1a) I provided ONE example for the function and purpose of precipitation wrt to this planet's NATURE.
1b) Clearly you have pointed out exactly what I was originally driving at with the snowflake example.....precipitation is just one of the many cogs in the wheel of NATURE that has gotten us to this point....and I think has probably been instrumental in the way that this planet has evolved....i.e many organisms are reliant on precipitation and not by accident per se (doesn't mean that water is "god", right?).
"caring"? human perspective, right? Like I've said before this is a very limited way to judge function and/or purpose.
2) Good point, you're right I read back over that and I did see you pointed out the pattern....in light of that I would rebut with: then why is it that something like human emotions can change the way the molecules come together (this I'm getting from 'What the -bleep- do we know')?
3) I guess what I don't get is why you think function and purpose is so limited as to be "local"? Since it is my opinon that everything is connected I would tell you that everything on this planet is dependent on something else....thereby every single thing has a function wrt to each other (as "simple" as the eye being dependent on the vascular system). The ability to "see" the depth of this is limited by our own understanding.
I have to say that bottom line is I agree with what I think you are proposing: There is design without an intelligent (human construct) designer.....and I think the proof is in the most "simple" of examples and is not limited by our own human concepts of function and purpose.
Look, if this is so far off topic then don't respond.