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 […]

Why I chose to reject God

When I looked at Christianity (which is all I can really talk about with much confidence) in terms of the 'bigger picture', it seemed that people have believed in a God for generations upon generations simply because their parents did before them. The whole idea of having religious 'experiences' or life changing moments is rare - in my experience, people have a given religion from birth, they don't choose it, and in the majority of cases they stick to it until death.

This hereditary belief system does itself no favours. To begin with it gives religion a lack of credibility - surely a person of religion would be far more consciously sincere about their beliefs if they had actually chosen them? I decided that I had no strong convictions for the ideas of Christianity, so I gave it up.

Installing Commandos - A Tale of Woe

I used to love Commandos; that is, the first game in the series, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. I often go back to play games from ten or more years ago, and this is the latest one I have a craving for.

Did I mention, I've just ordered a pretty powerful, expensive gaming laptop from Zepto? Some of its power, I think, might go wasted …

Anyway, the first thing I needed to do was find the disk. It definitely wasn't a DVD case, which meant trawling through boxes and boxes of disks, often with no names along the spines, hunting for it. Three hours later - and with a significantly less tidy room - I gave it up.

Die, not dice.

My A level mathematics course contains a module of statistics, in which probability is briefly covered.

Today, my maths teacher began to talk about the discrete nature of the result from the single throw of "a dice". My heart sank. Does the word 'die', as in the singular form of 'dice', really have to end its life in so undignified a way? It's not even a logical progression of the language; it doesn't make sense to use just one word, and it certainly doesn't sound any better.

The Fatal Consequences of Taser Misuse

In issue 2623 of New Scientist, for me dated 29th September 2007, there was an article about the correct usage of Tasers, and their safety. They raised several key points about methods which are used to test the safety of Tasers, and the danger of these weapons. Since the publication of this article, a man has been killed as a direct result of several Taser shocks he received. Despite the deaths that they cause, Tasers continue to be used by law enforcement agencies around the world in situations where they are totally unnecessary, and they are even sold to ordinary citizens.

Answers in Genesis blames Evolution for shootings

"Finland School Shootings: The Sad Evolution Connection"

I'll pause to let you observe that heading for a second. This is the latest attack on evolution - AnswersInGenesis.org have asserted that Pekka-Eric Auvinen was not out of his mind, he was simply a Social Darwinist. Out of respect for the dead, I'm surprised they even tread near this topic, shamelessly using a tragedy to attempt to give evolution a bad name. Could it ever be possible for both sides of this so-called debate to stop reasoning based on the heinous acts of historical figures, or even modern day people, who have simply got it wrong? Even if the inquisition was in the name of Christianity, or if Hitler was an atheist, they're both completely irrelevant. I'm no Christian myself, but I at least recognise that those who do believe in a god mostly have the best in mind, and do have sound moral principles. Similarly, atheists don't feel empty inside, or lacking something. But this is an entirely seperate discussion; the point is, if religion or atheism should be criticised, it should be on the basis on whether it is rational - or not - to believe in an all powerful entity.

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.

Guns don't kill people, dogs do.

I'm all for humourous news articles, I hate reading newspapers and watching the news when all they talk about is death and destruction, but this is borderline hypocrisy. It fascinates me that from the huge number of gun murders and injuries, it is the light-hearted stories which they invariably use

God's place in a rational world

The editorial for this week's New Scientist raises an interesting question, although Jeremy Webb's opinion is not one I share. "The idea that science can replace religion in the public conciousness is not only fanciful", he states, "it's also bad for science". The article which proceeds from this is entitled "God's place in a rational world", and is written by Michael Reilly. The bulk of the conclusions he makes are as follows.