed to be a mod.

Quote

07-10-2021 , 12:17 AM

#104

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

It’s like getting dunked on by Mr Rogers. Who picks a fight with Ken Jennings?

Quote:

You’ve got to know when to fold ’em

Yesterday I was referred to a poker forum where someone called David Sklansky (evidently a gambler and poker author of some renown, unless he writes his own Wikipedia page) has posted a challenge.

In broad strokes: he’ll wager $50,000 that no Bible-believer (someone who can pass a polygraph test as a believer that Jesus was resurrected, and that non-Christians won’t go to heaven) can beat his score at the math SAT or GRE. You’d think some Christians somewhere would be able to beat a poker player on a standardized test, but no, says Sklansky, this is clearly impossible. “I’m betting fifty grand they are not. Their beliefs make them relatively stupid (or uninterested in learning). Or only relatively stupid people can come to such beliefs.”

It takes less than a page of comments before someone suggests me as a potential challenger. “I’m ready. Bring him on. No polygraph required,” responds Sklansky.

It’s true that I couldn’t pass the second polygraph question. (Latter-day Saints don’t believe heaven will be some all-Mormon church social. According to Mormon belief, all the great philosophers and religious teachers were inspired by God, and good-hearted people of all faiths, or no faith at all, will be saved.) Sklansky clarifies in a follow-up post that the exclusionary belief targeted by this second polygraph question is what really gets his goat. “Catholics and Jews don’t believe that,” he says, presumably referring to Purgatory-like doctrines in those religions that give nonbelievers a shot at heaven. This is meant to reassure us that he’s just after dumb Protestants.

But really. If holding a strictly Calvinist view of the afterlife makes you stupid and irrational…then aren’t there things in all religious beliefs that sound just as improbable? Wouldn’t it be just as dumb to believe that God wants you to wear a yarmulke, or that Vishnu has ten avatars, or that wine can transform into the blood of a Judean carpenter, or that Joseph Smith was given gold plates by an angel? All religions fall somewhere on the Xenu Implausibility Scale, right? Okay, Sklansky’s got a beef with evangelicals in particular because he’s gotten into a lot of dumb arguments on creationism, but I don’t think he’s thought his worldview through very well.

Also, if you read the challenge thread, you’ve probably noticed that he comes off as a bit of a jerk. Whether or not religious belief is tied to intelligence is an interesting academic question, but he doesn’t offer any argument or scholarship to back up his belief that you’d only be into Jesus if you were dumb as a bag of hammers. Instead he offers a dumb, arbitrary intelligence test, presumably cherry-picked to match his own aptitudes. (Why not a standard IQ test or something else with a broader range than a college-level math test? Because anyone who consistently misspells “resurrected” as “ressurected” isn’t going to beat my SAT verbal score anytime soon.) The competitive angle is what gets me: it’s not enough to insult people of faith. He wants you to know he can best them, one at a time, all comers. Maybe this kind of bluster is expected in the poker world, but here in the real world, it makes you sound like an arrogant jackass. Or a pro wrestler.

Confusingly, he ends his post by suggesting that religious people won’t take him up on his challenge (cluck cluck! chicken!) not because they’ll lose but because they’ll fail the polygraph. Huh? Which is it? If you’re arguing that Christians’ sincere beliefs prove they’re idiots, why would you then argue that their beliefs are probably insincere as well?

Whether or not I believe in his polygraph dogma, Sklansky wants me to “bring (it) on” anyway. Sure, okay. But I’ve already taken the SAT–why bother taking it again? I know what I got, and the College Board can back me up on it. Sklansky looks older than me, but I assume he took the 1600-point SAT at some point. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours. Fifty grand, math/verbal total. Oh, and by Sklansky’s lousy reasoning tying religious belief to intelligence, he’d need to posit that, should I win, it would demonstrate now and forever that all religious people of all faiths are smarter than he is.

Posted by Ken at 12:42 pm

http://ken-jennings.com/blog/archives/287

Dave does. To be fair, I take Dave's side here. I always did feel that "Mormon" had an extra letter.

Now that I read that again, Ken J sounds a bit like Monte!

Last edited by d2_e4; 07-10-2021 at 12:22 AM.

Quote

07-10-2021 , 07:42 AM

#105

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

and this jennings mormon doesn't even qualify for believing the stupid things DS requires for the bet

not sure he should be casting the first 'sounding like a jerk' stone either.

Quote

07-10-2021 , 08:19 AM

#106

lagtight

banned

Join Date: Aug 2017 Posts: 10,279

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Dave does. To be fair, I take Dave's side here. I always did feel that "Mormon" had an extra letter.

Evidence in favor of DS's claim is that it took me a while to understand what you meant by your feeling that "Mormon had an extra letter."

Quote:

Now that I read that again, Ken J sounds a bit like Monte!

True.

Quote

07-10-2021 , 09:08 AM

#107

Trolly McTrollson

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 36,796

Quote:

Originally Posted by chezlaw

not sure he should be casting the first 'sounding like a jerk' stone either.

Dave pretty clearly threw the first stone, but I understand you have a compulsion to lick his boots, so continue retconning this.

Quote

07-10-2021 , 09:19 AM

#108

lagtight

banned

Join Date: Aug 2017 Posts: 10,279

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

Dave pretty clearly threw the first stone, but I understand you have a compulsion to lick his boots, so continue retconning this.

This!

Quote

07-10-2021 , 09:50 AM

#109

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

so continue retconning this.

The conning was yours with the body slam nonsense.

A classic trolley problem

Quote

07-10-2021 , 12:37 PM

#110

ecriture d'adulte

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 5,920

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Dave does. To be fair, I take Dave's side here. I always did feel that "Mormon" had an extra letter.

Now that I read that again, Ken J sounds a bit like Monte!

No way. SAT and GRE are kind of dumb because you don't have to be all that talented to get every question, but you could walk into any decent university and find dozens+ of people that could pass that religiosity polygraph and easily beat Sklansky on a Putnam. Even if we grant the premise that there is something fundamentally illogical about believing those specific claims, crapping out a 15 on a Putnam doesn't mean you're some kind of logic master.

Last edited by ecriture d'adulte; 07-10-2021 at 12:43 PM.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 04:39 AM

#111

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecriture d'adulte

I take this guy over both of them:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...y=michael+penn

Quote

07-11-2021 , 09:46 AM

#112

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Anyway, if Sklansky genuinely wants that bet, he need look no further than his own RGT forum. Aaron W. would drill him on anything math-related, and it's not even close.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 09:55 AM

#113

Bladesman87

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 14,543

Sklansky gets a starting point deduction for thinking polygraphs are worth anything.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 10:02 AM

#114

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bladesman87

Sklansky gets a starting point deduction for thinking polygraphs are worth anything.

And this!

Quote

07-11-2021 , 12:14 PM

#115

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

I'm goign to enjoy some bootlicking and suggest that meant it was hypothetical where the truth of their beliefs is known. More of a dig than a serious proposition.

There are other explanations but I do think anyone who genuinely thinks that DS thinks that polygraphs are worth much enjoys being a tad too credulous. Maybe he does but then again hmmmm

btw does Aaron W from my RGT forum qualify for the bet? If not you have to realise that DS is not in anyway denying that some religious are very smart.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 12:20 PM

#116

formula72

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,322

Virgin Galactic space plane carrying billionaire adventurer Richard Branson reaches edge of space, returns safely

Quote:

Branson and his crew experienced about four minutes of weightlessness before their space plane smoothly glided to a runway landing.The flight, delayed 90 minutes because of bad weather the previous night, lasted less than hour.

“Seventeen years of hard work to get us this far,” Branson said as he congratulated his team on the trip back.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Branson, who turns 71 this week, and a crew of two pilots and three mission specialists were carried to high altitude by the aircraft VMS Eve, named after Branson's mother. Live video showed the space plane VSS Unity release from the mother ship, using rocket power to fly to the boundary of space.

Richard Branson is set to launch into space this weekend. Here's what to know.

Virgin Galactic and founder Branson had planned the flight for later this summer but moved it up after competitor Blue Origin and its founder, Jeff Bezos, announced plans to ride their rocket into space from West Texas on July 20.

Blue Origin, which in recent days has launched a social media campaign disparaging of Virgin Galactic, softened its tone in the hours before the flight, tweeting: "Wishing you a great flight tomorrow @virgingalactic!"

In keeping with Branson's reputation as a showman, The Late Show's Stephen Colbert was hosting Virgin Galactic's livestream of the event. R&B singer-songwriter Khalid was scheduled to perform his new song "New Normal" on stage after Branson and his entourage return to Earth.

Virgin Galactic has plans for two more test flights before commercial service is expected to begin in 2022. The company says more than 600 people already have signed up for flights at an estimated $250,000 per person.

"My mission statement is to turn the dream of space travel into a reality – for my grandchildren, for your grandchildren, for everyone," Branson tweeted as he prepared for the flight.

Blue Origin has not begun to sell tickets but has dismissed Virgin Galactic's flight plans as failing to actually reach space.

"Only 4% of the world recognizes a lower limit of 80 km or 50 miles as the beginning of space," Blue Origin tweeted Friday. "New Shepard flies above both boundaries. One of the many benefits of flying with Blue Origin."

Blue Origin launches capsules atop reusable booster rockets, while Virgin Galactic uses an aircraft to get its rocket ship aloft. The space plane is released from the mothership at about 44,000 feet, then fires its rocket motor to streak straight to space. Maximum altitude is about 55 miles, and passengers can expect three to four minutes of weightlessness.

Virgin Galactic's efforts have come at a price. An earlier version of VSS Unity, the VSS Enterprise, broke apart during a 2014 test flight. One pilot died and another was injured

Quote

07-11-2021 , 12:21 PM

#117

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Quote:

Originally Posted by chezlaw

Yup. That's why he offered a 50k bet 15 years ago. For a laugh. You sure know how to read the room, chez.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 12:36 PM

#118

Trolly McTrollson

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 36,796

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Yup. That's why he offered a 50k bet 15 years ago. For a laugh. You sure know how to read the room, chez.

Look, he has to defend his master, no matter how ridiculous it makes him look. It's not easy sometimes.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 12:46 PM

#119

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Yup. That's why he offered a 50k bet 15 years ago. For a laugh. You sure know how to read the room, chez.

Seems like better than most arround these parts. But this isn't about reading a room is it? It's about believing somethign a bit too implausible a bit too easily - the room is good at that and sometimes they even get it right.

Odd but then I'm not in it for the troll

and I do like that fresh smell of boot leather. Did you check on your Aaron point btw?

Last edited by chezlaw; 07-11-2021 at 12:51 PM.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 01:06 PM

#120

d2_e4

certifiable moron

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 12,145

Quote:

Originally Posted by chezlaw

I don't know if he qualifies, but my ass still hurts from the last time I ventured over there in earnest.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 01:13 PM

#121

chezlaw

Limey Bastard

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 46,911

Fair enough. God does like to punish the ass for the sins of the master iirc

That leaves the vitally important question of how much do you think DS would bet on DS passing a polygraph while claiming he believes polygraphs are a good method of proving beleifs.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 01:56 PM

#122

ecriture d'adulte

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 5,920

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

I take this guy over both of them:

Probably. There was another lol Sklansky moment a while back. I can't remember the exact terms but it was something like he thought he could beat any economics Nobel prize winner in an SAT math exam in 20 min or something. But there are numerous econ Nobel winners that graduated summa cum laude in math from Princeton or got PhDs in basically applied math. If I had to pick, the quickest person I've spent enough time talking math with to gauge is Jacob Lurie. And I think I would take him against the fastest econ Nobel winner. But probably not at 2:1. And that's a Putnam finalist who got tenure at Harvard around 30....not Sklansky.

Last edited by ecriture d'adulte; 07-11-2021 at 02:02 PM.

Quote

07-11-2021 , 02:50 PM

#123

campfirewest

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 9,940

Quote:

Originally Posted by formula72

Virgin Galactic space plane carrying billionaire adventurer Richard Branson reaches edge of space, returns safely

Quote

07-12-2021 , 01:54 AM

#124

lagtight

banned

Join Date: Aug 2017 Posts: 10,279

Quote:

Originally Posted by d2_e4

Dave does. To be fair, I take Dave's side here. I always did feel that "Mormon" had an extra letter.

Now that I read that again, Ken J sounds a bit like Monte!

I'm almost certainly the only regular poster in this Forum who would successfully pass David's Polygraph Test. And almost certainly a majority of regular posters in this Forum would crush me in any of David's suggested tests. So, obviously I would lose the bet.*

I would probably crush David in a chess match, though.

*I may have had a tiny chance to win the bet twenty-five years ago before my brain got messed up by psychotropics.