The Origin of the Species

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial was the title of a recent episode of PBS’ popular documentary-style science show Nova. The topic centered around a Federal Court case in Pennsylvania which was veritable show-down between Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and the more recently popular notion of Intelligent Design. The judge was basically asked to determine whether or not Intelligent Design should, in fact, be considered a credible scientific alternative to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

Put very simply, Intelligent Design basically states that life is too complex to have evolved over time, and thus must have been designed by an “intelligent agent,” while Evolution states that life evolved over time based on the process of natural selection. Over the last 150 years, scientists have found various evidence that supports the theory, but not enough to definitively prove it. Intelligent design has no uniquely supporting evidence, but instead attempts simply to discredit Evolution.

Based on this, the judge decided that Intelligent Design should not be considered scientific, and thus cannot be presented as an alternative to Evolution. Of course the this decision was met with mixed feelings — with proponents of Intelligent Design upset, and proponents of Evolution feeling affirmed.

Now, setting aside the fallout from this particular decision (the condemnation of Dover, PA by Pat Roberson, the judge being placed under protection due to death threats, the typical Evangelical Right response to criticism… too far?), what I found to be really intriguing was the case itself. As a Christian, I was taught that Creationism was right, and Evolution was wrong. To believe the book of Genesis at face value, and ignore any evidence that supposedly affirmed Darwin’s theory.

As I watched this story, knowing very little about the science behind Evolution, I found it increasingly difficult to simply dismiss the evidence that seemingly backs up Darwin’s theory, and increasingly more difficult to get behind the pseudo-science of Intelligent Design / Creationism. But at the same time, I was (and still am) unwilling to give up my belief in God’s story of creation.

This got me to thinking, and it is these thoughts that I will leave you with…

Could there be an alternate theory of how life began that the evidence also supports?…

Could it be that all the evidence of evolution really does is show how connected life actually is?…

Should science even factor into the question of the origin of life?…

If you sincerely believe something, does it really matter what the world thinks about your beliefs? I mean, they are yours, aren’t they?

Designed by Apple in California

Well, I’ve joined the ranks of the Mac Nation (is that PC?), with my purchase of a black MacBook yesterday. And contrary to the traditional reasons one buy’s Apple, I did not buy it because it’s hip, or because I suddenly decided to vote Mac (in the proverbial Mac vs. PC election), or because of the funny/cool commercials that make fun of PC’s, etc. Nor have I abandoned my desktop for the more agile and mobile laptop, nor my affinity for Ubuntu and Linux (in fact, I am currently posting from my Ubuntu desktop as I… post). Rather, as I am doing increasingly more freelance work, both for fun and to supplement my income (now that I am working at a non-profit), I find that I am need of some tools which are unavailable (or underdeveloped) in the OpenSource world. Namely, the Adobe suite of design and development applications.

I could very well be chastised for this next statement, but buying this Mac now will actually save me money in the long run. Don’t be too quick to judge now—hear me out. Because of the freelance work I’ve done this year, and the unemployment I had been collecting, I’ve earned a sizable amount of taxable income that I have yet to pay taxes on, but will be required to come April 15th. So, I did some ballpark estimates and based on my estimated total income this year, and various deductions, I found that if I purchased a computer before the end of the tax year (for use with my freelance work of course), it can be considered an expense, and I actually end up owing less taxes. You don’t have to believe me, but that’s the truth.

That said, I won’t deny that Apple has done an outstanding job of designing all of their products. In fact, Apple won’t deny it either (as every item that bares the Apple logo has a sentence that reads “Designed by Apple in California”). Apple is cool. My MacBook is cool. Leopard is cool. But it isn’t cool (to me) because the hipsters say so. It’s cool because Apple has taken great care to developing a product that not only looks cool, but actually works. And it works well. It’s highly usable. It is intuitive. And you don’t need to read a 200 page manual, or take a 3 hour class to learn how to use it (OK, most of you don’t).

Yes, I could have bought Windows and setup my system to dual boot (because there is no way I am running it natively), but that would mean rebooting my computer to switch back and forth. And much to my surprise, I could not have bought a comparable Dell for less; see for yourself: my MacBook, it’s Dell counterpart (you’ll have to choose the “as selected” option and upgrade the OS and the processor). The bottom line is when the rubber meets the road, Apple is a tough act to follow (that doesn’t make much sense, but I wanted to see how many clichés I could fit into one sentence). So far I am enjoying my Apple experience, but will it actually increase my productivity, or will it simply sit and look pretty? Only time will tell. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy my Mac, designed by Apple in California.

Let’s Get Physical: Week 6 (The Final Cut)

On 06/09, I wrote about my decision to get in shape in a post entitled “Let’s Get Physical.” My decision was based, in part, on the fact that I was out of shape to the point that walking up multiple flights of stairs winded me.I’ll be using a combination of diet and exercise to accomplish my get-in-shape-semi-quickly goal, and I’ll be following the Couch-to-5K Running Plan (starting with week 4), and “Nutrition and Hydration for Runners.”This is a continuation of Let’s Get Physical tracking my progress after the final week of my program.

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Well, it’s been nearly 3 weeks since I last posted anything, largely because I have been avoiding the inevitable final post of my personal quest of getting physical. I knew that I couldn’t (in good conscience) post anything else lest a month and a half of work and hype simply get swept under the rug. I wish I could say that my last run was a glorious triumph, akin to Rocky climbing the courthouse steps, arms raised and bouncing in a joyous celebration as the angels sang “Getting Stronger!” But alas, it wasn’t.

Instead, I cut out a day early, skipping my final run and heading to Illinois for a friend’s wedding (“Getting Stronger!”). I ended up staying there a while and really haven’t been on a run since. However, this does not mean that all is lost, or that this particular exercise was in vain. Nay!, quite the opposite. I am feeling phenomenally better, and I can walk up stairs, several in fact, without getting winded. I walked the mile or so between my hotel and the conference I attended in St. Louis this weekend several times, and felt great doing it.

It has also come to my attention that the scale I have been using doesn’t work very well at all. Instead of the 190 it was weighing me at, I am actually five pounds lighter. And although 185 is decidedly closer to my goal, I still have a ways to go, not to mention the fact that I don’t really even know what my weight was when I started.

As far as my soda fast, that met its demise at the hands of the sweet nectar of life: Dr. Pepper. This is not to say that I plan on making soda my drink of choice. Rather that I will drink soda, but always in moderation. One thing I certainly learned over the course of getting physical is the importance of water and hydration. Staying properly hydrated is an essential part of feeling good.

So, final thoughts: was it worth it?

The answer is decidedly, emphatically, and whole-heartedly yes. Being able to run a 5K might probably won’t land me any major endorsements anytime soon (fingers crossed!), but I certainly do feel better. Feeling better = living better, and who doesn’t want a better life? I would encourage anyone (and everyone) to heed the advice of Ms. Newton-John like I did and start a wellness project of their own.