Snowflakes are Awesome!

[LastPoet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auhLrJ5PMto

Well done old fart, well done

[Rayaan]

Good replies.

I know that most of this stuff is already understandable through science and it's not that mysterious anymore. I learned that the different shapes of snowflakes and the intricate patterns are basically caused by the temperature and the humidity in the air in which the snowflakes are falling though. The crystals are very sensitive to temperature, and they take different paths through the sky, and I think that's the main reason why snowflakes get their unique shapes. This brings to the question of whether or not two snowflakes are alike.

Well, it's actually possible for two snowflakes to be alike, but it's just that it is extremely unlikely for that to happen. See the following:

Q: So, why are no two snowflakes exactly alike?

A: Well, that’s because individual snowflakes all follow slightly different paths from the sky to the ground —and thus encounter slightly different atmospheric conditions along the way. Therefore, they all tend to look unique, resembling everything from prisms and needles to the familiar lacy pattern.

http://www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitori...lakes.html


Here's another article that explains how unlikely it is for any two snowflakes to be alike (although "nano-snowflakes" can be alike):
Is it really true that no two snowflakes are alike?


I also read in one article that all the snowflake types in nature can be generated, in 3-dimensional detail, by an elaborate computer model.

Example shown below:



Mathematical 'Snowfakes' Mimic Nature, Advance Science

After all, why would an angry desert god, so concerned with the most mundane ridiculous human interactions, give a shit about a tiny snowflake. Both gods are just far too petty, narcissistic and vindictive to bother themselves with such a tiny intricate design. "There's humans out there that need punishment for being born!"

I don't really know why God would care about such a tiny intricate design. Maybe He doesn't even care at all, but just made them like that; I don't know.

Now, as a deist yourself, do you not believe that some kind of a creative, intelligent force was involved in this process?

You said:

"I view him as a genius on every level; putting together the building blocks that we continue to discover."
http://atheistforums.org/thread-6993-pos...#pid139346

Nope, snowflakes don't prove the Bible/Quran. They disprove it.

How, though?

I'm not arguing that any of this prove the Bible/Quran either, Cin. I said nothing about that in the OP at all. I knew that some of the members who post here may say something about their thoughts on the existence of God and/or religion (which I appreciated, to be honest), but I wanted to share these snowflake photos anyway because I think they are really beautiful, and I wanted to post more links and information on snowflakes which I researched in my later posts in this thread.

Snowflakes are something that caught my interest for some reason. That's why I started a topic on this.

[Welsh cake]

Frozen ice crystals?

*contains his enthusiasm*

[Cinjin]

Snowflakes are something that caught my interest for some reason. That's why I started a topic on this.

I know you made no mention of god regarding your snowflakes pictures. I made mention of it because I have often heard a snowflake being used to prove the existence of the christian god. I assume that Allah gets the same credit, but I don't know that for a fact.

Keep in mind that I said, "snowflakes do not prove the Bible/Quran" ... and thus their respective gods.

As for the deist God creating snowflakes? It would have to be rather indirectly if at all. I have to remind people that I don't believe that the deist God is perfect, nor omnipresent. For all I know he may not even be alive anymore. Attributing him the power of creating snowflake designs would just be my own wishful thinking (if I thought such a thing) .... kinda like crediting Allah and Yahweh with the invention of the rainbow.


I didn't mean to imply that you were making a claim of your god's amazing design capabilities.
When I look around and see all the beauty and amazing things on our planet, I don't automatically think, "hey God sure is amazing." I simply enjoy the moment for what it is, and I know that you were doing the same with the snowflakes Rayaan. If others feel that I implied otherwise - than I apologize.

[Rayaan]

Nope. You don't have to apologize, Cin. You were simply speaking your mind on this topic and there is nothing wrong with that.


Okay, so, here's a great one-hour lecture on snowflakes that I've been listening to:

The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Science and the Splendor of Nature's Frozen Art
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/videos/...ozen-art-0

How do snowflakes form? What creates their complex, symmetrical and strikingly beautiful shapes? Is it true that no two are exactly alike? Kenneth Libbrecht of Caltech, will reveal the secrets of snowflakes and the molecular dynamics of crystal growth through spectacular photographs of these miniature ice sculptures.

I've watched some of the beginning and it's quite interesting to me so far. It's a lecture on all about the secrets of snowflake formation. I'm going to watch the rest of it later.

[Rayaan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYrF3sFBY20