Is Your Email Safe?

It surprises me that there is not more fraud on the internet. In fact, it's enough to give a renewed faith in the majority people that run their own websites.
I'm a student, and in my spare time I do some web design, and some coding - among other things. I'd consider myself fairly adept at […]

Five days of Ubuntu Linux

Last wednesday I ordered a new laptop. I'll definitely be installing Vista on it, if only for gaming and DirectX 10, but I also plan to use it as an excuse to get to grips with Linux. I've used Windows all my life, 3.1 followed by 95, 98, 2000 and now XP, and I'd describe myself as fairly competent at working with it: this would be a pretty new experience for me. A few years ago I'd installed Fedora Core 4, and I wasn't impressed a great deal, but this time I decided to go with Ubuntu. This distribution, from what I've read, seems to be fast entering the realms of user-friendly for those with no experience of Linux - that is, it would hopefully be less like jumping in at the deep end and hoping to surface. Ubuntu's apparent popularity among those looking for a place to start in looking for a Linux based alternative to Windows, made it seem like an increasingly good place to start.

Python Tips and Tricks

Here are a few handy tips and tricks, to use when writing in Python.

Computing Singularity

I read a great page today, detailing several ideas for how computing power - and artificial intelligence - will advance. Some of the concepts Eliezer S. Yudkowsky explores are flat out fascinating - so much so that I've written about a few of them, if you're interested in a synopsis of some of the things he has to say. "If computing speed is doubling every two years," he states, "What happens when computers are doing the research?"

Cryogenics for the Budget Conscious

To some, the prospect of eternal life is an enticing fate, and many believe that they can achieve this with cryogenics, or cryonics to be accurate. I’ve always viewed cryonics with an intense pessimism, but I’ve become a lot more open towards it after reading several studies about the success that has been achieved in preserving the brain. However, it is still reliant on ‘future medicine’ to repair or replace the damage that your body has suffered in your ‘first life’. There are even efforts within the cryogenic community to make it more accessible to the common person, with cheaper plans available if you only want to freeze your head (Neuropreservation). This is especially appealing as ‘future science’ will undoubtably be able to provide you with a perfect new body. Perhaps this is a sensible idea though, it is much cheaper, and the process of freezing can irreparably damage much of the body.

The Eye of Argon - Worst Fantasy Novella Ever?

This is hailed to be the single worst fantasy novella in existence; the challenge is, if you can read more than a page without falling over laughing, you're definitely some kind of professional newsreader. Or somesuch.

Anyway, I figured I'd post it up here; this is too good to be missed.

Essential Firefox addons

Here are a few Firefox addons I couldn't live without.

Curious Java Update Incentive

I booted up my PC today and was greeted with a curious message. I must say, I'm quite liking Sun Microsystems' new strategy.

Five more great CS Source mods

Based on the relative success of the last article, here are five more CS source mods you should definitely try out, given the chance. They all include download links for the server addons, and a link to all of the servers running them, should you wish to try them out. Don't forget - if you want to try writing your own addons for CS Source, you can get into it within a week, and with minimal experience.

Writing your first mod for Counter Strike Source

Starting projects for anything new can be fairly daunting - but if you're a fan of Valve's Source games, you can be writing addons for their games within a week. Mattie's Eventscripts makes writing server addons a breeze - and if you want to see the kind of things you can create, look no further than my post on CS Source Mods.

Eventscripts actually comes with two languages built in - I've chosen to write about Python because in my opinion it's both easier and more readable than the inbuilt shell language - and if you're coming to it without knowing either, you might as well begin with it. If you already have experiences with interpreted languages, you'll find Python infinitely easier to follow anyway - plus it's magnitudes faster than the built in language, and has more power.