Brian @ May 26th 2006 8:10PM

#5, JohnX

-It's nice to see there are still non-"flamers" out there. Thanks for the respect

Porn = Cocaine
I just got done searching for about 2 hours for an article and came up empty. Looks like this will have to move from the Fun Fact to Analogy department. However, this analogy has been made my many professors/PhD's/sex therapists. Actually, WebMD has a pretty unbiased aticle on porn addiction (http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/110/109826.htm?pagenumber=1). I have no doubt about the validity of this analogy. Pornography is very addictive. I know from my own experiences and from others that I've talked to, as well as knowing something of the psychology of addictions, especially such basilar functions as sex & food. But sorry, no peer-reviewed journal article (not that truth requires an article write-up, but still...)

Technology = Morality
My natural inclination (from a western/american point of view) is to believe what you believe: a hammer doesn't choose what it does, we do; thus we are moral, not the hammer. However, I've listened to & read articles from those who have gone to parts of the world where our view on life isn't operational (e.g. most of Africa). How we view technology is fundamentally different than how others do. Quick example: some "underdeveloped" nations refuse to stop using oxen-drawn plowers in exchange for tractors because of tradition, because their fathers did it this way. They see our (note that I said 'our') technology as contradictory to their way of life. We see a problem, and want to fix it. It's objective to us. This isn't always the case with other cultures/beliefs. (...I just realized that this is getting long :) sorry about that). Short of it is: we see the world differently, and because of that the technology that we develop is reflective not only of the nature of science but of who we are as a people as well.

-Brian