Linus Torvalds surprises me.
Posted on: May 4, 2009 - 6:17pm
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Linus Torvalds surprises me.
Normally Linus (We're on a first name basis, I call him Linus, he doesn't know I exist) blogs either about his experiences maintaining the Linux kernel, or a bit about his home life, or just to repeat a joke.
While this blog post is ostensibly about more family life, it reveals a skeptical side I'd not seen before:
http://torvalds-family.blogspot.com/2009/05/peeve-of-day.html
"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray
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I do like reading Linus' work. He cuts through bullshit with a knife. He's also identified himself as agnostic and atheist in interviews.
All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that evil men do nothing.
IIRC the perscribtion solutions are also saline. I looked at my brother's eyedrops from a pharmacy and it wasn't homeopathic and it was saline.
Yup. No need to market it as woo woo crap. Saline works fine as it is.
All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that evil men do nothing.
The article never really says that the doctor specifically says that they are homeopathic. All it says is that the doctor says they don't contain any harsh medication.
And I re-checked the eye-drops [there were three kinds] and also found sulphate and something else that I can't pronounce. I don't know if they are required, or are merely additives.
He notes that homeopathy is bullshit.
He then notes that saline solution itself brings relief from eye irritation.
Then he says he can't understand why selling saline solution as saline solution isn't enough, since it works.
What part of that are you being contrarian about?
"Anyone can repress a woman, but you need 'dictated' scriptures to feel you're really right in repressing her. In the same way, homophobes thrive everywhere. But you must feel you've got scripture on your side to come up with the tedious 'Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve' style arguments instead of just recognising that some people are different." - Douglas Murray
Linus made it clear that he was upset about how it was marketed, not by what the doctor said explicitly:
And I agree with him. It's a saline solution. No need to market it as woo woo. If one of my doctors marketed something like this to me, I would lose trust in them. Especially if they were selling homeopathic solutions at a premium compared to "regular" saline solutions. At that point, you know that the doctor is either foolish enough to accept this tripe as legitimate, or is unscrupulous enough to make an extra buck on ignorance. Either one is worrisome enough to consider leaving for another provider.
All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that evil men do nothing.
Just curious, how did you know which particular brand of eye-drops were being referred to, to be able check them? I saw no reference to any specific brand or supplier in the article.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
Perhaps I mis-read
Shouldn't that be "is"? As in saline IS a fine solution when eyes are itchy?
Maybe this double negative that got me to thinking that he's saying the saline solution doesn't cure itchy eyes.
[edit]
Hence my first post
[/edit]
Yes, I think he did meant 'is' there. English is his second language, so the occasional typo is expected. For the record, while he is from Finland, his primary language was Swedish.
All that is necessary for the triumph of good is that evil men do nothing.
Plain saline solution is for chumps.
My favored brand of contact lense solution is Polyhexanide HCI 0.0001% w/v
I have no idea what the fuck that means, but it's definitely better than standard sodium chloride water solution (yes, even as eye drops)
EDIT: Oh, and I think Linus should really think about switching eye doctors. I just couldn't possibly support taking medical advice from someone who pawns off homeopathic 'medication'.
EDIT 2: ...Oh, Hell yeah!
That's right, you pansy-ass little microbes! You're my bitch, now. Imma disrupt your membrane! Imma alter your transcription! Imma do you some lethal DNA damage! Imma...
Oh. Fuck.
Don't hurt me!!!
- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940